320g build/journey/experiment :-)

[Deep Seven]

I've heard mangrove trees growing in your sump or in a hang-on on the back of your tank will remove enough organic materials to make a skimmer useless. I haven't tried it yet, but if I start a tropical tank I will be using mangrove trees as a nutrient sink.

You can buy them pretty cheap, if you live near the water in florida you could probably go get your own.

 

[pat8you]

I haven't tried it yet, but if I start a tropical tank I will be using mangrove trees as a nutrient sink.

If you like the look of mangroves or just like keeping them they do help take some of the nutrients out of your system but macro algae will do the job much faster and easier. Because mangroves grow so slowly compared to cheato or calurpa (can't remember how to spell that) they just can't keep up in the nutrient export.

 

[Jimbo7]

+1 to that, I have seen efficient mangrove systems, but you need a small forest of them, and they need to be pruned pretty constantly and you can't let leaves fall off back into the water or they just leach out everything they soaked up.

 

[Hinds04]

so if you decide to do a skimmer in the sump, will it just be the hang on style?

 

[thincat]

+1 to that, I have seen efficient mangrove systems, but you need a small forest of them, and they need to be pruned pretty constantly and you can't let leaves fall off back into the water or they just leach out everything they soaked up.

I totally agree with jimbo. I had 12 mangroves in my sump and they are very slow to export any nitrates. You also have to prune constantly and also watch the roots or they will find the smallest imperfection in your tank and start a leak. I had the groves for a little over a year. I added "Ogo",red macro algae, and that did a much better job. You guys can add cheato and that is even better.

 

[Greenmaster]

so if you decide to do a skimmer in the sump, will it just be the hang on style?

It will either be an in sump... (I would add a 30g sump to the setup) or a stand alone, like StripesTheEel has with the 700g... but smaller

 

[Mitchell0605]

Where is all your stuff going Green? Under the tank? Another room?

 

[Greenmaster]

We will see what stuff I need... I have some space on the sides and behind...

 

[mdaniel2882]

Well one more major step along the way... Plumbing is 90% complete... I just have to wait for the nozzles to show up for final completion. But in my mind the plumbing is done... and if I had to I could do run it without the nozzles. Now less than 2 weeks till I can start my cycle ... and if the parameters are right I will add fish on September 6th.

my little boy Aidan Says "cool" that is his 4th birthday he says thanks for the present he can't wait to see the pics.

 

[Greenmaster]

Just a quick question... what is the best "canary" in a coal mine, for a salt water reef tank?

 

[harmy4993]

I've heard mangrove trees growing in your sump or in a hang-on on the back of your tank will remove enough organic materials to make a skimmer useless. I haven't tried it yet, but if I start a tropical tank I will be using mangrove trees as a nutrient sink.

You can buy them pretty cheap, if you live near the water in florida you could probably go get your own.

This is totally incorrect. Mangroves and micro algae gets rid of nitrates and couple other things that algae feeds on. This makes it harder for algae to get what it needs to grow in your tank.

Skimmer gets rid off all the crap in the water. Keeps the water quality clean. More for coral.

 

[thincat]

Just a quick question... what is the best "canary" in a coal mine, for a salt water reef tank?

I would think that algae growth would be the quickest thing to notice and use as a monitor. Pink coralline verse bad hair or cryno.

 

[Greenmaster]

I would think that algae growth would be the quickest thing to notice and use as a monitor. Pink coralline verse bad hair or cryno.

Thanks.

 

[Deep Seven]

This is totally incorrect. Mangroves and micro algae gets rid of nitrates and couple other things that algae feeds on. This makes it harder for algae to get what it needs to grow in your tank.

Skimmer gets rid off all the crap in the water. Keeps the water quality clean. More for coral.

I read about someone who added mangrove trees to his aquarium, and after a while his skimmer stopped removing anything. I'll stop repeating it though until I get some personal experience.

 

[Greenmaster]

The skimmer removes stuff before it brakes down into nitrates (proteins, oils, uneaten fish food, and micro algae to name a few). If you have the capacity to deal with the nitrates you don't need a skimmer.

 

[Greenmaster]

WOOT!
Tank has salt water in it... and only 1 leak... about 1 drip every 60 seconds or so.
I have salt in it... only at 1.016 atm. I have also started my cycle... I have added 5 raw shrimp... the 30 per pound size.

 

[SnowZz]

looks like a future fish heaven. Thumbs up

 

[Greenmaster]

So on controllers I'm still on the fence about the controller I'm going to use... Neptune Apex or Digital Aquatics RKE. The main function for me is the light's going on and off as well as the moonlights... I will probably use the other stuff later on but my main thing is those two... does anyone have a preference or an opinion on them? Possibly even experience.

 

[Jimbo7]

This is totally incorrect. Mangroves and micro algae gets rid of nitrates and couple other things that algae feeds on. This makes it harder for algae to get what it needs to grow in your tank.

Skimmer gets rid off all the crap in the water. Keeps the water quality clean. More for coral.

This is actually not totally incorrect. With one or two mangroves, you won't see much, if any heavy nitrate removal. They grow way too slow to really do much for an average setup.

However, If you start getting several per gallon to create a "mangrove forest" the mud they are planted in along with the maze of roots can remove a lot of organic waste. Turf algae scrubbers have also been reported to remove a lot of organic waste.

No arguments though that its far inferior to a giant skimmer in most cases, but not "totally incorrect."

 

[Smitty]

WOOT!
Tank has salt water in it... and only 1 leak... about 1 drip every 60 seconds or so.
I have salt in it... only at 1.016 atm. I have also started my cycle... I have added 5 raw shrimp... the 30 per pound size.

Conga Rats! I know that adding water was a major step!

So where is the leak? How are you going to take care of it?

Looking good!