lduncan

Thanks Fay, so do I

Depends what vodka you're using I suppose. Reef is dosing, or has recently been dosing vodka.

Don't worry i'm still here. I might be a bit quite over the next four weeks though. (I can hear the celebrations from here ;-) ) I've got final exams for my BE(Hons) degree, with a LOT of material to cover, so it'll be head down until the middle of November. Layton

That's the US site. Ignore the pricing on there, it's so far out of wack with the rest of the world. They are no where near that expensive here. Layton

So you can't discount the iron theory as a possible mechanism then wasp?

I'm liking all these new cubed shaped tanks which are popping up.

So you'd be in the market for a bank of these then reef?

Interesting. The crap that builds up on the inside of the neck in these skimmers is sick!

That coral list is by no means complete. Reef is co-ordinating the marine side of things, so contact him for info. Being an importer I believe that MAF are requesting invoices from him as proof of what has entered the country over the last few years, combined with invoices from the Auckland importers before him. Layton

reef is sorting the marine fish side of things. Contact him.

How would the nutrients be removed from the coral while still being present in the water?

Nope, just a random coral pic.

Why do people get so defensive about zeovit?

Perhaps you need a definition of theory Steve: A supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained. That's why I use "could". Because it is a plausible explanation. How about others post their reasoning for those observations?

After a few weeks of using zeovit, people usually notice changes in the colours of corals, without any noticable change in phosphate or nitrate levels. This could be due to iron causing zooxanthellae to leave, or be push out of the coral tissues. So zooxanthellae densities are reduced, allowing underlying colours of flourescing protiens to become apparent. It's around this time that people occasionally notice tissue recession. Possibly from bacterial related problems after iron addition, or boring algae within to coral skeleton, increased by additional iron. Layton

google --> African Dust

Yip In zeovit zeolites in 2002 approx 2%. Bali sand, don't know. Layton

Hawaiian basalt is around 10% iron. The black sands around NZ are around 60% iron.

It's a possibility. What did the corals look like as they were dying? Layton

I don't think that is correct. Refractometers are made for measuring density of liquids, based on the refractive index. There are two types of refractometers. Automatic Temperature Compensation (ATC) - They should be calibrated to 0 using distilled water at the temperature they are usually used at. The scale within the prism is floating allowing it to automatically move with changes in temperature of the device. (I think it uses the expansion and contraction of metal strips with temperature). The second type does not have a floating scale, and doesn't automatically compensate for temperature changes. It is calibrated at a specified temperature (could be 20 degrees, depends on manufacturer) for optimum accuracy. Because the optical density of liquids changes with temperature, the angle the light refracts also changes. So if measurements at made at 26 degrees, when the refractometer is calibrated at 20 degrees, you need to use a formula to adjust for the change in refraction angle, to get a true salinity reading. I'd say that a refractometer is generally going to be more accurate than most other electronic measurements.

I've got the perfect one lined up already.

You weren't listening to what I was saying. To me it looks like your DSB is doing exactly what the hundreds of papers say they do, and that's why you need phosphate remover to soak up water borne phosphate. Layton

Hey Ira. You'll never guess why I bought today. A M1500. Just a temporary measure till i've got the cash for another couple of 6100's. I can always use it for mixing salt, after i get the additional streams. But seriously, get streams if you can afford it. They are by far a superior product. Well engineered, and will last for a long time. Other wise, if you looking at sps, i'd be getting 4 m1500's. Or 4 m820's if you're into softies and LPS.

Ok. So here's what I think. One of the most noticeable observations when first starting to use zeovit is the increased skimmate. This could be caused by a number of different things. Essentially it comes down to the fact that there is more stuff in the water in a form which is easier to skim. So this could come from bacterial and phyto blooms, from adding zeofood, or zeostart, or from iron entering the system from abrasion, chemical disassociation, or bacterial action on the zeolite. An interesting thing to note is that many bacteria have developed methods to make iron bioavailable. They produce a class of compounds call siderophores. These are organic chelators which sequester iron and make it bioavailable. They are polar molecules, and as such are good candidates for skimming. Probably the second most noticeable thing is increased water clarity. This could be due to abrasions of aluminium sulfate from the zeolite acting as a flocculant. Layton

3rd gen have the white scroll wheel, with 4 buttons above it. 4th gen have a grey click wheel (with integrated play forward back buttons on the wheel itself), and have either a colour screen or monochrome (for the older ones).