Reef Discussion

ASH850

Member
Dec 5, 2015
12
0
A couple of tips for collecting your own water:
Collect about an hour before high tide
Preferably a couple of days after a heavy rain, or longer
Stay away from boat ramps and anywhere that has high boat activity.
I collect from the end of a jetty and have got great clean water for the last 2 years.
View attachment 52302
Do you strain it or anything before putting it in to the tank? @daveH
 

Savage Henry

Member
Feb 2, 2015
653
254
A couple of tips for collecting your own water:
Collect about an hour before high tide
Preferably a couple of days after a heavy rain, or longer
Stay away from boat ramps and anywhere that has high boat activity.
I collect from the end of a jetty and have got great clean water for the last 2 years.
View attachment 52302
I'm sure Dave means to say that it is preferable not to collect after heavy rain, but if you have to, then wait atleast two days.

I would suggest you get yourself half a dozen 15L or 25L drums with screw cap lids so that you can fill up every couple months or so.

I always fill up when I have half of my reserves left so that I can choose to collect only when the weather has been good for about one week. Guess you might have problems during the rainy season?

I have kept newly collected water for over three months, capped, without problem. In fact, I had one batch of water I had collected at night and used two months later. When I emptied it into the tank there were living jellyfish in there! They had survived all that time in the sealed tubs.
 

Savage Henry

Member
Feb 2, 2015
653
254
Also, I don't know about legal stuff..., but your not too far from some interesting corals and fish...
 

daveH

Team Leader
Nov 24, 2011
2,958
1,475
Brisbane Northside
I'm sure Dave means to say that it is preferable not to collect after heavy rain, but if you have to, then wait atleast two days.

I would suggest you get yourself half a dozen 15L or 25L drums with screw cap lids so that you can fill up every couple months or so.

I always fill up when I have half of my reserves left so that I can choose to collect only when the weather has been good for about one week. Guess you might have problems during the rainy season?

I have kept newly collected water for over three months, capped, without problem. In fact, I had one batch of water I had collected at night and used two months later. When I emptied it into the tank there were living jellyfish in there! They had survived all that time in the sealed tubs.
Yep, that's what I meant about the rain - didn't quite come out right
 

ReeferRob

Solidarité
Oct 22, 2014
2,661
931
Bel Air
Collect on the end of an incoming tide like Dave said, that was you're assured of getting good water that's coming in from the sea, not out of the estuarys. I wish I had acces to clean water here, but without a boat, that's not going to happen. :(

Fish stores are in it for the money too, that $5 isn't doing them any good if it's still in your pocket. I don't and won't operate that way. I do heavy industrial maintenance and people trust me because I do what's needed and only what's needed. I will make suggestions for things, but beyond that I don't do add ons.
 

Webb

Member
Sep 21, 2014
26
13
Welcome :)
My partner made the same mistake walking into a fish store and asking for a 'nemo tank', she was sold whatever they wanted to get rid of. That said you didn't do too badly.
If the guy at your LFS said use tap water, especially when you said it was a marine tank either find a new LFS that specializes in marine or ask someone else there that knows better next time. Tap water shouldn't go into a tank. So many have all made the mistake at one point of trying it once, figuring it was fine as nothing exploded, then having to deal with the consequences later on.
Your LFS is only as good as the advice and service they offer, you can get everything they stock online (cheaper too) but I goto my locals because they provide great advice and care.
There are some really great resources around (massively more than when I first tried marine tanks as a child, restarting this hobby feels like I've started a new degree!) which you should try utilizing and research all you can about what you want to achieve.
For the basics, water and filtration need to be sorted before adding anything. From my own false start I can't stress it enough that you concentrate on getting that right first :)

Fresh water and marine tanks rely on different types of micro fauna to do the brunt of cleaning, they like different habitats. Fresh water relies on nitrifying bacteria and algae types that grow quickly and die quickly so noodles are best with high surface area that 'cleans itself' as the populations grow and die. Marine tanks also rely on nitrifying bacteria but more so on the de-nitrifying bacteria which are microaerophilic (need oxygen, but die if theres too much. They break down the nitrites to nitrates) which like living inside really porous material, like live rock or marinepure blocks/spheres.
So ditch the splintered glass noodles (they'll work but not great) and get some Marinepure spheres or even live rock rubble.

