September 2002 Featured Aquarium

[MiNdErAsR]

I'd like to congratulate Rich Durso on his tank being selected as Featured Aquarium. Beautiful tank and a well deserved honor.

One question though. It's my understanding that Lo vulpinus had been reclassified(?) as Siganus vulpinus. Is this true?

TIA

 

[reefland]

hmm, looks like you're right. At least fishbase agrees:

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/Species ... e=vulpinus

 

[s a v v o]

Rich,

Your aquarium pics and text were inspiring.

I'm interested in your large Nilsen reactor. The only ones I've seen are fairly small, with kalk needing to be added weekly.

I'd very much appreciate more info about yours. Maybe you could point me to a website I could access.

Thanks.

Les Savage
Brisbane, Australia

 

[orectolobus]

In 1990, the family Siganidae was revised and the genus Lo was "demoted" to subgenus status - it is now a subgenus of the genus Siganus.

Cheers!

 

[reefland]

Your aquarium pics and text were inspiring.

Thank you.

I'm interested in your large Nilsen reactor. The only ones I've seen are fairly small, with kalk needing to be added weekly.

Which was exactly how I originally built it only because that how I always saw them. So I sawed the unit I made into two parts and simply extended the height.

Here's my page on it:

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/hardware/nilsen.htm

 

[reefland]

In 1990, the family Siganidae was revised and the genus Lo was "demoted" to subgenus status - it is now a subgenus of the genus Siganus.

I'm still confused on that a bit Scott. Is Lo vulpinus correct or incorrect as it relates to this specific fish?

 

[s a v v o]

Rich,

Thanks for your prompt reply and for the link to your site. I've read your DIY article.

I have a couple more questions, if you don't mind.

KALK REPLENISHMENT

In your article, you say you place 2lbs of kalk in the reactor every 6-8 months.

Is this added when the calcium hydroxide supply in the reactor is visibly getting low, or is it determined by a drop in the pH of the effluent?

POWERHEAD

1. You use a Maxi 1000 to mix the solution. I'm not familiar with this product. I know you use US gallons, and we tend to talk about litres. How many litres an hour does the Maxi 1000 move?

2. How often does the powerhead switch on, and for how long, so that the solution remains saturated?

3. The photo of your 6-foot reactor shows the powerhead drawing water from nearer the top of the column, and of course then directing it straight at the sediment in the base. This would suggest to me that the water that is made cloudy by the mixing rises to or above the position of the powerhead inlet. In the photo of your first reactor, the pump is located at the base and seems to power the water back into the base, thereby hopefully not sending too much milky kalk back up to the top where it escapes to the aquarium. I'm wondering why you have the pump so high and not at the base. My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong, please) is that the water movement from the pump is meant to localise the mixing at the base of the column without rising to the top.

I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this.

Many thanks.

Les Savage
Brisbane, Australia

 

[reefland]

Is this added when the calcium hydroxide supply in the reactor is visibly getting low, or is it determined by a drop in the pH of the effluent?

Little bit of both I'd say.

1. You use a Maxi 1000 to mix the solution. I'm not familiar with this product. I know you use US gallons, and we tend to talk about litres. How many litres an hour does the Maxi 1000 move?

1000 l/h -- It's what it is named after. We don't ignore liters on everything.

How often does the powerhead switch on, and for how long, so that the solution remains saturated?

Since it only takes about 25 second to mix the tower up, I don't use a timer. Each morning, lunch time (I'm often home for lunch), when I get home in the evening and before I goto bed I plug it in for a few seconds.

There is clear flex tube linking the powerhead to the fitting attached to the body. Once that gets cloudy, I know 2/3rds of the tower is mixed. I just run it a few seconds more. Nothing scientific. Every now and then I'll let it mix it for 2 minutes or so to fully mix up the tower.

I'm wondering why you have the pump so high and not at the base. My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong, please) is that the water movement from the pump is meant to localise the mixing at the base of the column without rising to the top.

I keep the pump up higher to prevent the pump from sucking in the powdered kalkwasser chunks. Helps to keep the pump clean and the pump lasts longer before precipitation jams the impeller. A smaller pump would be needed to keep it localized in a smaller unit.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Rich, Congratulations on your beautiful tank!

 

[reefland]

Thanks Gary.

 

[MNManatee]

Rich, my husband and I are new to this site and your tank was the first we read about. We both enjoyed the coral videos. At the very end of the second video there is a light colored, soft, waving coral. I think it is a Golden Sea Rod - pterogoria cir..something or other (can't read the fine print on the web site where I finally found one pictured). But reading thru your text under Corals I don't find that name mentioned. We scuba dive in Cozumel and are trying to duplicate that reef structure and make-up and a coral similar to the Golden Sea Rod is real prevelent. Can you clarify the name (common and scientific) of this coral in your video?
Thank you.

 

[reefland]

The names are best guest only. Don't use them for any offical identification.

The small polyped one I think is a Silver Quill Gorgonian Muricea laxa .

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/corals/g ... /quill.htm

The larger polyped one I think is Knobby Sea Rods Eunicea sp.

http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/corals/g ... searod.htm

 

[MNManatee]

Richard,

Thankyou. WE purchased a large book on corals. It is a challange to decide what we want in our tank, where we will put them (light and water flow considerations) and just the total organization.

We restarted a marine tank just so I could have a Spiney Puffer again. But my husband wants to populate the tank with corals (I voted that we put in several sponges for their filtering ability). So we continue to wrangle with it. We are also trying to gain the appearance of a corol outcrop in Cozumel. We scuba dive there yearly and the soft waving branched coral has been hard to determine, but it is everywhere on these reefs.