Reef Addicts - Comments

gnoles - 12-10-2010 05:47 PM

I don't know how good of an idea it was, but I took a wire brush to a coraline encrusted rock that I bought at a LFS. Now it's spreading everywhere, good and bad.

Alaska_Phil - 12-10-2010 05:32 PM

Looks great Jess, the multiple baffles are just to catch micro bubbles off your skimmer. If you skimmer doesn't put out a lot of bubbles then a single baffle would probably be all you need. Heck, you may not need any if you're not using it for a fuge.

I went with an Eshopps overflow box instead of the CPR, it uses a U-tube for the siphon instead of the wide box. This way the flow is fast enought that bubbles go right through and don't get stuck at the top. No need for an aqualifter pump. Life Reef makes a similar one that's a lot more rugged looking, but a lot more expensive too.

Jessy - 12-10-2010 04:02 PM

New picture posted. I was also told to make the return section as big as possible. Do you think I can get away with one less baffle to help the size of the return section to be 'that' much bigger?

dahenley - 12-10-2010 02:54 PM

i would switch the skimmer and the filtersocks...
that way water flows cross ways. if you put the sock in the middle, then the right side wont get dirrectional flow.
also, by putting the skimmer next to the baffle section, you can run the exhaust of the skimmer toward or in the baffles. that way the skimmer never re-skims clean water... its always pulling dirty water and skimming at peak performance.
my opinion.

a media tray would be nice, but you can also throw a bag of carbon in the filtersock (seen it done, but never tried it myself.) but putting it in the bubble section will prevent if from getting clogged with detritus and stuff.

stangchris - 12-10-2010 02:42 PM

you could move first baffle back a lil more to have a media tray out of eggcrate to throw bags of stuff on, do you plan on running fuge, or bio pellets. is your static area water line high enough for the skimmer.

Jessy - 12-10-2010 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by Turbosek

I used a masonry drill bit and it worked like a charm. I have a question. My tank has been up for 6 months now. I started with 40 pounds of my own live rock that was fully cured with coraline, and 40 pounds of dry rock. I have 3 400W MH that are set to run in 6 hours cycles spaced over a 9 hour period. I am still not seeing any coraline growth on the dry rock, but it is completely covering my existing rock. I have tons of flow from 2 MP40s, and I have 440 calcium readings thanks to my calc reactor. Am I doing something wrong?

You can take small chips of the purple rock and stick it in crevasses of the base rock. It'll help spread the purple faster.

Heathd - 12-10-2010 10:03 AM

What are your other water parameters, including phosphates? I know algae will make it hard for coraline to attach, and phosphates inhibit coraline growth.

Or it could be light shock, and may just need time to adjust.

Turbosek - 12-10-2010 07:29 AM

I used a masonry drill bit and it worked like a charm. I have a question. My tank has been up for 6 months now. I started with 40 pounds of my own live rock that was fully cured with coraline, and 40 pounds of dry rock. I have 3 400W MH that are set to run in 6 hours cycles spaced over a 9 hour period. I am still not seeing any coraline growth on the dry rock, but it is completely covering my existing rock. I have tons of flow from 2 MP40s, and I have 440 calcium readings thanks to my calc reactor. Am I doing something wrong?