Reef Keeping advice
 

So me and a couple of friends have been off due to weather. We've decided to put together a blog to help out people who are absolutelly green to saltwater keeping. I realise there are a million opinions for reef keeping and the goal is to show a standardised method for getting your foot in the door. We are showing what we know through experience to be the easiest method for getting started rather than flooding them with too much information,so dont expect an experts guide to advanced reef keeping. I figure in time they will figure out what works best for them. I would love to hear your opinions if you get a chance to read it. This is just a test site a better flashier more interactive one will be built soon enough.
Thanks for your time,
Heres the linkwww.reefbuilding.blogspot.com

you may want to revise some of your advice ,uncured rock is what comes direct from the ocean. with all its bio living thing s in there. Cured rock is what you get at the LFs or the places like J&L Ocean aquatic's places like that .. dead rock is jsut that. its dead there isnt any thing in there that has life. that is why its called LIVE rock is the bacteria that grows in and on the rock the eats away at the crap that builds on the rocks ..

You can go as deep or shallow with your sand as you like,personally I like the deep bed method 4'' of sand,you'll get the best biological production this way.

Actually anaerobic bacteria starts at 1" so having a 4" sand Bed IME is a waste. 1-2 " should work alot better then 4-6'" that is just for my experince

Is that not what I said?
P.S thanks for looking

I didnt mention the origin of the rock,just the unique issues associated with the different types ie;uncured=die off,cured=no die off,dead=no life and needs to be seeded,we are trying to keep the info as straight forward as possible

as for the deep bed method youll find if you research that a true deep bed is 4'' as different bacteria dwell in different depths. We are trying our best to keep the info very accurate through research and through me and my friends combined 50years tank keeping experience. Obviouslly not everyone will agree,and thats the point of yet another tank info site. Its just standard info that is tried and true,just one of thousands of opinions.


When we started in this hobby we were flooded with contradicting info like that you will find here on this site,we are just trying to get people started then they can come here and argue the benefits of each of the thousands of opinions.

some of the stuff with FOWLR stating tha you dont need a protein skimmer I would say tha tyou would have to go with one. ALot of people will keep a huge tank and have a FOWLR and think that is great when you get into the fish tha lot s of newbie's want to keep they tend to lend towards the aggressive ones and feed heavy and then the water goes for a crap fish are dying. see what I'm talking about. not to get under your skin just pointing out a few things that you may want to cncider revising. with a FOLWR I would strongly put in there to get a protein skimmer that is all..

the site looks realy great by the way keep up the great work.. looking forward to other great things tha you have to offer.

:confused:

under stood I think tha you are gettign defensive here my friend, all im stating tha tsome people dont want to read jsut that if you give them more options then they will explore more.. you could just say that you can actually have up to 1-4 " of sand in the tank depending on what you would like to hav in there. facts have actually stated that bacteria can start to form at 1" ..

Im really not getting defensive,just defending my facts so people dont think I'm making this stuff up lol. I appreciate the comments and opinions.
Your right many do run skimmers on a fish only setup,but me and my 4 friends never have with great success. Again just getting people started,if they feel they need one after that point we are leaving it up to them..you get where I'm coming from here?

Prob better just to give them this link I found...

www.canreef.com

:mrgreen:

Lol ahh phelps,I knew you'd chime in at some point lol I'm trying here.I am sorry I cant please you,I'm beginning to wonder if anyone can lol

hey no worries , but all im saying some people get into this hobby thinking that i have a fresh water tank, i will take all my fish out sell them, put in SALT and put in fish. done , but no tha is not how we do it ,as you can detest to that ... you could put in there what what nitrites, ammonia, nitrates, mean, and why its important to not let your tank swing in Temp, PH, etc building those basic's will help get the newbies a better understanding on how SALT Water really works.

The point is to give basic information,so that when people come to a site like this they arent lost in the thousands of different opinions. You and I know enough to make our own informed decisions on what advice is good and bad,but a beginner doesnt. Just like I did'nt when I came here,like I'm sure you did'nt either. These sites can be very intimidating

hey man don't get discourage, when people make comments it comes do to what ever you put some one will alway have a negitive effect on what you stated that is the life of reefkeeping. Your doing a great job and alot of people will read this and thank you. it take alot of time to ype out what you have learnt over the months ,years to come up with this is excellent to take your own time to help others out.

It's all good,I have this need to please everyone yet I know I cant.
Thanks for the kind words,this is just a test site hopefully it will only get better with time, I will work on any suggestion I get,and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to try to help me try to help someone else even if I dissagree. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read it now and in the future.

Feel free to set up whatever info site you wish but in reference to a site like this, Christy put in many long hours on our superb reference library. Just thought I would add that in. :smile:

I just don't think you should make such an emphasis on stating it's the "right" way. What's right for you isn't always right for everyone else. Plus I find this a little amusing since it kind of contradicts your last little vent about people claiming to be experts.

