The New Capn's Log Book-sites of interest on RC

[Padrino]

Paul,
Can you elaborate on the tools used for your method. Love the video, DIE B*TCH DIE

[thebkramer]

Originally Posted by Padrino

Paul,
Can you elaborate on the tools used for your method. Love the video, DIE B*TCH DIE

Here is the thread for Paul B's electocuting majanos

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1808040

[Aquarist007]

Yellow watchman goby/Pistol Shrimp combination

If you have kids this pair can be very entertaining



Don't know if you ever saw this vid it's from a while back but here's a vid of the pistol and YWG. You can see the pistol's antennae on the back of the goby in the vid and the pictures.




Original Video - More videos at *******


Also, some older pictures. The YWG was such a small sliver a fish when I fist got him.
[img]http://i34.*******.com/j9sw2c.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i33.*******.com/wpe7p.jpg[/img]

courtesy of Jason

[Aquarist007]

The Top 10 (Plus) Frequently Asked Questions about Calcium Reactors
by Jason Chodakowski

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcreactors.htm


Q: Are calcium reactors complicated?

A: No, calcium reactors are in fact very low-tech devices; they just look complicated because of all the attending equipment. Essentially, a calcium reactor is a sealed vessel; filled with calcium based media and an external circulation pump which constantly cycles water in the reactor through the media. The reactor is also connected to a metered source of C02. This CO2 is bubbled in at a slow rate to mix with the circulating water and via chemical reactions, dissolves the media into calcium carbonate.

Q: How do I hook up my calcium reactor?

A: Well, there are a couple of components, and pieces/parts which you will need in advance to get your reactor working. Typically, the reactor is fed with water from the tank, either from special plumbing, a T-connector in your return line, or a siphon. You will want to have this worked out before you start. You can then fill the reactor with media, and then complete the plumbing. Make sure you leave plenty of slack in the various lines for maintenance. Of course, you will also need a source of CO2, and bottled sources work best for this purpose. The connection between your CO2 tank and reactor should be plumbed with CO2-proof tubing. You should apply Teflon plumbing tape to all large threaded fittings, including your bubble-counter to help prevent leaks. Once these are in order, you need only drip the effluent at a slow rate into your tank.

Q: Is CO2 gas dangerous?

A: The official designation of CO2 is Non-Flammable. While CO2 is not classified as dangerous like chlorine gas would be, CO2 can most certainly be toxic. If one were to breathe only CO2 you would quickly asphyxiate. CO2 is certainly worthy of respect, and is a compelling reason to be diligent about avoiding leaks in the CO2 portion of your reactor.

Q: Do I have to use bottled CO2, or could I just as easily use a yeast-reactor or similar mechanism for adding the CO2 to the reactor?

A: While it is certainly not a requirement, it is perhaps the most consistent means of applying CO2 to your reactor. After the initial cost of the bottle, the refills are on average about $10 or less for a 10-pound tank. Yeast reactors require constant maintenance, and can’t really keep up with the demands of a calcium reactor.

Q: Is this the only way to supplement calcium in my tank?

A: No, there are many options of which the reactor is only one: two-part solutions, kalkwasser, and natural processes are all viable mechanisms for calcium additions to your tank. The most compelling reason to use a calcium reactor is to stay ahead of demand from the tank inhabitants, and as a side benefit, to automate the supplementation.

Q: If my calcium is already low, will a calcium reactor help?

A: The quick answer is yes and no, and in fact you can make your problems worse if you’re not careful. Like any supplementation, one needs to move slowly as this equipment is brought to bear on your system. The effluent - the stuff that comes out of the reactor – can have a very low pH and this can in turn shift the pH of your tank towards the more acidic end of things. A well-tuned calcium reactor can easily bring low calcium levels up to a more useful level, but it’s best to have things in the right range before you start adding effluent from the reactor.

Q: Fair enough, is there a recommended flow rate of CO2 into the reactor, and a recommended flow rate out of the reactor?

A: Again, this will vary from system to system, and there is a direct relation between the CO2 inputs, and the effluent outputs. The best way to explain would be to imagine we are talking about a Cool Aid reactor, we have a container of rocks that turn into Cool-Aid, and the CO2 dissolves the rocks. If you constantly add CO2, but barely let out any of the juice, the juice will become very concentrated. The opposite is also true, if you let water flow out of the reactor at a high rate, but don’t add much CO2, the resulting effluent will be very weak and watery. Somewhere in the middle there is balance.

Q: That was a terrible example, what else you got?

