Natural reefing

[surfedelic]

Des,

Your chiller sounds abit smallish for your tank Titan 1500 can only support up to 250 gal. Does it run all the time or break in intervals during summer ?

Glad to hear there is some success stories for skimmerless tank

Do you have some data on water parameters ?

[vagabond]

yah, share some more details of your seawaorld with us.

also, wander how often do you change the water and how much of it?

full view please.

[nicholasloh]

wowie

[auberon]

zowie! Can't believe that's in a home....

Hopes someone tries this and posts his or her results....

[ervine]

5x400W... OMG!!! that's like an electric sun over ur tank!

[desong]

Surfedelic - the chiller can handle between 180g (maintain upto 5.5C) to 360g (upto 2.5C). It's on for about 10 hours, basically almost the entire time the lights are on, no surprise there!

As for water parameters, I'll have to confess I don't test as often as I should have. The following data was prepared for a book about three months ago:-

Specific gravity: 1.023-1.025

pH: 8.1-8.2

Alkalinity: 2.0 meq/l

Calcium: 320-360ppm

Nitrate: Undetectable

Phosphate: Undetectable

Vagabond - the tank receives between 5-30% every 4-6 weeks, depending on work load/schedule.

Auberon - the system isn't located in my home, but in a boardroom at work.

Ervin - it really isn't a lot of light when you have 15 sq/ft and over 3ft of water to punch through. I don't blame you, as originally when I first set it up, I too thought 1 x 400w was a lot of light, never mine 5!

[Eric]

Surfedelic - the chiller can handle between 180g (maintain upto 5.5C) to 360g (upto 2.5C). It's on for about 10 hours, basically almost the entire time the lights are on, no surprise there!

As for water parameters, I'll have to confess I don't test as often as I should have. The following data was prepared for a book about three months ago:-

Specific gravity: 1.023-1.025

pH: 8.1-8.2

Alkalinity: 2.0 meq/l

Calcium: 320-360ppm

Nitrate: Undetectable

Phosphate: Undetectable

Vagabond - the tank receives between 5-30% every 4-6 weeks, depending on work load/schedule.

Auberon - the system isn't located in my home, but in a boardroom at work.

Ervin - it really isn't a lot of light when you have 15 sq/ft and over 3ft of water to punch through. I don't blame you, as originally when I first set it up, I too thought 1 x 400w was a lot of light, never mine 5!

Desong, what abt the lighting specs (how much kelvin?) and photoperiod? Is the tank having DSB?

Calcium and Alkalinity so low also can ar? Alamak, now you confuse me.......do I really need a CR....hehe?

Eric

[auberon]

Oooo.. boardroom. okay. Still amazing anyway.

Is the system connectec to any FR. Starting a new tank. Hopefully soon. So might try this out. Anything to watch out for during the early stages?

[[JS]]

how do we noe tat we going to use how many kg of Miracle Mud?

does it come with a folmua?

[Alentino]

that is goin to cost a bomb

[desong]

Dood - you're right, but I do have sand - I just prefer the look plus I think 'ecologically' is more complete. As for the bio-balls, I use coarse & static mats and they do get washed from time to time with cold (chlorinated) tap water.

Eric - 4 x 14K & 1 x 20K, for about 10 hrs per day. No DSB. Despite my previous post, you should strive to achive 420ppm of Ca2+ and 3 meq/l of alkalinity. There's a calcium reactor but it isn't coping with the uptake. FWIW, I've kept corals at lower levels BUT I don't recommend it, unless you're really up on bio-chemical processes... (not in anyway suggesting that you don't!)

Auberon - what's 'FR'??

JS - you should aim for about 5kg per 50gal.

Kkoil2000 - see above for lighting. Yes I know it's hard to believe, but definately no skimming here!

Alentino - are u referring to the cost of using the MMud? The mud + lighting are about 60% of an appropriately sized skimmer, roughly speaking.

Here are a couple of full tank shots as promised - one from the side 1m x 1m while another from the front 1.5mx 1m.

Des

[d00d]

Thanks for da reply, desong! Really cool to see such a tank being possible. Your colourful Anthias are all over too!

[Batman]

Impressive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[freddychin]

I'm more than happy to answer any question you may have...

Lighting consists of 5 x 400w HQI & 4 x fluorescents.

Des

Des,

Care to share which brand and how many K(kelvin) MH light you using ?

and HQI is a DE (Double End) or SE (Single End) MH ?

Could you share with us a photo of your tank sump ?

thx

regards

[chselee]

Des,

Impressive!

Btw,

How about the water circulation? Any special equipments use?

Type of dietary for the LS ?

[tuan]

Des,

Very nice set up!

How do you control algae in the main tank? What I don't follow is without skimming, you have nutrients in the water column everywhere, so algae should grow everywhere where there is light. So why wouldnt algae grow in the main tank as well?

[desong]

Chselee - I have a Tunze Stream (the smallest, can't remember model no.), and 2 Sequence 750 for water movement and recirculation through sump. The fishes are fed with a mixture of quality flakes, high protein pellets and several varieties of frozen diets.

Feddy - see my previous post for sump photos + Kelvin readings. I'm using a mixture of Radium & Arcadia SE bulbs at the moment. Do they make 400w DE? I've not come across any yet... what's the difference?

Tuan - by algae I'm assuming you mean nuisance/hair algae. We do have fine dusting of green alga on the glass/walls and then there’s the blue-green, although technically not an algae. Controls are mainly via herbivores: tangs, snails & starfishes (Asterina sp.). In a mature & balanced system you shouldn’t get a great deal of measurable N & P, with or without skimming. In contrast to popular believe, IMO, the Miracle Mud System doesn’t actually simply ‘filters’ the water, although the macro algae culture does play an important role in nutrient export, especially in the early stages when the tank is maturing. Rather, it ‘encourages’ nutrient/food uptake through facilitating the presence/growth of greater number of animals & plants (than heavily skimmed systems) – essentially ‘forces’ all inhabitants to try and form a natural balance or greater level of nutrient cycling. It is not possible to achieve this entirely in the limitations of an aquarium, hence it still necessitate water changes, calcium additions etc. etc.

I find it difficult to cover large areas with regards to the various microbial bio-chemical processes in the confines of a forum as most are not so clean-cut and many are interlinked. I’m happy to continue answering brief spec related questions here and if anyone is really into the more in-depth stuff, I suggest you contact EcoSystem Inc. in US or phone me if you can bear the phone bill!

Des

Hydnophora exesa left, Montipora capricornis (?)

04-07-2004

07-07-2004

09-07-2004

23-0702004

[Chris]

Picture tells a thousand words. It's amazing the time taken for the war to end. Do you always let nature take its course or would you try to relocate corals to avoid the war? I'm facing the same problem. My encrusting brown monti and (more precious) purple monti came into contact while expanding....sadly the purple one is losing.

[danano]

Very nice tank Des.

That lethal hydno looks like it's just going to keep growing and growing, killing everything in its path. Do you have plans to move, remove or frag it? It look encrusted on LR though.

[Alentino]

a stunning biotope that you have created Desong. but i've always wondered about this question, is skimming that unnatural since it happens in nature too? i myself have seen foamy mucks being washed ashore by pounding wave actions