Survey on Plenum

[pet]

Hi Fellow Reefers, I would like to have your input on the plenum setup vs the bare-bottom (no sand at all, just TONs of LIVE rocks) Old Berlin style. I would like to have actual real life experience not assumption, as my DSB has just collapse! Looking for ideas to reset to plenum and or Berlin(live rock only) preference is to have a live rock only main tank with Detritrator @ sump with monthly siphoning of waste at bottom.

Thanxs for any valuable feedback, especially whom have success over a 2 years period,

Pet

[UFO]

Hi pet,

newbie here

Still dun know what u guys meant by DSB collapse What's the sign & syptoms

[yazid]

I guess if your DSB crash.. chances are if you have a plenum... it will still also crash...

Probably your DSB is not ready to take the high bio-load yet...

[Tanzy]

Ja, how does the DSB collapse? How long have you had it for before the so called collapse?

I'm using a plenum in my 4' tank. Coming to about 4 years now. No problems.

[pospeh]

I guess I am on a modified Berlin style. Just tons of LR and a thin layer of sand on bottom for decoration.

Been running 3 years w/o problem.

Bioload on my tank is very low. For a 350 liter tank, I keep only 4 fishes.

[Achilles Tang]

Pet,

I have been running DSB for a few years... no problems, only good things to report.

What kind of crash are you talking about and perhaps you can give us an idea of your tank setup and maintenance habits.

[pet]

Thanks guys, I have see thick layers/patches of black & brown color forming thru the glass walls along & below the 4 inch sand. DSB has been great with 0~10ppm Nitrate level thru out the year. This might also be due to my high CLAM population in the Tank. Recent I notice that there's an algae boom, bothb red and brown slime and seeing lots of bubbles rising from the sandbed and also seeing bubbles form within and deep inside the sand bed. Everything looks good, NO, NH as good as zero, raise PH to 8.4 from 8.1 and rasie calcium from 500 to 750!, stop feeding for a week, but the sand bed still have the same sympton, have change 5 X 15% of the water over the past 1 mth.

I also want to clarify that, my setup is a 4inch DSB using grade 1 & 3 sand, lots of activity in the sandbed - worms & whatever you can name it........

Was wondering plenum is a better option?

Also with the price of aragonite at $150 ->20lbs pack?

I'm considering moving to a old Berlin style with lots of liverock and no sand base with my new 4ft tank?

Thanx a Million for your input,

Pet

[Tanzy]

Actually your DSB sounds like it is just about maturing well. The algae you are experiencing has nothing to do with the DSB, but due to poor circulation and insufficient skimming for your system's bioload increasing the DOC in the water.

[pet]

Tanzy, any comment on the following berlin setup as per attachment. I'm think of using such a setup for my new tank -> Ecosystem + Berlin.

BTW, any of the GURU here uses the ecosystem? Another American DREAM?

Thanks for Inputs,

Pet

[Phang]

Pet, many of us here uses the ecosystem...... aka as the refugium.......

[yazid]

Tanzy is right, doesn't sound that your DSB is crashing at all. The brown layer on your sand and glass looks normal in most tanks anyway. Opportunity for you to vacuum the layer out easily. Increase water movement and a good skimmer will help.

#1 & #3 at 4" seems to little. It should be 6" as discuss in the other threads.

[Tanzy]

Berlin system works. If you add enough LR to match the bioload and clean the tank of detritus regularly. I think they tend to have big skimmers too, since it's their only form of filtration. You'll have to dose kalkwasser too for berlin system.

[pet]

Thanks for everybody's input! Berlin for my next tank!

BTW, when I meant Ecosystem, I'm referring to the miracle MUD thing use vs a normal refurgium. Does this work?

Regards,

PET

[Achilles Tang]

Pet,

Suggest you read more abt Berlin systems before deciding. Berlin systems have more limitations than one with a plenum or a dsb.

You have to do regular suctions of all the detritus that accumulates at the bottom as there is no more any sandbed to help process it.

From what you described, your sandbed is working fine... so what is the crash you are referring to????

[pet]

Guess I miss out the important detail. There is this red slime algae boom just at the sand bed, even with 5x water changes over 1 mth + ###### out the aglae doesn't hep. My water current /motion is set full bast, with additional powerheads installed. Wondering if my sand has too much silicate? Added in several big bottles of Phosguard and NO and NH is all low. Totally lost.

Thanks,

Peter Peh

[Achilles Tang]

LOL! If that is what you mean by a tank crash... everyone of us have tank crashes every now and then!

If it's red slime algae, it's probably a high level of dissolved nutrients in the water.

Only a lot of water changes and a good quality skimmer can export this out.

Even Berlin systems get red slime algae.

Evaluate your system... are you overstocking? Overfeeding? Light bulbs are old? Time to upgrade to a good skimmer?

Silicates help mainly diatoms to bloom. Using phosguard would also help to remove phosphate down to low levels so the red slime will not grow too fast.

You can try blacking out your tank for two days... after clearing and washing the top layer of sand of the slime algae... reduce feeding, and after two days, do a water change and add new carbon and phosguard.

I did that and my slime algae disappeared.

[pet]

Thanks for advise, give it a try and see how it goes.

Pet