Question on Additives for Reef Tank
Hello crew,
<Lynne>
I recently added the following soft corals to my FOWLR 55 gallon tank.
Yellow Polyps
Green Star Polyps
Mushrooms
Pulsing Xenia sp.
Orange Colonial Coral
<All at once?>
My tank and top off water is filtered via SpectraPure 5 stage
PH 8.2 -8.3
Ammonia 0
Nitrates .05
Phosphates 0 (LaMotte test kit)
Alk 12 dKH
Instant Ocean Salt
10 % water change weekly
I just bought a LaMotte test kit and tested my Calcium, unless I am misinterpreting the directions my reading came out to be only 227 ppm.
<Happens>
The only "additive" I use now is daily capfuls (per label directions) of Kent Liquid Reactor.
<Okay>
Is there any additive I should use in addition to Liquid Reactor Buffer or to replace Liquid Reactor to get my PH and Calcium levels that would keep my corals healthy and growing?
<Yes... posted on WWM>
Thank you for your help!
<Thank you for helping yourself. Bob Fenner>

Calcified substrate
Greetings.
First off, I want to thank Bob, Anthony and everyone else on the crew who helped me attain such respect and pleasure in this fascinating hobby. I have a 75G reef set-up that has been growing strong for a little over a year now, with everything flourishing beyond my expectations.  Today, while vacuuming the substrate, I noticed a couple of areas that seem to have calcified. I'm assuming that I'm probably overdoing the Kalk drip.
<Yes, very common>
In trying to maintain a calcium level at the 500-520 range, I began dripping Kalk 24 hours a day as make-up water. Too much?
<Yes... rare that conditions, desires would dictate wanting to elevate calcium beyond 450 ppm...>
Would it be prudent to remove the calcified areas of substrate?
<Yes...>
Upon removal, should I attempt to break it up, rinse it and re-use it or just discard it?
<Likely simply discard... hard to practically get the materials back into solution... and there may well be other solutes you'd rather discard>
What other method would you suggest in order to maintain the 500-520 range I am after. I have been using Kent Kalk mix. Can these levels be attained and/or maintained using a liquid supplement? Thanks again, guys (and gals)!
Greg
<Mmm, might I ask what it is you're seeking to do with so much free calcium concentration? Hard to maintain alkaline reserve, and many important chemical reactions are driven aside in this pursuit... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm  and the MANY files linked above. Bob Fenner> 

Sun Polyps, Blue Mushrooms, Peppermint shrimp
Hi James,
<Hello Helana>
I'm noticing some funky things going on in my tank. First off, I have a 30 gall. Cube, 96 watt Coralife, and an 80 watt USA Satellite compact. I just added on the 80 watt, and introduced a yellow finger leather coral (Does this require any special feeding conditions as well?),
<I've never fed my leathers, but they do benefit from it. My reason for not feeding is because at the time, most of the invertebrate foods just took the organic level up. Now with newer products such as DT's Phytoplankton and the frozen Cyclop-eeze, I've started weekly feedings again. The Cyclop-eeze is a definite plus for fish also.> 
and a sun polyp. I already have 2 different types of button polyps, 2 open brains, and blue mushrooms. Unsurprisingly, I was never told that the sun polyp had to be individually fed, so a few days later, it started growing white cottony stuff all over its beautiful orange body. I have MYSIS brine shrimp and was told to use an eye dropper/turkey baster to feed them, but how do I do that? Just stick the shrimp in the tubes? I was wondering if you could explain in detail exactly how to feed them? And when the best time to feed these "dying" creatures would be, being that its' probably almost starved to death. Also, how often? 
<I personally wouldn't feed the Mysis. As I mentioned, use the DT Phytoplankton (www.dtplankton.com) according to dose level. Keep in mind this is a live food source that should be stored in the fridge. In doing this it is reported by DT that the product is good for 5 to 6 months. I'm sure it will be used up well before then. Feed on a weekly basis since most of the corals you keep are photosynthetic to one degree or another and do produce some of their food.> 
Secondly, my blue mushrooms are doing awful and disappearing, also with some white cottony stuff along parts of it. It started doing bad, when the lights were left on for over 24 hours, due to a timer malfunction. I'm assuming that this is what caused it to get stressed out. What can I do to get my blue mushrooms to start growing again? 
<I feel lighting times of 10-12 hours is sufficient. You may want to try a Iodine supplement such as Kent's Tech I.> 
I feed the tank diluted "Rotifer" food once a week. Third, one of my 3 new peppermint shrimp has turned white! (Got to eat Aiptasia) I think it too was stressed out from when I had to clean my sump last week, (another detail
which I was never told to do, until white mist started flowing out of my return pump). Is there anything else I need to know regarding any of the coral mentioned above in order to keep it alive? (Other than good water conditions)
<Ten % water changes weekly, good lighting, which I believe you have, weekly feedings of DT's definitely helps and good husbandry.> 
This is a great hobby, but I never seem to get the "full" picture when adding things to the tank, despite all the questions I ask where purchased. Lastly, is it natural to have green algae growing on the tank walls, overhang, heater, etc.? Should I be adding some chemical to get rid of it?
<No, no, no, never add any chemicals to kill algae, and yes the algae is natural but not desired. Watch your feeding habits so you don't overfeed, use PhosGuard in a canister filter to reduce the phosphates and cut down on the algae growth. Get yourself a Sailfin Blenny (lawnmower blenny). They do wonders for algae control and are very hardy.>
Now that I know the filter underneath the tank is supposed to be cleaned out every 3-6 mos., is there anything else that is supposed to be cleaned out? 
<Skimmers should be cleaned weekly along with any power filters you may use.> 
I have an AMiracle wet/dry filter with bio balls. I know the balls don't get cleaned,
<Shouldn't have to clean the bio balls> 
but what about the overhang that goes in my tank, or the over hang on the outside of my tank, or the tubing with the return flow? 
<No need to worry about that unless it is actually impeding the flow.> 
Again, sorry to bombard you with all these questions, but I'm just trying to get a complete picture so that my tank does not meet doom! Thanks for your patience with my "long" emails James!
<Helana, here is a link I would like you to read. I think it will help you immensely. http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm . Good luck. James (Salty Dog)>