A: Sorry, say this time we’ve got a container full of crushed coral… and the CO2 will slowly dissolve the crushed coral. The same applies, except in this case we are more concerned with the pH and dkH of the effluent rather than if it is tasty, Cool Aid. These two factors are now crucial because they will affect the calcium uptake of your reef-inhabitants in addition to other chemical processes going on in your tank. So, the take home message here is this: you must test quite frequently when you first set up the reactor to arrive at a drip and bubble rate which works best for your tank.

Q: What is the target(s) I am shooting for?

A: Again, this is subjective – on average, a dkH of 8 - 12 is considered good. A calcium level of 350 – 400 is likewise adequate. Your pH will vary over the course of a day, but should be in the range of 8.0 – 8.4. The effluent should be have a pH range of 6.5 to 6.8 – the dkH should hopefully be at the least 20, or even off the scale.

Q: So are you telling me I just bought an alkalinity reactor?

A: In essence, yes – the calcium reactor excels at replenishing the alkalinity/buffers in your system. It just so happens that the replacement solution is high in calcium, so it’s a win-win as they say.


Q:What kind of maintenance do I need to do?

A: Ahh, good question. The media will have to be replaced on a regular basis. How often will depend on how heavily the media is being consumed. Probably best to check every three months at the start, and as time goes on you will find a better period in which to renew the media. In the interim, the best thing you can do is give the whole reactor a good shake, once a month. This is a good reason to make sure you have a good amount of slack on the various lines connecting the reactor. When you swap in new media, you might also check the circulation pump, and clean if necessary.

Q: OK, last question… can this new calcium reactor keep my calcium at 450+ and a dkH of 12+?

A: It could, but would that be wise? More often than not, keeping both of these numbers simultaneously high is difficult if not impossible. In most cases, dkH and high calcium PPM are mutually exclusive. A given quantity of water can only keep so much calcium in solution [dissolved] before it is saturated [can not dissolve any more calcium] and the excess will form a precipitate – the snow phenomena that you have probably heard about. Real world numbers are somewhere in the middle of the "ideal range" and not at the high end of the scale.

Q: Sorry, next to last question: What should I be using for media?

A: There are a number of brands and also the option of making your own. You should avail yourself to other calcium reactor users to see what their preferences are. If you choose to make your own, you can crush dead coral skeletons with a hammer [don’t forget the safety glasses] and put this directly in the reactor.

Q: This is really a lot more than 10 questions, I’ve got another: what’s the solenoid on the CO2 regulator for?

A: Mainly to avoid excess CO2 from escaping the system during a power failure. The solenoid can also be hooked to your light timer, so that CO2 is delivered only during the lights-on hours. You can also connect the solenoid to a pH controller which will turn the valve on and off based on a preset pH. A pH controller is not a requirement, but most certainly useful.

Q: Wait, you just said something about running only during the lights-on hours. What’s that all about?

A: Well, this is depends mostly on what’s going on with your tank. Some people have problems with depressed pH [more than usual] at night. By turning off the CO2 at dark time, you will increase the pH of the reactor’s effluent, and reduced its impact on the tank’s pH.

Q: Oh man, I didn’t buy a pH controller… do I "have" to have one?

A: No, you don’t, but you should certainly have a pH test kit handy, and probably stock up on reagents while you are at it. Speaking of tests, if you don’t already you should also have a dkH [hardness] test kit and calcium test kit within reach. You shouldn’t hook up your reactor without them.

Q: Does CO2 affect photosynthesis?

A: Absolutely, yes. Without CO2, there is no photosynthesis – it is a major input in the process.

Q: Is excess dissolved CO2 a problem?

A: It most certainly can be… and often seen as the source of a depressed pH, or say lower than normal. In many modern reef tanks, where there are skimmers, sumps with spill-over weirs, strong circulation and the like, the water is well aerated and so excess carbon isn’t usually a problem. Likewise, if you’ve got a good crop of photosynthetic corals or macro algae, these are going to be quite thankful for the extra CO2.

Q: How can I tell if I have excess CO2 in my tank water?

A: Easy, take a sample of your tank water and measure the pH. Then, put an air pump to work on aerating that same sample, and let it go for 6 to 12 hours. At the end of your test measure the pH again. If the pH has gotten higher [by two or more tenths of a point] then you probably have excess CO2 in your water. If not, you need to look for other causes.

Q: Can I also dose kalkwasser while I am using a calcium reactor?

