My reef tank(just starting)

By the way.  If you get diatoms and/or cyanobacteria growing on the rock you can siphon it off.  Go to the pet store and get some of the larger plastic tubing (i.e.---not airline tubing).  Some people will put the tube in the tank and suck on the other end until the siphon starts.  However, I don't recommend this---there is one disease that we can catch from our reef tanks although it's rare.  Not only that, if you add zoanthids to your tank, those contain something called palytoxin that is one of the strongest poisons known to mankind.  (I've done it many times....do as I say, not as I do )

You need a bucket or plastic trash can.  If you put the entire length of plastic tubing in the tank (making sure all air bubbles are out of it) and then quickly remove one end of the plastic hosing (making sure that the level of the tubing outside the tank is lower than the level inside the tank), a siphon will usually start for you.  Then you manipulate the hose inside of your tank and it will suck out water and diatoms and/or cyanobacteria.  (Keep an eye on the water level in the bucket so it doesn't overflow).  You can even buy things that start siphons for you  http://www.petsmart.com/articles/article_136.shtml but I've never used one and don't want to comment on their usefulness.  

The other thing you can do, is right before your next waterchange go to the grocery store and buy a turkey baster.  Put it in your tank and blast the nasty stuff right off of your rocks. Your going to make a mess but this will also blast the detritus off of your rock and that is important.   Then do the water change.

 

i got this siphoning tube and stuff, so we suck the brown algae out into another bucket and then we let it sit and after it sits, we pore the water back in leaving the algae in the bottom, or we put new saltwater???

 

ps thanx for the directions(in advanced)

 

NEW WATER!!!

This can count as one of your waterchanges.

(Dilution is the solution for pollution).

 

thanx inwall. i will do that as soon as possible.

 

guys the temp in my tank is 80 degrees and it wont go up nor down. i live in South Florida and it is warm and hard to keep it cool. i have a fan in the same room and it runs on high 24/7.(thanx to that, the temp is from 84 degrees to 80) should i put like a mini fan facing the tank or something???

 

If you have a glass lid, you can put spacers under it so air can blow over the top. A lot of people go to radio shack and get computer fans and build them into the hood. That way, the temps stay down a little.

I would also recommend keeping a ziplock bag in the freezer that is mostly filled with frozen water. Then if you find your tank is too hot, you can drop the bag into the water.

 

I have used a fan blowing air over the sump to help dissipate heat from the room But 80 is not all that bad IMO. The ice bag trick works in emergencies so you may want to keep it handy. The best way to effect cooling in your tank is a chiller but that is big $$$

 

ima do the ziplock freez and i will also try puting some fans facing my tank, trhanx a lot guys.

PS. bigalsonline.com is selling the master lab test kit(by hagen) with a whole mess of tests for only 37.00.

 

guys look @ wut i have in my tank. i think its a sea squirt, correct me if otherwise

When u tap the glass, the opening closes