wasp

He was banned on other forum?

My point was not about zeovit in particular. More about the way reefers sometimes talk about what they do, or don't do, or say they do, or don't do. Or, I don't really do this, but look at the results I get without it!! Well, maybe I do it just a little bit! :lol:

HGH, I didn't see that part, isn't that human growth hormones? I know they do work on corals but is regarded as "cheating". Sounds a bit like you? well that did occur to me AFTER you said it but I don't think you indulge in any of the "doublespeak" which is the part I was getting at. I do see "doublespeak" on the forum sometimes but not from you Puttputt, you are always straight up. If sometimes a little MORE straight up than some enjoy! :lol:

Awesome tank. However he gives a good example of some of the "hot air" us reefers can be guilty of talking. First he says - "no zeovit at all" Then he says - "just some of KZ products, like aminoacids and coralvitalizer, now i'm experimenting with zeospur2, first results are noticed In my opinion " Then he says - "similar efects we can get without zeovit, and we have much more control over integrity of tank." So.... If he can get similar effects without zeovit plus much more control over integrity of tank, then why is he using all those zeovit products? Huh? :-?

Mmmm.... All very mysterious!!

Ok well that will work. However it is not much light for a tank that size you will be limited to low light corals although you could have a few high light needing ones if they are right under the light. Also, there are some very nice low light needing corals. Most LPS, and mushrooms, will do well. Some of these are very colourful. It would be nice to see a tank with lots of those type of corals rather than the sps dominated tanks which have more or less become the standard now. Having said that, it will just be a matter of time till you want to upgrade your lights! :lol: Skimmer wise, Don't know what your skimmers are but anyway once you do upgrade get a good one, it is the main crap removing device in the tank and the quality of the skimmer goes a long way to detirmining the quality of the tank. But hey, you're in business with a 600 litre tank! COOL!!!!

Another one of these midnight conversations! :lol: Tim is a retailer? Before jumping in, to me anyway, you should just run the skimmer brand and type past a few reefers to check it is 1. up to it, and 2. priced right, before spending your hard earned dollars. Lighting is less of an issue because it is easier to tell what you are getting for your buck. Hope that doesn't offend anyone but as I don't know any Chch retailers i hope what i say will be taken as an unbiased opinion.

I checked out their site, which gives the run down on the product. The theory is sound and looks, to me anyway, like it should work as stated. The only drawback is the price, it is very expensive. Origionally developed in Japan for treatment of streams & waterways that are overloaded with pollutants and nutrients. To treat large volumes of water like that, the cost would have to be many multiples cheaper. So my guess is the Japanese product is a mere fraction of the price, but the US importer has rebranded it as an aquarium product and is selling tiny quantities suitable for one aquarium, at a majorly increased price. Nonetheless, if cost is not an issue then it could be interesting to try it!

Happens to everybody! :lol: You will love a 600 litre tank, just so much more you can do. But first, do consider the cost, you will need a bigger skimmer and more lighting. If you can handle that, go for it!

The stuff I use comes from the building supply store, Bunnings Warehouse. You can buy a 25 kg bag of quick setting cement which sets in 15 minutes, for about 14 bucks. It's used for setting fence posts and similar that you want to set quick. I put it through my wife's kitchen sieve to get rid of the stones, and what you get is an excellent and cheap coral cement.

Some corals such as trachyphyllia type brains do best in sand. Your bubble will be fine though. What I do with corals that should be on the bottom, is mount them on a bit of quick setting cement so there is a flat bottom and they can sit on the bottom even without sand and be quite secure. Wouldn't do it with a trachyphyllia though. Some things need sand and you need to consider this, for example when I went BB I had to sell my beautiful H. Malu anemone because they are a sand burrowing anemone that would not be happy in a BB tank.

Yes, that's it!

You need a salinity tester. But for now, if it's new seawater that has not had any evaporation, assume the salinity is 1.028, and add 10% fresh water to bring it to around 1.025. Then draw a line on the tank and if it evaporates add more fresh water. But longer term you will need a salinity tester. There are 3 types available:- 1. a swing arm hydrometer. These are rubbish, don't buy one. 1. a floating hydrometer, give consistent and accurate readings but a little hard to read. 3. a looking glass hydrometer which you put a drop or two of water in, then look through like a telescope & you can see the reading. These are the best but will cost something around a hundred bucks.

