lduncan

Well i think it is the fact that what I suspect is causing the problem is a biological process. It's hard to control, chemistry is easy to control compared with this. But if the biological process is limited by something, then the problems will be much less evident. But if the process gets out of hand (not necessarily by overdosing) then the problems become obvious. Layton

I'm not talking about Al at all. Aluminosilicates are not very soluble, so i'd be surprised if much aluminium is leached from these materials. If it does it would be more likely from other aluminium compounds. Layton

Cracker, some iron compounds have that property too. Wasp, iron found in tanks is bound organically. With small amounts occuring as Fe(OH)3. These don't just decide to precipitate out unless you upset the chemistry of the tank dramatically. Not that that matters anyhow. The point was that many natural zeolites contain iron oxide. And obviously many phosphate removers are pure iron oxide. So, makes you wonder what the link is between phosphate remover related coral losses, and zeovit related losses doesn't it? Layton

???

Wrong. Free iron ions in water will not end up as rust. You add rust. Are you sure? Do you know what zeobac is?

Wasp, I'm not talking about iron ions, i'm talking about hydrated iron oxide, and the bacteria which eat it. The best bacteria for the job are already in your tank. If you continually have to add a particular bacteria strain, it means that it is NOT the best bacteria. You can't tilt the balance without causing trouble. Layton

I disagree when rust is involved. Does it matter? I though we already agreed that dosing bacteria to a tank will not be beneficial. Layton

Maybe you should test for iron at the same time, and hydrogen sulfide as well.

The squirty stuff would be the snail spawning. They are a good thing to have in the tank too.

Zeolites are Aluminium Silicate based minerals, which often have heavy contamination from iron.

It's a stometella snail. I've got heaps of them.

With iron oxide/hydroxide. (rust)

yes, and G. sulfurreducens

Hi Habib? Just a question on the Salifert product. Is it purely iron oxide/hydroxide, or are there other compound in it? I'm doing some reading up on Geobacter, and interesting topic which may be linked to phosphate removers. A lot of things still confuse me about the stuff i've read, but still they look to be interesting creatures. Any thoughts on them? Layton

Not again. You should hook you DI up to a garden water timer so it turns off after a certain time.

Hard to say. A better bet would be to find someone with a refractometer and calibrate your hydro to that. Then make sure it's kept clean. Layton

Maybe the fish was taking advantage of the shrimp molting. Maybe the shrimp has learnt is lesson, and find a better hiding place next time while his skeleton hardens.

Wrasses in general are known as shrimp eaters. But six lines usually tend not to. Obviously this one has a taste for shrimp.

To clams, nitrate is just a source of nitrogen. They use ammonia as well, just like corals. I suppose the difference between corals and clams is that clams have a higher proportion of tissue, meaning they can use more nitrogen while taking up a smaller area in your tank. Corals will grow faster with nitrate as well. Layton

VERY risky, permangenate is a relatively strong oxidizer. It may help rid the tank of cyano, but it will more than likely be at the cost of other important parameters. It will upset bacteria and algae directly. Not something I would want to do in my tank. Think of it like chlorine. Layton

Caulerpa (taxifola) is extremely invasive. I for one would NOT want to see any NZ waters overtaken by it. So just be careful of how you dispose of it. In the case of this I totally understand MAF's persistence. But on other things I think it is unjustified.

Don't worry, I don't disagree with some of what it has to say.

Probably time of day too.

Why 1.025? Because that has been determined as an average salinity across many reefs. Salinity ranges from 1.017 to 1.030 on low salinity reefs, giving an average of 1.025 And on High salinity reefs it ranges from 1.023 to 1.031, giving an average of 1.026

I knew that was coming.