Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Hi Bob,
I have just replaced my 60 gal tank that had a crack in the bottom with a 75 gal tall, which will give me ample room for the 5.5 inches of plenum as per your recommendations in your Live Sand Secerts book. I recommend this small but informative packed book to everyone. Your column in FAMA is the first I read when I recieve each months edition and I consider them to be very valuable. Your research on the plenum system with Sam Gamble has been I"m sure very helpful to hundreds if not thousands of aquarist world wide, including myself.
Finally to my Main Questions. What water parameter test do your consider nessecary for a reef tank and how often should they be done. Are there any additional tests that you might consider good to do if the additional expenses are availiable. My tank is projected to have some soft coral, hard coral, filter feeders and some small amount of fish. I hoped to use Fiji Branch live rock , but have not heard whether it is usually encrusted with high amounts of sponges, tunicates, tube worms, and filter feeders as these are the critters that interest me the most. Just watching the live rock alone flourish and blossom is very exciting to me, but my wife says I am easily amused. Do you know if this type of rock has alot of these creatures or is there better type of rock for this purpose.
Sorry if I have a lengthy amount of questions but I consider your advice very valuable and straight forward. Also have noticed that your column in the beginning was in the back half of the magazine, but now has move up near the front which I take as a sign of success for you and your column, and as I see it is well deserved.
Thank you very much for your time,
Darrell Whiteaker.
Hi Darrell,
Thanks for the nice words. As for water tests, an established reef aquarium should be tested for nitrate once every month. The same with calcium and magnesium. Alkalinity every two weeks and pH weekly. As for iodine/iodide, since the kits available are still quite questionable, I simply recommend any of the better iodide additives having their recommended dosage divided into daily amounts then being dosed once or twice weekly as most recommend.
As for branching rock, which I prefer for many reasons, having a wide array of creatures attached is not one of those reasons. If your goal is these organisms, then carefully shop different stores for small pieces you can add. This way you steer clear of large bulky pieces of rock that may contain bristle worms and mantis shrimps. As for the organisms mentioned, I would highly recommend feeding a new product called BlackPower which is a plankton-type food that will encourage all organisms mentioned, and you can't overfeed the product as can happen with other plankton foods and ruin water quality.
I hope to have another booklet dedicated to water quality soon. Stay tuned!
Hope this helps,
Bob
