Small apocalypse!

Why not just use some good lime based rock and save lots of money and problems .. I'd never use a l rock hell that will cost more then a good water treatment system..and even lights L/R is a rip off that people will line to the accept..

 

Right'o... I've learned my lesson! I will buy a quality rock now...

 

Just take the rock and nuke it!8)

 

Yeah... I wish I could do that. The rock itself releases clay like gunk, that is the source of silica. That's the problem. I bought it as a coral tuff rock. I thought I could use it as a base rock. I was wrong !

 

Not sure there is a true quality rock unless its totally aqua cultured and not wild cultured .. We buy up all the old tonga and Fiji even old Flordia baserock stuff we can get and nuke it then restart it in our tub/vats . But with wild stuff you have to be careful I'm fighting a algae issue now from L/R used many yrs ago just one spore is all it takes .

 

Hey!

Small update: I've tested my RO/DI water and normal tap water for silicates. No silica in both of them! The only difference is Ca2+ content that is around 40ppm in tap water! Damn! Every time I get my RO/DI water I throw away 40ppm of calcium!!!! I've removed the substrate from the bottom of the tank! I'm rinsing it with fresh tap water and today I'm going to siphon out the gunk on the bottom of the tank...

Cheers!

 

Wow that bites

HI,
If I ever start another new tank, I am convinced that clean white base rock is the way to go, and wait a few weeks and add a little live rock with coraline.
Most of the base rock sold around here is old white coral it seems to raise the calcium nicely.
Another problem that can occur with live rock is phos can be trapped in the rock when they use Kalkwasseur to precip out phos most systems with this type of calcium addition has really high KH locking in the phos in the calcium carbonate on the skin of the rock, this can be realeased into the water when the ph drops a little. My guess is your german source used kalkwasseur hince the phos and silca being released.
DOug

 

for live rock check out this site
Marine Aquarium - Live Rock - Corals - Tonga - Fiji - Vanuatu - Marshall Islands

 

LOL thats the beauty of the Kold Sterile water system's They don't strip the water I'll be replacing my R/O D.I with one as soon as the new elements I just replaced a few weeks ago are exhausted and I feel like messing with it
It looks to me I can just replace the internial cartaridges with the Kold streil product Not sure , and pull the R/O off no waste and 3 GPM and good for on average 20,000 gal.s of product water water is is realy good ca is upwards of 500 PPM and DKH out of the faucet is 15 ..never any NO3 or PO'4 really good clean hard water.. Unlike back home in Va.. As for L/Rock no thanks I'd sooner put a ?? dead cat in my tank L/Rock IMO is one of the worse fads to hit this hobby Bio Diversity LOL No thanks none for me..I'll sell you all the rock you want and I will gurantee mine is safe clean and problem free and covered in coralline and bacteria even some soft stuff like green stars and yellow polyop and plenty of little fingers and colts mini brittle stars and all that stuff just no killers

 

Yet another update:

I've changed 40 gal of water, removed almost all clay-like gunk from the sand. All filters, have been rinsed with the water from my tank. In other words: reboot.

I'll buy 45lbs of Indonesian LR. Tank looks definitely better now. I'm switching to tap water instead of RO/DI