Stocking question.

[ReefingMadness]

I have always been told to add 1 maybe 2 additions and then wait a couple of weeks. I was just told by somebody that was only true with fish. Any opinions on this?? It seems to me that it would hold true with anything that was put in the tank. Also I have been told that I need to pull my bio-balls out of my sump. I know this to be true, but how slowly should I do this?? I would like to use some LR in its place. But I can't figure out how to do this. Any help would be appreciated.
Thomashttp://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa282/ReefingMadness/DSCF0026.jpg

[rutledgek]

I would argue that that 1-2 every couple of weeks has more to do with the size of your tank and the bioload of what you are adding. For instance snails, crabs, coral, have a relatively small bioload compared to fish. In a mature tank you can get away with adding more of these things at one time.

As for the bioballs, I would take them out over a couple week period. Though if you are taking care of water changes, the benefits may outweigh the downside of a nitrate trap.

[ReefingMadness]

I do a 10 gallon WC every two weeks. I have a low bio-load. A Mandarin is the only fish. I have a small cleaner crew of 2 turbos, 5 nassarius, 5 blue-legged hermits, a bumble-bee snail. I also had to add the inhabitants of my nano which were 4.5 inch crocea and a condylactis. Now as far as the rest of the inhabitants go, I got them with the LR. There is 1 med. size kenya tree and 5 small. 20 or so actinodiscus ranging from small to large mostly small. 1 small colony of GSP and about 4 strays that are colonizing on another rock. A couple of small (4-5 polyp) zoanthid colonies along with 3 strays. And a small colony of yellow polyps with a new polyp forming.
This is in a 75G system. 65G display and 10 in the sump. All water param. are in check Amm.0, Nit.0, Nitrate seems to hover around 10. P.H. 8.3, Alk. 3.3.
As far as the Bio-balls go, do I clean them?? If yes how? And if I do get rid of them, any ideas on how to use LR in its place?

[gflat65]

I just pulled small pieces of LR from the display and put it in place of the bio balls. I let the level in the sump come up some to keep the LR covered. You run out of room for tank drainage by doing this, but I I had a separate system connected to allow for more overflow. I just stacked them on top of the egg crate. This allowed detritus to collect in a nice pile under, so I'd clean the detritus when it built up.

[ReefingMadness]

Cool deal. Thanks for the ideas. What about lighting for the LR. Some of the LR that I am planning on using has some Caulerpa on it. I would also like to may be throw some Chaeto in there as well. Any ideas on what lighting I would need. And can I take all the bio-balls out if I go the route of LR in place of?

[gflat65]

I just ise a screw in PC from Home Depot, but others use a flood lamp that just makes their algae grow. It is also from Home Depot, but I don't remember the info on it. It seems like it might be found on melevsreef.com, but not positive on that. I use an aluminum cone shaped clamp on reflector-nothing at all special.

[ReefingMadness]

Okay, I have decided to go the route of LR in place of bio-balls. I have 15 pounds of LR with all kinds of caluerpa on it. It has been in my nano for almost 6 months. How long should I take to swap out? The bio-balls have only been in for a month or so.

[NeveSSL]

You can get the bulbs at Wal Mart, too. Just get the 6500k bulbs and the little $5 reflector from the same. :)

As far as the rock, I think you said there is not a ton of load in the tank (maybe just your mandarin?). Is there enough room to put all of the rock and then start taking out the bio balls, maybe 1/4 a week for 4 weeks?

I'm not 100% sure, but with such a light bioload, I wouldn't worry too terribly much. You could also try putting the rock somewhere else in the sump all at once and slowly replace the bioballs with it in the place they go.

Brandon