Water change

Yes, water quality inside the tank and water change is absolutely critical! 

 I will leave a grey 5-gallon bucket full of salty water.  Most likely, there will be some salt left, but at some point more salt has to be purchased.  I do water changes every week.  If you do this at least every 10 days it should be ok – so 3 times a month?! 

 This one time water will be mixed with salt.   But, again, at some point you have go to a store across the Farm boy plaza where the paint store is in the middle of that strip – there is a water depot and there is a deal for 12 buckets for like $33 .. usually, I do that.  You may opt to pay either for a single bucket of other combo that you can afford.   I get empty water bucket inside the car and when I am around the store, I go to get water – close the lid well at the store using rubber hammer – otherwise you will have water inside the car!  I put it inside the paint storage room to even temperature – do not mix with salt the same day because store water is extremely cold!  Do not warm water – do not boil it!  Let it warm for two days before you mix with salt. 

Do not use other buckets to get water from the store and mix salt in them!

 I keep the grey bucket with good salty water closer the door.  On the top lid it is marked :"Salt"  

Next to it, there is a white 5-gallon bucket for a used salty water from a tank. 

Still, do not use other buckets for removal used water from the tank!

Do not throw used water immediately to toilet!   Keep it for a few days because during collecting water from a tank there might be caught some life forms and we have a second chance to get back to tank! Also, that water is good for cleaning macros!  After a week or so, water from a tank will form some layer of bio-mass on macros and they could be slowly removed from the tank. 

 I use round plastic container and grab some old used salty water from white bucket and fill it to ½ and bring it closer to the tank.   Immerse in it macro and shake it and wash it so the bio-mass is removed from macros.  Later put that water back to white bucket to use it again if a few days.  

So, after two days in a this room, I take a long flat stick from a drawer near a tank and plastic tool to measure how much salt is in the water and put on the table in the main room – turn on the lights.  Bring the grey bucket with store reverse-osmosis water and put near the table where my chair is.  Open the lid slowly.  Bring the bag with salt – be careful – it is opened! Just see how it is upside and put is down or up and put salt into bucket like half of small cup – better do this more times then one too much!  Stirrrr it and use the tool to see how much salt shows – the needle should be horizontal – left side of the needle should read 0.024-25 no more or less – generally horizontal!  Stirr it well for a few minutes.  The best would be to leave this mixture for another day!  Rinse the tool in warm water, shake it and put into drawer with long flat stick – dry it first!  

When time comes to water changes – take your time this is important process!  Do not hurry!  

Before, you start make sure your water has the same temperature in a tank and in a bucket – there is a thermometer in a drawer left side.. take it and place it for a one minute in a bucket and later into the tank. Remove both white and black cables as you do with anemone feeding!  Do not attempt to change water with water circulating! 

 The glass on the top of tank should be removed the same way like for feeding. ( remove it and place it under the speaker.)..so now you are ready.  Water change can be done in a few ways.  The more cleaning you do, the more water is used. S o, basically, you could change the whole grey pale at once. But that is not adviced because it is too much water to be changed at once in this tank. 

 Changing water means you have to ssuck it throu the pipe and I attached a plastic bottle on one end of that pipe.  It suppose to get more area to be sucked into the pipe and leave larger stones so they will not block the pipe.  But by using this bottle you cant place your pipe because it is too big..so be careful, please.  

The more advanced water change happens inside the main water pump compartment at the left back side of the tank behind the water.   Do not remove or touch water pump at all.  Remove only the bluish sponge that is on the right side of that compartment using hand and flat stick..and do it slowly so water is not disturbed too much... 

I usually also remove the middle compartment flat cover from the top using metal forceps from the drawer – check for living things and put that cover inside the plastic round container..  Now using your hand and flat stick remove two sock-like baggies and see if anything attached to them... and put to container....yess..yess...the compartment on the right should be ok do not do anything there – one anemone lives there so dont disturb it. 

