Newbie Corner Feedback Thread

Hi keeper, been reading yout article series on natural filtration. I was especially interested in the DSB section (also read the shimek: "how sandbeds really work"). You stated that DSBs

"Should not be unduly disturbed by the aquarist or overly active, large sand-digging critters".
I would sure like the filtration benefits of a DSB, but a greater motivation to have a deeper sandbed is that i want to house a goby/pistol shrimp (1 goby/1 shrimp on 28"x20" area) combination, the pistol shrimp needing a deeper sandbed and some gravel to really be able to do his thing.

But does this then make for a "dangerous" sandbed? The various zones not having time to develop, pockets of coarser gravel maybe accumulating detritus, much of the microfauna being killed of? What kind of sandbed should I implement to make my pistol shrimp happy, all the while not jeopardizing my filtration, optimally still getting some filtration benefits out of the DSB?
 
Much depends on the size of the tank. In a small tank a goby can be a liability as they tend to move most of the bed in pretty short order. In a large tank their digging is not all that major as the total bed area is far larger.
 
hmm i guess 28"x20" large, 4" deep sandbed with 75 pounds of LR on top cannot be considered large. A. randalli and A. bellulus will be likely to turn that sandbed over pretty quickly, yes?

Not much of a DSB with zones and microfauna going on, yes? But: Will it only cancel much of the beneficial effects of the sandbed or will it pose a direct hazard to the water quality of the tank? What does "liability" mean in this respect? If you want to keep such heavily burrowing animals, what would be your best strategy concerning substrate?
 
What they usually do is move the bed so much that it never develops the zones needed for nitrate reduction. It is not going to harm the tank but you may need to find another means of nitrate export.
 
allright, thanks a lot and sorry for being pita. I'm in the process of reading the "sandbed in a bucket thread", sounds pretty promising as far as nitrate reduction is concerned.
 
Just getting into saltwater aquariums. i have had many fresh water's when i was younger. if someone could point me in the right direction would be excellent. I would like to purchase saltwater system, but need some help. where do y'all recommend purchasing set-up. i have a petsmart locally. i woul like to keep it around $500.00 for equipment w/o fish,coral. i have about a 10 foot wall where i would like to place it. any info about where to purchase fish coral plants etc. would also be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi JDS
[welcome]

At $500 you probably are looking at a 55 or smaller. If you find something on our trading and selling forums you may do better. You can also try e-bay or Craig's list. IMO it is better to buy stuff here as it is offered by someone with saltwater experience. On the other web sites you don't know what was used on the tank.

Lighting will be your biggest expense so look around for that too.
 
Jds912 (how do you pronounce that) Anyway welcome here.
All you need to do is listen to Waterkeeper. He has great advice for Noobs like yourself and he loves to answer questions, especially after midnight.
You can search back in this Noob thread and find out anything you want to know.
Have fun.
Paul
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13873639#post13873639 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by krusty23
allright, thanks a lot and sorry for being pita. I'm in the process of reading the "sandbed in a bucket thread", sounds pretty promising as far as nitrate reduction is concerned.
Click to expand...

Krusty23, have a look at this blog:

http://www.reefcentral.com/wp/?p=355

there are alot of links to threads on RC at the bottom of it
 
Thanks.. much!

Thanks.. much!

Thanks, Paul, very much. I appreciate all the feedback I can get but realize you can only see so much. Been watching nitrate level like a hawk and trying not to overfeed. It's just mesmerizing sitting there watching everything. I'm so pleased my wife is enjoying it as much as she is. It was supposed to be "my project" but she's chipping in and taking part too.
 
When this site first started out it was a private men's club of sorts. That changed PDQ and now we have tons of lady reefkeepers. Back in the old days of RC I pretty much predicted that the ladies would love the color and beauty of a marine tank. I think I was right.
 
I'm sure FW folks would disagree but all the goldfish and other FW varieties I've had always seemed like they were swimming aimlessly looking for an escape route or waiting to be fed.

These percula clowns (is that correct?) have adopted that anemone and made a home there even though they weren't associated with it in the store.. and they aren't tank raised fish, which I was told helps. We also learned that they are hermaphroditic with the larger of the two taking on the female dominant role. There's just something about a SW tank that makes you feel like you're creating a home rather than a wet prison.
 
Quote
"That changed PDQ and now we have tons of lady reefkeepers. "

Yes and I am still waiting for some Super Models to become interested, not that some of you lady's don't look like Supermodels because I am sure you do.
I once had a blind friend and I would accompany him to the city every day on the train and when a girl or lady would walk by, he would smell her perfume and ask what she looked like.
I would describe her and sometimes I would say she was a real Babe. He once said to me, "there all Babes from where I am looking" and he told me that I was handicapped because I had to look at real girls but he was able to smell them and picture anyone he wanted to . He was not blind from birth but from a young boy so he had something to compare things to.
Thats the way I perseive the Ladys here. You are all Babes from where I am sitting.

Quote
"I'm sure FW folks would disagree but all the goldfish and other FW varieties I've had always seemed like they were swimming aimlessly looking for an escape route or waiting to be fed. "

Another thing I have been telling people for years.
Bait, I mean fresh water fish just have no clue.
I call them "Doot Da Doo" fish because they just swim around going Doot Da Doo all day with no real "expression" on their face.
Yes I did say "expression". Salt water fish, especially healthy ones have a sort of, kind of, smarter more alert look. You really need to have great powers of observation but if you look at salt water fish that are in a new tank or in a store, they act and look differently than fish that are acclimated and healthy or in the sea.
OK call me wierd but after you have spent two or three hundred hours underwater getting to know these guys close up, you will understand what I am talking about.
Just look at Waterkeeper close up. Well not too close, A face of wisdom.
Look at the Capn, a teacher as you can see in his eyes.
 
What do you recommend for a lighting a 24x18x18 refugium in terms of wattage, type, and temperature? I assume that the fuge is on a reverse lighting cycle to the main tank - right?
Thanks
 
Hi Alan,

I'd just use some normal output florescent lights. The daylight type with a color temp of 5500 to 6500 K. A two tube unit (40 watts total) should be enough for most macro algae. If you wish you can also use a T-5 and there you could place three HO tubes for a total of 72 watts. It is not really needed but it does give you a lot more light. I like to use a reverse photoperiod with the fuge illuminated for 16 hours a night.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13894952#post13894952 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EnglishRebel
What do you recommend for a lighting a 24x18x18 refugium in terms of wattage, type, and temperature? I assume that the fuge is on a reverse lighting cycle to the main tank - right?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I use tow 25 watt energy saver bulbs---mangroves even do well with them.
 
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