Tank of the Month - March 2007

[fishtk75]

Originally posted by frezel
first i would like to say WOW awesome tank, i have been in reef keeping about 12 years now and really got interested in your use of kalkwasser, i plan on setting up my ro unit to direct feed into a trashcan and an JBJ top off to fed my sump, i wanted to dose kalk to see what results i can get, but have a few questions after trying to mux a batch at home myself,

1. after mixing the kalk in a 5 gallon bucket (6tsp to 5 gallons ro/di) only the top half of the water went clear and the lower half remained cloudy, is this normal, or does the kalk water go clear throughout.

2. i am assuming the kalk settles out to the bottom of the bucket and the water is saturated to its max? if thats the case is it ok to dose the cloudy limewater (drip) into the sump?

i understand the principles ( i think) but just am unfamiliar with the actual process, is there a specific amount u add to your trashcan? or do u just dump abunch in and stir and let settle out and than use whats left.

Also does your pump in trashcan sit on bottom? does it have some type of tube that goes to top of can to shipon clear water..

Please help, and thanks in advance, in the mean time ill be sitting here drooling at your tank :P

Frezel,
I am not this John but I will help.
Kalk is clear on top is normal that is how it mixes and chalk at the bottom. Never dump cloudy limewater only the clear mixed the cloudy is too strong and will burn with high PH. on top. I put 1 tsp to gallon to start if you see calcium drop put 1/2 tsp more a gallon and never go over two tsps to a gallon its too much.
The pump he did not say but I use one once to mix up the new limewater with the old and then let it sit and dose the clear then.

Here what to read from the reef chemistry fourm.
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=102605

there is alot about limewater there.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2003/chem.htm
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-0...ture/index.htm

[drtango]

Thanks everybody for your kind words!

Dudester--will try to get a pic, but basically I took off the hose and used various ever decreasing pieces of vinyl hose to make the connection

afishfanatic--no idea what that one is...open to suggestions

powderbluetangy--ditto what Skipper/Randy said

acrouse--it's a cheap-o battery powered unit from Petsmart, no
problems over several months so far..

frezel--I dump about 5-6 heaping tablespoons of Kalk in, dump in
RO water and forget it. I use an Aquamedic peristaltic
dosing pump with the intake tubing at the very bottom
of the can, just above the sludge. I don't worry at all
about clear or milky. The dosing pump is linked to a float
switch in the sump. Randys articles posted above are
very helpful to review...

Keith---great pics! Glad you still have some. The little green colony on the left is now the giant tabling green milli! Too bad I lost many/most of those corals in the "great recession" I blamed on the DSB. Bigger tank is in the early stages of negotiation, may have to wait until we get another one through college....



Thanks again all..

John

[drtango]

Sorry jgarey, missed your question

This is the place, I ordered a custom stand and am quite happy with the result. It comes in a couple of large boxes, all you need to do is screw it together and paint/finish. Very nice quality wood and finish work.


http://stores.ebay.com/Dayton-Cabinets

[Lion_Babe]

Awesome tank, John!

[coqui1pr]

John you have a beautiful tank simply amazing.What salt are you using for your water changes?

Nestor

[THEKIDSTA1]

DO YOU EVER GET BLEACHING...I MEAN I HAVE SPS...AND EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT THEN BAM!!!...AN ACRO STARTS TO BEALCH...THEN STOPS LEAVING ME ONE OR TWO STALKS....WHAT GIVES???

[THEKIDSTA1]

BTW I ONLY DOSE KALK, NO CALCIUM REACTOR. I DO HAVE A YELLOW SLEEPER GOBY WHO SUCKS UP SAND ALL DAY LONG AND CREATES A SAND CLOUD..I WANT TO GET RID OF HIM BECAUSE HE HAS DISPLACED ALL OF MY SAND FROM THE REAR OF MY TANK TO THE FRONT...HE SPITS OUT THE SAND THRU HIS GILLS....LITTLE CHIT....

[drtango]

Nestor-

I use a mix of Instant Ocean and Oceanic---More IO if I want my alk higher, more Oceanic for Calcium and Magnesium. I find that, in general, 80% IO and 20% Oceanic keeps my tank well balanced and my wallet happy. I did try Tropic Marin Pro for a bucket or two, didn't notice any difference.

THEKIDSTA1

Of course I've had a bleaching event, but truthfully not (yet) in my current system. Maybe the sleeper goby is stirring up some sand nastiness....

John

[THEKIDSTA1]

thanks John, i get frustrated when some of my sps are fine then i see a speck of whiteness and the enevitable bleaching...its frustrating when you buy a coral for $65, and it bleaches...i think i will start with frags and let them grow...it will hurt less on me and my wallet.
lastly, what did you do to stop the bleaching???....could it be the nasty stuff floating in the water after the sleeper goby stirs up the sand??? or water quality?...everything sems to be fine, alk is a bit high, but stable, mag is ok and calcium is 450-500...amonia 0 ect....
i cant wait till my tank looks like yours with all of the stonies!!!!!!

[ljsreptiles]

Incredible looking tank!

