reef

Wonder if he is overskimming

IF it is close to zero i would think that it would be ok for soft coral tanks. However i would be more concerned with other things in the water we cant test for or don’t have the test kits. Adding additional trace elements from tap water will also cause problems. I think for only a few of us who want very colorful SPS and want the little bit extra from our corals would want almost zero phostphates. keep in mind that aquarium test kits only test one type of po4 as we have organic and inorganic phostphates. I think the test kits only test for organic po4.

some info http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-11/nftt/index.php Highlighted in article

any photos check this tank. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-11/totm/index.php here is another tank with nice aquascaping

Thought it might be a good idea to do a feature coral once a month. We can discuss how to keep them and show photos. Here is one photo of my goniopora, have had it for 12 months, Feed it mainly reef roids and reef solution. they need iron to survive. Goniopora tenuidens some info http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... invert.htm http://www.goniopora.org/gallery/thumbn ... p?album=15

I doubt it, rust removes po4. Maybe the tests you did was contaiminated as a po4 of 5ppm seems to high. or maybe they added somethingto teh water that month etc. Not normal for po4 to be that high in tap water.

never seen them before

yes turn it off

use a net

Nice tank and a good mix of corals. THe sky blue acro is nice. never seem to be able to get one.

That would have killed it for sure

TDs of 49 does not mean your water is bad, Just mean that you have minerals etc in the water, No water is pure as they all will contains some sort of minerals. Rain water has a tds of over 20. Actually just did a test on my tank with my po4 hanna meter. it was .01. lowest it has ever been. I quess it should be that low after putting in 5 Litres of rowaphos Try Water Purifiers in the yellow pages, I found about 12 places that sell RO units.

wilson wrote, I doubt many people overskim in nz and have super clean tanks, what do you class as overskimmed and super clean? got ant pics of them? the photo you showed is from a tank that has only just had the skimmer put on , so you cant say that tank is over skimmed. Yes reefs are not super clean but most nutrient gets used up really quick by corals,. You cant compare a reef with a aquarium full of corals.

IF it is that high then the po4 should be removed before entering the tank. That is just too high.

That is very high.

Some readings might not be close but i suspect they have lab grade equipment so some readings will differ from standard test kits. Bore water has also got contaminates with are not good enough for reef tanks and they would be additional to the saltmix thus increasing the levels in the aquarium. The reason you should ideally use ro/di is that by adding top up water or using it fro saltmix you are adding additional contaminates and minerals which will build up in a closed aquarium. Most salymixes are designed to use with ro/di , but not using it then you are adding additional minerals etc. When making water changes and top ups you want to add zero contaminates/minerals Tapwater can still be used however for some of us who want the obsolute best water quality for our fish/corals it is not pure enough so we use ro/di.

Sure are, especially in a tank with good water conditions, I have removed 4 large rocks over the last 6 months. They are ok if you can isolate them to a rock

Photo of the fire i dealt too today. Pulled the corals off and soaked it in bleach. Its has been taking over my tank and killing my coral, real shame, but it had to go,

Testing the water is going to show high TDS as tested before in CHCH. Ro or di water has a tds of zero, no town water supply or even rain water is going to be zero as they all are going to contain some sort of trace elements and nutrients. That would be for fresh water tanks not saltwater as the saltmix containes all the minerals and most salt mix is designed to use with RO or Di.

show us the great reef tanks? Ro/di is not a must but everything you can do to reduce waste going in the tank the better.

The Chch water i tested with aTDS meter was higher than My rain water in Auckland.

this article is interesting re the aquarium glass releasing silicates. http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/gues ... iatoms.htm

Some info http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/purewatr.htm http://www.pwgazette.com/rofaq.htm http://www.pwgazette.com/roremove.htm Most Hobbyist with reef tanks use either RO or DI. . No matter where you live in NZ you should use a filter as tap water will contain minor elements/silicate/silicate acid which will fuel diatoms and algae, some info http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/r ... atoms.html You will note that ro/di will not remove all silicate/silicate acid. but it removes most of it and without ro/di the diatoms will be far worse. Happy reading.

The best books are The Modern coral reef aquarium vol 1-4 by Svein a fossa/Alf jacob Nilsen Also The reef aquarium by Delbeek and Sprung. get vol 3. its a update and has most new information. For fish good fish information try Scott w.Michaels books as they have good info. i have vol 1-3 After books the best magazines are CORAL. and a new one coming out ULTRAMARINE. The internet is ok but most info you have to take with a grain of salt unless by known authors. Forum are the worst, so much incorrect information., but still some good stuff.

info As with most Damsels, the Starkii Damsel grows from a docile juvenile into an aggressive adult. As a result, Damsels should not be kept with small docile tank-mates, rather with other aggressive community fishes. Numerous observations would support the above . Extraordinary nice fish but a pain . Especially in small tanks with smaller fish. Wanted to add one to my tank but after my experience with them i prefer not too add one, Some individuals might not be as aggressive but in general they are aggressive.