250 Gallon Starphire SPS tank

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8359043#post8359043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
I have been running my media reactor with carbon and phosphate remover for about 10 days and I have noticed no difference yet.

Obviously my tank's chemistry is pretty good. We will see what another week or two does.

Yeah, I ran carbon and phosphate media for a couple of months and didn't really notice a difference; I haven't run the PO4 media for a few months now.

I considered giving it another go but I'm starting to see my corals coloring up slowly, so I don't really want to mess with things since they seem to be working.

Speaking of water quality, how has your ORP been now that you cleaned the gunk out of the ozonizer?

Tyler

 

[LittleBlueGT]

ORP has been pretty steady at 320-330.

With your ozonizer it was at 340-350.



One quick question for anybody that might know: My ORP monitor will steadily read 325, then I will touch the plastic on the housing and it will jump to 375 and stay there until I quit touching it????????? Static electricity?

 

[LittleBlueGT]

I posted this elsewhere but maybe more will see it here:

I have these stupid little pest anenomes, they are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. They are not aptasia, or majenos.

I have had them for about 2 years, but now there are a couple hundred of them.

I have tried kalking them, it works, kinda, but there is no way that I could get them all. I can't reach all over the back of my rocks, let alone see back there.

Any ideas what fish or invert might eat these?

I have a CBB from Flatlanders, that is in QT as we speak. The CBB eats aptasia, but I can't seem to get him to eat these things.

 

[melev]

What a strange creature. It looks like Red Sea Xenia a little. What are those green things that look like pellets?

Did you show them to Dr Ron or Eric B. on Marine Depot's forum?

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8608227#post8608227 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
What a strange creature. It looks like Red Sea Xenia a little. What are those green things that look like pellets?

Did you show them to Dr Ron or Eric B. on Marine Depot's forum?

Green things are part of the anenome.

Never heard of that forum, is it on RC or elsewhere?

 

[melev]

You go to MarineDepot.com, and then click on forums. You'll find the experts section.

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8608619#post8608619 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
You go to MarineDepot.com, and then click on forums. You'll find the experts section.

Done! I don't know if it is in the right section, but hopefully I will get helped there.

 

[kpk]

LBGT I have a couple of those too. They look like a fruit baring tree lol. Watch out and try not to touch them. I am not usually sensative to nems etc in my tank or elsewhere, but these little babies welped my arm up so bad it was pathetic then turned to a scab, not I have scarks on my bicep from the little $H!TS.

kyle

 

[LittleBlueGT]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8611256#post8611256 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kpk
LBGT I have a couple of those too. They look like a fruit baring tree lol. Watch out and try not to touch them. I am not usually sensative to nems etc in my tank or elsewhere, but these little babies welped my arm up so bad it was pathetic then turned to a scab, not I have scarks on my bicep from the little $H!TS.

kyle

Oh yea, they have stung me before, a few times.:mad2:

 

[melev]

Be sure to post in this thread what it is once identified so we can learn as well.

 

[LittleBlueGT]

Big idea!



Ever seen those Japanese SPS tanks, that have very little LR and mostly you just see the corals?

I was thinking about keeping only about 60 lbs of LR in my display, putting the other 120 lbs in my sump, and letting my tank show off mostly the corals.

Within 2 or 3 years it will be filled with corals anyways. If I don't put the LR in my sump I will have some SPS growing out of the water in about 1 year.




What are your thought?

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8629706#post8629706 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LittleBlueGT
Big idea!

Ever seen those Japanese SPS tanks, that have very little LR and mostly you just see the corals?

I was thinking about keeping only about 60 lbs of LR in my display, putting the other 120 lbs in my sump, and letting my tank show off mostly the corals.

Within 2 or 3 years it will be filled with corals anyways. If I don't put the LR in my sump I will have some SPS growing out of the water in about 1 year.

What are your thought?

I've always loved the look of the Japanese reef tanks.

Just think how awesome it would look to have some massive corals in your tank! As they get bigger the fish would have plenty of spots to dart in and out of. With the rates of growth you're seeing you'd have no problem achieving this.

Having seen larger coral colonies when I went snorkeling in Barbados I've always been awstruck by the size corals can get to in nature.

So I'd say go for it! You'd definitely be able to pull it off, and it'd definitely set your system apart from the traditional "garden reef" style setup.

Tyler

 

[Travis]

Never seen those anemones before. Please do share with us what you find on them.

I too love the look of the Japanese tanks. However, I don't know if it would be a good idea to stuff your sump full of live rock, especially with a BB tank. That live rock will have very little flow through and around it and will become a detritus trap. It will be impossible to siphon your sump without removing the live rock first.

 

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8635137#post8635137 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis
Never seen those anemones before. Please do share with us what you find on them.

I too love the look of the Japanese tanks. However, I don't know if it would be a good idea to stuff your sump full of live rock, especially with a BB tank. That live rock will have very little flow through and around it and will become a detritus trap. It will be impossible to siphon your sump without removing the live rock first.

:lol: I don't think lack of room resulting in tightly packed rock will be a problem with LittleBlueGT's sump; his sump is bigger than some people's tanks! :lol:

Tyler

 

[Travis]

Whether the live rock is packed into the sump or scattered throughout, it will still be a detritus trap.

 

[Flatlander]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8635936#post8635936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis
Whether the live rock is packed into the sump or scattered throughout, it will still be a detritus trap.

Yes, but it would be the same in the tank, would it not. And I would think access to the sump would allow for easier cleaning when compared with a tank full of corals.

 

[Chrisrush]

But the difference b/w the display and the sump is the turnover rate. His turnover rate in the display is probably 50-70x per hour, sump is probably 3-10x.

 

[tgunn]

I see the point. I've removed most of the DIY liverock from my sump recently and noticed it was quite a detritus magnet.

However, could always mod up a few MaxiJets to keep things moving in the sump..

 

[LittleBlueGT]

I think it will trap a bit of detritus, but I hate siphoning from the display tank!

I will swish and siphon from the sump much more often, it is soo easy.

BTW my tank is 86 x 26 which is 2236 square inches.
Sump is 90 x 24 which is 2160! So it is pretty big.


I will also sell about 40 lbs of LR with zoos on it. I think 140 lbs of LR is enough for my tank.

I do have a fair bit of turn-over in my sump created by a Blueline HD 100 running a huge skimmer. Also the flow is helped by dividers that are generously spaced apart for addition of LR. Kinda like Anthony Calfo recommends a causway (sp?) for coral propagation. More usable flow for less.

An example:
-10 gph in a 100 gallon tank sucks!
-10 gph going through twenty 5 gallon tanks all vertically stacked is not too bad.


Besides I am starting to notice areas in my tank that could use better flow, but the corals are getting in each others way. If I get rid of most of the LR I will have much better dynamics!

 

[Chrisrush]

After I remember that you had such a large sump, it made more sense.

Might as well give it a try. I removed all but three pieces of LR from my tank. I added 2 reef ceramics though. It makes it a little trickier to place corals, but I'm looking for large growth on less corals.