ITANONG MO KAY MARTY a.k.a. SETH

[seth]

Nori at caulerpa gusto ng tangs.

[bok]

[seth]

per se oo pwedeng pwede... yung pag-balanse naman ng tank ay function ng time at availability of nutrients. Kung nagsimula ka naman na halos minimal die off at running na lahat ng equipments tapos umabot na sa zero lahat ng nutrient reading eh di pwede kang maglagay pa-unti unti... Kung ako lang talaga mag-aantay pa rin ako, kasi para sa akin hindi lang nutrients ang importante. Aantayin ko rin makapag-parami yung microfauna (lalo kung LR ang gamit) para mas makadagdag sa stability ng system. Kumbaga sa pagluluto eh mas masarap yung naluto ng dahan-dahan kesa yung hilaw pa o pilit.

Pero, kanya-kanya talagang diskarte yan - depende talaga sa laki ng tank, sa dami ng substrate/rocks, sa equipments pati na rin sa ilalagay na LS. In the end, yung tank owner pa rin ang talagang nakakaalam kung kailan yung tamang oras para maglagay. More on feel yan.

Here are two of the best articles I have read on RK. These are worth the read:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2009- ... /index.php

http://www.reefkeeping.com/joomla/index ... eping-101-

[lightsaberx]

[seth]

Hindi laging nagkakaroon ng ammonia spike lalo kung live yung bato. Kaya may nitrates yan dahil dun sa detritus at die offs na natapos nang magdecompose.

Tama yan na banlawan muna ng NSW yung bato sa labas ng tank kaysa hayaan mo na magkalat pa sa mismong DT mo yan.

Cycle ka pa rin as usual pagkatapos niyan. No need to add shrimps too.

[lightsaberx]

Thanks Marty, nalinawan ako.

[symphiii@gmail.com]

lahat ng live stock na nilagay ko nakaraan namatay yung pearlscale butterfly fish bumigay na ngayon after 3 weeks siguro starved di kumain eh pero masigla naman til namatay

livestock ko now
1 chocolate chips starfish - 3 weeks
8 Nassarius snail - 3 weeks
3 turbo snail - 3 months
1 small clown fish - 3 months
1 pajama cardinal fish - 3 months
1 foxface rabbitfish - 3 months

tingen ko okay naman lahat ng live stocks ko now. except sa foxface mejo white na kulay nya hindi na yellow. saka may red sa loob ng tail baka internal parasite pero masigla at lakas kumain. yung snail ko mag counting ulit ako pag may time para macheck kung ilan pa ulit yung buhay


baka may taga valenzuela dito or malapit lang. dito lang ako sa malinta exit near puregold paso de blas near mindanao ave. din sunduin ko nalang kayo ng sasakyan. pacheck up tank ko kung may time kayo. na frustrate na ko. balak ko sa january nalang ulit mag focus dito pag ganito ng ganito

[seth]

bro nasa tanong mo yung sagot.

firstly yung pearlscale angel, kahit ako sa tagal kong nagreef hindi ako nagattempt ng angel dahil alam ko sobrang laki ng odds na mamatay lang dahil specialized ang diet nila.

Andaming factors in play, una sa lahat yung laki ng tank sa dami ng livestock (bioload), compatibility issues, ano yung water parameters mo, ano yung pinapakain mo and kung nag-quarantine ka.

isang mistake rin yang CC starfish, marami laging bumibili ng starfish pero hindi tumatagal sa tank yan lalo kung hindi naman mapapakain lagi.

Taga-Valenzuela ako mismong NLEX mindanao avenue exit. Minsan daan ka sa bahay para may idea ka rin kung paano mag-stock ng tama sa tank.

Remember mapa-FOWLR o reef man yung tank, mali ang mag-overstock at bumili ng hindi naresearch ng mabuti.

hth

[parasmichael]

master seth, question po, meron ba tayong list of available fishes here in manila? yung available sa cartimar and other shops? hirap kasi mamili online, di ko alam kung available dito satin.

