Wanting To Try Out SW

[rage]

Well, instead of bio ball, if you cram rock rubbles in that little compartment, they will do the exact same thing as bio balls. They will trap detritus and make nitrate too.

When people suggest live rocks instead of bio ball, they can do the job better only if you have your rocks in the main tank or someplace where you have good circulation and detritus isn't trapped. The other thing that live rocks can do better is that they house the bacteria that consume nitrate as well but they live in areas of low oxygen, deep in the rocks. Small rock rubble will not have them.

[rage]

Chaeto is the other mean people use to remove nitrate.

If chaeto grows a lot, it means the tank had a lot of nitrate. Which means the live rocks and the skimmer in that tank did not do the job well enough.

[Darbex]

Having a constant chaeto level is good and a lot better than having the bio balls. I would have both the chaeto and LR back there to filter the water. I am going to pick up some more LR this weekend and stuff it in the chamber

[Ranakalea]

Not to sound like a broken record here, but the rock rubble and cheato/macro algea is the best bet. Bioballs tend to trap detrius, becoming a sort of nitrate factory. If you are going with a reef setup corals are not fond of nitrates. The cheato and rock rubble is also a great breeding ground for pods and other critters

[JAYGEE]

Not to sound like a broken record here, but the rock rubble and cheato/macro algea is the best bet. Bioballs tend to trap detrius, becoming a sort of nitrate factory. If you are going with a reef setup corals are not fond of nitrates. The cheato and rock rubble is also a great breeding ground for pods and other critters

Not sounding like a broken record. The more people say it the more I believe it. Soon as I can Ill pick up some smaller pieces of lr and the plastic mesh and get the fuge done.

[rage]

A lot of people just repeat what they read without thinking about what happens behind the practice they take.

Chaeto and live rock rubbles are good BUT if
1) You place them in such a way that they trap detritus, it is not good.

2) If your chaeto doubles in size in a month or two, that means there was a lot of nitrate that allow them consume and grow. It means you have created a nitrate factory in your tank some where. Maybe the reason is what you did in 1).

[tang-chaser]

a free plastic mesh that i use is at specs liquor. buy 2 bottles and the put a plastic mesh bottle protector around the bottles. Its flemzy but i use it as an overflow screen. its a win win.

[tang-chaser]

in the rubble rock will hopefully be starfish and bristle worms that will eat the ditritus plus you may have sponges growing in there like i do. thats why live rock is better than bio balls. having chaeto is better than not having chaeto. chaeto will absorb nitrates, phosphates like a sponge. I understand that a protien skimmer does the same, but a protien skimmer doesent increase bio diversity and allow a sancuary for pods. I would put 2 or 3 small rocks at the bottom with a little sand and cover with chaeto. but thats just me.

[tang-chaser]

and you can throw a hermit or snail in there for cleaning.

[JAYGEE]

So is rubble rock just small pieces of lr? Anyone have a pic of how it should be set up?

[Darbex]

Yes rubble rock is just fragments of LR. Just either pick some up from someone that has some scraps or at the LFS. Are you talking about how to set-up the fuge? Use my example if you want to add the LR and LS just throw it in the bottom of the chamber doesnt need to be anything special

[JAYGEE]

I was trying to think , Instead of the bio balls I throw some LR on the right side stacked, and lhave the chaeto in the mesh on the left.

[JAYGEE]

Tested My Water and this is what I got.

Ammonia : .50
pH: 8.2
NitrIte: .25
NitrAte: 5.0

[myjohnson]

Almost there dude!

How many weeks this thing been cycling?

[JAYGEE]

1 week.