 Clean what you took from compartments in the bathroom...clean it fast...and put it back where it was before.  Now is the time to remove water from the tank!  Close the door below tank first, place the chair closer to tank, put on empty white 5-gallon bucket on the chair and make sure it will not fell from it.

 Now, place "bottle-end" of the pipe in the left compartment where water pump was and … ssuck the air on the other end of that hose and see how water is closer to your mouth!  You really do not have to taste it!  Suck few small times and one bigger and point the other end inside the white bucket.. when you see water coming..using left hand direct water bottle end here and there to suck all dirt from the bottom and from the right side where the sponge was..squize the bottle as you want... 

 When water becomes clear like after 7=9 seconds, using right hand thumb close the other end of pipe and keep it tight so the water will not flow and quickly lift the bottle end to the middle compartment.  If there is not enough water to suck – you can use the rubber with pipe tool and suck the water this way! 

You should have a quarter of white bucket with water by now.  Close that end again and place bottle end in the main tank and slowly ride here and there not to low at all and do not get there macros... Pay attention how low is water in the tank and if corals are not exposed on the hanging rocks – if yes...make sure it last only a few seconds...otherwise they may die! 

 Used water should reach just half of white bucket and lift the bottle-end higher then water and the rest of water should empty the pipe.  Take pipe and bucket away and place new salt water with grey bucket closer to tank.  

Imagine bigger tanks with plumbing and two-three tanks below the main one...that is work..to do water change like 4-5 grey buckets at one time! So, when all is placed in the same place...use clear round container to pour new salt water from grey bukcet into the main tank – I pour it on the rocks closer to the back of reef – slowly so there is a minimal water disturbance.

Do it until water from a main tank flows to the middle compartment and water level start to rise in the left compartment where the water pump is And see if the water level in the left water pump place is about 9 cm lower then main level. 

If it is, stop adding new water.   Now, plug back black cable near the door below the tank.   Observe how the water level changes in water pump compartment on the left side.  Hear the sound!   It should be very small noise – almost nothing to hear!  Let it go for a minute or two.  See how things go inside the reef.  

Now, plug in the second white cable below the tank on the right side.  You should see the two side pumps pumping water.  Sometimes, the one on the left is not always working for the first time.   See the water movement around it – move the magnets and see if water moves.  If definitely water is not moving, it means the pump is stuck.  

Take a skinny brown stick, open the lid according to previous instruction, remove the glass...now – using left hand secure the power cable of the pump – just push it against the tank body and using right hand hit the top of the pump body with that stick ...till you see that water start to flow.  Usually, one hit is good to go.  Put everything back again – put the glass – close the lid....blabla... 

 Sit down and enjoy the view for a few minutes!  There will be some mess around.  Let it settle.  After like half-hour, come back and make the order  inside the the tan the way you like or similar to what was when I left the reef.  Use brown skinny stick and you know the drill by now...

Enjoy!

Pumps cleaning

There are two internal water circulating pumps with internal filters having a goal to circulate the water to keep in shape anemones and oxygen them, fish and everything else in the tank.  Also, filters in them catch some bio-mass remove it from the tank.  One pump/filter is on the left side of the tank and the other is on the right side at the same height.

There are also some filters not in the main tank, but on the back part of the tank accessible only when the glass cover is removed.

The left water pump is on the top of blue sponge.  There should be a piece of filter material attached to to the body of this pump.  Look at it and remember how it is attached because you have to put it back! This is important!  That little piece of material prevents anything to get into the pump – especially we dont want anemone to be ssucked into the pump and killed or if a piece of macro gets there it could ruin the pump and it could overheat and overheat the water in the tank – so it is important to monitor pumps if they are not stuck! 

 If they are stuck, they have to be stopped by removing white cable!  Or see which black cable inside the white extension leads to certain pump!  So, look at the filter material and slowly remove it and put it into plastic container.  Now lift the right pump and hold it above water and slowly open the lower part and put it into plastic round container.  

