Funny you should mention the wooden airstone skimmers. One of those studies showed how the wooden airstone provides the best bubbles for removing DOC's (by the way, I still have my wooden airstone skimmer tucked away somewhere). So it appears we haven't progressed, but have regressed. The only thing that has changed is the maketing hype and the bloated price tags. Have you even read this article,
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature ? Quite an eye opener....
I don't currently use a filter sock as I use a $50 gfo/carbon reactor instead as the GFO used to harden relatively quickly without constant attention in the filter sock. Glad you agree that the sock and carbon will outperform any skimmer, just curious how you came to the conclusion that the combo will actually take out too much?
50.00 for GFO....How often u replace it? you ever consider using catalytic carbon passively instead of in a reactor? Has aprox 50 times the surface area for removal opposed to a carbon block on ro/di systems.... I've been using it in my reload cartridges for my ro/di for close to 8 years..... It is expensive....Like 425.00 for an 60lb bag... (that was the last price I got.....I bought two bags......)
That gfo thru a reactor is a stripping magnet...coupled with a filter sock for sediment...That is a knockout punch for removing everything & anything that comes in contact with it!!! Driving it thru a reator.....Oh man....unless u start that process slow & gradually work it into the regimen u can have major tank issues caused by biological chemistry u r playing with.... Problems range from stn,rtn nucience algae, biopsis, sudden fish & invert death, oh & don't let me forget....expelling of Zooxanthella in corals (bleachout syndrome)& don't let me forget.... just ordinary coral shut down.......
so to answer ur question:
Conclusion was acheived first hand.....Actually sent my water out for analysis probably close to 10 years. Three different sources across the country specializing in the testing of brine solutiuons. cost me upwards of 1500.00... (to find an answer!!!) Maybe people can understand why my demeanor is the way it is in this advanced forum now....
You know what the conclusive results were? My organic level was 3.4 ppm where my target level for flourishing sps should b 1.4ppm...Yeah there were traces of other minor elements but not the cause of my problem...(they were in the ppb range).
Bottom line to the cause.....I tried to use local NSW...first time I used it....The corals opened up like they never did before in close to 5 years of reefing....Next water change....still open but not as extreme...by the third water change event...nothing.....& over the course of 3 months....corals started shutting down!! (easy less delicate stuff in the stoney family I may add) problem was....the dieoff of live organisms in the nsw when the temp was elevated was food for the corals in the first round....Until it started to polute the system....
After the test I tried to run GFO thru a reactor I started to get stn with no explanation...corals were slowly withering away it got to the point where I started moving corals to different closed systems to see if they would rebound... (they did with quick results) I left them in the other systems for three months....I could not beleive the growth spurts they acheived nor how happy they looked... I stopped GFO use....(leathers started to open up with a few days....) I started doing 5 gal water changes once in the am & once at night for a whole month with synthetic salt & ro/di water... I gradually tailed it down to once a day somewhere in that month & then every other day & so on.....So pretty much from that....It has changed my thoughts on tank maintainence....water changes should b smaller & more frequent....
(THIS IS JUST MY EXPERIENCES...i DON'T EXPECT EVERYONE TO FOLLOW MY LEAD HERE!!) so many factors have to b added from filter systems to brand of salt to suppliments added to food being fed in the tank, lighting,indoor co2 levels etc etc...even if u replicate what I've done u still may not find the same results...(u could actually set two or three sytems side by side that r identical except for the live rock & end up with different findings) SO how can anyone find a concrete answer with a phd or not?
If u want to try U may b succesful...but ur going to need alot of money to support ur quest!! (no family,job & don't let me forget.....hang up ur reef hobby cause u won't have time for it) The point of this story....Was simple....R u interested in reefing & learning....Or just learning about the complexities of reefing but not actually reefing?
Please don't get the wrong idea here people....Learning more about this hobby has brought us to where we r today!!! moderation....in moderation....when the quest for answers exceeds a certain level when do u draw a line & say....why am I here in this hobby? to be successful...& if trying so hard to find an answer to being successful makes me unsuccesful where will I end up? O U T spells out!!!
Hey Kevin,
BTW....how high do u run ur alk/kh & where do u balance everything out at? Ur carbon is getting hard quick because something has to be percipitating out of solution.. Maybe we should start a thread to find a conclusion to that to!!!
Heck....Lets just do all kind of chemical experiments, spend mad time on it & neglect our reef tanks!!!
Just joking....
couldn't help myself.....