jarc

[jtnjaxn]

Hi, i'm johnny i live in humboldt, and have been keeping a reef tank for a whole year now. i have had problems finding info on the bet way to maintain my tankand thought this forum (jarc) would help. i have a 55 gallon w/ an ehiem 2215 canister filter, current nova extreme 4x48 t5ho, no r/o system and a small protein skimmer that is far insufficent. my live stock consist of two true percula clwons, and a blue hippo tang, along with 1 green torch, one multi color frog spawn, and blue striped mushroom and various other small frags.i have maintained by water changes and that is getting expensive. and it isnt keeping my tank as cleanas i thought it would. if anyone has any used reef equip. for sale i would definetly be intrested in buying it. if anyone has any advise or other input feel free to let me know. thanks, jtnjaxn

[techdiver]

Originally Posted by jtnjaxn

Hi, i'm johnny i live in humboldt, and have been keeping a reef tank for a whole year now.

Hello, Johnny. I live in Milan which isn't far from you and several other club members.

Originally Posted by jtnjaxn

i have had problems finding info on the bet way to maintain my tankand thought this forum (jarc) would help.

We will try our best to answer any questions you have.

Originally Posted by jtnjaxn

i have a 55 gallon w/ an ehiem 2215 canister filter, current nova extreme 4x48 t5ho, no r/o system and a small protein skimmer that is far insufficent.

I don't have as much knowledge in reefing as some of the others, but this is what I notice from what you have said. Basically you are having to do many frequent water changes to keep up water quality right? If so, then here are your week links in your system.

Filtration: Most of us do not use canister filters, but they are always an option. Most people in the hobby go with a sump and skimmer rated for far more than their total tank volume. Skimmers are like cheap car amps, they put a rating on them they can't reach in real life. Get a good skimmer and it will make a huge difference.

Live rock is a main filtration staple in reef keeping. If you do not have this, then you really need to make this purchase right away. You will need cured live rock to put in an established tank.

RO/DI: I do not have a RO/DI unit either, so I buy water from Wal-Mart at the Culligan water dispenser. It is only RO, but it is way better than tap water. Starting with pure water will also make a difference.

Originally Posted by jtnjaxn

my live stock consist of two true percula clwons, and a blue hippo tang, along with 1 green torch, one multi color frog spawn, and blue striped mushroom and various other small frags.i have maintained by water changes and that is getting expensive. and it isnt keeping my tank as cleanas i thought it would. if anyone has any used reef equip. for sale i would definetly be intrested in buying it. if anyone has any advise or other input feel free to let me know. thanks, jtnjaxn

I believe your lighting is sufficient for the live stock you mentioned. I'm sure others may have some good tips and maybe equipment you can purchase.

[SNAKEMANVET]

Hi Johnny,I have skimmer,but you would need a sump for it.Canister filters become real nitrate traps.Live rock does most of the filtration in reef tanks.Can you post pics of the tank,maybe we can see whats wrong.I will be glad to help anyway I can.

[farrowkc]

Hey, nice to see you on here..I'm Kevin from Trenton. If you need any dry rock I've got some, but I don't have any used equipment that I can think of off hand.

[jtnjaxn]

thanks eneryone for all the help. i recently purchased a used fission power skimmer made by current brand and a used ro system from fishy business in lexington, they have help alot so far. tank parameters have been greatly reduced. actually where they should be. i think i may have narrowed my problems down to silicates. i have been having a major brown diatom outbreak, i just cant trace the source. the only thing i can think it would be know is a piece of pvc plastic pipe i have been using for foundation. it has been in there for atleast four months now so that will be the next thing i tackle. ( just dont want to breakdown the L.R.) anyway thanks for the tips. feel free to add insight anytime. i have roughly 50-60lbs of live rock, and my tank parameters are Nit.-0, Amm.-0, calc.-420, Ph.-8.5, alk.-1.8, Temp 80 deg. ill try to download pics soon.

[maynardjames]

watch out you will be addicted

[SNAKEMANVET]

You mentioned a silicate problem,that may be caused by your sand.What kind of sand did you use.

[jtnjaxn]

I bought argonite from fishy business i got 20lbs from there tanks and a 20lbs bag they sold there, then i bought a 10lb bag of argonite at a retail pet store 6 months after buying the original sand. i washed all the sand from the pet store but soon after, my tank was infected with redslime so i killed it. now i still have small traces of the redslime to go along with the brown diatoms. also my ph and alk are so stable that i never have to add any a & b. actually i think my ph is a little high at 8.5. i ve had the tank up and running now for a little over a year.

[jtnjaxn]

does anyone know how to post pics on here.

[techdiver]

If you are in Jackson or Milan I can show you how.

Sent via Tapatalk from Android 4G.

[techdiver]

Start off by creating a free Photobucket account. There are other online photo sites, so let me know if you are already setup with a different one.

Read this: Posting Pictures



Sent via Tapatalk from Android 4G.

[jtnjaxn]

So is this Jackson area reef club or do u have to pay dues or volunteer or is just joining reef central suffice?

[techdiver]

You can go to our website to submit your info to join, but we do not collect dues.

Sent via Tapatalk from Android 4G.

[jtnjaxn]

wat all goes on within the club i.e. meetings and such. sounds like a good club to join if u are into reefing.

[jtnjaxn]

[jtnjaxn]

sorry everyone didnt know they would be so large

[TenUhC]

The pics are fine. Do you have a clean up crew in there?

[techdiver]

Originally Posted by jtnjaxn

wat all goes on within the club i.e. meetings and such. sounds like a good club to join if u are into reefing.

We pick a topic to learn or talk about and give out a few prizes. Then there is time to chat one on one with other reef hobbyist about any problems or projects you have going. If the meeting is at a person's house, we have snacks and drinks. We also have these at restaurants in Jackson. Our next one will probably be at a Jackson restaurant. We hope to see you there. Bring your family or friends.

[jtnjaxn]

for clean up i have around twenty nails two are large snails the others are mediums, ten blue leg hermits, and quite a few tiny bristle stars i think thats about it for the cleanup crew. does anyone know if coral has a heavy bioload; or do they help in the filtration process.

techdiver club sounds like something i might be interested in I will definitley have to check it out. can you send me a p.m. of when the next meeting is and where it will be going on.

[techdiver]

Originally Posted by jtnjaxn

techdiver club sounds like something i might be interested in I will definitley have to check it out. can you send me a p.m. of when the next meeting is and where it will be going on.

I'll send a pm now with info to get setup for updates.

[TenUhC]

As far as I know, the only way coral adds to the bio-load. Is when the coral is in decay.

[jtnjaxn]

wat is a good size sump for a 55g, and wat is better for filtering in the sump live rock or bio balls i hear alot of people usng LR instead of bio balls. im always looking for a bargain so again anyone thats has one that will fit my tank let me know. thanks for the help everyone. and does neone know if the brown stuff in my tank is cyno or diatoms. it has an upside down snotty apperance in some places in my tank.

[SNAKEMANVET]

I have always used liverock and filter media in my sump to help with filtration.If you can setup a small area with slow flow you could also grow copopods and amiphpods.The brown in your tank looks to diatoms.Best way to get rid of it is siphon off as much as you can while doing a water change.What kind of water are you useing to do water changes and top-off.

[jtnjaxn]

I'm using r/o water but it just won't go.away. I have some amphipods in my tank naturally. I an lost on the sludge. I've tried everything except letting it sit to see if goes away on its own.

[SNAKEMANVET]

How long do you run your lights and what type.I would run a mag 5 for your return pump.