Untill further notice, leave the main water filter that is inside of the left lower compartment when the water comes to main tank as it is dont remove it.  This is fairly cmplicated process and has to be done once every two maybe three weeks.   If you wait more then water will slow down and might be blocked leading to general catastrophy in the tank and everything will die! But for now do not remove it!  

Take a black light and put it over the back of the tank and move it a bit here and there to see down the opening where the main water pump is.  You should see the green/blue sponge on the right side and the pump with white meshy material on the left.   Remove only the sponge on the right side and do it slowly not to disturb water too much and using flat stick from the drawer – one that has a curvy end – dig the sponge and using a hand remove the sponge and see if there is any sea star or small thing crawling on it – if there is anything – put it back to main tank. 

 Put the sponge to the white round plastic container.  This procedure should be done together with water change!  So, I will continue with water change chapter.  Now, take round plastic container with filters and go to bathroom.   Check visually if there is any form of life on sponges because there might be some liitle creatures that could be save in last second.   If there is a small living thing grab it and put back to tank, please.  I would close the sink so water will accumulate and see if there is anything to be save when you clean the sponge filters.  Turn on warm water and simply wash dumping and banging against the wall of sink a few times and watch for creatures – often I find some sea stars or small snail or something moving and I grab it and put back to tank.  

 If there is nothing to save, just continue to rinse it and clean it.  Especially, when you open the right filter, you may find many things...when filter are fine put them to plastic container and go back to tank and put them back to water pump.  The right pump has a correct side and it will click when placed correctly – look for round opening... the sponge has a round opening inside itself – it should be somehow on the left in the cube.

 Now, the left water pump – pay attention to its nose..it has to be placed towards the glass – best if you do not remove that part at all. Make sure the filter material is over the top of that part and blocks anything that might get inside the pump!  Use some small wires to attach it firmly.. when finished placed slowly first green/blue sponge against the wall and place the pump onto that sponge so vibrations do not go into the body of tank and the second small sponge is still attached when you finish placing the water pump and it is not touching glass on the left or rock on the right! 

 The right pump is easier, but so important is the level of this pump!  Make sure you remember how it was before you remove to clean.  The level of pump creates water current that keeps big anemone in correct spot. When the pump is in a wrong level the anemone will be moved by current and while being in a different spot it might touch other corals and they will die from poison.  I will place a green tape on the side of the tank to represent level of that right pump and keep that pump more less in this area.

Tank glass cleaning

Generally, three side of reef tank glass might be cleaned, if it is really need for that.  This may be when the glass is turning green or brown or sometimes there are purple round spots.  All this means different meaning.  Green happens when there is too much food or lights are on too long – so, please, do not over feed or play around with light timers!  Brown color on sand or glass means that something died and backteria is growing in the tank.  Water change is needed!  Violet round spots are normal, so no worries!  

Glass cleaning in this tank might be difficult because tank is small and has hanging rocks and corals and macros are close to glass.   But it can be done, as I did it before many times.  There many ways of doing this.   For you try first unplug two white and black cable on the bottom stand like during feeding. Use magnets to clean the glass in the areas when magnets does not touch anything else.   Go slowly, very slowly.  Back and forth few times.  At some point, you have open the lid like during feeding , so remember all steps and do not break the top glass!  

After properly open lid, using skinny brown long stick, move things around and use magnet to clean glass.   You may need to remove water pumps on the left and right sides one at a time.  Start with left one – lift it and place onto blue sponges.   Slowly remove green sponges, so dirt will not fell into water and put it inside the plastic round container that is below tank.  Clean the glass all around till you come close to hanging rock – now, move the rock close to middle of tank so magnet does not touch it... and slowly go around towards the right water pump. 

Now go to next chapter of cleaning water pump filters.

Anemone feeding

This section is about feeding.  I dont feed fish – I feed anemones – the corals that two clown fish play with.  There is a special way to do that – just follow proven way – do not invent new ways, please!   I feed them every day because most of the food is eaten by fish and some food goes to the bottom and crabs and snails eat the rest. 

