Lou Ekus: Reef aquarium chemistry can be pretty easy and fun...No, really! | MACNA 2019
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- čas přidán 26. 09. 2019
- ➡ New talks added each week! MACNA 2019 Playlist : brs.li/BRStv_MACNA_2019
➡ R2R discussion about today's speech! : brs.li/R2R_MACNA2019_LouEkus
Lou Ekus has been actively involved in the marine aquarium industry for over 22 years. He frequently works with aquarists, helping them with system issues big and small from large public aquariums to 1 gallon nano reefs.
Lou has been a saltwater aquarist most of his life. As an adult, he designed and built a multi-tank system in his home consisting of a 150 gallon mixed reef tank, a 150 community fish only tank and a 90 gallon predator tank. This system also incorporated a custom lighting and filtration systems all designed and built by Lou. Due to time and traveling constraints, Lou has downsized and is enjoying the ease of care of a 150 gallon African Cichlid tank and a small 29 gallon species specific grow out tank (soon to be converted to a mangrove ecosystem).
Lou is an avid saltwater fly fisherman, holds a commercial hot air balloon license and is an antique car enthusiast, taking trips in a 1931 Ford Roadster, named Irma, with Leslie. There’s no telling where the three of them will show up!
Lou is CEO of Tropic Marin USA and, along with his wife, Leslie, are responsible for all Tropic Marin product support and aquarist assistance in the US and Canada. Lou and Leslie have recently taken on the management of Aquarium Munster USA as well.
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The content contained in this video is general information on the topic and should not be relied upon as your sole source of information or safety advice for this project or topic. Each product or situation is different and has its own concerns related to successful completion and safety that must be fully researched by the individual considering the project or product.
The purpose and content of this video is to provide general information regarding the products and their applications as presented in the video. Aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents disclaim all express or implied warranties, in any way, related to the products and their application as presented in this video, make no representation or warranty regarding the products and the application as presented in this video and shall not be liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any type, including but not limited to punitive damages, or from personal injury or death resulting from or in any manner related to the video, and the products in and contents of the video. The viewer expressly agrees that aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any damages or losses related to the products in and content of the video and hereby agrees to hold the foregoing harmless from any such losses or damages.
➡ New talks added each week! MACNA 2019 Playlist : brs.li/BRStv_MACNA_2019
➡ R2R discussion about today's speech! : brs.li/R2R_MACNA2019_LouEkus
Bulk Reef Supply hello I would be interested to see a video about how your information might change due to this presentation. Many experiments and products y’all refer have the negative effects listed in this presentation. For example y’all recommend salt that mixes with little to no cloud which is according to this presentation is bad. Also the amount of 2 part y’all recommend is not needed to prove. I only ask to get a good idea of what conflicting information from another refutable source may change your opinions.
Please dont misunderstand, I am NOT saying that salt that does not precipitate is bad! I am saying that IF YOU MIX YOUR SALT INCORRECTLY (adding water to the dry salt instead of the other way around), and it does not precipitate, then that is not good. But a good salt mix should absolutely dissolve completely and be completely clear without precipitate, when mixed correctly!
Unreal! This has got to be the best presentation of water chemistry I have heard by far. He perfectly made sense of some observations I have made and wondered about the WHY?
They should give him more time.
Wish I could like it more than once
Should almost be required watching for anyone with a reef tank. Thanks BRS for posting this. Really informative.
Best Macna presentation ever!
Lou is like one of those teachers you have in high school who opens your eyes to things that you knew bits and pieces about but never truly understood how it all fits together.
I met Lou in Boston this year and he talked to me for 45 minutes to me about my HW salt and B-ionic 2 part that I used. He couldn't tell me nothing, I knew what I was using was the best. 45 minutes later what he told me(and too deep to explain) made total sense. I now use Tropic Marin SYN-Biotic salt and All for Reef 1 part thanks to him. I'm glad I listened, my tank LITERALLY changed colors in high def and looks incredible! Tans changed to pink, purples to blue, reds are redder, yellows came out of nowhere. I suggest everyone to use that combo. Tropic Marin SYN-BIOTIC salt/ All for Reef calcium,alk,mag 1 part dose.
This is I was looking for, explains it like an elementary teacher,, just the way I like it !!
30:00. What happens with elevating Mg to solve a problem may effect coral growth 👍. Good stuff 👍
Best video on reefing of 2019 - 2020.
Thank you Mr Lou. This is what we call good education.
This by far is my favourite talk ever..He made it so simple to understand the complex process that happens in our tanks...Wow the balling method and carbon dosing and how it works was an eye opener...Thanks for sharing.
this is genuinely one of the most information rich videos i've watched on the hobby. I have shown this video particularly the portion on Carbon Dosing to so many people because its fundamentally change my approach to nutrient management and export. i love these talks i hope there is some way BRS can host more of them this year but obviously it would have to be virtual...
Thank you for an excellent presentation. I’m amazed how much I learn and truly understand reviewing the basics after reefing for 11 years. I find the longer I reef the more I understand I am just scratching the service of knowledge about reefing. 😀
There needs to be much more information like this. Makes it much easier to understand!