Sun Polyps, Blue Mushrooms, Peppermint shrimp
Hey James,
Thanks so much again. I checked out both websites, and I'm having trouble locating a place that sells DT Phytoplankton. Would frozen Cyclop-eeze be okay?
<Yes, that was one of my suggestions.> 
Or should I be feeding the coral both Cyclop-eeze and DT's phytoplankton?
<Yes, you can alternate, but one is better than none.> 
What about the Rotifers, would that be fed in addition to Cyclop-eeze and DT's phytoplankton? 
<I think rotifers are a little too large for most corals.> 
Because of the size of my tank (30gall.), I only have 4 fish, a territorial maroon clown who always bullies my fire goby, a dragon goby, and a royal Gramma. Would a sailfin blenny get along with these?
<Yes, indeed, although your clown will probably keep him at bay for a while.> 
Would it over crowd or upset the balance of the other 4 fish? 
<I don't think so, although I wouldn't add any more. I keep five small fish in my 29 mini reef, but I do 10% water changes weekly, employ a skimmer and use a canister filter with Chemi-Pure. DT's Phytoplankton cannot be bought directly from them as you probably found out, but if you send them an email they can give you the nearest dealer in your area. Good luck. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks again, Too bad you don't live in NY... Have a great weekend, Helana...
<My weekends are pretty busy with the wet web and doing tank maintenance>

Lighting Periods??
Hello guys
Another bunch of repetitive newbie questions. Thanks for your patience and experience. Three concerns-I have a 30 gallon reef tank with an assortment of corals.. Shrooms, Polyps, Star Polyps, Caulastreas} (Candy Cane), and something that tagged along and can't identify.. It's soft though. DT's for food. For lighting I use an Orbit PC 130w.. 10,000 and an Act 03.. The corals are beautiful but I don't get to see them much because of work.. I was wondering, can I split the 12 hour photo period in two??? Say, 6am - 10am and then 3pm - 9pm?!? This still gets the 12 hours in, and I get to enjoy the corals and feed the few fish (1Clarkii Clown, 1 Coral Beauty, & 1 Firefish) I have on a stable schedule. Will this have any adverse effects on the inhabitants? Should I just suck it up and leave it as one solid block of time? Also, once I hooked up my Orbit PC, Green algae has started to take over. I have to scrape it off the glass at least once a week. It has also covered all my LR. I have about 8 snails working and a bunch or hermits.. Is there anything I can do to reverse this?
< Control your feedings, organic waste is algae food. Use a product such as PhosGuard to remove another source of algae food - phosphate.> 
I added a new coral and LR and I can really see the difference in color between that clean new LR and all my other algae LR. All my tests are coming up with clean water. I do weekly water changes with RO water, and my skimmer is producing the "gunk" daily. 
<Also clean your skimmer weekly, they perform better. You might want to try using Chemi-Pure if you have a canister filter.> 
Last, Are there any problems with having Shrooms, Polyps, Star Polyps, and Caulastreas} (Candy Cane) close together? 
<No corals of a different species should touch each other.> 
Will they attack each other? 
<They can harm each other if they are close enough.> 
My main concern is the Candy Cane. Thanks a million guys. Mark  - Oh, yeah - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
<I've pasted a link here you can read that will definitely help you. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/soft.htm Good luck. James (Salty Dog)> 

