It really depends on a lot of things but especially how you have your tank set up as to what media you need. I don't use GFO unless I really need it (not very often) and I have a really really heavy bio load. My SPS don't like it at all. I find I get random burn marks on my sps and the corals don't grow as fast as if I only use the pads. Because of my natural approach setup for my tank that I use a little products\chemicals as possible in. I foster the tank to take care of most of my needs and with my large productive refugium the pads fit my needs just fine as GFO for my low levels are overkill. When picking phosphate or any media you need to pick what best suites your levels. If you have higher levels or they accumulate in your tank quickly GFO or other quick removal chemicals are fine. But if they are low and slow like mine are you will cause more issues then it is worth using GFO so you should use pads or other less aggressive removal options. As phosphate levels will go to low and you will cause SPS issues.
Still More Questions:gha This Time
- Thread starter scottbennett86
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Shooter000
HomeGrownFrags
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- Alvinston, Ontario
Oh bud!, come on now!!, ooohhhh shooters gonna have to challenge ya on that one, challenge excepted buddy,,lol, tank is 7 months old, with no signs of downfall, corals growing slowly but surely, encrusting,(no dosing& no parameter checking)(I'm the devil, I know!!) plus with 8-10 gallons out of 35 a week being changed, ain't no tank crash happening here
finger crossed x, I think it works for me because my tank is small(er), small to medium bio load, constant water changes, and constant babying. He he hescottbennett86
New Member
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- Mar 27, 2016
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- Putnam, Ontario
I think I will start with the phospad. See how well it suits me. Upgrade to a gfo reactor if/when I outgrow it. I am going to try for as large a Refugium as I can.
Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk
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- Mar 10, 2012
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- Rocky Mountains BC
Oh bud!, come on now!!, ooohhhh shooters gonna have to challenge ya on that one, challenge excepted buddy,,lol, tank is 7 months old, with no signs of downfall, corals growing slowly but surely, encrusting,(no dosing& no parameter checking)(I'm the devil, I know!!) plus with 8-10 gallons out of 35 a week being changed, ain't no tank crash happening here
Takes ~2-5 years before you will see the problems. I was exactly the same when I started, and everything was great for probably 2 years, then BOOM. I think almost everyone here has had a crash, it can make or break you in this hobby....the thought of starting over is crushing for some and they just sell off the parts. Some of us are stubborn and try again (x3).
I was getting LFS advice when all this was going on. "just buy slime remover!" "just buy a sea hare" "just buy cleanup crew" " just buy a whole new setup". Bullshit like that. Never solved the problem. Here is my thread on reef central, and it was finally admitting defeat and asking for help that turned absolutely everything around. I stopped arguing and just took the advice. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2036229
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Just having an off-forum chat (argument) with shooter...here is a pic of a leather that I was growing when the tank params were completely haywire (but I wouldn't know because I never tested). I thought the tank was just fine, but now I know if softies are happy, your tank is dirty. (look at the size of that thing).
EricTMah
Aquariums by Design
Don't jinx yourself. 7 months doesn't even scratch the surface of a successful tank.Oh bud!, come on now!!, ooohhhh shooters gonna have to challenge ya on that one, challenge excepted buddy,,lol, tank is 7 months old, with no signs of downfall, corals growing slowly but surely, encrusting,(no dosing& no parameter checking)(I'm the devil, I know!!) plus with 8-10 gallons out of 35 a week being changed, ain't no tank crash happening here
Mine is 2.5yrs old and I'm still not considering it close to being mature.
If you can maintain the tank the way you are for 5+yrs. Then I'd say you're successful.
Not to crap in your corn flakes. But all the vets know that until your tank is 3-5yrs + you're still running a non mature system.
Just my 2 cents
Sony Xperia Z3
Aquatic Dreams
Member
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- Apr 8, 2016
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- London, ON
Dammit ... all my softies and LPS seem to be doing great! LOL Maybe that's why the one Acro that I have isn't doing so well. How do you then keep a mixed reef tank with softies, LPS and SPS then? Or is this why so many go SPS dominant?
I've added Chemi-pure Blue to both my tanks and it seems to be helping with water quality and algae a bit. To my knowledge the Chemi-pure Blue has GAC, Purigen and GFO in it. Probably not the cheapest way to go about it but right now it's the simplest way to get started.
I've added Chemi-pure Blue to both my tanks and it seems to be helping with water quality and algae a bit. To my knowledge the Chemi-pure Blue has GAC, Purigen and GFO in it. Probably not the cheapest way to go about it but right now it's the simplest way to get started.
Not always if your soft corals are healthy your tank is dirty, it can mean that but not all situations. Mine are thriving and my tank is very clean. It can just mean they are getting enough supplemental food and light to make up any lack of nutrients like mine are.
Not testing is taboo in this hobby for some people as they didn't have good results when they tried it and it goes against the norm. I do recommend it for beginners till they get experience. But everyone doesn't need to test it really depends on your skill level, how you have the tank set up, size of tank and what you keep that decides if you need to or not. I almost never test and I run no skimmer and my tank SPS dominant tank is thriving. I use the eye ball technique for diagnosing my tank and have done so for decades with no issues or a tank crash caused by it. Your tank will always give you some kind of warring sign you just need to know what to look for and how to interpret the information.
My leather now takes up most of a 2X2 section in a 120 frag tank and uses the same water as my 180 DT that is SPS dominant and it has no issue constantly getting bigger. Top down pick to show you the size. As you can see it touches the bottom of the tank and almost the top waterline at the back of the tank.
