my 40 gallon breeder questions.

[coffeetwitch]

i mentioned a bta here are some pictures. he is about halfway up to maybe on the top 25% of my rock work. give or take.

he has been there for almost a week and this is what he looks like after 9 hours of full light. remember i still have to replace 2 of the old bulbs with new ati blue pluses(next friday hopefully)

 

[coffeetwitch]

would adding one of those marineland reef bright led lights take care of all of my lighting pitfalls? im just trying to figure out how to fit all this lighting on top of my tank.

also im following an auction on ebay for a quiet one 2200 return pump.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I think the reef capable LED's are overpriced, personally.

 

[coffeetwitch]

also would i just be better off getting a 6 bulb t5 ho fixture?


if i win the auction for the quiet one, i may just replace both of my koralia 450's with 750's and call it good.

i really dont want to keep spending money on set ups that i thought i was finished buying equipment for.

 

[coffeetwitch]

I think the reef capable LED's are overpriced, personally.

what corals are/where you keeping in your tank?

here is a list of corals that i am interested in keeping in my tank.


corals Finger Leather Coral - Aquacultured ORA™ Giant Green Polyp Duncan Montipora Capricornis, Purple German Blue Polyp Hawkin's Blue Echinata Rose Acropora millepora Aussie Acan lord 3 Frag Pack Doughnut Coral Trumpet Coral Candy Cane Coral Blastomussa Coral

 

[KAhner]

Do you have any links or anything talking about the low flow sump for skimmers. Because ive never heard that and most people have well over 600 or a thousand gallons an hour thru their sump, with their skimmer in a very small (very high flow) baffled section of the sump.

 

[KAhner]

Honestly im not buying any if that sump flow rate stuff. U say the macro needs time to soak up the nitrates. Well that just dont make sence. Because as its soaking up them nitrates and phosphates it purifying the water (less nutrients to absorb) therfore i would think its more benificial to get more water thru it. Same for the skimmer. The most nutrient rich water is most likely at the surface of the dt. So y would you want stagnant water in your sump with all the junk floating at the top, and it will be with as a low a flow as you guys suggest, with your skimmer pump at the bottom skimming relatively clean water? I would get the flow as high as your macro will allow. There r of course benefits to having crypitc zone in the fuge for biodiversity, but in general i would not think high flow is a negative.

 

[coffeetwitch]

like i said i keep reading that chaeto needs flow. i pulled one of my nano 425's from my dt to help "tumble". my skimmer has a 700gph pump or close to that. so after all my head loss and loss from plumbing they are about equal. i get good dark skimmate out of my skimmer that i empty about 1-2x a week.

i lost the auction on the quiet one 2200. i would have used it. i get the idea of dwell time for the skimmer. kind of like recirculating skimmer. but once i get a payday im getting 2 koralia 750's for the dt and moving the other 425 to the fuge, maybe.

 

[KAhner]

Yea I mean little turbulence in the skimmer body is definitely critical, but I don't see how a low turbulence sump would help.

 

[coffeetwitch]

was doing some looking online and found an interesting take, or another explanation for low flow in the sump. here it is paraphrased.

for the skimmer you want to match or slightly slower flow than the skimmer pump. reason for that is if your flow is too fast through that compartment the skimmer will not be able to pull everything that it can POTENTIALLY pull out. the faster flow will only allow it to grab a smaller percentage of water than slow flow. kind of like a side channel in a fast moving river. gets some but the rest of it passes it by.

another point brought up was that a lot of us use a dsb in our sumps. we use them to remove/reduce nitrates. the point brought up was that we create circulation in our dt's to not only flow water to all filter feeders and deliver nutrients to all of our corals but to keep waste dissolved and suspended in the water column until it is overflowed into the sump to be filtered out. the slower flow through the sump allows for all of these dissolved wastes to fall out of suspension and onto the dsb. letting all the micro fauna and the bacteria to do its job and further break it all down.

while i keep reading that certain nutrient exporting macro algae requires higher flow to remove the nutrients in the water, this current is counter productive to the rest of the sump requirements for slower flow. hence there arises a need for yet another compartment for macro algae to be placed with the lighting and a power head to boost circulation back up.


after all that, here is my take on why my sump configuration isnt working all that well. ive got a 40 breeder as a sump with a mag 9.5. the pump is too much flow for proper nutrient export by my dsb and affects the efficiency of my skimmer but the sump is too wide to create enough current for the needs of the macro algae. my plan is to get a pump like a quiet one 2200 or a mag 5. some where in the 550 gph range. that should put my post head gph at around 150-200 gph range in my dt. i built a wall out of rubble in an attempt to isolate my macro from as much dsb as possible while still using one of nano 425s to circulate the water for the chaeto. atleast until i can put a more permanent panel in.

plans still remains for two 750 power heads or maybe one 750 one 550 for my dt.

any one have any input on all of this? good bad or indifferent?

 

[brainless chef]

would adding one of those marineland reef bright led lights take care of all of my lighting pitfalls? im just trying to figure out how to fit all this lighting on top of my tank.

also im following an auction on ebay for a quiet one 2200 return pump.

Same light for less.

seller: aquadeal

He has a lot of stuff on his ebay store.

 

[coffeetwitch]

i saw those on ebay too. im thinking that for the sake of keeping the clutter down to just get a different light fixture. thats if i find that this 4 bulb isnt cutting it.

 

[mfdrookie516]

This is what I've been looking at, in the event my lighting isn't sufficient and I choose not to go with LED's - Odyssea Metal Halide System

I saw one on a friends tank a few days ago, he loved it. As much as I've said I'd never own one after all the incidents with fires, it seems they've really upped their game and started making more dependable units.

 

[brainless chef]

Here is a link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-ADV-PLUS...ultDomain_0&hash=item45fa8378d6#ht_1780wt_922

Same light for less.

 

[coffeetwitch]

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

if it cant be kept with this light then i dont need it. thats if i get it. ive read great reviews on odyssea lights. that they have really made some great fixtures and the "fire hazard" is a thing of the past.

 

[brainless chef]

Nice find

 

[coffeetwitch]

followed some bread crumbs and found this gem. a thanks was sent

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f11/brs-pukani-rock-owners-interesting-read-182292.html

 

[KAhner]

I love that rock. Its definitely the next rock I get.

 

[coffeetwitch]

it is interesting rock. the pet warehouse here has pukoni lr in a holding tank.
i just never knew that po4 would/could leach from dry rock. could explain some algae issues.

 

[KAhner]

Ehh. Maybe. But with a new tank ur going to have algae anyways.