Crakeur Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 yeah, forgot to mention the water as a source of phosphates. Distilled is usually fine but make sure it is copper free as some distillery plants use copper pipes and the copper leaches into the water. RO/DI is preferred but distilled should be fine if ro isn't availbe. Link to comment
fawkes027 Posted September 3, 2003 Author Share Posted September 3, 2003 Is distilled what I can buy in the jugs at a supermarket? Link to comment
crichard6069 Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Yup, that's where I got my distilled. Link to comment
fawkes027 Posted September 3, 2003 Author Share Posted September 3, 2003 what % water change should I do with the distilled then? 20% to start? Link to comment
Crakeur Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 I would do a 20% change for starters. Then cut back to 10% a week. Once the phosphates are gone and the algae is in decline you should be fine with 10% weekly changes. The key issue is that your water source (tap I presume) is probably the cause of the phosphates. Switching to distilled will eliminate one source of phosphates and the phos remover will clean up what's in the tank. Link to comment
fawkes027 Posted September 3, 2003 Author Share Posted September 3, 2003 THANK YOU! I'll go buy the phosphate remover and some distilled water today. I'll scrub until my fingers are raw if I have to. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 that's the spirit. (the fish stores worldwide sigh a collective relief. someone mumbles "sucker" under his breath) Link to comment
fawkes027 Posted September 3, 2003 Author Share Posted September 3, 2003 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Ah well. Someone has to be a sucker for pretty fish. Might as well be me. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 we all are fawkes, we all are. that's why you see us putting baby purple tangs in a 10 gallon. Link to comment
fawkes027 Posted September 3, 2003 Author Share Posted September 3, 2003 Is that a bad thing? Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Originally posted by Acoustic 1) Once you start the spending spiral begins. After you invest so much money you just can't justify not buying something you think you need. $800.00 later you still own a 7 gallon glass cube full of sand, dirt, and smelly things. 2) Everyone calls you a REEFTARD. 3) You really become a reeftard and slum around forums all day and get ####ed off because someone you don't know, that you'll probably never meet, types something stupid. #1 - Agree #2 - Should be "Everyone calls YOU a reeftard" #3 - LMAO! Fawkes, hang in there and you too will one day be a ReeferDude! Some have battled worse things. Others, like myself so far have been lucky - knock on wood. Some have had complete meltdowns of their tanks. Others have dismantled, loaned out or gave away corals to save them and have rebuilt all over again. You need motivation? Then click over to some of the 'koostick pics. Ya just gots to give the Photography Club Prez props for the pics he snaps. You'll do fine fawkes. At least you have concern for your tank and critters. Some n00b's just dump'em in without any knowledge at all. Don't give up now man, you're just getting over the learning curve! Link to comment
fawkes027 Posted September 3, 2003 Author Share Posted September 3, 2003 What if this doesn't work? Do I have any other options besides breaking down and starting over? Link to comment
Crakeur Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 cross that bridge when you come to it. do what has been suggested and you should see things turning around. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Use a timer for your lights it helps a lot. Set it to come on after you wake up/leave and then turn off when you go to bed. Defantly reduce that 14hrs down to 10hrs. Get a $4 timer at walmart and set it for like 10am, I use light blinds in my room so the sun comming up is like sunrise for them, then a bit later the lights kick on. They go off before I go to bed, my light is kinda like a sunset to them before I go to bed. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 oh and if anyone knows something that eats that stupid snail poop let me know. I'm ready to switch from turbos to a Nudibranch. Ever since I scrubbed my walls there has been no algae there for them so they go and poop all over my rocks. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 they are pooping, so they must be eating something. Link to comment
Chronicles Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 yeah they eat it on the rocks. Red slime I guess, cause my rocks came to me all covered in dark red/maroon stuff. They eat that, it turns to a purple on the rock and they poop everywhere. Link to comment
Acoustic Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 All this can be solved with a simple hang on skimmer. I am now a firm believer that the only true way to kill the algae cycle is to remove the dissolved organics in your water. Link to comment
