breakaway Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 I dont really know much about marine, and after browsing the marine forum I have become quite fond of these Reef tanks, and would really like to keep one. But First, I have to ask some questions: 1) While using a protien skimmer, do you also have to use additional external filteration? Also, what kind of fish/corals would you use a protien skimmer with? 2) Where is the place to acquire good quality Hallides and stuff, and how much do they cost? 3) How do you determine where to point your power heads if you are new to Marine? 4) What is the function of Live Rock? Where do you get it from? How much does it cost? 5) How do you make your water salty? Do you add the special salt from the LFS or do you bring in buckets and buckets from the nearest beach? 6) Where do you get sand from? And when you vaccum, wont you loose a siginificant amount of sand? 7) Where do you guys get your livestock from? 8) Can someone please explain to me exactly what a protien skimmer does 9) How do you "Attach" corals and anemones? Do you just place them in your tank and will they just float around and find a good place? Or do you have to do something special to attach them? 10) What is Kalk? Any help appreciated Thanx in Advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 1) While using a protein skimmer, do you also have to use additional external filteration? Also, what kind of fish/corals would you use a protien skimmer with? Protein skimmer is the most effective filtration, so it is important that you get a quality skimmer. Any skimmer will skim however a good skimmer will skim better and remove pollutants before it becomes a problem. 2) Where is the place to acquire good quality Halides and stuff, and how much do they cost? Depends what you are going to keep. Metal halides is good, however t5s will allow you to keep every coral you want. You can try to find second hand or try the pet shops. 3) How do you determine where to point your power heads if you are new to Marine? Does not matter were your point them as long as the coral is no too close as it wont open. Don’t under estimate the amount of current required as too many people don’t have enough current in the tank 4) What is the function of Live Rock? Where do you get it from? How much does it cost? Can’t get live rock in New Zealand. Live rock is rock that has bits of coral. Algae on it, However you will find cured base rock which normally sells as live rock. It cost about $10 kg The rock acts as a biological filter were all the bacteria live and break down ammonia 5) How do you make your water salty? Do you add the special salt from the LFS or do you bring in buckets and buckets from the nearest beach? I would mix your salt; it can be purchases at the fish shop. You can buy a device that will tell you how much to put in to get it to the correct reading. Some hobbyist are collecting it from polluted areas like Takapuna beach however its like a time boom as it only takes one bad batch of water to start causing problems and it is not worth the risk after spending so much money on live stock. New zealand beach water is also high in minerals from run off etc. Beach water contains too much organics and over time it will build up in your rock so you will get algae problems. However if you use mixed salt the same thing can happen if you don’t keep you water quality spot on. 6) Where do you get sand from? And when you vacuum, won’t you loose a significant amount of sand? shop, etc Janssen, hollywood,massey pets, etc 7) Where do you guys get your livestock from? Fish shop 9) How do you "Attach" corals and anemones? Do you just place them in your tank and will they just float around and find a good place? Or do you have to do something special to attach them? Corals come on rock which is live rock; you just place them in your tank. 10) What is Kalk? kaltwasser is calcium hydroxide which mixed with filtered water and dripped into your tank to maintain calcium and alkalinity. It is also a good idea to have a budget of $4000 for a 3-4 foot tank, you can go a bit smaller however the smaller you go the hardy it is to maintain water quality as there is not much margin for error. Also get a decent book as this forum and many others can have too much misinformation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Answers: 1) Skimmer is the primary form of filtration used in reefs. Biological filtration is achieved using live rock. Skimmers are used with every type of fish or coral. Canister filters are used by some people to run carbon, or other such chemical filtration media. 2) Some of the auckland guys can give you info on where to obtain MH stuff up there. You can go with aquarium specific fittings such as Arcadia, or you can go with DIY using ballasts and reflectors from hydroponics places. You could do a single 400Watt setup for around $300 (incl bulb) DIY. MUCH more expensive if you buy a unit such as the Arcadia ones. 3) The idea with marine tanks is to have as few "dead" spots (areas of low flow) as possible. Good flow around and between live rock with increase it's usefulness as a biological filter (reducing nitrates). So placement is really a matter of trial and error. Most corals love a lot of current (excluding some LPS). Good flow is just as critical as good lighting in a reef. 4) Live rock forms the basis of the biological filtration for the tank. It can be imported into NZ, but must be stored dry for the quarantine period of 3 weeks, which defeats the whole purpose of live rock. Again ask some of the auckland people where to get it (most likely as dry rock), I assume places like jansens have it. This dry rock has to be reseeded in order for it to be useful as a biological filter. This involves storing it in saltwater for a couple of months with a piece of "real" live rock. Jetskisteve may be able to sort you out with some real live rock. Typical cost for live rock is around $12/kg. 5) Two methods of getting saltwater. 1) buy salt from your LFS and mix it up with ro/di water. 