Am I a Slacker?

[lostcreekreefer]

Be careful with your considered responses here!

Hi RL *FRIENDS* (you all be nice now!) - I get to look at all sorts of Aquarium/Reef setups on RL & other forums, also just bump into them in my random internet cruisings. I have to admit that I've been thinking about where to go next for Ca/Alk supplementation for my reef as the corals grow & consume an ever increasing amount over time.
With that said, I am amazed at the new aquariums that I see (ran across one yesterday) that have bare naked live(? -not quite) rock, 2 Damsels swimming around (looking lost & afraid in the gigantic void) that have Ozone, UV, Kalk & Ca reactors on the tanks already; these are things I have considered, but not added any of them yet. Which begs the question: "Am I a Slacker?" or just lazy? (go for it Charlie)! What does anybody else have, use, like on their setups...maybe this is the beginning of a discussion to be completed an a meeting sometime soon??
I know Charlie doses Kalk, but is not using a Kalk reactor, I used to dose Kalk, but now I use the 2-part solutions. I remember Rob's disaster with the Ca reactor....What level of technology is everybody using at that stage of maturity in their reef...and why are you doing things that way. Mebbe we're ALL slackers!

Have fun with this! KevinD

[charlie]

Kevin, I do what works for me, and presently, that is just dosing kalk 24/7 from a 5 gallon drip bucket. I have a kalk reactor and a calcium reactor, neither are in use at the moment, but I think the calcium reactor may be up next, I cannot keep my alk above 2.6meq/l, and things are growing out of the tank.

Need any frags???? I think I will be fragging at the next meeting, June 12th, so bring a cooler my friend, I think that there may be a bunch.

AnywaysI hope that is what you needed, if not, call me and we can go from there.


Wow, I did all that and never gave him 1 ration of crap.............................................. what is wrong with me

[lostcreekreefer]

Charlie-you should go to the freakin' EMERGENCY ROOM RIGHT NOW...you must be dyin'!

Thanks for the answer....that is what I thought was going on, just curious about everybody else. These systems that I was referring to seem to be mega overkill to me, but I'ma noob, so what do I know.

Charlie with out sarcasm...is like a day with out sunshine?

[Ægir]

Be careful with your considered responses here!

Hi RL *FRIENDS* (you all be nice now!) - I get to look at all sorts of Aquarium/Reef setups on RL & other forums, also just bump into them in my random internet cruisings. I have to admit that I've been thinking about where to go next for Ca/Alk supplementation for my reef as the corals grow & consume an ever increasing amount over time.
With that said, I am amazed at the new aquariums that I see (ran across one yesterday) that have bare naked live(? -not quite) rock, 2 Damsels swimming around (looking lost & afraid in the gigantic void) that have Ozone, UV, Kalk & Ca reactors on the tanks already; these are things I have considered, but not added any of them yet. Which begs the question: "Am I a Slacker?" or just lazy? (go for it Charlie)! What does anybody else have, use, like on their setups...maybe this is the beginning of a discussion to be completed an a meeting sometime soon??
I know Charlie doses Kalk, but is not using a Kalk reactor, I used to dose Kalk, but now I use the 2-part solutions. I remember Rob's disaster with the Ca reactor....What level of technology is everybody using at that stage of maturity in their reef...and why are you doing things that way. Mebbe we're ALL slackers!

Have fun with this! KevinD

Personally i feel it comes down to the owners desires... Some people are "tech savvy" and want a nearly automated system, and some people enjoy the manual aspect (dosing, etc) and the time it takes to keep up with those things.

Running a CA reactor, kalk or some of those things you mentioned is completely pointless if you dont have a demand for calcium... it may be online but not actually doing anything. In the begining stages of a reef aquarium, most owners should have no problems keeping up with regular water changes, and possibly some dosing

Running ozone, UV, Carbon or phosban reactors on a "new" tank isnt going to harm anything, and the reason i chose to get those online first in my last install was to dull down the cycle, and keep the algae blooms to a minimum... It seemed to work great, as ammonia and other params never got near a "toxic" level, and as the tank matures im not going to change things (PH, ORP etc) when i fire them up.

Are you a slacker or lazy? no, you just use one of the MANY approaches to reef aquariums and do what works best for you and your schedule. I personally am a firm believer in stability, and keeping things constant (for the entire life of the aquarium) so... I opt to get most things online, and let it roll from day 1.

[charlie]

Hey there, if you ever get up my way, I would love to have you stop by and take a look at my system too, and maybe add an idea or 2.

Let me know, OK?

[Ægir]

Hey there, if you ever get up my way, I would love to have you stop by and take a look at my system too, and maybe add an idea or 2.

Let me know, OK?

Absolutely man, i will be heading to Denver tomorrow but sometime next week i will be heading up to Polson to setup a few new things.

I will drop you a PM and set a date that works for both of us!

