Added a couple of A. Ocellaris from Petco. Was hesitant about tank raised fish, since one LFS said that they are dumb and will not do anything that the wild ones do. So far, they have adapted quite well and are "hunting" the live rock. The Gramma Loreto did not like them at first, but has adapted and just opens his mouth really wide when they come to close. The BTA has not attracted the pair yet, hopefully they will go into it within the next month or so. I will be patient. Should get the metal halide lighting soon, to replace the Aquapod that electrocuted me! Still trying to decide how much sand to put into the tank, as I have about 1.5 inches now all the way around, but want some type of anoxic layer but do not want to go with 6 inches. Sorry Rob, I listened to your podcasts involving substrates and did not find a "middle ground" as far as anoxic layers, it seems as though it is all or nothing.
Sincerely,
Ed
P.S. Was thinking of putting the live rock on cut PVC pipes (after the recommendation from a LFS) but do not know if this is a good idea if I am going for some type of anoxic layer. Maybe it would make the rock work more stable?
Hey Ed - check out Amphibious's post his 135 gallon reef setup on how he lays the live rock onto PVC pipes. He's posted great pictures on how he sets up the PVC and rocks.
Going to Home Depot to replicate what Mr. Amphibious has done. Will use a downward flow from the back of the tank to create some flow underneath the rock. Thanks.!
Ed,
That's exactly what I do. I haven't quite finished that portion of the tank so, haven' shown it. I'll finish in the next couple of days and post pics of what I do in the back.
Dick
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Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
Since my tank is so small (and I know that you do not advocate nano tanks) I have decided to go with laying the rock on the bottom, but in such a way to minimize contact with the sand bed and per your advice leave a gap in the back for some downward flow. I have added a skimmer and in the process of removing all the pads, ceramic bacteria rings, and bio balls in an effort to get more flow and to let the LR do what it is supposed to do. I will also purchase one more piece of live rock, which should bring me to about 1-2 pounds per gallon. I also plan on adding another inch or so of live sand, very fine grain, to perhaps get a little denitrification.
Rob, if you are listening; it was a big step yesterday removing all of my bioballs from the tank and repacing them with a protein skimmer. I am trying to generate the courage to remove the rest of the pads/ceramic rings; but I must wait to accumulate enough nerve!
i will tell you, dropping mechanical filtration was one of the hardest things i went through moving from FW to SW, i know this is a bit different, but i feel yer pain..
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Should I remove everything except for the protein skimmer? I also bought an eco-aqualizer (it came in the mail today) and was wondering what you thought of it. I found out about it from this site from one of the sponsor google ads. Thanks again.
I have removed the bio balls, the carbon, and the filter pad. I have installed the eco-aqualizer (it has a money back guarantee). Unfortunately, we had our first death this morning with the Gramma Loretto. This was very unfortunate and I think my smaller clownfish is infected with what I think is salt water ick. A few weeks ago I introduced the maroon clown which I think may have had ick and he gave it to the Loretto. I hope that the clownfish will survive, he looked pretty good in the middle of the day but it is the mornings that are bad with him. Is there a disadvantage to keeping some of the bio balls and getting rid of the ceramic rings that came with the set up? The bio balls are the old kind that do not accumulate any kind of detritus, unlike the ceramic rings and the carbon that are placed in mesh bags. As you can see, it is extremely difficult for me to let go of my mechanical filtration, so I need the reassurance and the guidance that this forum provides. I can imagine myself sitting around a table of fellow aquarium aficionados and saying: Hi, my name is Ed and I am addicted to mechanical filtration......(I guess there is something about watching the dirty "particles" being sucked up by one of your filters!)
lol.. trust, i know the feeling.. i was in that club before.
remember this.. the issue with the carbon bags, and filter floss media, is that they collect detritus, the bio balls are not the same issue, they are designed to grow aerobic bacteria, which produce nitrates
so between the two things, you will have higher ammonia, which will turn to nitrite, then the bio balls/wheels turn that all into nitrate..
while its sounds good on the surface, its done at an accelerated rate. and if you don't have the same acceleration on nitrate conversion, you are left with excess nitrates.
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Thanks Gwen, appreciate the support. I almost took out the ceramic rings today, but chickened out. I think I will leave them in there for a couple more days until the skimmer starts to work properly. I think it needs some time to mature and get for me to get it adjusted.
Rob if you are reading this I have a simple question. How much current is enough? I remember from one of your podcasts you said that 10 to 20 times tank volume is ideal. Is there an upper limit? I purchased a 200+ gph power head and was thinking about placing it in my 12 gallon nano. That coupled with the 160 gph will yield close to 400 gph. This does not sound like much but in a 12 gallon Nano, (probably closer to 10 with the displacement losses) this is a 40 times tank volume! Is this too much! I am essentially using the tank as the filter media. Don't I need slower flow rates in order for the good bacteria in the LR to do its thang! Looking forward to your guidance. By the way, I have no way of knowing whether this eco-aqualizer is doing anything or not. I changed to many variables at once and did not follow the scientific method. Shame on me! I will most likely return the product in a couple of weeks.
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