He should definitely come back more often
This is one of the best videos I have ever seen.
The end helps me understand a little better as to why I'm struggling with zero phosphates.
Really excellent presentation! I think the best I've ever heard. Be able to explain a complex subject in a manner that makes it so easily understood is a gift. Little light bulbs are flashing in unused portions of my brain. Thanks...
Wow, that was a great presentation!
What an awesome talk. Last part reminded me of these "high po4 is good" statements tou see on forums.. Po4 is useful up to a certain levels above will prohibit coral calcification. That's why at high po4 levels coral do not grow..
By far the best presentation of the event.. Very interesting and useful info unlike some of the others during the MACNA. Thanks BRS.
Fantastic video! Very informative!
Awesome simplification, I learned so much!
Thank you.
Awesome! I think that’s the most relatable chemistry talk I’ve seen. Definitely saved that one.
I REALLY ENJOYED THE VIDEO! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!!! Good stuff appreciate your time!
Thanks for posting these macna videos! I wanted to go so bad this year
What a really interesting lecture. So much new information and ways of thinking about the chemistry of my aquarium.
Brilliant!
Thanks Lou and BRS very informative 👍👍👍
From the beginning I thought this was going to be very basic, but I learned a few things even after doing this for 10 years.
My Favourite Talk Yet!
Very well explained. Thank you!
Great video! Thank you!
Excellent talk learned so much
Great job explaining the basic nature of our reef systems
Excellent talk
excellent talk! thank you
Just amazing lecture!
dude! thank you!
Great presentation Lou! I had at least 3 "Ah Ha" moments.
Really Good
Thank you Sir.....
Watched it 20 times already and will do 20 more times 😂
Brilliant learnt a lot
Tropic Marin is in the house.
So awesome that BRS brings us these videos!!! Keeps me shopping there along with other factors. Great presentation!!!!
I thought the red Sea presentation was good but this is amazing
The reality is the world sucks. As if life isn't complicated enough, we search for the simplicity breakdown of things. So let's not participate and be hypocritical by complaining and also making, or beating around the bush. This video is a prime example of a how things should be. Now any other input you viewers may have and is accurate share as well.
BRS TV is Really very good News Network for Aquarium's I like it very very much sir,
From: AMBUR-635802 , Tamil Nadu, India,
Found presentation very helpful! So how do you correctly dose Carbon? Thought I heard you say some people do it incorrectly. Thank you!
I thought the bacteria from carbon dosing primarily took up nitrate? This says it takes up primarily phosphate. Which is correct and why?
Did anybody try the experiment of adding water TO their salt instead of the other way around? I want to figure out what’s the best salt based on h experiment he describes.
This is a great video. From what he said the Balling method is the best way to get the corals what they need in the proper levels. He talked about 2 part but not calcium reactors. I want to know their place in getting the coral what is needed in the right ratio, where it is lacking, and what to do about it?
Nothing is lacking. A properly adjusted reactor is adding back Alk and Calc in the proper ratios along with the trace elements. Just make sure the Alk is correct and the calc should also be fine. If it is not then you might need to add some Calc to get them back to the right values.
really enjoy this presentation... especially the chelate part 25:25
False on bubble aeration, they also aerate on the way up to the surface. See Bogert's aquariumscience article on this.
This is a very interesting presentation. Thank you for your time and effort!
I did the test with the salt to mix it incorrectly. I'm using redsea blue and was able to mix it salt first, water after without any white cloud. That means the calcium is chelated. Anyone else did this and had a different result?
Hi Peter. I have to add a correction to that. Although lots of what I said about chelated calcium is correct, I have since learned that not everything I said about it is 100% correct. I have since advised listeners to this presentation to take in all of my other comments, but to mostly pass over my chelated calcium explanation. We are all learning every day. And that includes me! I'm always disappointed when I make an error. But also feel it is important to accept them and acknowledge them. I firmly stand by the rest of this presentation. I hope to correct my chelated calcium comments at some point in the future.
@bulkreefsupply Does adding a pH buffer to your top off mess up the 70-30 ratio of sodium chloride to minor trace elements? Is adding a buffer necessary since my R/o water is 7.0 pH or less
Jake, The fact that your top off water is about 7.0 pH should not effect the pH in the tank. I, personally, am not a fan of pH buffers. So I wouldn't put any in the top off water. Especially because I don't think it is necessary at all.
On that last part of his talk. I went back and still have no idea what carbon dosing does. What is the primary effect? Is it increasing the number of phosphorous eating bacteria? Or is it something chemical? I feel like something got skipped there. I understand the the net result is to increase the amount of consumable phosphates in the water column which allows the coral to consume more nitrates and phosphates, thus reducing the totals of both in the water, but just unclear as to the proceeding step.
I did the same thing...went back and replayed it figuring I had missed something. The video/presentation doesn't address how carbon dosing increases the number of phosphate ingesting bacteria (or allow each one to absorb more). Confused here as well on that topic but otherwise really enjoyed it.
