HMA’s 115 gal. Reef Tank

[hma]

Originally Posted by lcstorc

Spectacular pics of beautiful animals.
What are they hitching on? Are they all the same kind and just different colors? They looked like it to me but I am still very new at this. I know mine used to change colors pretty dramatically depending on their surroundings.

Lynn, that are pictures of my breed animals, the two lower pictures are the same animal, the upper are the same kind however another animal. You are right, they can change depending on the mood her color.

[Dentoid]

Nice ponies Heinz. Thanks for the update!

[Craig Manoukian]

Ditto on all the compliments!

[tbittner]

Originally Posted by hma

Ammonia : 0
Nitrites : 0
Nitrates : 5
Phosphates : 0,01
Salinity : 1.0227
Alk : 8.0 dkH
Cal : 420 ppm
Mag : 1390 ppm
Water : RO/DI
Ph – 8.0 to 8.2
Supplements: lime water

Beautiful Ponies, Heinz!

I have a question about your salinity though. You said to maintain 53.0 and I try to do that but it varies with temperature. At 78 degrees F, 53.0 is 1.0260. Since you are reading 1.0227 I'm assuming that your tank is cold, as in 68 degrees or colder. Is that right? Or are you really that much lower than 53.0?

[hma]

Originally Posted by tbittner

Beautiful Ponies, Heinz!

I have a question about your salinity though. You said to maintain 53.0 and I try to do that but it varies with temperature. At 78 degrees F, 53.0 is 1.0260. Since you are reading 1.0227 I'm assuming that your tank is cold, as in 68 degrees or colder. Is that right? Or are you really that much lower than 53.0?

You read correctly Terry, I have a temperature in my 115 gal tank of 25°C in the winter and max. 27°C in the summer. The temperature regulates a IKS aquarium computer. I have actually a lower salinity than recommended in ALL mine aquariums. The reason for it is very simple. With a somewhat lower salinity than the recommending, the animals are clearly less susceptible to diseases. The lowest border of the salinity which one meaningfully can use is 1.02000. It harms neither the fish nor the corals, in the opposite, it never comes to diseases, wounds (e.g. bite wounds etc..) heal faster. Those are at least my observations over many years.

BTW Most me admitted LFS (and I know many believe me) use likewise this somewhat lower salinity because of reasons specified already.

[DrHank]

Heinz, I'm I hearing that you are maintaining salinity at 1.020 without any adverse effects on your corals? I used to do 1.022 for fish and can understand that they might even prefer 1.020 but I've heard that corals prefer 1.024 which is where I keep my tank now. I'd love to drop it to 1.020 slowly. Also, If I do this and most of the fish and coral suppliers are shipping at 1.024, what do you recommend as far as acclimation is concerned?

[vdituri]

I've read numerous times that lowering the salinity is not that big of a deal and regular acclimatation is fine. It's when you increase the salinity that you have to take extra precautions and do it very slowly.

[hma]

Originally Posted by DrHank

Heinz, I'm I hearing that you are maintaining salinity at 1.020 without any adverse effects on your corals? I used to do 1.022 for fish and can understand that they might even prefer 1.020 but I've heard that corals prefer 1.024 which is where I keep my tank now. I'd love to drop it to 1.020 slowly. Also, If I do this and most of the fish and coral suppliers are shipping at 1.024, what do you recommend as far as acclimation is concerned?

Hello Hank,

I use a salinity of 1.0220 - 1,0230, it vary always a little dependent on the dosage of different additives (Balling), in my 115gal tank. A Salinity of 1.0200 I use only in my QT should a fish get sick, never in the other tanks. So far I could not notice negative influences. Look at my pictures, look the corals ill or unhealthily? I would like to recommend not against the conventional opinion as standard, use it however already some years without losses of corals or fish.

[hma]

Originally Posted by vdituri

I've read numerous times that lowering the salinity is not that big of a deal and regular acclimatation is fine. It's when you increase the salinity that you have to take extra precautions and do it very slowly.

That is correctly Victor, however a somewhat lower salinity from my view is clearly better for our fish.

[vdituri]

Lower salinity has always made sense as you have described it Heinz.
It's nice to have an experienced reef person like yourself to back it up with photographic proof.

[DrHank]

Thanks Heinz for the clarification. It makes perfect sense. I find the longer I'm in the hobby and the more I research and ask questions, the more my livestock benefits.

[Woodstock]

Beautiful angel fish Heinz! I would love to have one of those

VERY interesting about your low salinity. As always with this hobby, the learning never stops (thank goodness) I am very glad that you are sharing your wealth of knowledge!

[Melanie]

I love all of your new photos. You are such a talented photographer and you have beautiful creatures to capture.

[hma]

In the meantime i am read, write and investigate for some month here on RS. It is remarkable, nearly every time if a user sees first signs of an illness on one of his fish, he’s thinking immediately of ichthyus (Ich). As is always to read „Help, my fish has Ich”! Now I must ask once, how can these people know her fish has fallen ill with "Ichthyus“? Now, however, I am not able, only by visual view, to distinguish the single fish illnesses. A distinction of the various fish diseases in their early stages, to me at least, is not possible. At least not visually with your eyes, but certainly with a microscope. In very good professional books one finds most fish illnesses in detail described, most also show microscopic enlargements of the causes. A microscope can be very helpful, for me it belongs to the "basic equipment" of a Reefer. It must be no expensive device; a microscope with 100 x enlargement is perfect enough. Then with it the different algae can be also distinguished very well.

Only to make clear it once again. Now during many years I own sea water aquariums, I had merely once a fish with an Ichthyus. I had done from the fish a deduction and had examined this under the microscope.

Here the results are to be seen in two videos. 100 x anlarged and 400 x enlarged !

[JFK_Jr]

That's amazing Heinz...

I really enjoyed that website... you don't have it posted on your signature. Amazing pictures!

Riffaquarium - HM-Photogalerie