So you got a new fish tank Newbie (Continuation)

Thank you everyone!

I will go to my LFS and ask for some Kalk.
I'm confident that this won't be the last time I have to deal with these.

I found a variety of threads on this subject here on RC. One of the beauties of this forum is that there are so many points of view. Regrattably, one of the problems with this forum is that there are so many points of view. :wildone:


Cheers!
 
Before you go to your LFS, see if you can find some pickling lime at your local grocery store. It's going to be much cheaper (The Walmart near me sells 16 oz of Mrs. Wages for 2 or 3 dollars), and it's essentially the same thing. Randy Holmes has an article in the Reef Chemistry forum called "What Your Grandmother Never told you about Lime". . .or something about a grandmother. Probably not necessary reading for what you're doing, but it is a good article.
 
Let's not bring our Grandmothers into this! :D

Here's the Link

I, and I think Randy too, use Mississippi lime that is a real bargain in that it is less than $90/ton for the quarter inch pebble. ;)
 
I've got some aip I need to get rid of. Can someone please explain a bit more about this 'kalk paste' - how to make it, exactly what you need (what is it called in the lfs), how to apply it, etc? This sounds a lot easier than trying to inject them. Thanks!
 
Well,
I went to the LFS and all they had was Joes Juice, so that's what I got.
Since I currently have very few aips I thought this would be a good learning experience. The effected rock was new and fist-sized, so I pulled it out, put essentially a drop of JJ on each aip and put the rock back.
The aips immediately receded back into their hole and haven't emerged since. There is no sign of them after 3 days.

The bottle seemed small for ten bucks, but if I stay on top of this, then one drop per aip is still going to last me a long time.

Nevertheless, now that I see how this works, if I run out of the stuff I will try the pickling lime.

Interestingly, I did a routine sereis of water quality tests the next day and my calcium read a little high.

Would this stuff effect that with just a few drops?
 
Don't know about the calcium. Actually, I have used Joe's without ever taking the rocks out. Just use a syringe and you will get the job done. The only other issue is to make sure you do not kill too many at once. I am told that can really screw up the water chemistry. I have tried to only kill off 3 or 4 at a time with no ill effects so far.
 
A KW paste is just some lime added to water to form a little white water solution; it really doesn't need to be a thick paste. That solution has a pH of over 12 and is very alkaline. If you have a small syringe you can pump some right down their little throats but you can also use a turkey baster and place it over the entire aip. The second method does do a little collateral damage as it will also kill things under the opening of the baster. It isn't all that bad though.

To make the "paste", place a heaping tablespoonful of lime in a quart of warm water and mix it up. Use it before the lime settles out. You can use it for about two weeks; just shake it up before you use it. Unless you are killing hundreds of aips it should not do much but raise you calcium and alkalinity a wee bit.
 
how many would be an acceptable kill at a time, and how large of a time-gap should one leave between hunting trips?

Also to WK, what happens to the lime or paste that limits it's time to about two weeks?
 
I am having a bit of a cyano problem, well.... its never ending. I have a 65 gal. that has been up for 4 months now and have been fighting a major cyano problem for a month! I take a turkey baster to it I suction it off the sand during my weekly water change and the darn stuff keeps coming back :mad2: . My tank looks beautiful for a day after a water change then the stuff starts taking over. I have a 25 gal. sump/fuge with about 10lbs of life rock in it and in the main tank has 70lbs of live rock, a bubble tip, frog spawn, false clown, yellow tang, and a pink spotted golby. Help me please.
 
Deep,

In a 200 quite a few. The little dose of KW you use on each one is not going to change very much in the way of pH. I'd say at least 100 and then check pH the next day just to be safe. If the pH is Ok then kill some more.

Hi Hope,

The cyano in a four month old tank is pretty common. Check both your nitrate and phosphate levels. Both can be lowered by water changes or, with phosphate, you can try running an iron based phosphate removal product. Do be aware that aquarium test kits only detect inorganic simple phosphate so there can be considerable amounts that you don't see. Growing some macro in the sump or, better yet, in a refugium is also a way to help eliminate it.
 
