A Noob’s Abbreviated Guide to Popular Reef Terms and Products
What’s a noob? A noob is the green of the green. An aquarist who might have started the hobby keeping freshwater fish, or have maintained a salt water tank with a few saltwater fish, decorations, with no live rock, corals, etc. There is an endless list of terms, theories, ideas, and products used to develop and sustain reef tanks. This brief guide will introduce the noob to a fraction of the diverse and exciting world of reef tanks.
I’ve heard about Calcium Reactors; what do they do? Calcium Reactors utilize a calcium carbonate substrate, a circulating water flow, and a controlled injection of carbon dioxide. The injected carbon dioxide lowers the pH causing the calcium carbonate to dissolve and provide balanced levels of calcium and alkalinity in the tank. To learn more about the relationship of Calcium and Alkalinity, check out the article entitled “Problems with Calcium and Alkalinity in a Reef Tank.” Check out CoraLife’s Calcium Reactor.
What’s so great about deep sand beds? Deep sand beds refer to a 4-6 inch layer of aragonite sand and live sand. The live serves as the primary location of nutrient recycling by breaking down organics. More likely than not, most deep sand bed systems are incorporated with protein skimmers, trickle filters, and calcium reactors. The biggest advantage of deep sand beds is the ability of the lower sand beds to convert nitrates into harmless nitrous oxide gas. An additional benefit to these beds is the tremendous abundance of bio-diversity. Some systems experience more disease outrbreaks when this method is incorporated so make sure it is the right choice. Check out the article about live sand and rock.
To Carbon or not to Carbon, that is the question. Granulated Activated carbon is a highly porous filtration media commonly used to remove pollutants from water. Organic molecules are removed from the water by chemical absorption within the pores of the carbon. In reef systems, carbon is used to remove yellowing compounds from the water that can interfere with the light spectrum and intensity. Depending on who you talk to, there is a debate on whether carbon should be used passively, continually, occasionally, or not at all. For a noob, passive periodic use is recommended to prevent any yellowing of the water. Use phospate free Reef Carbon by AquaLife or Magnavore. Better yet, use Chemi Pure by Boyd Enterprises.
Is Limewater a new gatorade flavor, and is Kalkwasser some type of new German stealth fighter jet? Limewater is a solution made by dissolving calcium hydroxide or calcium oxide in water. It was the first balanced solution developed to solve calcium and alkalinity problems. Kalkwasser is a German word literally translating as “ chalk water.” Kalkwasser also has the added benefit of helping precipitate phosphate from seawater. Visit the article on pH problems and look at Broghtwell Marine's version of Kalkwasser mix, too. Also see ”Problems with Calcium and Alkalinity in a Marine Tank”.
What do Protein Skimmers do for a reef tank? Protein Skimmers are devices used to remove dissolved organic waste from the aquarium. Large quantities of very tiny air bubbles are forced through a column of aquarium water where the dissolved organic material and fine particles in the water adhere to the surface of the bubbles. As these bubbles rise to the surface of the skimmer, they form thick foam that is easily collected and discarded, removing the waste from the system. The drawback to these skimmers is that they can also remove plankton from the water, too. This is a good reason why target feeding corals with plankton is always best. Aquarium Life Support Systems, Aquarium Systems, Red Sea, and a few other companies all carry quality skimmers.
Reverse Osmosis is something butterflies do when they’re in cocoons, right? No, Reverse Osmosis/ De-ionizing filters are high performance filters used to purify tapwater before it’s mixed with salt or added to top off aquarium water. Most tap water contains high levels of nitrate, phosphate, lead, chlorine, copper, etc. These toxins are lethal to reef systems and some promote horrible algae blooms, a reef keeper’s nightmare. The AquaLife line of R/O units is designed to treat specific volumes of water per day.
This is far from even scratching the surface of the reef hobbist universe, but hopefully, it will provide a better understanding of some of the more popular ideas floating around the online fish forums. Explore our online store’s inventory and discover how much further you can excel as a reef keeper.
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