Adding sand-need advice

FWSWBW · 11-12-2006, 12:11 AM

Yes you can store sand as long as it dosen't dry out..keep it in the orginal bag in a tupperware container...oh Hi nice to meet you! It is good to make sure you wave off any sand that may have gotten on LR or corals..but you may already know that.

gm333 · 11-12-2006, 01:10 AM

Another way to bring down nitrates in saltwater is a good skimmer and some macro algae, plus waterchanges.

TommysGirl · 11-12-2006, 01:44 AM

gm333,

I just bought a Bak Pac 2R+ and it has been running for about three weeks. I'm still not getting much slime/sludge though, even after water changes. I do water changes weekly as well. How do I get macroalgea?

Thanks a lot!

TommysGirl

gm333 · 11-12-2006, 01:57 AM

You dont have a refugium or sump do you? You can buy some calupera to put in one corner of your tank, I think it looks good, although some people dont. You can find it here. http://www.etropicals.com/product/pr...46&pCatId=1304
I have read good things about the Cpr bakpaks so give it a little time to break in and get the adjustments to where the best skimmate is produced, took me a couple of months to figure out my skimmers best setting.

TommysGirl · 11-12-2006, 10:09 AM

No, no refugium or sump. The calupera looks like a very interesting plant. The skimmer did go nuts last night, after a water change. Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles!!! Thank so much for your input!!

TommysGirl

FWSWBW · 11-12-2006, 11:16 AM

Hummm, are there microbubbles coming out of your skimmer and into the main tank? If they are contained inside the skimmer thats great! If they are coming out into the main tank that can be a bad thing. Depending on what you have in your tank, some corals do not like microbubbles and they say they are bad for fishes gills...this last thing I'm not to sure about so maybe do a search on it. I hope this helps

Tommy Gun · 11-12-2006, 11:24 AM

I have the same issue with my skimmer (Coralife Super Skimmer)after each water change. I have been told that this could be from bad salt, bad water (but I use RO water), or just a skimmer that is not 'broken in'. I am going later today to get some reef crystals from a much more well known company that the salt that I have been using. Once I do my water change with that salt, I will let you know if I have the same issues (probrably around Friday or Saturday). Otherwise, I have been told that it is fine to keep the skimmer off for a day or two since after this amount of time, my tank's water must change or settle down a bit and I do not have the same issue. I have also been told that the placement of a skimmer relative to the water level makes a difference, but I am still unsure as to exactly what that all entails.

TommysGirl · 11-12-2006, 11:56 AM

I have a bubble trap on the skimmer, but I do notice some bubbles accumulating on the underside of it (like where the water comes out of the bubble trap). They are bigger bubbles though-not like a steady stream of tiny bubbles or anything. I have only had it up and going for three weeks now, so I am thinking it just needs more time to "break in". I use Instant Ocean salt, which I have always thought was a reputible brand-I don't have any problems with it that I know of that is (salinity stays steady and all that good stuff)...

Again, thank you all for your input!! It is greatly appreciated!!

TommysGirl

Tommy Gun · 11-12-2006, 12:10 PM

I am switching my salt to Instant Ocean with my next water change because it is more readily available to me. I have been using Kent Sea Salt which comes in a box with three bags in it. I was suspect about this salt because the three bags all have different lot numbers on them and so I think maybe they are not all exactly the same formula. At least with the Instant Ocean Reef Crystals that come in a bucket, I know that all I have to do is stir it up a bit to ensure that the salt is all formulated the exact same.

I have also used a sock on the end of my skimmer that the water returns into my sump through. This really helped out with the big bubbles (and noise too) but isnt all that much help for the microbubbles. The sock doesnt last too long in the SW though and I havent had to use this for quite a while and I think that is because the skimmer is starting to break in a bit.

MandyMolly · 07-05-2007, 06:27 PM

free mn_fuzkaI have also used a sock on the end of my skimmer that the water returns into my sump through. This really helped out with the big bubbles (and noise too) but isnt all that much help for the microbubbles.

What do you mean by sock? Can I try using a clean new nylon to cover it and see if that helps with the micro bubbles? xx mn_fuzka xx