Everyone's mentiong CARBON can someone please explain this to me?
Here's a good read on the stuff
http://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/does-a-reef-tank-need-carbon/
Back when I had a FOWLR, I was a big believer in less water changes (once every ~2 months), and I could see my water color change color when I changed my carbon. (from a yellow tinge to a lt clear blue) Now that I have a reef tank, I'm hooked on weekly water changes.
Bulkreefsupply IMHO sells the BEST carbon for the dollar. In fact, they have a great video comparing the different types and why you will want Premium ROX 0.8 Aquarium Carbon vs the other two types they sell.
No matter what carbon you choose, please ensure you rinse and or soak it to ensure their is no residual dust. There have been studies that indicate it may play a role in HLLE. (
http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/activated-carbon-hlle-smoking-gun-found) While many of the links to the studies, are old(early 2000 and older), leading me to believe that there may be other factors in play, it is still wise to rinse. The good news is, that BRS's ROX 0.8 Aquarium Carbon rinses off better/faster than any other carbon I've used.
As far as zoa's are concerned, I'm not sure that skimmers are essential, nor would I say that they limit growth. That being said, I removed mine and use the pump to (almost) completely automate my water changes. I have Tupperware containers that hold enough salt to make 10G exactly. I have 2 50G storage containers in the basement. One holds fresh water, the other salt. I let my RO make 10-25G a week, and I keep 10G of salt pre mixed just in case I need to do a quick water change. I mix the salt and let the pump run for ~2 days to ensure its fully dissolved.
From there, its only a matter of turning some knobs and boom... its done.
IMHO, nothing beats new water as far as maintenance. But I think more important than the question to skim or not to skim, is in your system, with your setup, what works best for you to ensure your tank thrives. I mean what fits your schedule better? Can you keep up with constant water changes? Can you afford the proper size skimmer for your tank? ETC... I've seen people with systems that I scratch my head and wonder how they get the growth they do. IMHO, I think it comes down to finding an equilibrium with your tank vs maintenance.
But back to the question about zoa growth, because I too am curious to find what yields the best results. From what I've read, zoa's tend to like dirty(er) water, so this would lead me to think that removing the skimmer may yeild more growth. When I removed mine, I did notice more growth, but not enough to really document as there were too many other variables. (IE I found starfish munching on my paly's and some zoa's, so their removal could of played a role too) I can say I did notice a bigger growth by testing the PAR in my tank, and making sure my zoa's were in areas that were in areas with readings around the 100-175 range.
Hope that helps
Maybe muchoreef or some of the other guru's can chime in with their results.
