CaribSea Florida Crushed Coral..

[Mulisha]

hi

You might have see some of my previos posts about trying to add minerls into my tank well those ideas were useless. :lol:

I have 4x2x2 heavily planted tank and i use rain water from my tap for my planted tank as i don't have tap water.

I was speaking to Kevin from SLS today and he seems to know alot about aquariums so i asked him the question is rainwater ok to use without adding any buffering agents and he said yeah it's fine.
I said that my rainwater has a ph 5.0 - 5.5, kh 0, gh 0.

I inject co2 into the tank at 1 bubble per second and thought maybe it would crash as i air stone turns on at night on a timmer.

Kevin said you would have to do w/c a couple times a week so it doesn't crash.

I'm currently doing like a 30% w/c on my tank from the tap and then adding bi carb soda as the water is going into the tank as well as prime and florish. I been doing this for about 3 months and it's been fine.

This it what i'm thinking of doing to solve a few problems from crashing ph becuase leaving w/c to long etc.


I'm thinking doing w/c every 5 days or so becuase my nitrates don't rise over that amount of time with a light fish load and the amount of plants.
Becuase 5 days without a w/c will most likely cause a ph crash or something i thought maybe add some crushed coral into the tank in a stocking not in the filter becuase it would buffer the water to fast and make it rise heaps. Firstlt the crushed coral should rasie ph and kh and gh and not sure about adding minerals to the water maybe not sure someone might now. So by the time my ph would go to crash if i didn't have coral by adding it should by then start to buffer my water enough to keep it stable.

By doing this also will solve fluctuation when doing w/c and solving my gh problem as well.

Let me know any comments or suggestions i think it should work ok.

Proteus i think you have used this rushed coral from APW could you maybe shead some light on it like would it buffer my water to much or something like that.

THANK YOU heaps guys for any comments or suggestions.

RICK...

http://www.aquariumproductswholesale.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=744

[Proteus]

Rick,

I have several bags of coral bone (coral chips/chunks) and am willing to send some up to you to test if you want.

Shoot me your address via PM and will send in the next couple of days.

(I find coral bone is more easily managed than the smaller grain stuff, they are nice hearty sized chunks)

[Mulisha]

Cheers mate jee mate i wasn't suspecting free stuff 8-) 8-)

Thanks agian mate :wink:

[Proteus]

Who said anything about free stuff... we expect pics of the tank in return. :wink:

[Mulisha]

Here is the tank :P

[Proteus]

ok, paid in full.... lol

[Mulisha]

LOL you liked it that much :lol: :wink:

Thanks again mate..

[Robdog]

By the looks of your tank Rick I'd say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[*Chris*]

thats true but having said that............
if it breaks do you really want to chance such a good looking tank????
mulisha just watch that you dont add to much crushed coral in
we use that stuff to buffer marines ph up to 8.4
add it gradually and daily until everything is settled again

[Mulisha]

yeah thanks guys and i always use that term "don't fix it unless it brakes"

Umm ex Proteus is sending me a smaple of coral bone and i think i'll try that out and see how i go and ex i think your right that might buffer my water to fast to hard ..

Is a ph of 5.0 5.5 ok at all? :shock:

[*Chris*]

water at any extreme 8.4 -5.5 is very unstable
one slight swing could do a lot of damage
your best bet is putting a little in the canister or sump
by little i mean 4 to five peices
i use 1 kilo per 100 litres to buffer to 8.4 for my marines and its in the canister
just be careful dude and you should be right
ex

[Mulisha]

Thanks mate what i ment was i didn't buy any of that carbi sea buffer i'm going to give what proteus is sending a go first all i'm after really is something that will slowy buffer my water up to 6.0 or so while i don't do a w/c and then when i do a w/c the ph flucation should be very small then so i hope everything goes ok.

Do you think this coral bone will release minerls into the water for both fish and plants :shock: ?

Thanks heaps

[*Chris*]

it could also have the adverse effect
for example
a calcium reacter for marines comprises of a cylinder filled with crushed coral
(calcium bicarbonate ) and a co2 bottle which when added into the calciumbicarbonate realeses the calcium BUT on a calcium reacter there is two tubes for the water to pass through the first is where the chemical reaction between the calcium bicarbonate /co2 takes place and the second is to buffer it back up to 8 before returning to the tank
im just a bit worried that if your coral chunks reacts with your co2 level it might do the same
and without something there to buffer it back up it may defeat the purpose of putting it in there to start off with
tinker with it see how you go mate conventional buffers(powders) work just the same
confusing myself now
:lol: :lol:
EX

[Peaches]

what is the name of the plant in the front left corner of your tank!?

We bought it from a shop that had NO clue what it was, and haven't found anyone that knew what it was. It grows REALLY well in our tank and I'd love to know the name:)

[Mulisha]

I don't know what plant it is either all i know it doesn't like my tank to much it seems to have a few defiencys but $3.50 it doesn't really matter when it gets close to the lights it turns bright red.. 8-)

[*Chris*]

nice new avatar mate very valid point to
i dont think there is a filter that filters out milt
:lol: :lol:

[Mulisha]

LOL it's true so why not have it :P :P :P