Lighting Periods??
Thanks. I'll try the phosphate remover.. I was using it before but never replaced it.. What about the photo period? Can I split them or should I leave it in one whole block? Mark 
<Sorry, Mark. I guess I lost myself in answering your other questions. Do as I do. I turn my lights on later in the day so I can view my tank when I am home. I wouldn't split the lighting times. James (Salty Dog)>

Sun Polyps, Blue Mushrooms, Peppermint shrimp 
Hey James,
I found a few places that would ship DT's phytoplankton, but shipping is expensive. I still need to look into stores that carry it. I read that Cyclop-eeze also was coming out in flake form...it sounded a little less messy, would that work? 
<I prefer the Cyclop-eeze in the pump bottle. You keep it in the freezer, and yes it still pumps the food frozen. I think it would be more nutritional than the flake form.> 
I'm not sure what a canister filter is, but I do have a Prizm skimmer and I have a bag of Chemi- pure sitting in my sump.
<That is fine but not as efficient as having all the water go through it.> 
Is that the same thing as a canister filter?
<A canister filter is what it states, a canister with a pump built in where different media can be used in layers or whatever. Examples would be Eheim, Fluval, Rena, etc.> 
Or is that an additional filter besides something like an AMiracle wet/dry, which I have? I winded up getting a credit on the sun polyp, because it was dead in less than 24 hrs. and they never informed me of what needed to be done. My yellow finger leather seems a bit iffy though. The edges of it almost look like they may be drying up, and the tips are getting a bit brownish...not sure what's happening?? My lighting is 176 watt, and my water chem.'s are coming out
okay, nitrate is just about at 40 so I will do a water change, but not sure what's going on with the leather....it's not near any other corals that would be aggravating it...unless shedding is normal for a leather coral??
<Shedding is very normal for leathers, they look terrible when they are going through this.>
Also, one of the mushrooms on the blue mushroom coral just melted off completely into the water and eventually got filtered out. The other two mushrooms on the same stone seem okay...Anything I can do to help these two fellas out?? 
<Mushrooms do detach at times and end up in different areas to multiply there. Just continue with your water changes and you might want to try adding a product like Reef Plus by Sea Chem which contains essential trace elements your corals may be lacking. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks, Helana...

General reef tank questions
Dear Mr. Fenner,
< Blundell here today. > 
My name is Zach Johnston and I have been working with reef aquaria for about three years. I have a 60 gallon tank that is brand new, but the live rock, water, and some of the substrate is from my old sixty gallon aquarium. My current aquarium has about 50 lbs. of live rock and I am slowly adding more (about 4 pounds every week or so). I have plenty of current and my substrate is about 21/2 - 3 inches thick. The live rock I have has good coralline algae coverage that is spreading fast. I have a few Turbo snails (about 5) left over form my old tank along with some Scarlet Reef and Zebra Hermit crabs (about 6 in all) 
< In my 30 gal I keep about 70 snails and about 30 hermits, so I would say you could use some more. > 
I also have a six line wrasse left over form my old tank. All the life is thriving in my old tank and the six line wrasse has finally acclimated to its new surroundings and seems to be grazing plentifully. It won't accept any kind of food I have tried to give for the past six or seven months... 
< Really? They are typically quite easy to feed. I'll bet he is eating when you aren't watching. Try Mysis, nothing turns them down. > 
...the wrasse swims strongly and has bright colors. Its belly also seems to be full or at least not shallow. 
< Well then you have nothing to worry about. > 
My lighting system is made up of two 65 watt actinic fluorescents, a 125 10,000K metal halide and two one watt moon lights. My water quality is stable. If you have time it would be great if you could tell me how to get started off on the right foot. 
< Sounds like you are doing fine so far. > 
When it comes to corals in am most interested in Large Polyp Stonies. 
< Good amount of light, more would be better. > 
I am also interested in Tridacnidae clams 
< Definitely get more light. > 
Porifera, and Echinoderms 
< These are not nearly as demanding. > 
I would also like to add just one or two more fish. I do not have a refugium, nor do I have the space for one, my parents would also have an issue with it. 
< I know what corals you want, but I'd start with something easy. Also, having lots of easy to keep corals in the tank will make the system much more healthy and make it easier to keep those corals you really want. So I would get mushrooms, anthelia, xenia and some leather corals. Give the tank a few months, then try a large polyp coral. > Thank you for your time, your advice does mean much and it would be helpful to get some straight up advice. < We try, hopefully it helps. >
Thank you very much, Zach Johnston
PS: The Natural Marine Aquarium Series is excellent. I don't think there is ant other book in the world as packed with information as yours. Thanks for writing it. 
< I agree. >
< Blundell >