[seth]

Mas madaling gumawa ng list na wala dito bro.

Generally speaking, halos lahat ng marine ornamentals mayroon tayo... basta naka-indicate na nakikita sa pacific, asia or indo area... with notable exceptions like the banggai cardinal.

Yung mga tangs gaya ng PBT, Gemmatum at HYT imported yun. (Though according to fishbase nung unang panahon, may PBT dito) Achilles meron pero sobrang dalang.

Sa pygmy angels walang flame angel dito. Wala ring Narcossis at mga hybrids (crossbreeds). Marami dito coral beauty, lemonpeel at rusty angels.

Royal gramma rin wala

True percula clowns wala sa carti or even locally. Lahat dito Ocellaris (pero may mga ibang mukha ring perc)

Sa gobies and wrasses wala akong idea since hindi ako nahilig sa pagalaga sa kanila (at sobrang dami nila para sipagin akong aralin sila. )

Wag niyo na akong tawaging master, pang matanda at mayayaman at mga martial artists lang yun. Isang hamak na delivery guy/kargador at maglulupa lamang ako.

[parasmichael]

meron ba dito bicolor angeldwarf fish?

[seth]

yep bro meron. Nagkaroon ako nyan once upon a time, wala pa atang 50 petot ko nabili dati... Di man lang tumagal ng one month kaya di na ako umulit.

[albert_abadicio]

Master seth,

My 20 gallon tank has been cycling for 3 weeks as of writing. I have started cycling and topoffs using purified ro water (tested after mixing with saltmix Phosphate: 0 Nitrate: 0) from our local drinking water station. Filter when things started off was just live rocks, a wavemaker and a hob filter with filter floss just to catch those floating debris. (Turned off when water cleared)

When the tank started the parameters are Ammonia: 2 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 10.

Before this weekend the parameters are Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nirate: 10. Also tested for Phosphate for the first time and it read 5ppm. I then changed 75% of the water and placed 50mg of rowaphos on the hob filter.

Today my Phosphate dropped to 0.25 ppm while Nitrate is still at 10ppm. What should I do to improve my Nitrate readings? Thanks in advance!

[seth]

Hi albert,

There are 4 ways to effectively lower nitrates (and to some extent, phosphates)

1. Dosing carbon (either biopellets or vodka) plus heavy skimming
2. Using algae to take up the nutrients (ATS or macroalgae or both)
3. Doing large WCs
4. Using a nitrate absorbing resin

1 and 2 requires additional equipments - light or pumps, 3 can be costly when you have a large tank. Number 4 can be expensive as well, but will only remove nitrates.

You can also add a DSB (deep sand bed) and wait for it to be colonized by denitrifying bacteria, but overtime when you have a large bioload or feed too much, it can become a giant nutrient sink and eventually will leach out nutrients back to the water column.

Using mechanical filtration (filter socks, filter floss, HOB, foams, etc) can be a source of NO3 as well, if you don't clean it often.

Choose what fits your tank. If you will choose number 1, don't combine it with number 2.

[albert_abadicio]

Thanks a lot for the reply Marty!

With limited space for a sump/fuge if my budget permits I would have to cross them out for now.

I did option 3 changing 75% of the water but the nitrate remained at 10 ppm with the tank containing just rocks and no corals and fish.

Since day 5 of the cycle my tank was filtered by just the rocks and a wavemaker. I reused the HOB containing just rowaphos this saturday to lower the phosphates. Is it because there are still organisms dying off the rocks? It just seems weird because the Ammonia and Nitrite are both zero so if there is something decaying in there I would have gotten a reading on one of them right?

Also considering option 4. Would you recommend any locally available brand?

Was thinking of getting my test results right (nitrates - 0 and phosphates - 0 before adding any inverts and fish. But I only plan to keep some gsps, actinos, zoas and a xenia or frogspawn. No SPS. From your experience, would they do okay despite my Nitrate reading?