Removing Bio-balls - Discussion

You also mentioned to remove the bio-ball media that is in the rear  chamber of my 50 gallon SYS-II. This way my nitrates will decreasedramatically. By doing this what about the bioload in the tank. Do I have to worry about stress to the tank or will my live rock take care of this for me. I am going to add a few more lbs of rock. When I remove the media should I do it all at once or in increments.

You may want to get some more live rock, as I said 1.5 to 1.75 lb per gal of rock or sand for complete

 denitrification. One downside to adding a substantial amount of rock will be a significant cycle that *will* stress the fish.. high ammonia high nitrite temporarily 2 weeks or so. As far as removing the media,
when your confident that you have enough rock and sand per gal, start removing something like 25% per week, that will make a seamless transition of your biological bacteria. 

Simplified Reefkeeping

Bristleworms Questions and Answers

Bristleworms

 I will be adding a few more lbs. of live rock this weekend and was hoping you could tell me of any way to eliminate those unwanted guests"BRISTLE WORMS" before I add the rock to my display tank. I have heard of a few of ways to do this. One way of course is the trusty old Arrow Crab (I have already in tank), but I am hoping to resolve this before the live rock goes into my display tank. Two other methods I have briefly heard about are: 1) Dip the live rock in fresh
DI/RO water and this will force them out; or 2) Dip the rock in some  carbonated water which the carbon dioxide gas will force them out. Don't know of anybody that has tried these methods yet?
One concern is if these methods will work, what problems might they cause if the live rock is already "CURED". I guess it could kill coraline algae's or anything else which is beneficial for the rock? 

Ok those are bristle worms and a natural occurrence in live rock. They used to be considered bad for the tank as they were thought to eat coral. The new thinking is that they are good and serve a purpose stirring the sand and processing detritus. Im fairly sure these are what you have. They are a pinkish flesh color with whitish fury looking legs those are bristle worms, they can get large!! I have personally seen them 12 inches in length needless to say I got rid of it. Smaller ones do a good service to the tank. Other similar looking worms but different colors deep solid red are fireworms and will give you a very bad sting. These are more unusual to have and I would get rid of them if I had one.

The opinion of bristle worms is changing... especially if you have sand. They are detrivores and do a very good job churning the sand. A few years ago, they were thought to eat corals etc. and its a possibility that they might, but if you use sand it is considered good to have bristle worms.

Do they reproduce in the tank?
yes the reproduce very easily... one other suggestion is to look at the tank after the lights have been off for about 2 hours. Use a flashlight and try not to make vibrations on the floor when you walk. You should see creatures that you do not see during the day.

Simplified Reefkeeping

Thoughts on using a 60 hexagonal tank for a reef aquarium.

Tall tanks are not really recommended (at least by me) because there wont be enough room
for positioning the live rock and having the lighting evenly dispersed.

Using a tall tank one usually has to stack rock upon rock which in turn doesn't allow life forms to grow beneath the stack.

Also lighting will be an issue


Simplified Reefkeeping

The best way to cycle a reef tank.

CYCLE THE TANK WITH LIVE ROCK ONLY

Step 1. Purchase all (or if your budget is low at the time, get at least 1/2) of the live rock you will use, and proceed to step 2. When ready, get the second 1/2 of the rock.

Step 2. When all the live rock is in the tank, test for ammonia and nitrite. You need to get a zero reading, which could take 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the amount of die-off on the rock. Do not proceed to step 3 until steps 1 and 2 are complete.

Step 3. Begin to add inverts (clams, shrimp, starfish, crabs, snails). Add a few at a time, checking ammonia and nitrite. After all inverts are added, and the test results for ammonia and nitrite are zero, proceed to add your corals, a few at a time. Continue to test for ammonia and nitrite until all your corals are added. When the readings are at zero (this will usually take about 2 weeks, possibly longer), proceed to add the fish in the same manner as above, until all the fish have been added.

Cycling the tank with live rock is the simplest, most trouble-free way to start a reef tank.

Step 4. When the test results read zero, and you begin to test and record nitrate, your tank is completely cycled. When you cycle this way, the live rock does most of the conditioning. This is the way to start your system. It is definitely the safest procedure, because it is hard to know how much die-off the live rock has on it. This way you won’t endanger the valuable, delicate specimens you will add later. Remember, only bad things happen fast. You will need to exercise patience, resisting the impulse to do things in reverse. Remember: live rock first, inverts second, corals third, and fish last. You are now up and running. This will take about 2 to 6 weeks, possibly longer.

Once all the rock is in the tank, the cycling of the water will begin. In approximately three days, there should be a measurable amount of ammonia. Test and record the ammonia at this time. Continue to test and record it at three to four-day intervals. The reading will rise and rise, until one day it will drop off and be zero. At that time, begin to test for nitrite.

The nitrite cycle is very similar to the ammonia cycle, so use the same procedure as described for ammonia. Do not become alarmed with the test results! This is the cycling process, and the tank will balance out! As long as you do not have any fish, inverts or coral in the tank, you have nothing to worry about. Be patient, let nature take its course, and the tank will cycle.

