reef

refractomers are designed for brix, not seawater.

I think that is why there is a correction formula that we have to find, i have seen it somewhere, So to get it close to the tank water we will have to heat up the refractometer to tank temp to give a more accurate salinity.

so after reading that the electronic could be more accurate.

interesting, the refractometer will be out by a bit as there is a formula that you have to use to get the correct reading, i have to find the link and post it. here is some info i found The important points are the following. 1. ATC on a refractometer is very different from ATC on a pH meter. The portable refractometer has no electronic components. It does not measure temperature. The compensation is achieved through simple optical elements. 2. It is the temperature of the refractometer (which is the ambient temperature) that is important, not the temperature of the sample. In fact, the sample temperature is the refractometer temperature because a drop of sample quickly attains the refractometer temperature. 3. It is essential that the refractometer with ATC by nulled at 68 F (20 C). [Nulled means setting zero point with a drop of distilled water.] For example, I nulled a refractometer with ATC at 77 F and had an error of about 10% at 25 Brix. I then nulled the same unit at 68 F and the error was zero. Our units are nulled correctly by the manufacturer and should not need to be adjusted. If you need to renull the unit, you will need to get as close to 68F as possible. I have found that anywhere between 66-70 F gives very good accuracy. Also, bear in mind that you must accurately determine the temperature, i.e, you must have an accurate thermometer. 4. ATC covers 10-30 C, 50-86 F.

It is bettter than most meters, i think even more accurate than a refractometer.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail.asp?id=37486095

oyster shells are very high in phostphates so not a good idea.

Nothing wrong with these crabs, co exists with xenia. All xenia come with them when imported.

Cracker has other problems to worry about than working on his tank, He has lost part of his roof and lost power for 24 hours. A tornado past through about an hour ago. No casualties.. Picks to come when power is back.

Yep i got some from Hollywood, looks brown but once in the tank it is nice white, hard to keep white if you dont have great water quality. so you need ro/di, big skimmer, phostphate remover.

refer http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/saltwater-members-tanks-vf30.html?sid=77487b3ebaf7d014400691ff0f627743

it is too expensive to get the above coral sand, like the stuff you mention from caribsea, best to get coral sand from you local shop. mine is about 1inch thick.

Could happen if lack of water movement and skimmer too small for tank.

few questions. Not to sure if the plumbing you have is a good idea, if it gets a bend and blocks you will have a major problem, Pressure pipe is the best. Do you have one overflow pipe or two, ?? Will one handle the flow? What metal halide is it,?? Looks like phillips flood lights. They are supa heavy. Are you going to put the TV under the tank?? If so not really ideal as the condensation etc can’t be good for it, I hope the TV does not blow, could be fried fish for breakfast Your water level looks like it is going to be very high once you put the overflow comb in, not much of a safety margin. You could solve the problem by not having a overflow comb and put a pipe on the outlet with small holes with a endcap so fish dont go up it. Just my thoughts, could be wrong

The other problem is that you might not have enough flow in the tank. more flow will solve the problem

dont worry about the build up. it should go once the tank matures . Once the tank has been running and you build up enough bactaria in the tank it should sort out the proteins in the tank. You could add some bactaria like prodibio which will speed things up and it can be dosed weekly to help remove organics.

nice sump room Pretty solid stand

the bracing on the tank looks very light, does it have bracing on the bottom.

My blue coral in huge, grows all up my glass

I tried a seachem iron test on my tank, read zero, When I change my zeolite I do notice that I get more diatoms and the caulerpa algae in my sump gets a nice green colour, so I guess that zeolite does add some iron to the tank, if it is iron. Zeofood is an acid/ethanol so I would think that it does not add nutrients, so that leaves the zeolite which must add something I think this thread was about saltmix

You do have to take the experience of the reef keeper into account as the more experience reefers don’t have any algae or cyno when they use zeo, just because you use zeo does not mean you will have a great tank.

All the test were done over 5 years ago and the way they are made has changed, so the tests are useless. Salt mixes can be made better by using pure chemicals, but what is the point as it gets too expensive. Best salt?? what ever is the cheapest.

i think hff sell red sea for $120 for 25kg.

The photo was a old photo, i think it was the same photo i had on trade me

In what way?? There is about 10 around