I would say the cc substrate has added to the problem considerably. Probably
because the tank was being so heavily fed that there are major "deposits" of
excess waste throughout the system, concentrated in your cc. With substrate
that is thin like that, you could probably get away with weekly water
changes and gravel vacuuming the substrate. If you really want to attack it
though, you could probably remove it, do a water change (get the tons of
detritus out that will settle to the bottom), rinse it in clean fresh
saltwater and put it back in the tank. With a bed like you have (much like
mine, except I do have aragonite in mixed sizes) it is up to us to manage
the waste in it. It is to thin to really get a good population of "bugs" to
keep it clean. As mentioned in another email, you could go glass bottom, but
really don't have to. I used glass bottom tanks, and ended up putting some
aragonite down just because it looks so much better. The main goal should be
to get what you have on the bottom cleaned up.
Replacing the substrate with aragonite as you had mentioned may be a good
idea for a couple of reasons. If your cc has soaked up any excess nutrients,
it will slowly release them back into the system. It will act like a slow
release fertilizer for the system, and algae that is growing in the system.
You may also consider taking some of the grape caluerpa you have and putting
it in your sump (don't remember if you have one, but if you do, put some of
it in there) and putting a cheap fluorescent light above the sump. Let that
stuff grow so it helps remove nutrients.
Also, stop using your vital gold and your iodine. Just let the system absorb
what you already have being released from your substrate. Right now, you are
still feeding this stuff, with those additives. If you stop for, say, 3
months, let the system do its thing and then once it is back up and running
smoothly, begin adding them again. Nothing is going to because you are not
adding iodine and vital gold. Keep your calcium and alk up, but that is it.
You may consider these steps:
1. Gravel vac or clean what you already have and leave it in the tank.
Continue to do regular water changes (weekly), with the gravel vac, and keep
the feeding down. Watch the tank for the next month and see if it seems to
help.
2. If it doesn't help doing this, pull what you have out, and go
without substrate for a month. Continue water changes. See if that helps. If
not, there are other problems that we need to find. If it does help then
3. Eat the cost and order some aragonite from the US. Add it back to
the system and you should be good to go.
IMO
Shane C.
-----Original Message-----
From: Sjögren Fredrik [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 5:29 AM
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: Problems with diatomes
Update on my problems with diatomes,
I've cut down on additives as suggested, the following has been the
schedule
for the last month:
Kept Ca and Alk at around 450 ppm and 3 (10dKH) respectively.
1 ml of Iodide and 1 tsp Vital Gold in 7g of topoff water, lasting
for about
one week.
I also cut down on feeding to about 1/2 the normal rations.
At first the diatome growth seemed to slow down a little, but after
about 2
weeks grape caulerpa started
to show up everywhere, I now think of myself as a gardener trying to
get rid
of an unusually stubborn weed.
Diatomes has gotten worse too.
I called the water company and got a report on the tap water, it's
so good I
could probably throw my
RO in the thrash. At least no more worries about the water.
During the last week a patch of blue-green algae has been developing
in a
back corner,
2 days ago it covered an area as big as my hand, yesterday it had
almost
doubled!
I siphoned it all out, together with the chrushed coral it was
growing on.
I've got about 1/2 - 3/4 inch of cc, it was hard to believe how much
gunk
came out with the water,
I think that the cc is probably contributing to the problems, the
grain size
is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch,
this acts like "sweeping the dust under the carpet" (Old swedish
saying,
don't know if you have the same one).
During the first couple of months I worked through the cc with a
siphon
every once in a while,
but until yesterday I haven't done this for several months, I
thougt that
it was probably better not to disturb things.
The question now is, should I leave the cc in there and work it
through with
a siphon regularly, or should I
slowly get rid of it?
If I get rid of it should I leave the tank with a bare bottom and
wait for
corralines to cover it, or should I get a
substrate with a finer grain size?
I know that most of you would recommend aragonite and/or oolithic
sand and
probably build a bed several inches
deep, the problem is that the only thing I can get here is coral
sand.
I could order one bag of aragonite from the US but not much more,
paying the
freight would really be a pain.
Btw. All animals are still doing fine.
/Fredrik
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