sdboogie Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 While my tank was cycling, I too started to have an algae problem. Part of the problem was that I acquired LR from somone's established tank that had algae all over it. I ended up taking the LR out and brushing the algae off the bad rocks and putting back in. I also scraped the glass. I read on an earlier thread that scraping the algae from the glass can increase Phosphates (vicious cycle). So what I do now is temporarily turn off my PHs and put carbonless media in my HOB. Then with the turkey baster, I gently blast the rocks and the sand, the debris in the sand seems less dense than the sand so it tends to suspend in the water while the sand falls back down. Then the media in the HOB collects alot of the suspended debris and I take the media out and rinse it. I didn't want to over medicate my tank so I do this regularly with water changes also. My phosphates have come down and my hermits and snails do better at prevention rather than weed wacking. Link to comment
jdsabin1 Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Originally posted by fawkes027 Right now they're on for about 14 hours a day. I turn the light on when I get up and off when I go to bed. I've tried siphoning off the debris and that seems like a pain. I end up siphoning up my sand as well. It's also really difficult to manuever my "siphon" around my rock structures. Well I'll keep trying. If worse comes to worse, I'll start over again. The tank is only over a month old. I can still steal some LS atleast from the tank. 14 hour lightcycle is too much IMO. Do NOT use tap water ever. Don't try to stuff too many critters in your tank and call it a cleanup crew. You are going to need a cleanup crew for your cleanup crew if you do that. Test, test, test and wait patiently for the cycle to complete. If it doesn't complete and you are adding bioload you are doomed to fail. Water flow has to be present and plenty of to prevent dead spots (read: algae) and to get rid of the surface scum. HTH! Link to comment
Quash Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Hey Crakeur, have you applied for Reef-God? This thread has been a ######load of information. Thanks man, Im about to get crackin on my tank Link to comment
adinsxq Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Originally posted by Quash Hey Crakeur, have you applied for Reef-God? This thread has been a ######load of information. Thanks man, Im about to get crackin on my tank i believe a search would reveal quite a few threads that contain both "god" and "crakeur" example: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...=&threadid=8950 Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Originally posted by Quash Hey Crakeur, have you applied for Reef-God? Holy FREAKIN' chit! If he was a Reef-God Quash, he would have resurrected his 26g fer sure! And is it possible for a Jewish accountant to even be considered for such a mission? Could it be C-Diddy sent his only son, a Jewish accountant, to atone for our nano-sins?!?!?! I see ESPI over in the DIY forum is building - a cross?!?!?! And here comes pal with a fresh bag o'frags leading an excited group from reefcentral our way. They're searching for Crak! But liz and caja are annointing his feet with B-Ionic and dripping SeaChem onto his parched lips from a sponge. Quickly he waves his hand over fawkes tank as he is led away and the algae miraculously clears! 'nerd slices off one of the reefcentral d00ds ear with a picollo skimmer. Damn... Deja vu all over again! Link to comment
Quash Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 ^^ haha, thats some great stuff, the Reef-God will soon speak! Link to comment
Crakeur Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Sea, while I find the gist of your little story to be rather humerous, I take complete offense at the jewish remarks. While I am a member of the tribe, I find it rather childish and offensive to bring that up. First off, not all accountants are jewish. Second, it has no additional humor value and is unnecessary. Had you posted this in the jct I might have let it slide as your stupidity knows now bounds and is accepted there. You should show some sense of decorum in the informational threads. I have given some information to a fellow reefer, who was suffering a plight that I too have suffered. In retrospect, the whole line of humor is unnecessary. You're out of order here Sea, and the rest of you. For this I shall punish thee. I shall send a pox on the house of quash and a dozen plagues to the lean to that sea squats in. Adin, for your constant reveration and undying loyalty, I shall give you the gift of clarity in your tanks and astounding growth in your corals. Seriously sea, not all jews are woody allen and not all jews work in numbers and money. We also, contrary to popular belief, don't have horns. I know this is hard for someone as thick as yourself to comprehend but start working on it. Link to comment
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