Live Rock, Anthias and Clowns...
Thanks for the quick response Jim. I admit I partially anticipated your answer (re. the additional tangs), and since things are going so well, I will definitely heed your advice and not add any more, but will look for an additional healthy small clownfish. With no plans to raise the fry, if the clowns do decide to eventually pair up, what are the chances of them breeding with no anemone or surrogate host present? Just curious. How about adding a small number of Anthias? Always thought these were
beautiful fish, having no experience with them other than reading up on them on the web. Any favorites?  One last question, I've read in several places that it is a good practice to substitute live rock out of the tank with new rock, anywhere from once a year to once every 3 years (help maintain biodiversity, buffering capacity, biological filtering ability, etc.) what does one do with the old rock? Does it have any value with it's diminished buffering capacity,? Sell it? Would a LFS want it? Let it dry out? Pitch it? Maybe I'm just one who hates to waste. Thanks for your time!
Blair
>>>Hello again Blair,
I'm not really big on the Anthias myself, so you might want to ask someone with experience keeping multiple species of those guys. Adding/substituting live rock is a good idea of practical. In more mature reef tanks though, the corals encrust the live rock, and simply replacing it is not an option, nor do you want to upset the tank by trying to replace the rocks underneath. If it's a rock that can be replaced or rotated though, by all means do it.
You can put the old rock in your sump or give it/trade it to your LFS maybe. It can be used as base rock minimally.
As far as breeding clowns, it's certainly possible without an anemone. I suggest you pick up Joyce Wilkerson's book on the subject, as she is an authority on the subject. I've kept and am very familiar with various species of clowns, but I don't breed them.
Cheers
Jim<<<

Re: New marine tank, move, help!
Hi Again, sorry, I know you guys are busy, but I am having another problem that I can't seem to solve. I have the calcium reactor hooked up to the 180 that's now been running for 3 days, 7 hours and 42 minutes-
<And how many seconds!>
I can't wait for this move!
<Heee!>
However, in playing with my new toys I hooked all this equipment up to my 40 gallon aquarium- I'm having a significant pH swing at night, I have 2 ph probes and an Aqua-Controller, I turned the logging to 1 hour and it really dips in the early morning hours, I read 7.62 with 2 different probes! My daily norm, is 8.3, sometimes it goes to 8.4. My KH is between 5 and 6! I attribute this to recently switching to RO water- the 180 was filled with it, but I buffered the water with reef buffer, it's about 10, I been doing small water changes between the two tanks, I figured why not take advantage of all that clean water. See if this makes sense to you, cause I'm lost: my daily ph is 8.3, temp is controlled with a chiller and 3 heaters, it's 77, but
fluctuates during the day up to .3 degrees F. My ORP during the day is 489, again 2 probes measure this, at night it dips to 330 or so. Calc is 430 and NEVER changes, I don't use Kalk, but I have a doser, controller and calc reactor on the bigger tank- should I start using Kalk on the small tank until the move?
<You could>
I can't really connect the reactor to this small tank, I tried, but it's unsafe, just too small. I started with less than the recommended dose of reef builder and been working my way up, my KH doesn't change at all- is it getting used that fast?
<Yes, appears so...>
If so, am I now going to have calcium problems like everyone else?
<Doubtful... my friend, your system is "just" new...>
I'm up to 2 tablespoons a day mixed with top off water, probably a gallon or so- should I adjust the buffering capacity of the make up water?
<You could>
Also, will I have KH problems when I'm using the calc reactor? 
<Very doubtful>
Do I still have to add reef builder?
<Probably not>
The large tank is plumbed to the house and fills a reservoir with a float switch, a second switch in the sump tells the
reservoir pump to send water to the sump, There's a doser on the reservoir, should I fill it with reef builder and use the controller to adjust the dose?
<... you could>
This is all really complicated now, I really didn't have any problems before I started buying all this fancy stuff, I just watched the animals and I had very few problems, I was using tap water, nothing added, nothing taken away!
<You will soon be back to your happy, lackadaisical ways... put away most all the gear, stop paying such close attention, and LET this system settle in... the reductive effects of it being just set-up are all that is going on here>
I am starting to think I should just use tap- it seems easier, but I do know that to keep more advanced species this stuff will be important, it will right?
<Likely so...>
Anywho, any help is, as always, GREATLY appreciated, thanks for all your help- I'll start taking pictures when I clean up around the tank- it's like a construction sight right now, take care!
Thank You,
Aaron
<Relax Aaron... remember all those gauges in your new car? Forget them... Watch the scenery out the window and enjoy the ride. Bob Fenner>