 In the drawer, there is a small white porcelain bowl – take it to the kitchen and put on the counter near the fridge.   Open the top part – the freezer and on the right, there should be frozen trays with fish food. There are 4 types of frozen cubes: Brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, some greenish cubes and brown cubes.  I do alternate cubes, so every other day there is a different food in the reef.  Take a brine shrimp tray and put up side down above the porcelain bowl and push the aluminium, so the cube is landing in the bowl.  Put the tray back in the cover and back in the freezer.  Take the bowl to near reef tank. 

 And now pay attention to the following process that is absolutely critical!  Open the door below the tank notice two cables: white and black on the right that are plug into the extension -  using right hand hold the extension and using left hand unplug both.

Now, using left hand lift the main lid and when lifted a bit using right hand close the small lid open the main lid fully to vertical position and place it against the wall carefully try not to look into lights.  Using right hand remove a small plastic bottle and place it on the counter on the right side of the tank.

 Using left hand lift the black lights a bit and using right hand lift the glass up and place it on the pillow  on the smaller sofa  and put the black light on the top of the tank.  Now, put the glass on the bigger sofa under speaker – and do not sit in this place! 

Now, take a white rubber pump that has a clear plastic tube from a drawer and pump water from a tank to a pipe and fill it carefully a bowl with frozen cube.  You may do this twice to make sure the water is above the cube.  Wait two minutes and stir it.  The cube should turn into brown mass with little shrimps floating in water. 

Watch from top how anemone reacts to lack of water current and what is going on in the tank !  After like two minutes of stirring the bowl, the brown cube should dissolve in water and now gently push the rubber and ssuck a small amount to the tube.

Place the end of clear tube close to anemones.  I have a certaing order not to forget any of them unless one happens to be closed at this time.

So, while feeding anemones, fish will steal the food anyway.  Place tube close to anemone arms and squize food slowly and observe how anemone grab it using its arms.  Do this a few times when you know that all anemones were fed.  Notice how anemone turns into onion shape with no visible arms – it means it protects food from fish or crabs. Try to find an angle that will reach anemone that maybe out of reach.

This is my order of feeding that I maintain every day:

1. One is hidden on the right upper corner where water flow into filters – hold light using left hand to see the nem and food gets to it. 
   
2.  One is more reddish nem on the right hanging rock on the back. 
   
3. One smaller whitish nem is on the left rock on the back close to main water inlet. 
   
4. One tiny dark nem is located on the left bottom near the beginning of big rock in the sand. 
   
5. One big rosy nem on the lower right part of the tank.  
   
6. There will be many nems on the front hanging rock – turn the rock around to get a better view: there is one white, one greenish, one raspberry, and one reddish and one looks like pink/yellowish 
   
   
   
   
   

I leave 1/3 of amount of food inside the bowl for the second round later on that day.   Observe how fish look for food. Use your small skinny brown stick from a drawer to correct things that are out of order -  you may turn rocks a bit left or right or move them slightly and check all macros.

 When you are satisfied that all is good, start to cover the tank in reverse order.  Get the glass and place it carefully on the top of the tank between grooves on the top of tank.  Make sure it does not move left and right.  Move the glass towards front a bit, so the lid will have room to close and  not touch the glass on the back.

Place black light very close to front edge on the glass and take a small round plastic bottle from the counter and place it close to the middle of black light towards the middle of glass.

Using left hand hold the main lid and put it down and just before touching the little plastic bottle, using right hand open a small lid and place it on the top of that small bottle make sure that main big lid does not stand on glass on the back!  Wait about 5 minutes observing what is going on in the reef – do fish eat all food?

Now plug back white cable only using both hands.  Water should start stirring from left and right pump – see how rest of food circulates around the reef and fish should eat it.   Wait another two minutes – food should be eaten by now.  Observe the top of water if there is any food floating.

