weileong

pH of main tank.

Trend of main tank temperature. Return pump was shut down this evening for some maintenance (slight rescape) on the tank so causing the temp spike.

Ian, I hope I don't paint the wrong picture to you. I am not pushing down the DSB but rather trying to tell the main source of PO4 in my tank. Am I right to say that the DSB is leaching PO4? We don't deny that the source comes from somewhere and that is from the waste of the fishes. From your post seems like you're trying to imply that with DSB in place one should keep very light bioload if not you end up with PO4 problem and supplement method like algae filtration or PO4 absorbing media should be used. We can always clean the sandbed but those waste don't just drop onto the top part/surface of the sandbed, they get accumulated into the deeper part of the sandbed, do you want to clean deep down and disturb the DSB?

If I know I already got liao. I think it's a good investment rather than trying to use salifert PO4 testkit where the colors at very low concentration is next to impossible to see and telling yourself the PO4 is undetectable.

Day 10 of Barebottom and PO4 0.01ppm. Fishes (including 4 tangs) are feed daily with NLS pellets. All fat and healthy fishes and not paper thin super weak fishes that can get stuck at powerhead anytime. Do you still need PO4 readings 2 weeks later??

Day 10th of BB system. PO4 has dropped to 0.01ppm. Did 4 test back to back, I couldn't believe it myself. Here's the results. 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.01 The fishes are fed daily, I can't torture my fishes for the sake of SPS (low PO4). If like that might as well keep a fishless tank You wouldn't feel good with paper thin fishes swimming ard in your reef right?

It is possible to remove the tunze without removing the egg crates. I've cut the strainer so it should require lesser maintenance. I guess acylic rods would be more suitable as PVC pipe might have dead water column. Jim, all those LPS are very normal stuffs, anytime also can find one.

Maybe like you said due to stress, since day one it arrived in my tank the polyps been like, but I also quite lucky, the colony get stressed for ard 1 yr and still not RTN/STN yet lol. At least now it's showing some improvement, will monitor and see how it goes Wish me luck hor.

Bro, got lar look carefully and that being said I just went to check out that colony and the polyps are "more more" (fury fury) as usual. Oh ya are you referring to the brown one or the pink one? If the brown one then the polyps always been like that or I ID it wrongly? When I mentioned "zeovit system" (ya I know this word a bit sensitive) means I employ the full system and follow their recommend husbandry like 5-10% water change, frequent cleaning of the skimmer collection cup to ensure skimmer working at max efficiency. Making sure all water parameters are good and stable etc. So running zeovit system is not a matter of dosing a few drops of "SKII" and then expecting some magic to happen in your tank.

Ian, you have already agreed with my points yet disagree with them again. Firstly the DSB do not break down PO4. 2ndly due to the waste accumulating and collected on the sandbed, PO4 will be generated after all the waste are broken down. What happens in the long term? PO4 accumulation unless PO4 absorbers are being used. You let the waste break down and produce PO4 and then try to remove it. You already agreed with the BB system, PO4 and NO3 will be lower compared to running the DSB citing the reason that they are run differently. Yes what is the difference? The difference I've already mention earlier in this post that is to allow the waste to accumulate and finally broken down into NO3 and PO4. The NO3 will be further reduced by bacterial action but may I ask you what will happen to the PO4? It is going to be slowly released to the water column. I understand that you are trying to say that the PO4 accumulation in the DSB is caused by high bioload, now unless you don't stock any fish or LS that generate solid waste, if not any waste that drops onto the DSB will accumulate inside and later caused PO4 problem. May I ask if this is not PO4 sink then what is it?

There you go, nothing much to show. Hey WIP like mine also can show ma.

Latest shot after adding 1 tunze 6080 under the rocks to prevent dead spots below the rocks.

Tunze 6080 installed at the bottom under the rocks, now the tang poo are automatically "flushed" away, I'll still need another tunze 6080 but currently PR out of stock. Maybe two weeks later. Now all the detritus either get skimmed out or settled at the sump, siphoning will be done there to avoid stressing my fishes.

At least my tank got nightsoil man..... some reefers dun even know need to employ nightsoil man lol. To tell the truth when one reefer friend told me his tangs got "toilet" I didn't believe him at all until I saw my tangs doing it lol... this must have been the main source of the PO4

Here's what I meant by my tang's toilet - pile of tang shit. The only big fishes I have are my tangs I just siphon them last night and now one pile again. With the DSB, all these shit are going to accumulate and decompose and finally PO4 is released. I just got a tunze 6080 to add circulation to the bottom of the tank so all these will be blown away and let the skimmer handle it instead of letting them pile up and cause nutrient problems later. I guess for my situation BB is better.

Ian, I agree with you on your points but this is limited and true only if one is using the "pure" berlin method without any supplement methods like the use of PO4 remover, denitrator, zeovit, ammonia absorber media like zeolites etc. Now the interesting part. The tang shit near the sandbed at the low flow area and the shit dropped onto the sandbed to be decomposed. End results? Inorganic PO4 which cannot be skimmed. Now with BB system and higher flow at the bottom of the tank, the tang shit but this shit is blown and suspended in the water column and easier for the skimmer to remove it. End results, lesser in-organic PO4. That is what I meant by the sandbed "releasing" inorganic PO4. The key is to remove as much as possible before they are broken down. With the DSB it is just not possible to blast the DSB with high flow. So how to deal with the inorganic PO4? Use zeovit system Oh pls not going to start a discussion on zeovit system here. Keeping a low bioload and with that having good water parameters is so easy, the challenge is having higher bioload yet maintaining good water parameter

Zeovit system

You could let the dirt settle down for 2-3hrs then pour the water back to the main tank. You need more flow at the bottom

9 months into zeovit Glad I got thru the first 4-5months.

That's due to weak lights.

Orange with red polyps + blue tips Hyacinthus frag.

No more update? Here's my millepora from Iwarna, finally starting to color up after going BB and getting direct MH.

For me 4 days after switching to BB, my PO4 reading dropped from 0.06ppm (had spend 8 months working hard and only reduced from 0.22ppm to 0.06ppm) to 0.03ppm measured abt 4 days ago. Where did the PO4 source came from? Obviously from the DSB. What did I find out? My tangs were shitting at one corner of the tank, big pile of shits were found there daily. I had to siphon them out daily till I get a tunze installed soon so I could get them into the water column and let the skimmer do it's job. BTW there were not sandstorm during my DSB days even with 3x6100 and one 12,500 l/h Red Dragon blasting in the tank. When I removed the sandbed, only the top 2" layer is a little dirty, the bottom 6" is totally clean, exactly like when I put them into the tank 1.5yr ago.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?...=0entry394458

If small amounts are added, the skimmer should handle it and if any ammonia will be absorbed by the zeoliths.