Further Reef Notes
Haven't forgot about you Blair...
Thanks for the quick response Jim. I admit I partially anticipated your
answer (re. the additional tangs), and since things are going so well, I
will definitely heed your advice and not add any more, but will look for
an additional healthy small clownfish. With no plans to raise the fry,
if the clowns do decide to eventually pair up, what are the chances of
them breeding with no anemone or surrogate host present? Just curious.
How about adding a small number of Anthias? Always thought these were
beautiful fish, having no experience with them other than reading up on
them on the web. Any favorites? One last question, I've read in several
places that it is a good practice to substitute live rock out of the
tank with new rock, anywhere from once a year to once every 3 years:
(help maintain biodiversity, buffering capacity, biological filtering
ability, etc..) what does one do with the old rock? Does it have any
value with it's diminished buffering capacity,? Sell it? Would a LFS
want it? Let it dry out? Pitch it? Maybe I'm just one who hates to
waste. Thanks for your time!
Blair
>>>Hang in there Blair - busy weekend here. I'll get back to you on Sun. :)
Jim<<<

Newbie 3 Feb 2005
Hi all. <Hi James, MacL here with you this evening.> Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I am very new to saltwater tanks. <We all were once, so don't give it a second thought.> Thought I knew a good bit and was headed in the right direction...laughing, but I don't. <Give yourself credit James, everyone in this is still learning every single day.> The big issue is I seem to have sunk a whole lot of money in a set up that seems to be a lot of bad. Let me just describe my set up and hope you will share what is good and what is bad. <Nothing is all good and all bad, its just finding a way to make it work well for you.> I bought a 90 gal Perfecto. have changed original set up to as follows. 90 gal perfecto, probably 3 inches of live sand and gravel mixture on the bottom, about 50 lbs of live rock and maybe 50 lbs of base rock, which was added much later and stressed my fish, Excalibur hang on protein skimmer, pro clear wet/dry filter with bio balls (should I remove them?) and a hang on overflow box, added a canopy and installed 4 VHO bulbs. <James, I broke this apart so I could comment on something here. First, you added the base rock when? Is this something that was recent and has caused a problem now or is this over and done with? About the wet/dry. They are known to create a build up of nitrates, so many people remove the bioballs and work to get rid of nitrates. However, many other people like the wet/dry system especially in cases where they don't keep any corals because it does provide a good way to saturate the tank with oxygen.>  I have a yellow tang, blue regal tang, yellow eye Kole tang, coral beauty, and a green Chromis. <No worries about the spelling, but I'm a lot concerned about the tangs. They will eventually outgrow the tank that you have them in. I promise I'm not the tang police and I promise I'm not criticizing just suggesting that at some point in the near future in order to allow them to achieve their proper size you are going to have to find alternate homes for several of them and perhaps choose one to keep.> Sorry if mis-spelled any. I have 3 corals, a flower pot, some orange mushrooms, and some green star polyps. <Ahhh, the flower pot might be a concern because its very difficult to keep them alive. You might look them up on the site for some advice. Also look under Goniopora to find information about them.> Sorry this is such a long email, but wanted to give as much detail as I can. I have sunk a lot of money in this and want to make it a longtime hobby, however, I feel I have wasted a lot of money and want to use what I can of my existing stuff and head in the right direction slowly. <The one thing that I would like to suggest is that you create a plan for your tank. What you want it to look like and how you plan to achieve it. I think you will find that that helps you to pick the right fish, corals and equipment. Also, Many of the online boards and of course this wonderful site will be very helpful for helping you to make more informed decisions.> Just for a final note, I have always been advised that a QT was not necessary, however now which is too late I have learned differently. <I really wish more people would learn that as you have. Its so hard to hear when people have difficulties. If they have a quarantine tank at least its more isolated.> I have 2 fish with ich, one black ich and the other white ich. All happened before I found you all. I will set up a QT soon. <If you have ich its probably a good idea to get it going very soon and get these fish treated.> Thanks again for all your wonderful knowledge you take the time to share. <James, its a pleasure to talk about these things with you. I hope I was able to help. You are on the right track because you are working to do things the right way. What I think you will discover is that no one person is right and no one is totally wrong. You have to find people you trust and then let them guide you. Asking questions is definitely the right way to go. MacL>