If there is no visible food anywhere in the water or on the top of water, plug the black cable below the tank and close the small door.   Notice if the water level is rising to maximum level just below black plastic around the tank.  See if anything unusual happens: are all rocks ok? are all macros in right position? are all fish there and none jumped out of water? are all lights on? are all timers are working fine?

The switch on timers should be in down position.  Light might be off at this time because it was a time to turn of the particular light.   Test the timer by switching to upper position to see if light will turn on.  If it turns on, then everything is ok.

In the event that timers switch is in upper position and light is not on, then there is a problem.  You should first push timer deeper into socket of extension cord to make sure it seats properly.  If this is not helping, then remove the timer from the socket and put the light cord directly bypassing the timer to see if the light will turn on.  If the light is not on, then check the switch on the top of the main lid – it should be click-click sound – closer to you deeper position is on – further is off.   If closer does not turn the main white or blue tube lights on, then it means either there is no power in the house or the light bulbs are not good anymore.

They have to be replaced by removing them slowly from a socket and calling the store to see if they have a replacement light. Well, call me for instruction.

 Anemone should be fed every day at least once, so they will be happy and NOT moving around the tank. If they move, then monitor them because they may move to a filter, pumps or water overflow blocking the water to go down to water pump. When anemones are on a flat surface, it is easier to remove them and place them on another rock. If you feed twice daily using the same ¾ cube once and the rest later that day then all should be fine.

Do not over feed!  

Absolutely, no food once every two days, but more at once, please.

 It will ruin the reef! As it happened before!

Corals

Generally, there are two types of corals that we have in tank.  First are ones called anemones that host clown fish.  The front hanging rock has many of them with different colors.

 The other rocks have them too and clown fish – nemo always are near them. 

The other corals usually does not attract attention to clown fish.

 So, there are many other corals and they should be placed where they are now – if you see that a snail knocked them or something else is wrong try to correct the situation with a long skinny brown stick from a drawer. 

 Anemones may travel and change they location!  See everyday what is going on for a few moments!  Take your food and eat not in the kitchen, but in front of the reef!  Spend some time relaxing and learn what is going on in the reef!  See how it grows and changes every day!  

There is one anemone on the right on the tank – that one does not host clown fish, yet it may change its mind!

This coral is very particular because it is the biggest and it should be where it is now!  It is poisonous to other corals! It means, if this one touches other corals they will or might die!  Be careful when this happen – use a small stick from a drawer and lift a glass with main lid and move the big anemone away to its position.   Right now it is attached to a bottom of a main rock and a pump is pumping water around it keeping it in this position! 

  It is important to keep the pump position in the same spot, so the anemone shape and position is safe to other corals.  You can experiment and move down a bit the pump and see how the arms of this coral will change – but keep the pump so the arms are away from other corals.

All anemones change shape at some point – they become very small like small ball or almost disappear all-together.  But after a while, they should inflate and become bigger again.

Hanging rocks

Very few reef tanks have hanging or floating rocks!  In our tank, there are three hanging rocks!  Be absolutely careful how you touch the railing that supports them!  It is not difficult, but it needs some attention and focusing!   Be careful!   If the rock will fell, then you have to make sure it does not fell on a coral below!  Please, place corals beside and put the rock on safe place.  You can try to hang it!  It is doable.  It would be nice to have a second person to help. 

 Each rock hangs on two hooks and fishing line and this line is placed inside a green metal that in turn is placed on a metal rail that supports everything.  This rail can be moved back and forth slowly.   The green metal moves left and right and it can turn left or right!  Be very slow!   Rocks on the back do not move or turn easily!   The bottom of rock is on the top of the lower rocks lying on the sand.  So, you have to lift the rock a bit and move the bottom part slowly to a desired position. 

 If for some reason the rock will fell, see what happened?  Does the rock fell of something other then the rock below?  If there is something – rescue it!  Lift the rock and take a snail or something and put somewhere else...

 The hooks may rust, but this takes many months to happen.  In the worse case, place a rock on the top of other rock in the back of the tank so it looks good and is immersed in water completely and nothing is above water!  