The good thing about site like this (canreef) is that people are more accountable for the advice they give as others can post their thoughts and opinions which can contradict or support theory's.

All this also seems to be more of a rebellion on your part. From where I sit it seems you've become a little upset with the response to your "expertise" on this and other forums and decided to take a different approach.

LMAO you must have a vivid imagination. I love this site I refer people all the time I couldnt replace it and I have no desire to. The reason why I made a blog at all is because im off work,never blogged before and wanted to try out add sense. So I figured what better than a blog about something I love interpret it as you may.

AND CLICK MY LINKS LOL!

You might want to do some proofreading.

An example:
Quote: "A phosban is a tube filled with carbon or phosphate removal media,with a small pump to push the water through the tube."

I think you mean "A reactor is a tube....", no? IMO, the the word "cylinder" might be more accurate too. But that's just my opinion. The point is...how you convey your knowledge is just as important as the knowledge itself.

I noticed some spelling errors, too.

Also, a Ca reactor maintains Alkalinity as well.

HTH and cheers,

Lol I didn't refer to it as a reactor because well it is a tube and phosban are cheap figured it would be clearer than calling it a reactor but thanks for the pointer;) Also I didn't think too many newbies would be running over 100gallons so I didnt go into detail but again thanks for the pointer.
I added a little info about the cycle in response to an earlier post.
And I will use spell check next time lol thnx
I think that about covers it,please keep the feedback coming

The one thing I have learnt over the last year, is that there is no right way to set up a tank. When a beginner, like me, starts to do research on sites like canreef, it's the first thing they discover. I believe it then forces them to do more research and make their own informed choices and choose the "right" way for them.

I'm sure that there are alot of people that think that Eric Borneman has the right way of doing things, but sometimes I disagree with him and sometimes I agree with him.

Ha Ha, look at me giving advice when the ticker shows my tank is 12 days old.:lol:

I beleive I mention alot in my blog there are thousands of ways to do it,I never claimed mine was the only way or the best way. When I made reference to the ''right'' way I meant instead of buying a tank filling it with tap water and throwing 20 fish in.
I dont write collumns Im no pro its just a friggin blog im sure you all have them
and never had to defend your own opinion on them.
Im tired of posting anything here and coming under the firing squad for it.
I give up write your own blog if you dont like the way I'm doing it

Hey relax man, no need to get ****ed here, no one is is putting you under fire. You asked for comments and now people are giving you comments and your blowing up at them. All because and I'm going to say it Sphelps posted something and your got right offensive about it because you didnt like it and you don't like him. As you stated. people here who posted are giving thier opinion how to better it. That is it. if you didnt want any feedback then dont ask for it. You know darn well that there are people on this board that will have snar remarks and posts things what are right out of it jsut to get people going. keep the blog going and may be PM some of us who have been in the hooby and ask their advice and thier input.

They will give you 100% of their attention to look at it I can promise you that. or mai it to one if the Mods that is one of the reason why they are here. EXPERINCE.

mike

Yeah must be my imagination.

Not clearer in my mind. Quite the opposite. Phosban is a type of media that goes in a reactor, not the reactor itself. Yes, there is a "Phosban Reactor", but that is made by the same people that make the Phosban media. Clever marketing. Most people refer to the specific "Phosban Reactor" as just that, even if they are not running Phosban in it. Bottomline is a reactor is a reactor whether it's homemade or made by Two Little Fishies. What the reactor is used for is when you get into different types, ie: carbon; RowaPhos; Ca & Mg; Nitrate; and yes...Phosban.

Like I said...how you convey your knowledge is just as important as the knowledge itself.

Cheers,

one thing about the cycle part is you may or may not see a cycle depending on how much and what kind of live rock you use. If you use 1.5 lb/gal or more live rock that is fully cured then you will probably have an instant cycle. I have seen this is 2 of my tanks now, and even adding a bunch of shrimp to rot never produced any amonia.

As for the sand bed part, I think it would be better to let them decide befor anything else weather they want one or not. list the benifits (which realy isn't much but visual apearance,) then list the problems that surface down the road. DSB don't work in our tanks as it is impossable to get the bio diversity in captivity to make them work on there own, other wise you have to replace it and than means tank teardown.

I was caught up in DSB when it was all the crazy after the good Dr S posted his write up on them, 2 years later I tried it again, and now I will never have one again. the short tearm benifits don't come close to justifying the long term problems.

you could maybe offer some substitutes to sand, like that marble like rock that is very pourous (can't spell it LOL)

also befor you even get to putting water in the tank you need to think about a lot of other things, what you are going to put in the tank, lighting, water flow, sump or no sump, ect.. putting togeather a guide for some one isn't a simple task and a major undertaking, which is going to bring heat from anyone who does something that you didn't mention, thats why when a good guide is made it is usaly a substatual book listing all the option and then discussing the pros and cons to each.

Steve

Well no not really.....

As per even Jl`s website....