When the nitrite test reads zero, you should begin to test for nitrate. You will get only very faint nitrate readings, because the tank is now balanced and has virtually no bio-load (waste products from fish, invertebrates, etc.).

When the bacteria “catch up” (multiply to process the waste in the tank), you will get zero readings of ammonia and nitrite The tank has now had its first and largest cycle. When you add more livestock, this will increase the waste load, and the bacteria will have to multiply and catch up with the increased load. You will get mini-cycles of ammonia and nitrite when you add livestock. These small cycles will be insignificant as long as you don’t add too many creatures at once. Begin by adding inverts, two to three at a time, until they are all in. Do the same with the corals (possibly slower because of the cost). Test for ammonia and nitrite a few days after each addition. If the test results are zero, proceed to add creatures as described until all inverts and corals are added. Give them a week or so to acclimate. Test for ammonia and nitrite. When they register zero, and the inverts and corals appear to be well adjusted, you are ready to add fish in the same manner as described.

How much Live Rock is required in a reef tank, what is recommemded?

It is very important to have the correct amount of live rock. Some people have gotten carried away with the idea that if some is good, more must be better. This is not true! As with all concepts of reef keeping, balance is very important here. If you don’t have enough live rock, natural internal filtration will be ineffective, because the bacterial colony on the rock will be inadequate to perform the task. Or, if you have too much live rock, you will have dead spots on it. These are areas of live rock that are covered with other rock, blocking some surfaces from light and water circulation. These dead spots are likely to trap waste, sediment, uneaten food, and many other products you would otherwise remove regularly. When waste products accumulate in these areas, they will be a sure food source for micro-algae, which will thrive, causing diminished water quality.

This is referred to as “stacking” the rock, and it should be avoided at all costs.

The correct amount of live rock to have in a reef tank is between a minimum of 1 pound per gallon and a maximum of 1.75 pounds per gallon. Somewhere in the middle, like 1.35 pounds per gallon, would be ideal. Do not exceed 1.75, unless you want to turn some quality live rock into base rock, which would take at least a year to recover and resemble what it was before other rock was stacked on top of it.

I have met many people who have jammed as much live rock into their tanks as would physically fit, in an effort to create a natural system. The only result they got was a natural disaster. Two-thirds of the rock died. The water had so much nutrient in it that it could not be reused. They had to start all over again, rinsing all the rock, buying another tank to use the excess rock, or trying to sell the rock back to the store (as base rock). They learned that when it comes to amounts of live rock, more is definitely not better. Again, do not exceed 1.75 pounds per gallon.

Amounts and quality of live rock for a 55-gallon setup: (55 gallons x 1.5 = 82.5 lbs.)

• 12 lbs. base rock for bottom, fist size
• 40 lbs. premium quality for back and sides, large flat
• 20 lbs. encrusted octocoral, large long, for high points
• 11 lbs.  of ricordia mushroom rock for accents
•  

Simplified Reefkeeping

What is the best way to "CYCLE" a Reef Tank?

CYCLE THE TANK WITH LIVE ROCK ONLY

Step 1. Purchase all (or if your budget is low at the time, get at least 1/2) of the live rock you will use in your reef aquarium, and proceed to step 2. When ready, get the second 1/2 of the rock.

Step 2. When all the live rock is in the tank, test for ammonia and nitrite. You need to get a zero reading, which could take 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the amount of die-off on the rock. Do not proceed to step 3 until steps 1 and 2 are complete.

Step 3. Begin to add inverts (clams, shrimp, starfish, crabs, snails) . Add a few at a time, checking ammonia and nitrite. After all inverts are added to the reef aquarium, and the test results for ammonia and nitrite are zero, proceed to add your corals, a few at a time. Continue to test for ammonia and nitrite until all your corals are added. When the readings are at zero (this will usually take about 2 weeks, possibly longer), proceed to add the fish in the same manner as above, until all the fish have been added to the reef tank.

Cycling the reef tank with live rock is the simplest, most trouble-free way to start a reef tank.

Step 4. When the test in the aquarium results read zero, and you begin to test and record nitrate, your tank is completely cycled. When you cycle this way, the live rock does most of the conditioning. This is the way to start your system. It is definitely the safest procedure, because it is hard to know how much die-off the live rock has on it. This way you won’t endanger the valuable, delicate specimens you will add later. Remember, only bad things happen fast. You will need to exercise patience, resisting the impulse to do things in reverse. Remember: live rock first, inverts second, corals third, and fish last. You are now up and running. This will take about 2 to 6 weeks, possibly longer.

Once all the rock is in the tank, the cycling of the water in the reef aquarium will begin. In approximately three days, there should be a measurable amount of ammonia. Test and record the ammonia at this time. Continue to test and record it at three to four-day intervals. The reading will rise and rise, until one day it will drop off and be zero. At that time, begin to test for nitrite.