Sorry that part wasn't clear. I will try to quickly clarify here. If it is still cloudy, give me a call in the office and I will explain in person.... The type of carbon molecules, that are added to the tank when doing carbon dosing correctly, fosters the growth of the types of bacteria that easily consume phosphates. These bacteria are a very good food source for the corals. When the corals eat them, in filter feeding, they also east the phosphate inside them. This supplies them with the critical phosphate that the corals need, but have difficulty getting directly from the water column themselves. I tried to show that graphically, in the video, at about 33-35 minutes. Hope that helps! :)
Not sure I understood the PH part? Doesn't really explain why PH goes down at night and why Alkalinity rises.
Essentially the zooxanthellae in the coral's tissue is a plant. When plants photosynthesize they utilize CO2 from the tank (resulting in higher pH). When the lights go out, photosynthesis slows or halts allowing CO2 to build back up in the tank which also results in a drop of pH. Similarly, alkalinity is consumed during photosynthesis and when photosynthesis slows or halts so does the uptake of alkalinity (resulting in higher Alk levels in the water).
So I've been doing research on Hydroxide and Carbon Dioxide, and I'm close to realizing that relationship between adding Ca, Mg, and Hydroxides to lower Carbon Dioxide and raise Alkalinity, raising pH into a range of 8.2-8.4 from 7.4-7.8 --- am I close to solving my pH problem, or am I about to destroy my aquarium? I would love to hear Lou Ekus speak on the relationship between pH, Alkalinity, and Carbon Dioxide.
My pH problem is this --- it tests regularly between 7.4-7.8, and only above into the 8.0s for about 24 hours following a water change. On days that I work from home, the pH is hardly touches 7.8, and it drops some at night but not much because there hasn't been any apparent photosynthetic life in the tank (yet). On days when nobody is home and I come home from work and test the tank immediately, the pH is a little higher, and there's 10 clownfish in the 75 gal. If my problem is Carbon Dioxide, I'm thinking of adding Calcium Hydroxide + Magnesium. My dKH does not drop much over 24 hours, maybe 0.1-0.2 dKH. I think I'm gonna be caught by some salinity issue.
@@jessejohnson529 You are asking so many questions at once here, that it is very difficult for me to answer it all. Send me an email, or give me a call in the office and I will try to help you. Check our website for both email address and phone number.
Great Talk. TWO THINGS...
ONE: 2 Part & The Balling Method..
He is basically just referring to adding trace elements...correct?
TWO: Is it safe to assume that Tropic Marin does not use Chelated Calcium... since Lou is one of their Ceo's? ...Or did he see that his employer uses them & trying to warn us with this talk?
1- Yes, you're correct. The Tropic Marin part C is basically sodium chloride free salt, so all of the trace elements that a salt mix would normally contain.
2- From what we understand, that's correct. We've been told that it's not chelated.
Please keep in mind that, in addition to ALL 70 trace elements found in natural sea water, the Balling Part C also contains things NOT considered trace elements like Mg and K. This makes the Balling Part C a poor choice for use as a solution for trace element “supplementation” for used traces. It is also not the first choice for Mg supplementation. It is specifically designed to ionically balance the excess sodium chloride created by the Parts A & B. When considering Mg and trace element supplementation for used compounds, a specific trace element supplement and Mg supplement should be used.
Great speech, I wrote this before about part C , it helps but has no magnesium or trace elements in it, brs is always pushing this product for trace elements, you will still need to dose magnesium and trace elements,
The Part C DOES have Mg and trace elements in it. But it only ionically balances the excess sodium chloride created from the parts A & B. It does NOT supplement for used traces and Mg.
I disagree. Two parts method always works for me. I could be able to keep my salinity around 1.025 for a very long time with the same Cal and dKH, all it takes is just weekly water change.
Viet Luu still true since your water change is the buffer area?
You missed the point of what he said regarding that. What becomes diluted and not replaced in the 2 part method are the other 30% (a whole bunch of elements), so that it becomes more of an 80-20% relationship vs 70-30% relationship. I suggest watching that again.
I’m still confused. Ughh
I don’t get it .. dr Tim just frowned on carbon dosing because it causes over production of heterotrophs which you don’t want in aquaria .., I side with dr Tim on this since he grows bacteria for a living . Disagree on the carbon dosing , it’s pointless.
Neptune is too expensive for the average reefer. When Mother Nature has a Neptune system,I will think about,maybe.
Dan Kommer You’re right...the average reefer definitely doesn’t need an apex. However I do not want an average reef.
It’s no secret that I have issues with Neptune Systems. But it’s also no secret that the apex has prevented many many many MANY animal deaths, including my own system. That said, I have had nothing but issues with my apex and their reps, and the user interface and customer support is very difficult and delayed. But again, it saved my reef when I was out of town a few months ago. Love/hate/bitter relationship.
Salty Groves but it does have flow and filtration 🤔🤫
You're comparing a small tank with a massive ocean. Where are you going to get your trace elements from when you don't have millions of square miles of ocean, rock, and life to provide them naturally. You only have three options, and that's to either dose, react, or water change. You can do it manually, or you can have a machine do it for you.
This is just a really dumb thing to say. And it's not even remotely related to this talk.
@@glennrudolph Good for you