Wow.....I feel like I did when I finished reading the Lord of the Rings series for the first time and what I felt like after finishing Stephen King's Dark Tower series.......where do I go now. I can't believe that I have actually reached the end of the post that has been alive now for years. It only took a week :)

As I have mentioned on this forum before, I am planning on starting up a 55 gallon FOWLR. I have been in the planning stages of this tank for about a year now (mainly because I moved after graduating from college, finding a REAL job, etc) so I have been slowing buying things here and there along the way after doing tons and tons of reading. Although I had read a lot on the equipment itself, there is NO better resource for the "newbie" than this post. I am so glad that I have waited and waded through this post and can now say that I feel really excited and "more" prepared to start up my tank in the coming weeks. I'm almost a little happy that I ran into a little monetary hitch for the past couple of weeks since I don't think I would have been prepared for the fun and challenges to come.

Can't wait to start and I'm sure I will have some questions and adventures to talk about here in the future.

Thanks a TON WaterKeeper for making this post what it is/has been.

Adam
 
Adam,

The staff here at RC deeply regret that you have wasted your time reading all the outdated stuff in this thread. Since WK started this thread the whole method of reefkeeping has dynamically changed. In fact WK has been replaced by an automated web bot and supplies only canned answers provided by more informed staff members. We will soon tell new members this fact when they sign up but you slipped through the cracks. Sorry about that.

The RC Staff
 
Hahaha....yeah, after reading through all of your posts, one would think that you were a robot just spewing out information. Glad to hear that you're still around here and kicking out the humor and knowledge all the same...I mean, the robot that is....
 
Greetings all.

WK, your praises have been sung many times during this epic thread but i'd also like to pass on my own gratitude.

This is my first post and im not even sure if this thread is still alive, at the moment i have no other questions as im reading both the lighting and filtration threads as well and trying to absorb everything. :confused:

I think you were getting on to your second installment of intermediate fish about 6 months ago?! Is this still coming or has it been abandoned?

Anyhoo cheers for the good work
Dave
 
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Hi Dave
[welcome]

The thread is not dead but I have been spending many hours translating it into British. :D

Let's see, we can stock a tank or filter it. Decisions, decisions. ;)

Well a fish list is pretty easy so I'll find out what I did with it. I had it done and never posted it. I love those little key chain memory cards and have several. Trick is always to remember what's on what.

Goda,

Your lighting a 130 gallon with four 40 watt cool whites? :eek1:

That is really limiting yourself and unless the anemone is about 4" form the lights its future is not good. See Host Anemones for more. On my 130 I had 500 watts of MH and 300 watts of VHO, including actinic. With an anemone you really want bright lighting and actinic too. However I have a feeling you are just pulling my leg. I am a kinder more understanding WaterKeeper and
Won't Lose My Cool!!! :D

J

Almost a month since I was going to hail the rewards of having a DSB. I'll take that on this week. I have at least 25 things to read in my subscribed threads today alone so it is not likely going to happen this morning.
 
You're doing a commendable job on the translation WK although i keep seeing z's pop up all over the shop, sterilize for example should be steriliSe in proper English, dont worry i'll learn you eventually! ;)

I have been reading various books, aquarist magazines and of course RC for at least the last month but found this thread to be useful for everything in Laymans terms. Also aided by the fact the same questions crop up over and over which is an aid in eventually hammering the info home. I imagine the WK gets fed up with the sound of his own voice sometimes though!

I move house next week and have my eye on a nice 450l (i think this equates to about 120G US as the UK Gallon measurement is different). For which i plan to utilise a deep live sand bed with plenty of live rock, sump and possibly a fuge. Im looking at fish and a few hardy inverts to start but would like to gear up for a full reef from the off so i can add coral once i have some experience in the trade.

Im trying to document all planning to make sure i get everything right from the get go, i only have one 'dream' fish (i suspect it will remain so!), this is a clown trigger. I keep reading horror stories about these fish though so please can you shed some light on any experience you may have had with them, i assume my shrimps and crabs would not last too long? I believe the picasso trigger is slightly less aggressive so again any shared experience would be great.

Many thanks from sunny Manchester! :beachbum:
 
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