Not testing is taboo in this hobby for some people as they didn't have good results when they tried it and it goes against the norm. I do recommend it for beginners till they get experience. But everyone doesn't need to test it really depends on your skill level, how you have the tank set up, size of tank and what you keep that decides if you need to or not. I almost never test and I run no skimmer and my tank SPS dominant tank is thriving. I use the eye ball technique for diagnosing my tank and have done so for decades with no issues or a tank crash caused by it. Your tank will always give you some kind of warring sign you just need to know what to look for and how to interpret the information.
My leather now takes up most of a 2X2 section in a 120 frag tank and uses the same water as my 180 DT that is SPS dominant and it has no issue constantly getting bigger. Top down pick to show you the size. As you can see it touches the bottom of the tank and almost the top waterline at the back of the tank.
Shooter000
HomeGrownFrags
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- Jan 19, 2015
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- Alvinston, Ontario
All good buddy
Aquatic Dreams
Member
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- Apr 8, 2016
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- London, ON
WOW Kman ... that leather is huge. My umbrella leather is getting quite large as well but not that much. LOL
Another thing that I didn't notice being mentioned (maybe I missed it) is RO water. I was getting water from the hardware store which I was 'TOLD' was RO water. But after testing I found it only to be filtered water measuring 109 TDS and I'd been using this water for almost a year. In comparison my tap water is 132 TDS. From my understanding this can be one contributing factor to algae. The only place that I currently have GHA now is growing on my red Macroalgae strangely enough. Also the bulbs in my lighting were far overdue for a change but I waited until I could get some LEDs which could have been another issue in my case.
Another thing that I didn't notice being mentioned (maybe I missed it) is RO water. I was getting water from the hardware store which I was 'TOLD' was RO water. But after testing I found it only to be filtered water measuring 109 TDS and I'd been using this water for almost a year. In comparison my tap water is 132 TDS. From my understanding this can be one contributing factor to algae. The only place that I currently have GHA now is growing on my red Macroalgae strangely enough.
Also the bulbs in my lighting were far overdue for a change but I waited until I could get some LEDs which could have been another issue in my case.All things aside. That one thing I really appreciate about everyone here at the fragtank. Everyone is always so helpful and there is always such great advice. You guys are the best.
It is good to have different approaches and opinions because people should have options to base how they run their tanks. It makes for a better hobby as a whole.
WOW Kman ... that leather is huge. My umbrella leather is getting quite large as well but not that much. LOL
Another thing that I didn't notice being mentioned (maybe I missed it) is RO water. I was getting water from the hardware store which I was 'TOLD' was RO water. But after testing I found it only to be filtered water measuring 109 TDS and I'd been using this water for almost a year. In comparison my tap water is 132 TDS. From my understanding this can be one contributing factor to algae. The only place that I currently have GHA now is growing on my red Macroalgae strangely enough.
Ask Eric the picture doesn't even scratch how big it really is, like when people see it in person to really see how big it is. lol
It is worth saving up for your own RO unit. It can be costly to first set up but it will provide you with better quality water then say a store will. As they want to make as much money as possible some will not change filters and membranes as often as they should.
Tap water also being taboo subject, some people can do it with no issue but others can't. It depends on what you are keeping and what your source water is like. I ran my last reef for a long time with tap water. It was mostly soft and lps though so once I switched to SPS dominant I could not get away with that.
Aquatic Dreams
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- Apr 8, 2016
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- London, ON
Yeah ... I recently got my RO unit up and running. I didn't have enough DI resin to fill the cartridge so it's just RO for now. I may end up re-routing the tubing and just adding a GAC cartrige to the 3rd chamber. The second chamber has the 5 Micron Carbon cartridge which I assume is different. I was told that there is a leak in my membrane or the seating or something as I'm getting roughly a 1.5 to 1 ratio on my waste to RO water. Although I'm currently getting a constant 6 TDS which is a great step up from 109 TDS.
Yes I've read that some use tap water and Prime with success. I was thinking of trying it but after enough research I decided against it. I can make my own RO water now so not really an issue for me. It was just a pain to have to run out and fill jugs of water all the time before.
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Aquatic Dreams
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- London, ON
Any suggestions on the GHA growing on the Macroalgae? I'm assuming this will rectify itself at some point as the water quality increases and the nutrients get exported properly. It just seems weird that's the only place it seems to currently grow.
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- Mar 10, 2012
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- Rocky Mountains BC
How on earth are you getting away with not skimming? This secret, I must learn!
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- Mar 10, 2012
- Location
- Rocky Mountains BC
HA will grow where there is light, nutrients and flow. I've got a tuft growing near the business end of the wavemaker. It might just be a good spot for it, or there could be a nice rich source of phosphate for it there. HA will grow on almost anything.
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- Rocky Mountains BC
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/5/aafeature2
It's an older article, but still some valid points. IMHO GFO has revolutionized the industry since then...
It's an older article, but still some valid points. IMHO GFO has revolutionized the industry since then...
Aquatic Dreams
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- Apr 8, 2016
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- London, ON
That was a great article. Lots of excellent information there. My oldest tank is only a year old (in my care anyways) and this article may help alleviate problems in the future. I didn't know about the pine needles though. And I'd never heard of adding new live rock on occasion to help with micro fauna diversity either. Thanks for posting.
Aquatic Dreams
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- Apr 8, 2016
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- London, ON
Yeah ... it just seems weird that it's currently ONLY growing on the Macroagae. I've got some in high light and some in low light and the GHA is on the Macro in both locations but doesn't seem to be present anywhere else. I was hoping the Macro would out compete the GHA algae but it looks like the GHA is feeding off nutrients the Macro is absorbing.