[charlie]

works for me, thanks

[Sarmo]

hey Kevin,
it's a good question. what to install and what is just expensive junk. one answer is it's all expensive. that one is true in all cases. especially as tank size increases.
if you look at Kevin P's display tank he has both calcium reactor and Kalk reactor. and from what he tells me he also adds calcium chloride to maintain his parameters.
you know about the problem i had with a calcium reactor but the REAL problm was poor maintence of the calcium reactor. to tell you the truth i wish i still had the thing, i would get it running again. now i have more room to work with and i know how to prevent or minimize algae build up in the tubing. but i now know what i need to do to make it run right long term. before i thought it was just plug and play- you know- like the manufacturer claims.
i have a DIY Kalk reactor and it has been running for a few months now. to tell you the truth i have only noticed a slight change in my pH. i'm sure it's adding calcium and Alk but i still have to add a cup of each 6:1 and CaCl2 each day.
as far as Ozone and UV. i've thought about both. i don't have UV because it kills pathogens and free floating algae and i haven't had a problem with either. if it does more than that i don't know about it. these are also expensive and use more electricity and add heat to the system. all negatives for me. also they need maintence and require bulb changes. more time and $$$$$$$. Ozone- i have considered this and still may someday get one. i like the idea of raising ORP but again you need a reaction chamber, a controller and you should have a back up because ozone is deadly. that part alone makes it a bit difficult to justify. i like my lungs. but anything to make my skimmer better and my water clearer, to improve light transmission, is a good thing. i imagine that Ozone would be safe if like everything else- you do constant and regular maintence.... more work for.... how much benefit????

are you a slacker? i don't know. are you happy with your system? if the answer is yes, then you're not a slacker......

remember- i'm no pro and these are just my opinions. actually i'm lazy and have been looking for ways to have everything automated. that is what gets me in trouble. sometimes i think Charlie has it all figured out, do it all by hand..... problem is i don't want to be tied to my tank every day.......

one thing i totally disagree with that was mentioned above- you can't set up a system today and run it the same 3 or 5 years later. to much changes in the tank, coral growth, chemistry demands livestock growth.... a reef is not constant.

[Ægir]

hey Kevin,
it's a good question. what to install and what is just expensive junk. one answer is it's all expensive. that one is true in all cases. especially as tank size increases.
if you look at Kevin P's display tank he has both calcium reactor and Kalk reactor. and from what he tells me he also adds calcium chloride to maintain his parameters.
you know about the problem i had with a calcium reactor but the REAL problm was poor maintence of the calcium reactor. to tell you the truth i wish i still had the thing, i would get it running again. now i have more room to work with and i know how to prevent or minimize algae build up in the tubing. but i now know what i need to do to make it run right long term. before i thought it was just plug and play- you know- like the manufacturer claims.
i have a DIY Kalk reactor and it has been running for a few months now. to tell you the truth i have only noticed a slight change in my pH. i'm sure it's adding calcium and Alk but i still have to add a cup of each 6:1 and CaCl2 each day.
as far as Ozone and UV. i've thought about both. i don't have UV because it kills pathogens and free floating algae and i haven't had a problem with either. if it does more than that i don't know about it. these are also expensive and use more electricity and add heat to the system. all negatives for me. also they need maintence and require bulb changes. more time and $$$$$$$. Ozone- i have considered this and still may someday get one. i like the idea of raising ORP but again you need a reaction chamber, a controller and you should have a back up because ozone is deadly. that part alone makes it a bit difficult to justify. i like my lungs. but anything to make my skimmer better and my water clearer, to improve light transmission, is a good thing. i imagine that Ozone would be safe if like everything else- you do constant and regular maintence.... more work for.... how much benefit????

are you a slacker? i don't know. are you happy with your system? if the answer is yes, then you're not a slacker......

remember- i'm no pro and these are just my opinions. actually i'm lazy and have been looking for ways to have everything automated. that is what gets me in trouble. sometimes i think Charlie has it all figured out, do it all by hand..... problem is i don't want to be tied to my tank every day.......

one thing i totally disagree with that was mentioned above- you can't set up a system today and run it the same 3 or 5 years later. to much changes in the tank, coral growth, chemistry demands livestock growth.... a reef is not constant.

Lots of skimmers are your "reaction chamber" (if they are ozone safe! ozone will melt regular acrylic and plastics) and yes, you are correct, it is DEADLY if not setup properly... If you already have a system controller, all you need is an orp probe and an extra controlled outlet. As a secondary precaution, we used carbon in the collection cup "air output" from the skimmer... it will absorb any blow off and render it harmless. Ozone is only deadly after lots of exposure (or at extremely high concentrations which a small ozonizer cant produce)... your final safety measure is your nose, if you can smell ozone (hard to explain but... distinct smell for sure) you have a problem and need to fix it.

I also agree you cant setup a system now and let it run for 3-5 years, or even prob 3-5 months without some tweaking... carbon, phosban, UV and ozone arent going to require any special attention once setup and properly adjusted.

I will say im amazed at the water quality after adding the ozone, you can noticibly tell and the Ozone generator only runs for a few minutes, maybe 5-7 times per hour max... The UV will prob be pulled offline after the major algae blooms from the initial cycle.

As stated before, theres no "right or wrong" way to do it... lots of people have amazing tanks with simple equipment. ITs all about what YOU want, and what you like... if you want to spend the extra time for daily testing and dosing more power to you!