A: Sure you can, but you will probably have to reduce the amount you have been dosing up to now. Always start by measuring your calcium and make sure you need to do this at all – with any luck, you can put your kalkwasser away. If your calcium is lower than desired, kalkwasser is a great source and can help push a low pH in the opposite direction [if that’s what you want]. The possibility to create havoc with kalkwasser additions is really quite real. Regardless, you should always test before and after to make sure you’re not doing something drastic. Similar to other additives, you can really put yourself in trouble if you add wholesale without testing first.

Q: So what is my baseline? Where should I start?

A: I would start with the manufacturer’s directions. Most that I’ve read come with a recommendation for a bubble rate from the CO2 and a drip rate for the effluent. I would personally divide these in half and start from there. For the first week, you should test your tank and the effluent several times a day. Once you become more familiar with the equipment, and the affects of the various adjustments that can be made, you can test a little less. I still keep on a regular test schedule to make sure everything is within normal tolerances.

Q: Just thought of another question: what’s the second chamber for?

A: Ah hah… you’ve been shopping around. Most commonly the second chamber is either for additional media to be exposed to CO2, and thereby increasing the amount of effluent, say for a very large system. Or, this is chamber is only filled with media but not provided a CO2 source, becoming a passive reactor. In this design, the effluent from the reactor is then run through this second chamber to let the low-pH/high dkH go to work on the raw media within, and as a result gaining a rise in pH of the resultant effluent coming out of the second reactor.

[size=12pt]For operating a calcium reactor please refer to this topic
http://www.reefcentral.com/smf/i...pic,604.0.html[/size]

[Aquarist007]

Rapid Tissue Necrosis (RTN) and Slow Tissue Necrosis (STN)

Tissue Necrosis and Slow Tissue Necrosis are used to describe an event of tissue coming off the coral or the coral turning white, which is known as bleaching. The speed at which this happens determines whether it is called rapid or slow tissue necrosis. Rapid tissue necrosis happens when the coral is almost completely white within 24 hours. Slow tissue necrosis can take days, weeks or even months. There has been much discussed on what causes this problem. It is thought to be caused by different strains of Vibrio bacteria.

What does a Vibrio Infection look like: You cannot see this bacterial infection with your eyes. However, you can see the signs of the infection.

Signs of infection: Rapid or slow loss of coral tissue revealing the bone of the coral. Typical seen is SPS corals.




http://www.coralrx.com/index.php?opt...d=16&Itemid=18

[Aquarist007]

Aiptasia



The problem with it
Aiptasia pack a powerful sting. The toxins produced by the stinging cells of this anemone are more potent than many of the corals kept by aquarist. Aiptasia can quickly irritate and kill the desirable corals and clams in the tank.

Aiptasia are most easily controlled when first discovered in the tank, before they have a chance to multiply. There are two methods of controlling these pest anemones; Chemical Control and Biological Control.

Chemical Control
1.) Aptasia X or Joe's Juice

2.) Injecting the anemone with a caustic substance such as a concentrated Kalkawasser solution

3.) Injecting with hot, near boiling water.

Biological Control

1.) Peppermint shrimp Lysmata wurdermanni are known to eat Aiptasia however, some will not.

2.) Nudibranches of the species Berghia verrucicornis will eat Aiptasia, but the only drawback is that they will eat nothing else. Once there are no anemones left the nudibranch will starve to death.

3.) Copperband Butterflyfish or a raccoon Butterflyfish[/quote]

And electrical control

Capn, you forgot the most important method. My method that uses electricity and disintegrates them in seconds.
Click the picture

[/

[Aquarist007]

A Typical Break-In Cycle

Day 1
Live rock has not yet produced any measurable amount of ammonia. All readings should be near zero.
Day 3
Ammonia level rises rapidly to near-dangerous; First stage bacteria are beginning to become established, but their numbers are low at this point.
Day 5
Ammonia level reaches its peak and begins to decline as first stage bacteria begin to convert it into nitrite. Nitrite levels begin to rise. Weaker fish may succumb to ammonia poisoning; a partial water change will dilute ammonia and reduce stress.
Day 8
First stage bacteria are well established and are processing ammonia as fast as the live rock are producing it. Ammonia level returns to zero and nitrites climb rapidly.
Day 14
Small water changes (up to 20%) can help without significantly prolonging cycling time.
Day 27
Nitrite levels continue to be elevated for several weeks as the second stage bacteria begin turning nitrite into nitrate.
Day 29
Second stage bacteria multiply rapidly and begin to catch up with built up nitrite. Nitrite levels drop rapidly and nitrate level becomes detectable.
Day 30
Both first and second stage bacteria are now well established and can keep up with the ammonia Tank is now "cycled" and ready for additional livestock.

this is in chart form here:
http://www.bestfish.com/newtank3.html

[Aquarist007]

I have a question about the bio-balls. I have read that they trap a lot of nitrates and this can have negative consequences on the water. Isn't it a good thing if they trap the nitrates? The bad thing is if you don't clean the bio-balls and they get too clogged up? They sound like a furnace filter to me...a great device but detrimental to your furnace/air quality if you don't clean/replace it regularly.


