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#26
03/21/2003, 04:03 PM
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Hehe... thought I would add this pic of what I found the morning after one of my early shipments... note the small rubbermaid containers and skimmer that can overflow... ah, so many lessons to be learned in this hobby....
My new skimmers are pressurized, and shut themselves down when the waste collector gets full. My 50-gallon Rubbermaids are now 300G also. VOLUME makes such a difference.   Darren Walker www.PalmettoReefs.com |
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#27
03/21/2003, 04:26 PM
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I'd say its working
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#28
03/21/2003, 04:32 PM
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Quote:
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LARRY "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Albert Einstein I'm pretty sure it's Mike's fault..... |
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#29
03/21/2003, 11:23 PM
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 I buy mine at a place called Tractor Supply. It is a Rubbermaid Stock tank for agricultural use. I pay about $165 for the 300G.  I have a couple of them now, and plan to get more. I also have a bunch of 110 gallon ones also. The pics were taken right after hanging the 1,000 watt light with the Parabolic reflector to throw a round light pattern. (This one is for SPS growout- I am only going to light the LR tanks with NO and VHO) 
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Darren |
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#30
03/22/2003, 12:59 AM
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Do you have scuba gear for that rubber maid container.
From the pic that thing looks like a kiddy pool. lol
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Lonnie WWLD ------------------------------------------------ Friends don't let friends buy PC lighting. |
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#31
03/22/2003, 07:39 AM
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This is a really great thread.
I thought that I would post a few pictures of MARSHALL ISLANDS rock. Marshall rock has a unique structure, excellent buffering capacity, wonderful color and is extremely porous. It is considered by many to be the Mercedes of the industry.    
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Caterham Cosworth Southern by the grace of God |
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#32
03/22/2003, 07:55 AM
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Cycling tank w/ Rock from an existing tank
I will be setting up a 75g w/ 20g sump in a couple of weeks. I will be hand picking my LR from tanks at Tropicorium, a coral farm in Detroit area. They have thousands of pounds of cured rock in their tanks. My question is what should I expect when I test my water? I plan to put in my DSB put the rock on top of that and not add anything until the water is good. I want to set up a separate QT. Is it likely that I will establish the biological filter without an ammonia spike?
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#34
03/22/2003, 08:31 AM
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Caterham, that is very nice looking rock.
Here are a few of the Kaelini:    Darren Walker www.PalmettoReefs.com |
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#38
03/22/2003, 08:51 AM
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Sorry I didn't think to put pics in the original post- it is a bit easier to picture the differences when you are looking at the rock!
All of these pictures were taken of FRESH rock. Many of the colors will change, and the coralline will become different shades of purple instead of the rainbow you see in the pics. However, if you cure the rock properly without over-basting it in ammonia- there will be a ton of life that survives your cycle. Many of the worms, foraminiferans, misc. corals, etc. will make it through if you treat them well.
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Darren |
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#40
03/25/2003, 11:48 PM
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Quote:
I also wanna know.. I have to use the RO/DO water and the salt water to cure the rock.. But during the cure time, no need to change water right?? What is the cycle is done.. Do I need to change all the water or just 50% or what?? then I can hard to add one fish at a time? Kevin |
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#41
03/26/2003, 06:03 AM
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I like to change the water anytime it begins to get foul. I change up to 50% of the water, depending on how much volume you have it in. (The more water it is in, the less likely you are to have to change it- it is all about keeping the ammonia and nitrite concentrations from getting too high)
There will be more than enough leftover organics in the water that is left for the tank to cycle properly. I would not overdo the water changes, just make sure to keep the water from turning into a thick, noxious stew!
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Darren |
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#42
03/26/2003, 07:13 AM
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Palmetto
Thanks again for all the information. Maybe you can provide a little more! Could you give us some more info on dipping the live rock in water with a lot of salt to remove some hitch hikers? I have read that you can mix up some really salty water and dip your new live rock in it. This causes some of the unwanted worms and stuff like that to come out of the rock. How much salt should be used (what salinity should I go with)? How long should I leave the rock in the water? Anything else we need to know. Thanks Brad |
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#43
03/26/2003, 07:49 AM
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Good question!
I never mix the salt stronger than 1.030. That seems to work nicely- your goal is to run the mobile crabs out without over-stressing anything else- I use 1.030 in a small rubbermaid and dip the rock for 15 minutes.
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Darren |
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#44
03/26/2003, 07:58 AM
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Oh, and I gather the worms from the bottom of the bucket and put them back in the tank.
I like keeping the worms. Kevin, I missed your question about one fish at a time. I would definately go very slowly adding fish- corals can be added a bit more quickly, but fish are generally more sensitive to "new tank syndrome" so you will want to be sure that your nitrates and ammonia are zeroed out, then add small amount of fish at a time. Save your most aggressive fish for last- if you put a maroon clown or another "bully" in first, he could stake out territory and defend it when you add something else.
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Darren |
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#45
03/26/2003, 11:05 AM
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Quote:
--Fizz |
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#46
03/26/2003, 11:18 AM
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The only thing I would toss is the hairy crabs or mantis shrimp.
I toss pretty much all hitchhikers with pinchers- IMO you simply cannot trust a crab that you cannot positively ID. Porcelain acropora crabs are an exception- they are actually beneficial to the coral. They are smooth-shelled, usually white crabs with bandit markings on their eyes. Some rock does not seem to contain many hitchers- most of the Kaileni, Fiji, and Tonga has been through spray systems before shipping to U.S., and most of the nasties have gone. I have only found one tiny mantis in all the Kaelini I have worked with, so I do not want to build up the fear of hitchhikers- only to provide a dipping method for those who are interested in doing so.
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Darren |
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#47
04/01/2003, 04:52 PM
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Question
I'm thinking of going with Kaelini or Fiji. can you tell me about the differences between the 2? From the pics, Kaelini looks a bit more colorful (will this last through the cycle?), it looks more smooth and dense compared to the fiji. I would like to go with the Kaelini, but I am afraid it might be denser, therefore not fill my tank as much since it does not have the same volume/weight ratio as the fiji.
Any info is appreciated. Chris |
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#50
04/12/2003, 07:54 AM
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Sorry for the slow replies-
Chris- the Kaelini starts off more colorful and some of that color remains through the cycle. Most of the coralline ends up different shades of purple- it does not stay looking like it does when it is "fresh". The Kaelini varies greatly in terms of density. Some of it is more dense than most Fiji, some is less. It varies from box to box, and the flatter pieces are heavier. AP- I am not familiar with the product you describe, so I cannot comment on it. If it does reduce the ammonia level, I would consider it helpful. ZOSO- You can cure outside, but I would be VERY concerned about large temperature swings, and would not do it for this reason. HTH! Darren Walker www.PalmettoReefs.com |
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