• Question: "Is your rock cured or uncured?" Answer: Uncured. The rock arrives to our facility direct from the tropics. This is the case with the majority of retailers. What they call "fresh" rock, we call un-cured. Although we do not hold rock to specifically cure it occasionally near the end of the shipment there is rock left that is cured. If you require un-cured, "un-touched" rock that can be arranged by pre-booking on our next shipment.

Shoosh...go play with your skimmer:twised:

There is a right way...it`s the way YOU do it after you have explored and researched awhile, every single person who sets up a reef tank for the first time has problems, you can only offer advice not give it. If they take it and follow word for word good advice they will still run into unforseen problems, that others who have setup many a tank, counter without even thinking about it. I for one have rapidly cycle some tanks and not others, I tried doing it the same way i did previously, the second try failed while the third setup did not...go figure :) I think the best advice to someone new is go reasearch, rather than specific advise, because everyone thinks their method is the right way....it may be...for them. :)

Have to agree with Steve there, my nano never cycled, I had livestock in it instantly so it is possible to avoid a cycle depending on how you do things. Also with the DSB, you may want to list some of the negative consequences which come after time, most people who go with a DSB regret it later. Beside in order to get the benefits of a DSB you need a carbon source and unless you're adding it manually you tank likely doesn't have it.

You need to be more clear on that the information you're providing is opinionated and instead of telling people how to do it maybe just try and provide information and tools to assist them. Tell them about your experience and what you find works best. Also if you ask for feedback don't get so defensive when you get it. If you want people to take you seriously you'll have to drop that high ego and defensive attitude.

also blogs seam to be backwards from the way stuff is entered, so it looks like your putting water in befor you even look at the equipment.

I think the lighting section needs to be revamped, trying to group LEDs MH and T5s togeather doesn't work as they are still very different lights and intensities, SPS will grow under a NO bulb if you saet it up right, so saying you need this or that isn't realy accurate with out more explanation.

you could talk about Floressents and then go through the types starting with NO, VHO, PC, T5
then talk about HID and there different sides and types,
and finaly mention LEDs

I still have not seen anyone with a sps domanated tank using LEDs only or have heard no feed back at anyrate, so I don't even know if I would mention this in a newbe guide.

Are you doing advanced or newbe, you don't need a phosban reactor, heck they wern't even invented untill my tank was running 5 years already, do I have one... yes, do I use it no.. I am converting it into a CO2 reactor for my fresh water planted tank.

for flow wiseI would say for a SPS tank 20X flow rate is to little, that would be a min for a softy tank. IMHO, for SPS 50X would be a min, but how are you making that flow how much is through the sump or do you even have a sump as a choice?

Also getting back to the advanced/newbe you start talking about all this other stuff Zeo, ect... Keep it real simple, tank, lights, flow, skimmer, and some way of maintaining Ca, Alk, Mg ect.. ,mention that you can dose them as required, then mention that a Ca reactor and Kalk can work, if you go right to the advanced stuff it will discourage a lot of people because of the work involved and the cost. there are ways to have very low maintenance tanks that are very nice.

Steve

As per the 20x flow rate part etc....there was actually a few articles in various reef magazines (which i will attempt to find) that suggested how much flow was not nearly as important as how it was actually flowing.
When it comes to this hobby we think we know a lot, when we really know very little. (I mean everyone including the ``experts`` I think even the RC chem guys have stated more than once they really have no idea on the actually chemistry of a saltwater aquarium... :)

yup, both are very important, thats why a lot of though goes into how to set up flow in the tank. but a good compromize is to stuff as much flow as you can with out blasting anything, so lots and lots of dispursed turbulant flow.

I had about a 120X turnover in my 94 gal, but you could put your hand anywhere and it was just a gental flow which also kept stuff in suspension which is the key.

Steve

Since we are talking about flow here, would you all recommend the Red Sea WaveMaster Pro / Maxijet Powerhead Package - Regular http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/wm...-+Regular.html for extra flow in a 90 gal.
this would be on top of 2 Hydor Koralia - 4 Water Pump (1200 GPH)

Whats a hooby?
I thought the mods were simple poor people with no lifes who volunteered to be babysitters...go figure :)

Yep, good points.
Same reason I have a huge flow through the sump, it was desinged and partitioned for it :)

Uh, yup, pretty much dead on....

Some good solid advice I totally agree about the lighting section. This blog ended up so long I didn't really want to go into detail on anything, rather put an idea in their head they could then talk to an lfs or reefer about it,i'm allready getting complaints about the length. I wanted to merelly point out that they could use the cheaper light on fowlr and softies,but would need something stronger like t5,halide or even l.e.d(which nano reefers use for sps). I will have a go at rewriting it for I totally agree with you I dropped the ball in the way I worded much of the blog.
Thanks for looking
Would it kill you to click a sponsor link lol

I worked with some suggestions I got from here and a few other sites and added some eye candy. I tried to adress everyones concerns and reworded the parts in question. Thanks for lookingwww.reefbuilding.blogspot.com