First corals...

[srgetz]

Agreed on taking with a grain of salt, but I've seen several bad reviews of this salt on the net, plus my Reef shop in Philly said this stuff is really light on the elements (Crystal Sea). No wonder the other salt is almost double the money! Probably worth it though, especially if I don't have to worry about balancing Ca & alk. I'll do some searches here to see what Brands of salt people are happy with in reefs.

 

[MarkW19]

My moonlights arrive tomorrow...

I'm either going to leave them on all the time, or put them on for 2 hours after my main lights have gone off, and 2 hours before they come on again the next day. This would leave 7 hours of darkness in the tank.

Which should I do?

 

[Shultz]

Up to you, I have a total of 4 hours darkness, but thats just me others have some sort of light on all the time?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[MarkW19]

Steve: I'm actually going to pour the old saltwater out of a jug, through the media baskets while stirring them up. That be ok?

 

[MarkW19]

Whichever I choose - taking the baskets out of the filter then pouring the water through them while stirring by hand, or pouring the media balls out into a bowl with the saltwater in it and stirring by hand that way, as long as it's done quickly (30mins), even if the media balls are not covered in water and in the open air, will I not lose any bacteria at all?

 

[MarkW19]

Also, my filter has a wet/dry compartment with a sort of foam tube that floats up and down with the intake/output of water through the filter. I guess wet and dry bacterial colonies are living in there...

In the instructions, it says to open the compartment and lightly clean the foam tube with a soft sponge. If I do this (lightly clean it) and open the wet/dry compartment up, won't some (or all) of the wet/dry bacteria die in this compartment?

 

[steve-s]

Steve: I'm actually going to pour the old saltwater out of a jug, through the media baskets while stirring them up. That be ok?

Yes

Whichever I choose - taking the baskets out of the filter then pouring the water through them while stirring by hand, or pouring the media balls out into a bowl with the saltwater in it and stirring by hand that way, as long as it's done quickly (30mins), even if the media balls are not covered in water and in the open air, will I not lose any bacteria at all?

The bacteria will be fine as long as the bioballs remain moist. They do not need to be submerged at all times. Extreme temp and pH swings will be the only thing to affect the bacteria otherwise.

Also, my filter has a wet/dry compartment with a sort of foam tube that floats up and down with the intake/output of water through the filter. I guess wet and dry bacterial colonies are living in there...

In the instructions, it says to open the compartment and lightly clean the foam tube with a soft sponge. If I do this (lightly clean it) and open the wet/dry compartment up, won't some (or all) of the wet/dry bacteria die in this compartment?

The bacteria will be affected by wiping a smooth surface to some degree. If the chamber is anaerobic (which I doubt) it would also be affected just from opening it. You'll be able to tell if it's anaerobic as soon as you open it though. The smell of sulfur will be unmistakable. If no sulfur smell, your all good.

Cheers
Steve

 

[MarkW19]

I guess I could just rinse the foam tube with aquarium water, like I'm going to do with the balls, and not wipe it?

So, re bioballs: as long as I'm quick (within 30mins so that the balls don't dry out) and use the old aquarium water straight away to rinse them, ie. before it's had chance to cool down much, I'll be ok?

 

[steve-s]

I guess I could just rinse the foam tube with aquarium water, like I'm going to do with the balls, and not wipe it?

As I said, I did not know what the attached part contributes to the filtration so I am unsure what you should do. Is it just a simple foam prefilter for larger particles? Or something for denitrification?

So, re bioballs: as long as I'm quick (within 30mins so that the balls don't dry out) and use the old aquarium water straight away to rinse them, ie. before it's had chance to cool down much, I'll be ok?

You should have plenty of time. It will take much longer than 30 min for something adverse to happen. Don't sweat it so much

Cheers
Steve

 

[MarkW19]

Just cleaned it - there wasn't much detritus in the filter at all!

I've left the wet/dry for now though. I don't think it's just a foam prefilter...will find out before I do anything with it

 

[MarkW19]

Is there any other maintanence I'll need to do with the filter?

Clean the external pipes/tubes? Replace any parts? How often should the filter media be replaced (2/3 of it)?

And, how do I know when cleaning/replacing of parts needs to be done - what symptoms will I see?

 

[steve-s]

Is there any other maintanence I'll need to do with the filter?

Check the impeller ever time you clean the filter. It will tend to attract CaCO3 deposits due to the heat it generates. Over time it will start turning white and should be soaked in vinegar and water to dissolve the chalky coating. If it's still black/grey, you have no worries.

Clean the external pipes/tubes? Replace any parts?

Unless flow is restricted or a part is worn causing poor performance, it's best to leave well enough alone.

How often should the filter media be replaced (2/3 of it)?

Depending on the media it will not need changing that often. With bioballs depending on surface texture, they will not really become clogged and should be easy enough to maintain with regular cleaning. Other porous media might need changing every 4-6 months but I would not do more than 50% at a time. Once there is enough LR in the tank, the biomedia in the canister will not be needed at all and can be removed slowly.

Cheers
Steve

 

[MarkW19]

Thanks!

 

[MarkW19]

I'm going to rinse the foam tube in the wet/dry compartment tomorrow, seeing as no-one seems to know what to do with it... :/

Even if the worst comes to the worst and all the bacteria die in this compartment, do you think it'll affect anything? Or build up again quickly without affecting the tank?

And, how often, generally, should the impeller need to be cleaned?

 

[steve-s]

Even if the worst comes to the worst and all the bacteria die in this compartment, do you think it'll affect anything? Or build up again quickly without affecting the tank?

At worst you might see a small increase in nitrates but nothing more than that. Most of your biofiltration will be performed in the tank anyway.

And, how often, generally, should the impeller need to be cleaned?

Depends on whether you add alk/Ca additives and how often. If just using SW to maintain chem levels, mabye once a year. If adding products to maintain the alk/Ca then every 2ish months.

Cheers
Steve

 

[MarkW19]

My nitrates are at 0 at the moment, so if they go up a bit it shouldn't be a problem...

I guess with a water change (or two) these will be back to 0 again, after the bacteria have had time to build back up again?

I don't have much liverock by the way...just one piece 15" x 8" x 7". Also 2" livesand.

 

[steve-s]

I guess with a water change (or two) these will be back to 0 again, after the bacteria have had time to build back up again?

Yes

I don't have much liverock by the way...just one piece 15" x 8" x 7". Also 2" livesand.

Then I would definatley take your LFS's advice and get some more when you can afford it. Even if that's dry base rock. It's a much better lower maintenance biofiltration system.

Cheers
Steve

 

[MarkW19]

I was going to get some more LR, but was put off by hearing about potential problems with parasites and ammonia spikes etc.

If I could just get the rock and put it straight in, then great (I guess I could do this with base rock after a quick rinse with SW but I'd prefer live if anything.). But I dont want any parasite/ammonia/other problems caused by adding the rock!

My tank is 35G - how much LR would you suggest, extra to the LR I've already got?

 

[MarkW19]

Steve: I've posted a question about LR in another thread (http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=34222).

Can corals themselves carry parasites or introduce anything bad into the tank?

And, when corals are said to release "toxins" etc., these are only harmful to other corals aren't they, and not fish/mobile inverts (and the water in general)? Even button polyps and polytoxins etc. - if a fish or invert was to nip at the coral (any coral) could the fish get diseased and/or die?

 

[MarkW19]

And, probably a stupid question: can soft corals and polyps physically damage and/or eat fish and mobile inverts? No, didn't think so