There was an advertising campaign back in the mid 80's claiming that the bio ball media used for sewage treatment was ideal for fostering the growth of nitrifying bacteria in aquarium filtration devices (wet/dry filters). These bacteria convert toxic ammonia to nitrite, then further reduce the nitrite to an even less toxic nitrate. The problem with the sales pitch is that it was just that, a shallow marketing campaign. Scientific studies show that it takes eight feet of bio balls to achieve the same bacterial culture and subsequent nitrification that you get with just 8 inches of sand.

Biological media have two critical factors that govern their efficacy 1) surface area (real estate) and 2) void space (air gaps for gas exchange). Bio balls offer an abundance of void space for processing raw sewage, but greater surface area is the key to ammonia reduction in aquarium applications.

Reef tanks have more than enough surface area for nitrifying bacteria to populate so any form of biological filter is redundant. Live rock and a sand substrate is all you need. The problem with relying too much on biological filtration is an imbalance can result in residual nitrate. Nitrate restricts the growth of corals at higher concentrations, but is a necessary nutrient for corals nonetheless.

The suggestion of using live rock in the wet/dry filter in place of bio balls is actually counterproductive if one is trying to avoid nitrification, as bio balls are more efficient than bio balls. Bio balls do assist with gas exchange, stripping Co2 from the water and increasing dissolved oxygen, but with proper flow dynamics this is not necessary.

The focus on biological filtration in reef tanks is denitrification (the group of bacteria that convert nitrate into nitrogen gas and nitrite) which is achieved with sand beds, sulphur bead filters, solid vodka media, slow flow denitrators, ion exchange resins, nutrient export (refugia), and circumventing the nitrification process in the first place through the use of mechanical filtration, UV sterilization, ozonation, foam fractionation (protein skimming), and carbon dosing (vitamin C, lactose, methanol/vodka, or glucose).

So to answer your question, nitrate doesn't get "trapped" in bio balls, but it does get produced their. They don't require cleaning as this would remove the biofilms (slime coat of bacteria) that form their. Wet/dry filters should have a mechanical prefilter, but detritus works its way through anyway.

[Aquarist007]

Algae a detailed picture list

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/twainvalg1.htm

[Aquarist007]

Black worm keeper by PaulB

The worm keeper is a trough made from slicing a Home Depot fence post in half. Yes I use that stuff for everything including my algae trough. The lower end is over a 5 gallon tank which has some light fixture diffusers in it for bacteria to grow on. The trough has a small 1/2" plactic pipe mounted in it over the tank so the water flows back to the tank. The pipe maintains the water level in the trough of about 1/2 inch.
There is a tiny pump suspended in the tank, it is suspended because the worms sink and I don't want them going into the pump, thats just disquesting.
The pump pumps the water to a small container of carbon mounted in the higher end of the trough. If you have shallow flowing water over the worms, they will live forever.
There are some plastic screens in there to allow them to hang on and in the tank is a plastic container that catches most of the worms that make it to the tank. I suck them out with a straw, I mean a baster and squirt them back into the trough or in my reef. :P
I never find a dead worm and I feed them small pieces of paper towel or for a treat I give them a piece of a brown paper bag. Real cheap animals to feed.

[Aquarist007]

Chaetomorpha Algae, also known as Spaghetti Algae or Green Hair Algae, is an excellent macro algae for refugiums

Chaetomorpha Macro Algae, Chaeto, pronounced "kay-toe", is a great way to naturally turn the nitrogenous compounds of your tank into plant food!!! The waste by-products of life, along with the light you provide for photosynthesis, will help this chaeto double in size on a regular basis. You must however remove or harvest the chaeto regularily to permanently remove nitrates and phophates from the water column.



