I have not come across the website before... Saltwater Smarts but it does look like an interesting read.
Whilst looking for information regarding my OTS issue with hair algae I found a very interesting article by Paul Beldassano (Understanding Old Tank Syndrome ) in which he discusses the role of bacteria in the aquarium. He goes on to mention how the pores in live rock can become blocked over time by the build up of detritus. This eventually gives less places for the beneficial bacteria to live and thrive. Thus reducing the ability of the rock to act as an effective biological filter. Interesting thought!
I have not come across the website before... Saltwater Smarts but it does look like an interesting read.
0 Comments
![]() After well over 5 Years I decided to update my equipment list. I have put two new AquaRay 2000HD Ultima NP Reef White tiles which are much better than the originals. Better colour and penetration. I also added an Arcadia 600-800 stretch LED across the front of the aquarium. I am still using the Eheim Compact+ 3000 return pump and have recently replaced the original pumps with two Newa Wave 5.1 powerheads. ![]() The best equipment update is my new Bubble Magus Curve 5. This is a really good piece of kit. A much better skimmer than my original Skimm 800 in every way. It produces far more skimmate (is that the right word?) than my previous skimmer and is so much easier to clean and control. It fits perfectly into the first sump compartment and is easy to remove when cleaning is needed. I really like the pump being in the base of the skimmer. A really neat solution. ![]() My most recent addition, a beautiful Timor wrasse. I have never seen one before but as one of the smaller members of the Halichoeres wrasse family I am sure she will be fine in my reef tank. Many sources say she may be a danger to decorative shrimps but I have not noticed this with other similar species. She seems to have settled well and is feeding nicely. Very busy looking for pods and other small inverts in the live rock. Talking about live rock... I couldn't believe the amount of detritus that has been blown out using the turkey baster. I hope this will be slowly filtered out of the water column and help reduce the algae build up in the tank. It must also have affected the rocks porosity and therefore ability to act as efficient biological filter. Well that's my theory anyway. My current issue is a growth of hair algae. As I have said within the web pages there is no obvious reason for this growth so having done some research it has lead me to believe I am suffering from what might be referred to as Old Tank Syndrome. There is an obvious growth in the amount of nutrient in the tank but I didn't understand where this was coming from.
In order to try and remove this excess nutrient I am reviewing my maintenance regime. Remedial steps 1. Giving everything a good clean. pumps, pipe work, sump, weir and skimmer. 2. Using turkey baster to blow out detritus from rock and corals 3. Increasing flow within the tank and checking for dead spots. 4. Continue growing and harvesting cheato in the sump. 5. Double upon water changes for a few weeks. 6. Increase cuc as this has not been kept up to an adequate level. I cannot believe it has taken me over five years to sort out an auto top up unit. I have always topped up by hand. When I have gone away for a few days I have left jugs of RO water so that my son could top the tank up for me. Madness. I decided to get real and invested in a TMC V2 auto top up unit. ![]() This is a really simple piece of kit that took about ten minutes to set up. One mistake though. I had the feed pipe fastened as per instructions just above the water line and somehow managed to get a syphon started which filled the sump before I realised. I have now put the pipe well above the water level in the return chamber and things seem to be running smoothly. I need to remember to unplug when I do a water change because if the level of the water in the sump drops the unit kicks in. It is connected to a 25l reservoir of RO water and is a real time saver as well as being more effective in keeping the water level and salinity even. I am sure there are other units on the market and probably very good DIY solutions out there as well. Don't know if this is the best solution but is seems to be working for me. This is a completely new venture for me so I am not completely sure what I am doing but thought this might be a better way of sharing my experiences than trying to constantly alter and update the pages on the website.
I thought this might be a good time to start as I am having a new problem and thought I would share my experiences in an easier way. Please feel free to comment on any particular entry or my website in general. |
AuthorI have always enjoyed keeping fish and began this website when doing the research before setting up my own modest reef. I couldn't find this type of site so decided to make my own. Archives
December 2020
Categories |