 Husbandry
(cont.) |
Circulation & Plumbing Go!
No changes. |
Water
Treatment Go!
Due to the Crystal Sea episode, and subsequent return to IO, I find myself
having to test my water parameters a little more frequently. |
Also, many of you
asked about the sudden disappearance
of my coralline algae between, say,
4/02 and 9/02 (see Gallery). I must
admit to having been at a loss about
this myself until I was steered toward
an excellent column by Randy Holmes-Farley
in Advanced Aquarist Online Magazine
entitled"Solving Calcium and
Alkalinity Problems". Click
here to see the column.
Before this article, I wasn't
even aware I HAD calcium and alkalinity
problems but, long story short, my
tank is out of balance. With my CA
at 450ppm, my Alk was a bit low. We
are in the process of raising it to
about 12.8 dkh with the hopes that
the coralline will return.I would like
to thank "Boomer" at Reef
Aquarium Guide for trying his darndest
to explain this to me in a language
I could understand. Whether he succeeded
is something only time will tell. Of
course, this is what I get for spending
MY time in Chemistry class imagining
a classmate named Linda dancing in
Hot Pants to The Isley Brothers "It's
Your Thing". But come to think
of it, THAT was pretty chemical in
and of itself!
….sorry. |
|
Husbandry & Maintenance Go!
I've got Phosphates. Not a tremendous amount (0.08 mg/l) but enough
to make me understand why I'm having the Cyano problem. Somehow,
they are getting through my RO/DI unit and we are in the process of addressing
this on three fronts. First, to prevent them from coming in, we will be
using SpectraPure's SilicaBuster cartridges in the DI unit. To remove
what's already there, we will soon begin trying a product called
Phosban, from Two Little Fishes, in (I hope) a temporary canister filter.
I'm always a little hesitant when it comes to non-biological 'fixes' but
this is one of the phosphate removing products that has gotten pretty good
reviews from those who've tried it. Some even have added another
chamber to their calcium reactors for the express purpose of forcing their
effluent through this stuff on a full time basis. I'll let you know
how it works in the next update (or you can email me). |
| On the third
and final front, which is really
more for aesthetics, I have taken
to using the Python hose in conjunction
with my sump pump (normally used
to transfer new saltwater from
my mixing tank to the sump) to
really blow over the rockwork;
especially along the bare bottom.
This is where a lot of the Cyano
likes to hide, and it's totally
unreachable by more conventional
methods of removal. But it's
also |
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