Skimmer isn't a must and everyone has their favourites and debate and which produces the best results etc. Just about anything will do and in the least it'll give you more time between water changes, but none of them will prevent you from having to do them. They're more effective than filter floss and far cheaper in the long run than chemical filtration.
Best advice I read on chemical filtration was to start not using it. Only add it as you need it and monitor your water closely to confirm it's having the desired effect and make sure you remember to replace it regularly! If your nitrates/phosphates/whatever are always spiking and you're going through a bag of Chemipure elite every 2-3 months, fix what's causing the issue instead of covering it up.
Water you have to get right, use RODI for topups, Natural saltwater (NSW) from LFS or yourself (just filter it through a filter sock before adding to tank) just make sure you test it or get a bucket of salt (ASW) and get used to mixing it up. People have success with either one in equal amounts, I just stuck to what was more economical and at 10-15c/lt from the LFS I use that. It's always handy to have salt stored for an emergency though.

Once you've sorted your water source and got a handle on filtration you're going to use, the real fun starts with picking out what you want to end up with, making the scape, then cycling the tank :P
 

ASH850

Member
Dec 5, 2015
12
0
Welcome :)
My partner made the same mistake walking into a fish store and asking for a 'nemo tank', she was sold whatever they wanted to get rid of. That said you didn't do too badly.
If the guy at your LFS said use tap water, especially when you said it was a marine tank either find a new LFS that specializes in marine or ask someone else there that knows better next time. Tap water shouldn't go into a tank. So many have all made the mistake at one point of trying it once, figuring it was fine as nothing exploded, then having to deal with the consequences later on.
Your LFS is only as good as the advice and service they offer, you can get everything they stock online (cheaper too) but I goto my locals because they provide great advice and care.
There are some really great resources around (massively more than when I first tried marine tanks as a child, restarting this hobby feels like I've started a new degree!) which you should try utilizing and research all you can about what you want to achieve.
For the basics, water and filtration need to be sorted before adding anything. From my own false start I can't stress it enough that you concentrate on getting that right first :)

Fresh water and marine tanks rely on different types of micro fauna to do the brunt of cleaning, they like different habitats. Fresh water relies on nitrifying bacteria and algae types that grow quickly and die quickly so noodles are best with high surface area that 'cleans itself' as the populations grow and die. Marine tanks also rely on nitrifying bacteria but more so on the de-nitrifying bacteria which are microaerophilic (need oxygen, but die if theres too much. They break down the nitrites to nitrates) which like living inside really porous material, like live rock or marinepure blocks/spheres.
So ditch the splintered glass noodles (they'll work but not great) and get some Marinepure spheres or even live rock rubble.

Skimmer isn't a must and everyone has their favourites and debate and which produces the best results etc. Just about anything will do and in the least it'll give you more time between water changes, but none of them will prevent you from having to do them. They're more effective than filter floss and far cheaper in the long run than chemical filtration.
Best advice I read on chemical filtration was to start not using it. Only add it as you need it and monitor your water closely to confirm it's having the desired effect and make sure you remember to replace it regularly! If your nitrates/phosphates/whatever are always spiking and you're going through a bag of Chemipure elite every 2-3 months, fix what's causing the issue instead of covering it up.
Water you have to get right, use RODI for topups, Natural saltwater (NSW) from LFS or yourself (just filter it through a filter sock before adding to tank) just make sure you test it or get a bucket of salt (ASW) and get used to mixing it up. People have success with either one in equal amounts, I just stuck to what was more economical and at 10-15c/lt from the LFS I use that. It's always handy to have salt stored for an emergency though.

Once you've sorted your water source and got a handle on filtration you're going to use, the real fun starts with picking out what you want to end up with, making the scape, then cycling the tank :p
Thanks @Webb
I'll be heading down to Cairns Marine in the next week or 2 to pick up some live rock and i'll make a pit stop on the way home to get some ocean water

Who knew id get so excited over water & rock!?
 

gtrxu1

Member
Jun 25, 2012
363
196
With your sump the last chamber where the pump goes is probably like most other sumps where you can set the water level of that chamber.
So if the pump is running dry you need more water in there, use a watering can to slowly pour water in as the pump sucks it out of the chamber.

It will level out after a little while and you can then bring the water height of the last chamber up to where you want it, that's when you mark it, that's your evaporation line.
These 80L tanks will evaporate fast so you will need to be topping up that last chamber with fresh water.

Just thought I would mention this as you may run into the water level issue again if you do a water change or add rock/equipment etc.