Where did the Reef rules come from? - Page 2

Paul B · 09-29-2009, 11:55 AM

Nicole cycling a tank is not a rule because depending on the rock you have, your tank may be cycled immediately or it may take months. If you put animals in a sterile tank, like we used to do before the advent of live rock, we would lose everything in a few days. Now that we have reef tanks and live rock, we get lucky, sometimes.
I think we should wait a week or so while we add some organic matter, then put in one fish. Wait a week or two then add another small fish.
Cycling is not something that ever completes which confuses people. My tank is 40 years old and if I put in a new fish, more bacteria will grow to take care of the larger amount of wastes. Tanks continually cycle as to load.

beaslbob · 09-29-2009, 12:00 PM

Paul

What do you think of this idea. Start the tank with a refugium full of fast growing macro algaes. That way the algae would consume the ammonia being generated even of here were no bacteria in the tank. Then as bacteria build up the macros will "switch" to nitrates because that is all that is left.

Of course you start with a small bio (fish) load, limit added food and so on.

I do agree that the tank is always and constantly cycleing.

Paul B · 09-29-2009, 12:13 PM

I don't particularly like that idea. You really want there to be ammonia to grow the bacteria which consume ammonia and we would like those bacteria to grow as fast as possable. If we add fast growing plants that consume ammonia, we would be depriving the ammonia eating bacteria from lunch. We need to grow specific bacteria to meet our needs because there are thousands of othet bacteria that will also cover all of the real estate and many of those bacteria do not help us do anything, they just hang around watching TV and don't convert anything for us.
Ideally, I like the idea od some dead shrimp to cycle. This way we could have loads of ammonia to feed the bacteria and not worry about killing fish

beaslbob · 09-29-2009, 12:33 PM

Thanks paul. I kinda thought it might have been the algae on the live rock that caused the live rock to work.

Also I use (and have observed with measurements) the same idea with my planted Fw tanks. I call it the "phantom" or "Ghost" cycle. No ammonia or nitrIte spikes but an almost immediate nitrAte spike to 20-30ppm or so. Then about 3 weeks later the nitrates drop down. PLus the same thing kicks in should something go bump in the night. Instead of ammonia->nitrItes spikes, just a harmless 3 week bump up in nitrates.

But that's just my .02

Which may be breaking the rules

dantimdad · 10-29-2009, 02:22 PM

I have been keeping marine aquariums for over 20 years and reefs for over 15.

I still refer to Martin Moe's books and believe that they are a fantastic foundation for reef knowledge.

I generally stay away from anything new and improved for at least 3 or 4 years of someone using it on the SAME tank so I know of it's stability.

I still swear by NO blue moon and Triton bulbs for soft and LPS corals.

I build my own skimmers, sumps, stands, light fixtures and many times tanks.

I finally bought a house and am setting up a 118XH and will see what living one place till I retire can do for a marine reef tank!

dantimdad

Paul B · 10-29-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

I finally bought a house and am setting up a 118XH and will see what living one place till I retire can do for a marine reef tank!

I am living in this house for 30 years, I moved the tank from my old house. It is still going, I think it is 39 years old now.

beaslbob · 10-29-2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul B

I am living in this house for 30 years, I moved the tank from my old house. It is still going, I think it is 39 years old now.

You, the house, or the tank?

petlover516 · 10-29-2009, 06:29 PM

Yeah my dad hasn't had a full reef yet, but he doesn't follow those rules either. He:
easily runs his tank without a protein skimmer
still uses clams as bio filters
still uses corner filters
substrate is crushed coral
does not quarantine
uses plain tapwater
mixes salt straight into the tank

Paul B · 10-30-2009, 05:27 AM

Quote:

You, the house, or the tank?

I don't remember when I was 39

NursePlaty · 08-28-2010, 05:40 AM

I'm from the Freshwater section and I really enjoyed this thread . If I understood how a saltwater system worked, I would have started a saltwater tank long ago. I never understood how much salt to use, what kind of light, if LR is needed, if a sump is needed, if macroalgaes are needed, etc :(

Aquatic Mist · 08-30-2010, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trouble93

New rule THERE ARE NO RULES none of us have gills so pretty much what we do to have a piece of a reef in our homes is a shot in the dark. What may work in my tank may not work in mine. What may work in your tank may crash mine and so on. You shouldn't use a UV in a reef tank you shouldn't use a canister in a reef tank and on and on and on. We are all guessing at this that's why forums like this is so inportant to new hobbyists and those who have been here for years.

In freshwater and marine aquarium magazine more than a few years ago ( way back ) there had been a ad for a custom aquatic manufacturer that created tanks with feather rocks around the entire sides with grottos and caves which coral ( real or synthetic ) could be placed ( like a coral reef ) and was filtered by reverse flow undergravel plates then went through a micron cartridge and carbon chamber ( canister filter made by PEP company) nice tanks !!!

GetITCdot · 08-31-2010, 09:51 AM