[drtango]

THEKIDSTA1

I've found, as have others, that wild caught SPS are MUCH more prone to bleaching than captive grown frags.

I'd suggest obtaining frags from well established, captive grown colonies. ORA is an excellent source for hardy, fast growing frags, as is your local reef club.

John

[Jerry's_Reef]

A very beautiful field of SPS corals. I especially like the way some of them are flat on top.

[MSAreef]

Hi John, Absolutley lovely. Definitely a setup to aspire to. I was just wondering how you keep the back glass so clean. Do you scrape it off often? That must be a challenge to do without damaging any of the corals.

[drtango]

MSAreef-

Thanks for the kind words. I use a Hammerhead magnet. Several of the tabling corals need to be periodically hacked back to allow passage of the magnet...

John

[nosh]

Amazing tank!

[AquaPython]

a beautiful tank!
can someone tell me what this coral is and where to get it?
this is one of the most beautiful things i have ever laid eyes on!

[Skipper]

I think that's the Pachysersis rugosa.

[drtango]

Once again, Skipper is right on.

I love this coral as well---I'm lucky that mine took on a green flourescent coloration. My wife actually picked this out at a LFS years ago, it was browned out and sickly, but she thought it was "pretty". I've got it in a high flow area on the bottom, and each year it gets more bizarre looking.

These corals do turn up at the LFS periodically, but are often brown. If you see one, take a chance--mine has been extremely hardy.

Side note--"pachy" is the latin derivation, I think, for elephant----thus the common coral name "Elephant skin coral"

John

[mattsilvester]

Hey Dr. Tango

Just wanted to say well done, what a great tank. I am setting up a 240 at the moment, and absolutely love your (relatively) low tech approach.

Regards

Matt

[AquaPython]

dr tango,
this is exactly why i like it. i have seen this coral in one LFS many times in tan-brownish color frags the size of coffee plates. I always liked the texture and it had gone under a different common name. i have tried to ask if people have had any luck or pictures with it in the past, and never gotten any results.
are you saying this piece was that color when you got it, and turned flourescent green in your tank?
also, any chance of you ever fragging it ?

[mattsilvester]

I am still in amazment about how simple your system is.

As someone that is currently gearing up for an SPS system, with a few big fish - not at all disimilar to your fish - I am getting quite nervous about managing everthing...... but your tank gives me some inspiration :-)

So basically you feed well, you top up with kalk, you have a calcium reactor, and you do weekly 15 gal water changes.......... together with heavy skimming and good water flow, and that is more or less it? No refugium either?!?!?!?

I must say, well done, you are an inspiration to us all! You give me hope!

Thanks for sharing,, and once again well done on TOTM!
Regards,

Matt

[drtango]

AquaPython--

Yes, it was quite brown, sort of an "olive drab" when I got it. Have not really fragged it much as it's very hard to reach. If I manage to break off a chunk during a tank cleaning mishap I'll let you know..

Matt-

Yes, that's about it. Basically I'm exporting nutrients "up front" by removing as much as I can before it settles and breaks down. Simplistically, a barebottom system is like flushing a toilet---and a DSB/refugium system is more like a septic tank with a leach field. Both work, both can go horribly wrong, it's a matter of choice, though I personally have had much better success with SPS in my current system.

Thanks for the kind words

John

[mattsilvester]

John,

I prefer the concept of bare bottom, personally. However, my newest tank has a 2" brace running the length of the tank at the top and bottom - its the bottom bit that worries me. If I were to put a starboard tye substance on the bottom, then I would end up with a 1/4" void under it - and I think it would look awful it the the board was cut to 20" wide to allow for a 2" gap at the front and back........

Bare bottom and just glass....... I;d be sort of worried if a rock fell or something that it would chip / crack the bare glass.

Hence, I am planning to go ahead with a thin scattering of sand on the bottom ..... initialyl I tohught 1", but now I am thinking a half inch.......

Cheers,

Matt

[TropTrea]

Originally posted by mattsilvester
John,

Bare bottom and just glass....... I;d be sort of worried if a rock fell or something that it would chip / crack the bare glass.

Cheers,

Matt

Yes having beedn in the business of selling larger tanks as well as custom building them I must admot thaqt there are rare ocassions or returns.

1. case of return is someone put the tank on an un-even surface and the unequal presure on the glass caused a side or the bottom to crack.

2. I have not seen this with tempered glass but tanks with none tempered bottoms will crack when a heavey object like live rock is droped on them. This is one reason why I never had even one bare bottomed tank out of over 100 when I ran my pet store.

Now what I have seen done frequently is the use florescent light grills spaced off the bottom which protects the tank bottom from falling objects plus with forced water circulation under the plate blows out and dirt that wantys to settle on the bottom. The only big draw back here Algea control on the bottom as well as grate.

Dennis


Dennis

[volivier]

Originally posted by Skipper™
I think that's the Pachysersis rugosa.

wow, it is very pretty, i'd have guessed a monti cap with that grew in strange formation. LOL I've seen the elephant coral i've seen are ugly, guess i'll take a chance next time i see one.