2) Collect from the nearest beach. Don't use salt from the supermarket. 6) The sand used in reefs is carbonate based, (rather than silica based which is found on NZ beaches). Again you should be able to get this from Jansens or equivalent . 7) In Auckland, Jansens, Hollywood, (there must be others as well but I live in ChCh so I don't know) 8) Protien skimmer is a big plastic tube which water is pumped through in the tube it is mixed with fine air bubbles, the air bubbles attract organic molecules to their surface. The bubbles rise up the tube, dragging these molecules with them, and then finally overflow as a foam into a collection cup at the top. 9) Corals come attached to a small piece of rock, you just wedge them into the live rock in your tank. Anemones don't come attached to rocks, you try and place them where you want them, and them watch them move to where they want to be. 10) Kalk is calcium hydroxide. It's an addative used to keep calcium and alkalinity levels up. Corals and clams use calcium, and will die if the levels drop too low. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Thanks for that guys, that is really informative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Some hobbyist are collecting it from polluted areas like Takapuna beach however its like a time boom as it only takes one bad batch of water to start causing problems and it is not worth the risk after spending so much money on live stock Just got back from That polluted beach & did a 60L waterchange! So did another reefkeeper I met there. Guess I should wait for the big crash Been waiting for about 6yrs tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 yea sure bro, you have not even been keeping marines for 6 years, I am using seawater as well based on your short success, just did a big crap in my tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 what would you know i had a 6 foot reef back when you were in school! back when we had 3 importers just in AK & fish & corals were cheap :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted September 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Does anyone know an online shop where these itemss (except lighting) can be purchased at a resonable price? Also another couple of Questions: 1) What temperature do I have to keep a reef at? 2) I live in Mt. Roskill, Auckland. Will I need to get a chiller if I ever keep a reef? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 I keep mine at 25 degrees. 24 to 27 is a rough range. Whether or not you need a chiller really depends on what type, and how much lighting you have. I need a chiller down here on a 6' tank with 2 400Watt metal halides. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 what would you know i had a 6 foot reef back when you were in school! back when we had 3 importers just in AK & fish & corals were cheap And i bet you were using a berlin skimmer and still complained about the prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 My tank sits at 25 degrees too. I have just put in a new 5 foot tank with 2 x 250W metal hallides. I measured the heat at the water surface coming from the hallides at 33 degree's! Requiring a chiller also depends on where the tank sits in your house too and how big the room is. The room where my tank sits (its in the wall) is going to be enclosed soon (about 2 metres by 4 metres). Not only will I need a chiller but will need extraction fans in the ceiling too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 I have been doing marine for just under 2 years have done 3 upgrades in this time still learning. If you live in Mt Roskill you must know about Hollywood fish farms in Frost Rd. and Jansens in Mt Eden Rd. I got every thing I needed at Hollywood last time around. My lights cost about 3 Thousand but that was for 2, see pics under 65 motor homers. I suggest you make a time to talk to Dave at Hollywood he is the owner and is not always there Im sure he will give you a price for a set up. Also come for a drive to Port Waikato and see my tank and set up and some of the others that will give you some idea. My tank is at 25D and I sure do need my chiller even at this time of year more in summer dont ask what the power bill is. But word of warning you cant neglect a marine tank you have to be dedicated, But I absolutely think its worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 hey REEF whats that rock in your tank & wheres it from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 I bet it's not from the Takapuna Boat ramp! Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 hey REEF whats that rock in your tank & wheres it from? I thought i covered it in this paragraph, which part do need help with jetski. Can’t get live rock in New Zealand. Live rock is rock that has bits of coral. Algae on it, However you will find cured base rock which normally sells as live rock. It cost about $10 kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 So far my tank's solid at 24.8-24.9°C even with the lights on. So, I'm hoping that means I won't have to go as far as getting a chiller this summer and can get away with a fan on the sump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Sorry but if you just open your eyes & ears live rock is ALWAYS available, At present i have approx 300kg with more on the way. In the last 2yrs at any one time i could have sourced damn good live rock. Just ask around.....Pies, Brianenome,Chimera,Chris,Skuzza Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 steves right, he had some awesome stuff last time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 and this time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 im sure it is how about you keep a few of those snails for me to try listing those and your coral in the fish section they might get more hits that way (coral55 got 35$ for some really small xenia) (and did you get that caluerpa?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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