subsea

I will have a full sized pick-up truck with a covered shell for camping, if it under 10' I can carry it for anyone that needs transport. PATRICK

I will be there also. I bought some seaweed from Gerald Helsinger of Indo Pacific Seafarms. Because of an upset in my outside growout system, the automatic feed diluted 500 gallons of seawater back to freashwater. If Gerald keeps his word, he will bring some to reseed but he also said that I could eat all I wanted to. I have already eaten it from the tank and I look forward to the quest. Anyway, I look forward to seeing you all from Austin. Patrick Castille

I agree with Timfish, microbes are the best most consistant process to reduce nutriants. I also like vegetable filters which can be harvested for nutriant removal.

Dena, you don't have to get it all with the same bulb. I use multiple bulbs over my 75G. At this time I am using a ratio of 75% actinic mixed with 25% 10K. With multiple bulbs you can concentrate the blue in a favorite spot for special effects. If you want to know th growth potential of your special mix of lights, I have a PAR meter to measure the active radiation levels required to grow and would be happy to loan it to you. Patrick

What kevin number to the bulbs.

I am also considering usings clip on assembles with a damp proof socket and a 16W PC bulb from Home Depot/Lowes. Its an inexpensive refugium light but I have cliped on (8) 60Wbulbs putting out 480W of illumination at 6500K . It is unattractive but for an outside growout system whose goal is to at least pay for itself it works for me. .

Rob, I just did buy two cheap double bulb shop lights with 6500K bulbs: bulbs were $6 each and fixture was nine dollars. The first fixture lasted 3 days and the second made one day. The tanks are on the south side of my home in an exterior poarch. These tanks are linked with a 150 gallon stock tank buried in the ground. In the future this sump tank buried in the ground will feed multiple small tanks exposed to direct sunlight. During the summer time it is easy to cool water using evaporation. In the winter, heating is expensive. I capture some solar and geothermal energy. Last winter I started running $500 a month electric bills with at least $300 going into heating water to 75 degrees. I have now selected temperature tolerant seaweed that is ediable by fish and people.

Prefer 4 bulb fixture. Prefer 10K or lower kevin number. I will use these fixtures to grow macro algae in outside growout tanks.

There are many defferent species of macroalgae particularly red. When I blew the picture up it looks like you also have some nuisange green algae. Let it grow out before you put any herbivores on it.

Live rock is the single biggest long term investment in reef keeping. http://www.garf.org/-2010/rockschool.html

Have you tried feeding any of it to your fish?

Laura, Thanks, I'll try Francis at RCA. Dragons Breath is not available from collectors in Florida utill May thru September. If I have to wait till May, I will order from Gulf Coast Ecosystem, who supplies reef cleaners with seaweed. Patrick

Brookes, I would be surprised to see a test kit that was reliable at .5 ppm of nitrite. To start with, that is a very low level and I would guess that scientific grade equipment would be required, not a hobyist test kit. In the final analysis the inhabitants of the tank are your best guide. While I do have the test kits, I never use them, but rely on the tank to tell me what to do. I started with marine aquarium more than 30 years ago and we did not have kits to test with at that time. Amonia, nitrites and nitrates are normal in closed systems and each is removed in various ways. Amonia and nitrates are removed by bacteria in an oxidation chemical reaction. Nitrates are removed by reducing bacteria in a low oxygen enviroment. If you have a macro algae refugium, the plants take up these nutriants. When the plants are pruned the nutriants are either removed are recycled back to the fish as food. Just let your tank cycle, it will be ok.

Hydro, You sound like a romantic. I suspect you will have your tank and your wife for many years.

Red slime is a form of bacteria growth that thrives in low flow areas. I think that it is an indicator of high phosphates not nitrates. Once it is established, it can draw its nutriants from the substrates under the slim mat. For that reason, using nitrate and phosphate removal techniques do not necessarily eliminate the red slime. In those cases, it becomes necessary to physically vacume the mat from the substrate.

Dave, It takes much courage to make this decision. In some cases increased circulation is sufficiant for a red bug epidemic. I did both and kept the increased circulation as a permanant upgrade, By the way, your tanks are gorgeous. Power to the people, down with the "red bugs". Patrick

As an old hippie, I would say "enjoy the colors". Patrick

Wayne, if you want a definite answer, then go get a PAR meter and take some measurements. With the measurements, you can go to a technical site that discusses numbers. In the final analysys, the answer is the same. Make changes and observe results. When you push more light, be ready for the nusaince micro algae. Get you some snails and janitors before the big algae bloom. Patrick

Yes to using plants to remove nutriants. No experience with mangroves. A DSB of crushed coral relys on bacteria to remove nitrates. Plants remove nitrate, phosphate and iron as well as heavy metals. Caulerpas have the highest ratio of removing phosphates, but not every Caulerpa is the same. The list that I looked at was an education web site of the University of Hawaii. Patrick

Still available. The manufacture also makes 48" bulbs. Thes are 45" to fit inside a 48" tank.

Hey Mamma, welcome to Reefer Madness. Patrick