Yes that's more or less right but doesn't have to be adhered to exactly. Here is what I would consider a safe range pH 7.8 to 8.5 kH 6.5 to 12 calcium 360 to 450 phosphate 0.0 but depends how it's measured ammonia 0.0 nitrite 0.0 nitrate less than 40, but depends what you are keeping, but less, to zero, is best.

Well as long as there is decent current, and the rock is properly cured, you shouldn't have any issues. Just keep an eye on salinity, NZ seawater is already around 1.028, whereas the ideal for a reef tank is around 1.025. So just make sure it doesn't creep even higher with evaporation, or even add some fresh water to it to bring it to 1.025, you'll need to add about 10% fresh water to do that. Don't want to get too technical at this stage, but in a reef tank it can help to have alkalinity a little higher than seawater levels, and this can be done by adding baking soda (NOT baking powder). This can be done, at this stage, by dissolving some baking soda in the fresh water, when you add it. For starters, dissolve a heaped teaspoon baking soda for each 100 litres of water in the tank. You can add more again later but would pay to get a test kit before adding a second round.

How long has the tank been set up. If the water was cloudy when you got it, then it should slowly clear over a day or two.

You have only just mixed the salt?

No it isn't. How are the tanks set up? As per your previous post with some rock and a skimmer? If so, is there enough flow, and is the rock properly cured?

What ever happened to it Sapphire?

Any updates?

Yes the way they walk is pretty icky too! About 20 years ago I had 2 of them in my tank, they ate chopped mussel that I dropped on their head. But for the most part they just skulked around at the back of the tank they are incredibly well camouflaged you don't really see them much. They look like a cross between a sponge and a bit of slime or some kind of gunge you would find in a rock pool. But, if looking incredibly ugly means you can just sit there and the prey will just swim right up to your mouth, well hey, if it works....

Just had a look at the actual link, I think it is one of the best sps tanks I've ever seen. Money is obviously no object though!

Well here's a question for you phyto heads! It has to do with the difference between live and dead (dried) phyto. In a tank with a good skimmer, a lot of phyto that is dosed, if it is not consumed immediately, is going to be skimmed within a few hours. If the phyto is live, once dosed to the tank it will start to consume nutrients from the water. Then it gets skimmed, thereby cleaning the tank. But dead phyto would not do this. So could this be part of the reason people see cyano dissapear, and other good stuff, that might not be replicated with dead phyto?

I should also add that i visit Reef from time to time (yes we are good buddies despite online appearances :lol: ), and for quite a long period he had a fancy gizmo on his tank that fed a constant drip feed of phyto to the tank, so it has to be said Reef has given this fair trial. (Not phyto from Ocean Dose though). In his case he did not see enough benefit to justify it and in fact felt it was negative. But I've also seen other tanks that improved with phyto feeding so there is probably a host of factors involved. Bear in mind that scleractinian corals may not benefit directly, but it is not impossible that there could be an indirect benefit if for example the phyto released beneficial trace elements. Or it might even absorb and assist skimming undesireables. Could be a whole heap of causes and effects.

Like many things in this hobby, there will be some benefits & some cons. So for example it will be of benefit to clams, which eat phyto. That is, assuming they are already lacking in food, which may not be the case in many tanks. A few years ago I read an article by (i think) Shimek, where they had watched under magnification, scleractinian corals ingesting and then regurgitating phytoplankton, as Reef said. To me, I don't see any reason for a zooxanthellae symbiotic coral to ingest phytoplankton as the zooxanthellae will already be doing the same thing as the phyto. However this would not always be the case as demonstrated by clams, which host zooxanthellae but still feed on phyto. So feeding phyto is the same principle as anything else we feed, there are some things it will benefit such as obviously clams and pods and likely much more. But like all plant material the phyto will contain phosphate. The anecdotal evidence from many is they have seen "improvements" to their tank from feeding it, and there are a number of possible reasons put forward for this. There could be both direct & indirect benefits. On a US site I read a lot of people have felt phyto feeding polluted their tank, so it probably relates to the needs and ecological balance of each tank. My humble opinion!