The nitrite cycle is very similar to the ammonia cycle, so use the same procedure as described for ammonia. Do not become alarmed with the test results! This is the cycling process, and the tank will balance out! As long as you do not have any fish, inverts or coral in the tank, you have nothing to worry about. Be patient, let nature take its course, and the tank will cycle.

When the nitrite test reads zero, you should begin to test for nitrate. You will get only very faint nitrate readings, because the tank is now balanced and has virtually no bio-load (waste products from fish, invertebrates, etc.).

When the bacteria “catch up” (multiply to process the waste in the tank), you will get zero readings of ammonia and nitrite The reef tank has now had its first and largest cycle. When you add more livestock, this will increase the waste load, and the bacteria will have to multiply and catch up with the increased load. You will get mini-cycles of ammonia and nitrite when you add livestock. These small cycles will be insignificant as long as you don’t add too many creatures at once. Begin by adding inverts, two to three at a time, until they are all in. Do the same with the corals (possibly slower because of the cost). Test for ammonia and nitrite a few days after each addition. If the test results are zero, proceed to add creatures as described until all inverts and corals are added. Give them a week or so to acclimate. Test for ammonia and nitrite. When they register zero, and the inverts and corals appear to be well adjusted, you are ready to add fish in the same manner as described.

More details are in the book Simplified Reefkeeping

Simplified Reefkeeping

What type of Filtration is reqiured for a Reef Aquarium?

The standard method of “purifying” the water for most reef aquariums has been to use a filter that is separate from the tank. This device, with which I’m sure you are familiar, is a container holding material that (1) traps particles from the water, and (2) has a sufficient surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. This has usually been an enclosed type or “canister” filter.

A more advanced design was the “trickle filter.” This is an open style, relatively large, Plexiglas box containing a drip plate, prefilter, and spherical-type plastic medium. The drip plate would evenly disperse the water onto the prefilter material to trap particles. This in turn would trickle through the plastic medium, where the nitrifying bacteria would colonize and purify by nitrification. With all this “trickling” taking place, oxygen will get pulled into the water, ensuring that the aerobic bacteria remain aerobic.

The trickle filter is an excellent filtering system for fish-only tanks, where you need a large external area for the bacteria to colonize. Also, the open design of the trickle filter allows easy access to the prefilter material. These filters have been used on reef tanks, but most reef hobbyists realize that the bacteria will colonize any porous substrate (the live rock), and that oxygen is provided by protein skimming. The primary concern of reef keepers using trickle filters is that particles and debris get trapped and accumulate in the plastic medium. This accumulated, nutrient-rich debris then provides a food source for micro-algae.

Plastic media can trap waste, causing high nutrient levels—a food source for micro-algae A trickle filter on a reef system would inhibit bacteria from colonizing on the live rock, by maintaining a high flow rate of water through the media and providing oxygen to that immediate area. This would encourage the bacteria to colonize on the plastic media instead of on the rock.

If the plastic media were ever cleaned, the bacteria would die, sending the reef into an ammonia/nitrite cycle. This may cause death of the more fragile species of the reef, and at worst could cause a domino effect that would involve all but the most hardy specimens.

Faced with these two outcomes of employing plastic media, and realizing that live rock is an optimum substrate for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, many advanced reef hobbyists simply did away with the plastic media. Those who had trickle filters with plastic media in operation would remove small amounts at a time (approximately 10% at every prefilter change once a week), ensuring that an ammonia/nitrite cycle would not occur, and thereby naturally relocating the bacteria to the live rock.

When I started in the hobby, it was recommended to have a trickle filter as described above. As time went on, even though I had live rock and sand and purified tap water, algae eventually became a problem. When I described this phenomenon to a friend, he shared his knowledge of plastic media and recommended the gradual removal of the plastic media. Slowly, the algae problem diminished in my tank. I will admit I was skeptical at first, but he was correct. This has become standard practice with almost all advanced reef keepers.

USING A TRICKLE FILTER AS A SUMP BOX

In perspective, the recommended filtration is still basically a trickle filter, without the media. We can use the box for a sump (to hold and control the water), and the drip plate and prefilter to provide their benefits. The concept is to change the prefilter once a week, to keep it from going “biological” (which could possibly lead to a small cycle), and to confine and remove the nutrient particles.

If you are currently using a trickle filter, you may be able to use it as a sump. It would have to be large enough to accommodate all the water needed for this type of method. Also, plumbing inlets and outlets may have to be added for feeds and drains to and from the protein skimmers, and possibly a main drain for the system. See Diagram 6 for the concept of a sump box with a prefilter and the location of the skimmers in relation to the sump box, as well as the relation of the sump box to the tank.

The following is an overview of the components for a modern reef filter.

1. Live rock, 1.5 to no more than 1.75 pounds per gallon.
2. Large protein skimmer capable of turning over water in the tank 6 times per hour.
3. Easily removable drip plate and prefilter material to clean or change once a week.
4. Large main pump capable of turning over water in the tank 6 times an hour.
5. Large sump box providing considerable turbulence, and capable of holding all the overflow of water from the tank, including the “working water.”
6. Denitrification areas .
7. Proper lighting.
8. Photosynthetic livestock.