hi conflicting advice about live rock and when to start the lights.......

S

starmom

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May 13, 2004
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Hi
im new to all of this, but ive been reading (lots of books) and surfing the net.....

i got uncured tonga branch and figi rock 9 days ago.......

it came in i think very good condition, lots of plant life that was in i thought pretty good condition.........

we did the very quick freshwater dip to knock out nastys and i had the water,temp,sg just right for weeks and running and put in the rock.............

i didnt touch it for a few days and then arranged and did a water change or around 25%.

the water NEVER got nasty, it stayed clear until i started moving stuff around......

ive had 0 ammonia since day one, and minimal nitrate levels..my temp is around 78 and my specific gravity is around l023-l024

i have a canopy of lights, the bright white, the blue and the moonlight lights.........

when is it best to start the lights? some day the fourth day, my lfs guy is saying none for two weeks.......but i worry about the plant life that survives that it needs "some" light...even an hour or two a day of the bright........my lfs guy said dont use the blue as it grows alge very well!

i have been turky basting and brushing anything that looks loose and white or black off and there really is not much.......

im getting some gunk in my protien skimmer, but not a tremendous amount............

i apologize as i realize this have gotten very long........

but would appreciate some feedback.......
sue:)
 
without a doubt, you want to run the lights on your tank. It doesnt sound like you have a lot of light there to deal with anyway. What are you using for lights (types, watts, number of bulbs.

As far as the blue lamp (actinic O3) creating more algae than the others, not really true. The reason we use the actinic bulb is because the blue spectrum of light is the deepest penetrating light source through salt water. Most of the other spectrums are eaten up in very shallow depths. The actinc being used as a "moonlight" is also not a good idea ( I know you are not using it as one but I wanted to mention it). Although this light looks to be a low light to the human eye, it is in fact quite bright to the tank inhabitants.
 
this is the light i have

is there a difference between how one would handle cured vs. uncured rock as far as the lights go???

mine is uncured.......

the light is a canopylight by orbit the 24 hr system, there is a moonlight, a bright and blue actinic they are i beleive 65 watts....

this was not an inexpensive item, and recommended to me by my fsg when we were discussing my options, I deal with them ALOT because im also a reptile keeper and in alot , we have been talking about this saltwater tank for a few months and he was helping me figure some stuff out, but he also was the one that told me not to run the lights for two weeks and somehow that didnt totally make sense to me , which is why i asked...........

thanks for any other imput......
sue
 
live rock needs...

Should of been a new thread, I think..
don't know how do do that
oop's


couple of questions please..
1. in my JBJ 12g nano I have live cured rock..
kind of a slow growth
it has the beggings ig red, green and purple coraline
It also has fuzzy stuff and WHITE stuff.
Is this normal???
What is undefinednormal? :eek:

2. I alsi have a small salt tank which I put some live rock in.
No light, No air, no pumpSort of in a dark space...This stuff is
thriving..wierd to me!

3. I put aged rock..dry, in my brackish with a low 1.008 in it..
The rock has some spongy stuff, red coral starting and a little other
live stuff..
seen with a magnified. glass.
Is this normal? I would love to see it take off. I thought that it
required a higher salinity.
Could be wrong, hope I am!
Any one know about this stuff?

Thank you all in advance!
 
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