Duncan Saltwater
Duncan Saltwater
The Reef Aquarium With Low Magnesium – What Can Happen?
The Reef Aquarium With Low Magnesium – What Can Happen?
By Gareth P
Hopefully you will understand that keeping corals is a huge responsibility and can become very expensive to yourself and the environment. Corals are very interesting animals and unless you are willing to nurture them properly, you should find another hobby.
After checking the usual, Salinity, Nitrate and Phosphates. You should be checking Magnesium, Alkalinity and Calcium. These three parameters are very important when keeping short polyp stony,and long polyp stony hard corals, SPS and LPS respectively.
So what effects will low magnesium have on your reef aquarium?
You will find it very difficult to maintain high alkalinity and calcium levels if magnesium is low.
Corals will slow in growth and will cause some corals such as Duncans and torch corals to recede, and in some cases die. You may as many other reefers do, think you have something unseen and/or unheard of eating your corals, because branching heads or receding one by one. Don’t get fooled by this, it more likely be the case of the weakest dies first as normally the case in nature. Confirm this by checking the level of Magnesium in your aquarium or even better have a list of checks to be carried out on set days.
So what should you do?
If you haven’t already, go out and invest in a magnesium test kit and confirm that magnesium levels are low. Then simply use a buffer such as Seachem Magnesium buffer. Be sure to follow the instructions and don’t overdose. Like everything in this hobby, do it very slowly. You will most definitely notice an improvement in a matter of days in the appearance of your corals.
As soon as you have adjusted your magnesium level to between 1200ppm and 1400ppm you should then work out the consumption rate of magnesium from your aquarium. This is simply done by checking magnesium over two to three days. For example check Monday and then Wednesday, if your Magnesium as dropped by 30ppm then it is safe to say that your aquarium is consuming 10ppm per day. At this low level in this example i would say it would be safe to adjust once every five days. If consumption is higher i would try and dose daily or every other day.
This is a simple guide and technology advances and chemical advances offer procedures such as dosing pumps and balling lite, these methods can be learnt with experience into this amazing hobby.
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About the Author
For more articles and information visit my Blog – http://myreefblog.blogspot.com
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Carp Fly Fishing Is Not Your Average Sport
Although fishing with flies is most popular with trout and salmon anglers we also find carp fly fishing and fly fishing of an even tougher variety amongst deep and saltwater fishermen and women. Fly fishing for carp is not your average sport because there is nothing which is average about these fish.
It’s all about spotting the fish first and for this reason the correct tackle is required. The rod has to be able to make an accurate cast from 3 to 15 meters so the type of rod used is probably the most important piece of equipment. These fishermen have to be accurate and fast so a graphite rod of a 6 ‘ 8 weight which is between 8’6′ and 9′ is ideal.
It should have a medium tip and good backbone in the butt. The 9 foot rod would be a better choice if the water where you fish is snaggy and the carp weigh between 16 and 25 pounds.
A hard rod will not give an accurate cast and a soft rod will not stand up to the fighting vigor of a carp. They have a reputation for being notoriously dirty fighters, but this is obviously the reason why anglers enjoy fishing for carp, it definitely isn’t the delicate flavor.
Exposed rim reels of the larger variety are the best reels to use and this energetic and tricky fish will give the reel a workout. It needs to have disk drags, and approximately 150 m of backing line. Fly fishing for carp will see the reel’s maximum capacity put to use at times.
Micron or Dacron line of a 9kg or 20lb weight is best, push this up to 30lbs for snaggy waters. Use a 10 pound tip, tapered leader and get a feel for the amount of additional tippet you require. They are not that choosy about flies as carp are traditionally insect eaters, but experts find that they are easy to catch with wooly buggers of all the different colors, muddler minnows, Daves hoppers, and many more.
Because fly fishing for carp is about speed and accuracy, it is essential to wear polarized sunglasses. The brown or amber variety are recommended as these create contrast, while still completely blocking out glare off the water. But these lenses are recommended for all types of fishing and as this particular sport is about spotting the fish first, you won’t have much luck if you can’t see what is going on in the water.
About the Author
Duncan is an avid Fly Fishing expert and if you are struggling when carp fly fishing or just looking for that edge then download his FREE 101 Fly Fishing Tips Ebook from http://www.Fly-Fishing-Revealed.com.