renman303 Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 Does anyone use/recommend these for a reef tank? I'm perplexed as I have a Cyano breakout? I have ordered some Electric Blue/Orange crabs as I understand that they eat Cyano. I hear that a UV Sterilizer takes care of Algae and bacteria but, what effect does it have on Cyano? Best Regards, Dave "renman303" www.nonnas.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 I have never heard of a crab that will eat Cyano. I had a small Cyano problem for a while. I added a Little Fishies reactor with Rowaphos in it and it was gone the next day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renman303 Posted November 27, 2006 Author Share Posted November 27, 2006 Gabriel, What is a "Fishies Reactor and Rowaphos? Dave www.nonnas.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 Dave- A few questions: How long has your system been set up? Do you know the TDS (total dissolved solids) of the R.O. water you are using in your salt mix? How often do you perform water changes? What type of filtration are you running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 It is made to hold media like carbon or phosphate removers like Rowaphos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 When you answer Clint's questions, also include what kind of flow you have in your tank please. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renman303 Posted November 27, 2006 Author Share Posted November 27, 2006 Thanks for the help guys.... How long has your system been set up? ~ 2 years Do you know the TDS (total dissolved solids) of the R.O. water you are using in your salt mix? Never tested for TDS??? the water is at 1.025 s.g. if that helps? I am using R.O. system that I set up for water changes into a 30 gallon food safe trash can. How often do you perform water changes? In my 55 gal I do about 10 gallons every two weeks What type of filtration are you running? Running a Wet/Dry skimmer setup with NO bio-balls, two-stages of filter pads. I also recently put an Activated Charcol bag in the sump to clear the water a bit. Last night I put some SeaChem "Phosguard" into a media bag as suggested. I guess I did have something for phosphates...??? Water Flow? I have my Rio 2100 @ 695 gph, Mini Jet 1200 @ 295 gph and a new Seio Super Flow 1100 @ 1100 gph. Today, I'm replacing my Minijet with another Seio 1500 @ 1500 gph. Currently running: 2090 gph After today: 3295 gph Up until the past month or two, I've never had Cyano or any algae issues? I was even thinking of using that "Red Slime" chemical to rid the Cyano but, I'd rather not use more chem than needed. Here is why I decided to add some Electric Blue and Electric Orange Crabs to fight the issue: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Di...cfm?pCatId=1479 Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wryknow Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 I've used a UV sterilizer successfully in a freshwater tank to reduce algae. It really is best to attack it on mulitple fronts simultaneously though. Adding some phosphate reducing material to the tank does help quite a bit. The Phosguard stuff works pretty well but it is a bit pricey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 A phosphate reactor is a cheap enough thing to have. About $50 for a unit with pump. They work thousands of times better than the bags do. The bags are generally only good for a few days versus the reactors claiming a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 So if I'm reading correctly, no skimmer? Your flow seems like it should be more than adequate but a wet dry with only mechanical filtration is not enough to keep our lovely problem algaes away. TDS are the total dissolved solids (in parts per million) and ideally they should be 0 after an RO/DI filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renman303 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 Here is my filter setup: " Running a Wet/Dry skimmer setup with NO bio-balls, two-stages of filter pads. I'm gussing that I have zero TDS since all of the water I use is from my R.O. system???? How do I test for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhayden Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Sounds like your missing a skimmer. Can be an important piece to most of us. Although some could argue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcreonx Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 You test for TDS with a TDS meter. Either a run-through style, which is what I use, or a handheld type that you swirl in the water for a few seconds. Either one is good. Don't assume your RO/DI unit is producing pure, clean water. Filters get dirty, water can be soooo nasty that you might need several filters, etc. etc. fwiw, when I lived in Florida our tap water came out of the faucet around 700ppm TDS! That's NASTY! I had to use 2 sediment filters, one carbon, one RO and 2 DI filters to get 0 TDS. Never had any algae issues either. WORTH THE PRICE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Before you spend any money on phosphate absorbtion media, I'd look in to checking the TDS coming out of your RO/DI unit and also research a protein skimmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 I think he highlighted the part about a wet/dry skimmer to say that he has one of those Amiracle type wet/dry units with the little built in skimmer on one end. I could be wrong. Renman I have a TDS you can borrow/buy anytime you want as it currently is not running. It is a brand new dual inline sensing, means you test your input water and output from DI to check the status of your filters constantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renman303 Posted November 28, 2006 Author Share Posted November 28, 2006 Dude: I do have a Prizim Deluxe Protein Skimmer. and an overflow skimmer on my Wet/Dry. Caferacermike: Thanks for the offer. I'd be curious to see what my TDS may be? ****! I just got a bunch of supplies in today from Foster & Smith. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Renman, Just my opinion, but I tried to run a Prizm on my 90g (had the deluxe unit with all the bells and whistles), and it did not do a good job. Since I've switched to the Euro-reef, tank is much cleaner, much less issue with algae (although I'm now trying to get the Phospate Reactor up and running that I got from Kingfish (the same one Gabriel mentioned)), and water is much clearer. Also, it's amazing how much nastier the effluent is from this skimmer than the Prizm. I'm not saying you have to buy a super expensive skimmer to get the job done, but I certainly wouldn't depend on the Prizm after my experience with it. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Prizm, junk. PM me for details on when you can get that TDS meter from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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