Advantages

There are many different ways you can contain the chaeto in your main tank all the while providing great hiding spots for the tiny "critters" in your tank.
This algae is fast growing
It is not palatable to many herbivorous species.
Chaetomorpha Algae removes both phosphates and nitrates from the water.
It does not go sexual like other macro algaes
Helps reduce the nocturnal shift in pH


Tips to make your chaeto grow

To increase the amount of nutrients this algae exports, use moderate to high lighting and keep it in an area of high water flow.
Harvest the chaeto regularily by ripping and tearing the ball . A damaged plant will grow back faster in an attempt to heal itself
Spread the chaeto ball out over the surface of the refugium giving it greater contact with the water column
It should ideally be tumbled in an algae filter but manually rotating it once a week is acceptable.
Add iron to your refugium to help with growth
Run the light on chaeto for a max of 16 hours. All plants need a down time to process the products of photosynthesis
Every so often give the chaeto a good shake to remove lodged detrius ect in the ball. Shake it off right in the water column to provide an extra feeding of copopods to the display tank.




Some Videos
Chaeto Pod Action in the New Fuge!

Amphipod Hunting

tumbling chaeto

[Aquarist007]

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS IN REEFKEEPING

"Without question, one of the more frustrating aspects in the hobby is the perpetual flow of misinformation that awaits both the novice and advanced aquarist at every turn. The amount of misinformation sometimes seems more like an avalanche, and with each new "crop" of aquarists comes a new "oral tradition" of myths passed around the campfire. It is my hope that, at the very least, we can eventually eliminate some of the current myths and at least replace them with a whole new group of myths if not only for the novelty of new material to debunk. "

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-11/eb/index.php

[Aquarist007]

A calcium reactor is a container filled with calcium carbonate (CaCO3) media over which aquarium water is passed with the addition of carbon dioxide. Adding carbon dioxide lowers the pH of the water, making it acidic, and dissolving the calcium carbonate to provide the aquarium with calcium and alkalinity.







The following steps describe the tuning process:

Step 1)
Set the reactor at a fairly low CO2 bubble count and a low effluent flow rate. Most manufacturers suggest guidelines, which for my reactor was 40 drips per minute of effluent water and 10 bubbles per minute of CO2.

Step 2)
Then adjust the pH within the reactor to approximately pH 6.5 to 6.7 for dissolving the medium. First, measure the pH of the effluent exiting the reactor with a test kit or pH probe (I recommend a pH meter as most pH test kits are not sufficiently accurate). If the pH is too high, reduce the effluent flow rate; if the pH is too low, increase it. Allow a few hours for the reactor to respond to the changes, and repeat this step until the pH value is between 6.5 and 6.7.

Step 3)
Monitor the tank alkalinity level to ensure that the reactor is supplying enough calcium carbonate to replace that being used by the animals in the tank. An alkalinity test kit may be used to measure these levels (1 mEq/L change in alkalinity is only 20ppm calcium!). For future reference, it is a good idea to keep a logbook of the tank's alkalinity level and any adjustments you have made to it.

Measure and record alkalinity every few days and compare the readings. If the alkalinity level is falling, increase the amount of CO2 so more of the medium is dissolved. Conversely, if the alkalinity level is rising above the level you want, reduce the amount of CO2 so less of the medium is dissolved.

Of course, making adjustments to the CO2 rate will affect the pH level inside the reactor. A quick fix to keep the pH stable is to make the same adjustment to the effluent flow rate as you make to the CO2. For example, if you double the CO2 rate, double the effluent rate, too; this is only a rule of thumb, but should prove effective.

When finished, double-check the effluent to verify that it is still around pH 6.5. If not, you can repeat step 2.

Step 4)
After the reactor is set up, check the tank alkalinity levels periodically for a few weeks to take into account the calcium carbonate requirements of any new additions and coral growth in tank. Also, as the medium becomes depleted you may need to re-adjust the reactor, or refill it. If adjustments are required, simply fine-tune the reactor using the steps outlined above.

For further details and trouble shooting:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-0...ture/index.php

[flying_dutchman]

A Typical Break-In Cycle

Day 1
The newly-added fish (tank will not begin cycle until fish or some other source of ammonia is added) have not yet produced any measurable amount of ammonia. All readings should be near zero.

I'm sorry but I strongly disagree on this point, adding a fish to start a cycle imo it's just plain sadistic. Raw table shrimp, or LR die off will yield the same results.

[IMG]http://i34.*******.com/j9sw2c.jpg[/IMG]

That's beautiful shrimp! what genus/ species is it?
Thanks, and great thread BTW!