Makes sure rock does not touch the pumps because they will buzz and make unpleasant sound. Also, make sure that a big anemone on the right of tank does not touch any other coral – it may touch macroalgea.   The rock in the front could be placed somehow in the middle so it does not smash anything –  move slowly any corals away a bit and make sure all corals have good light above them.

Water levels

The water level should be just below black top part on the tank glass.  Also,  important is to check a water level in the main water pump compartment on the left upper corner of the tank .

Open the lid following the previous instruction.  Do not lift the glass.   Use the light that is on the top of glass – use left hand to hold the light – come closer to the back and look down on the left upper corner where water comes to tank from the bottom.   What is the level?  It should be above the middle – higher then a pump being there.  

If water is too low – the pump will burn and water will bubble in the main tank with air.  If this happens you have to add water from the 5-gallon grey container with clean salty water from the small room where I have my paints.   Get a small round container that is below cables – open the door.  Get this small plastic round container and go to get water from grey 5-gallon container – get ¾ salty water.  

Lift the main tank lid and close a small lid – put against the main lid the wall, put glass on a sofa below the speaker and do not sit there!  Put the new water close to a back wall in the main tank very slowly – observe how the water level rises where the water pump is!  If needed, add one more time! 

 Close the grey 5-gallon bucket with its lid!  Rinse the small round container with regular water and shake it and put back under cables and close the door.   

If everything is right, put the glass above the tank in right position, so it is level and does not move!  Put the black light with blue/white light on the edge of tank on the top of glass using left hand and using right hand get a small round plastic bottle to put near that light and close main lid using right hand and open a small lid inside the big lid and put on that small container to keep open!  That small lid should always be opened! 

 You can wipe the exterior of glass with clean paper to clean water marks. Be slow!   Also, you can clean black plastic parts with damp cloth and some windex – do not spray on glass! Spray on paper only! And later use this paper to clean plastic around the tank.  You can spray below tank – doors and walls of cabinet! 

 Windex is very toxic for water inside the tank!

Timers

Timers are small devices with some wheel and push button – they do turn on or turn off lights in the tank.  They are important!   Better if lights are always on then shut down!   

There are three timers: two on the left and one on the right.  First on left, closer one, shuts down or turns on the main two white light tubes on the back of tank. The other one does the blue round lights in the middle of tank. 

 One on the right is for blue/pink tubes closer to you. 

The second blue light that is closest to you is in the black tube on the top of the glass below the lid and it is combined with white light and these ones are not on timer!  I always keep the blue on and switch manually every night and morning the white light only.  It is better to keep the blue on! 

 If you forget the white – it is ok, but try to turn it off in the evening and turn on in the morning.

Electrical cables

Electrical cables are important!  When you open the small door below tank, there will be many cables and timers.  Cables provide electricity to lamps, pumps and fans.  Check if they are in right position!   Be careful this is life power cables!  Use two hands to unplug or plug cables!  

When you want to give food to corals – unplug both white and black cables that are in front on the right side. Use two hands!  Use right hand to hold white extension cable on the right and left hand unplug first white cable and later the black cable.  

The white cable leads to another extension where there are two black cables for water filter pumps inside the tank.  Generally, do not touch them!  

The black cable power the main water pump that circulates water from the tank to back of tank to filters and to the main pump on the left side behind the water tank.  

Remember to plug them in certain order when there will be time to do that! 

 Do not touch any other cables!

Tank

Above the stand with glass door, there is a main display tank that has a clear glass enclosure where water is hold and on the top of it there is a black lid that closes the tank.  This lid and the main tank is separated with a glass – do not forget about it – do not bang it on the main tank because it may break and many broken glass pieces will fall inside the water and it will be very difficult to remove it.  In the front of a big lid is a smaller lid that should always be open when the big lid is in horizontal position and put on small plastic container standing on glass that separates water tank from the main lid. 

 The main lid can be lifted using left hand and immediately using right hand close the small lid and put the main lid in a vertical position against the wall behind the tank. 

Now you can observe the tank from above – see what is going on – how the rocks are hanging - see if there is anything wrong!  If you decide to move the glass – be careful!  You can put it vertically against the main lid.  Just remember that the glass is there!   Do not close the lid before you put the glass down! It may brake and it is a big problem!  You may place the glass on the bigger sofa on a pillow below the speaker!

If the glass is too dirty with a lot of salt on it – you can wash it in a bathroom with warm – not hot, not cold water!  Warm!   Use a bit of soap.  Hold in both hands above the sink!  Do not touch sink surface with glass – it will be scratched!  Do it slowly.  Use your hands only and rinse both sides of glass!  When finished, hold up and wait a few seconds for water to go away from glass.  Take brown towel from a washroom and put in the middle of table on a flat part.  Put glass on it.  Do not do any movements of towel on glass!  Just cover glass with a towel and put some books on top.  Press a bit.  Wait two minutes and glass will dry.
In the meantime, do something else.

Reef tank parts

Reef tank consists of upper and lower parts.   The upper part is a glass tank where fish and water is hold.   The lower part is a black stand where a small glass door is located in a front and inside there are many cables and timers on a shelf and below the are some tank parts and a small round plastic bucket with a handle.    A lot of needed tools are in the upper drawer to the right to the tank.

Macro-algea in a tank

Macro-algeas are other living organism in the tank that look like plants.  We have many types of them and there are not many people in Ottawa who have them in tanks.  Our tank is so special because there are fish, corals and macros in one tank at the same time!
 Macros are types of algea that forms and use what fish poops as food – like beetles using elephant dung very much!  So, macro consumes unwanted particles in water making it cleaner!  And during the day they produce oxygen!  In the evening, you can see tiny bubbles forming on everything in the reef – this is oxygen from algeas!  Macros could be moved by the current!  So, sometimes it is necessary to place them where we want and far from corals not to block the light!   I use tiny wires to hang them.  Macros will grow in size – see them if a few days!   That is important to monitor them if they do not cover corals!

Macro-algea control

Macros grow and they may block corals.  If you observe that macros are over the coral, it is necessary to remove the macro and put in a different spot or give them to other people.   I will leave phone numbers and a list of people authorized to visit us and take or trade for something else they want to bring with them like a coral or anything they wish to trade for macros.  You can take unwanted macros to barber Rudy who will take it and give you free haircut once a month!  He has a barber shop next to Farm Boy store.
There is many types of macros!  One that is hard to control is a greenish hairish algea! That one is not wanted in our tank!  That is why I had special types of snail that should eat it...but this does not always happen!
Beside that one we have green grape and fern macros that have roots and main stem and grape/leaves structure.  There is a green one on one rock behind on the top with flat leaves.   Do not touch that one – it grows slower and if it will be too big just cut like 7 cm below and place in the bottom left corner of reef below artificial sponge.
There are many red macros – skinny one grows slower and does not make too many problems.  There is a red one looking like a red ball and that one grows very quickly and soon becomes too big for a reef.   But it will take probable one month to be too big.
When this comes, take scissors from the drawer on the right, remove macros from water and using finger separate its leaves from each other and find the stem to cut – make two three cuts to give to other people – remember this is money!  One small ball may cost at least $5 – but I usually trade for something.
There is dark green macro looking like Santa deer horns – same thing – look for a main stem to cut a piece!  Do not cut the other one that is much bigger and also looks like deer horn.
In general, macros are nice decorative things giving new texture in the reef, they provide habitat for small living creatures and they clean water producing oxygen!  Not many people have them and they are valuable mean of exchange goods among reef guys!

Why macro-algae in a reef tank?

Macro-algae add to our tanks so much in color, shape, texture and simplicity.  Not expensive and easy to control they do well in my one-tank show - nothing too fancy, just one tank with no fish to eat them.  They grow fast and that is why I have this group with hope that ther reef lovers will decide  to have macros in their main tanks or tanks devoted to macros only.