[Aquarist007]

The "Coco Worm" or "Hard tube duster," Protula bispiralis is a popular and expensive species occasionally harvested for aquariums. With care it can survive for a couple of years, but it often has a shorter lifespan in captivity

These are great filter feeders and additions to a reef tank. The only concern is their predators:
Predators

It is important to consider leaving out potential predators of feather duster worms when designing an aquarium to house them. Butterflyfishes quickly decimate them as the feather duster crown is a delicacy they really appreciate for dinner, lunch, and breakfast, while the worm left in the tube is finished for desert. Crabs of many kinds find great pleasure first in making the crown withdraw, then pinching the tube, squeezing the life out of the worm and finishing it off in a single session. Some (but not all) wrasses will make short work of feather dusters, eating them so quickly that the worm probably hardly realizes it is no longer safely in its tube. Some hawkfishes likewise will eat them. Serpent stars are generally safe, but they may pick apart a colony of Bispira brunnea, especially when the colony is first introduced to the aquarium and it smells like your fish-food flavored finger tips.

Lots more information and pictures here
http://web.archive.org/web/200410262...002/invert.htm

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by flying_dutchman

I'm sorry but I strongly disagree on this point, adding a fish to start a cycle imo it's just plain sadistic. Raw table shrimp, or LR die off will yield the same results.

I agree with you 100 per cent. I had edited that post to take out the reference of the fish but I must have used the original when posting
Thanks for catching that while I could still edit it.

[thebkramer]

One amazing video I thought you would like to see
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1856589

[Antonais1391]

is there any way you could link more info on the goby/ pistol shrimp relationship please?

[jason2459]

Originally Posted by flying_dutchman

That's beautiful shrimp! what genus/ species is it?
Thanks, and great thread BTW!

Thanks! I love my pistol/watchman pair. That is a Alpheus bellulus (tiger pistol shrimp) and a Cryptocentrus cinctus (yellow watchman goby). I would never have a tank again without some type of pair like this.

I really like the Stonogobiops yasha(yasha goby) and Alpheus randalli (red banded pistol) pair too. I really think any kind of pair up would be fascinating to watch. The pistol is constantly digging caves and the goby is always keeping an eye out for predators. You'll find that the pistol shrimp will always try and keep one antennae on the goby because pistol shrimp are legally blind and senses the movement of the goby. The goby is usually pretty good at determining if a fish should be considered a problem or not.

My yellow watchman goby has gotten quite a bit bigger since adding him and will now defend the cave entrances by rushing at the other fish. He doesn't quite attack them but will nudge them with a quick head butt.

[Aquarist007]

thanks Jason

Antonias---is that what you had in mind?

[Antonais1391]

sport of. a list of the different species of shrimp and gobys that will pair would be awesome. also is there a section on sump construction?? i remember it being very confusing. it still is in some way.

[Aquarist007]

Originally Posted by Antonais1391

sport of. a list of the different species of shrimp and gobys that will pair would be awesome. also is there a section on sump construction?? i remember it being very confusing. it still is in some way.

This thread has all the ideas you ever would need on sumps and refugiums

Refugiums are a real asset to the filtering system in your tank.They also supply a good source of live food eg copopods for fish like mandarines

here is a thread on refugiums There is an index on page 8

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...5&pagenumber=8

There is also a slide show and article in June's ReefKeeping Magazine
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-0...ides/index.php

My fuge setup

The display tank is upstairs--Drain water is t'ed off. The left t goes to the refugium on the far left and then gravity feeds into the next refugium and finally into the sump at a point that is directly returned to the display tank
The right t goes directly into the sump where it is filtered. I run a carbon reactor, phosban reactor and a filter sock on that water.
The 5 gal tank on the wall is filled with ro water and tops up the sump via a float valve. I have to manually pump the water up to the 5 gal tank but it gives me about 3 days. I don't like fully automatic top ups in that they can fail and flood out the tank--this way the worst that can happen is that 5 gals of ro/di water would end up in the tank---not enough to cause a major drop in salt level.

[Aquarist007]

Updated tank pictures May 2010
Tank parameters
sal 1.026
mag 1400 ppm
alk 11.0 dkH
cal 440
pH 8.4
temp 78 winter to 82 summer
internal tank flow 5000 gph

[thebkramer]

WOooo HOOoooo!!!!
LOVE IT

[Antonais1391]

WOW Very impressive! that Leather is massive. was that cleaner shrimp hanging out on the nem?? i have the same type of urchin. there very efficient cleaners. how large is your tank? thanks for the fuge tour and link. i have some reading to do!!