Did you guy read Sunday ST ?

[minsmarine]

Just wonder

NO WATER CHANGE FOR 1 YEAR...................

And using ........................................ 20 years old technology and talking about

rubbish............ ( and claim themself new technology with bio ring and bio ball )

and showing of , dying clam ( from picture ), and school of clown.

really pain.........

I am just wonder whether they do home work ? or they are just simpley

wonder what kind of technology standard they are studying ? 20 years ago ?

[Creetin]

yeah saw that. they must be marketing canister filters in tanks! same wine, just different skin...

fine for fishes, no good for corals i bet.....

[shiraz]

im doing civil and structural engineering and im very close to the marine engineering site... and i have to say, the marine tank influence is slowly spreading thru to my building!

there are already 2 marine tanks in my hydraulics workshop. i asked the lecturer, why of all places put it here as he is the one mantaining it la... the bugger said.. "because here got long hose and all easy to top up water"

he actually showed me a monti cap which was white and said "see that one hard to keep and it's surviving wad this is proven leh wait awhile i think would have an article in the papers abt this"

true enough abt 1 mth later (today) i read the article!!

i told him, sch got so much money might as well invest in better equiptments right? then he said "this method a lecturer study for half his life do research and all then u say it's old ah? *laughing* tell him la see what he do!"

anyways, this article might result is more posts entitled "help my fishes are dying" in the New To The Hobby section! why one some1 say it's not easy to keep marine fishes?

btw, have u seen a domino damsel in a goldfish bowl? i have

[huanjie]

Its amazing, they need to build a "prototype" to use bio ball... as if bio balls are their inventions...

The whole story is about one year without changing water...

lazy article with little reseach done and misleading information ... ...

How about trying to put a lecturer in the sewage and do a story about it if he survive to walk out a year later.

[optimus prime]

another story of the old and new.ths thing never ends.what you use now may not be good in the future.

[limbssg]

The reporter had not done background research with regards to the history/development of marine fish hobby and shows much ignorance in this article. Hopefully, will not see another wave of 'nemo craze' in SG....

[surfedelic]

I think the idea of not changing water is quite an interesting topic. I scorned at the idea too as i have never seen a tank with nice growth. But my perception changes when I read about an article in reef central about a guy not changing water for 2 years .. and his is a full fledge sps tank. The growth is amazing - the colors was superior ... I think an explanation in the area of additives for such a setup ..will be an interesting one - rather than just passing a casual statement.

[acura007]

Not changing water is possible. Use some logic thinking and you'll find its possible.

Just thk about it, where is our big boss in heaven skimmer? Understand the eco system and do your chemistry, its possible.

[mUAr_cHEe]

Not changing water is possible. Use some logic thinking and you'll find its possible.

Just thk about it, where is our big boss in heaven skimmer? Understand the eco system and do your chemistry, its possible.

no offence.... but what logic exactly???

how can any tank in this world replicate the ocean eco-system??

seriously?? are you one of the four in the papers on sunday???

whatever frederick francis does.... i... i.... i just cant find any word to describe it.

not changing water.... how is it possible??? yes... possible for damsels and dead fish.... i just can't agree more!!!!

then again.... maybe its me being a jerk... trying to bring down whatever that has frederick francis name attached to it.... same "steven lim" syndrome....

but seriously.... how is it possible??? no water change...

even for me.... i am running a 5 feet tank (huge water volume) with a 1 metre cube sump/refuge... with 1 feet DSB.... i also dun dare say my system no need water change....

okie... we do give abit benefit of doubt.... maybe bioballs and coral chips are under-rated....

even still... u compare both system.... how can DSB be lousier than man-made stuff???

maybe frederick himself will like to step in and explain to us all here?

[huanjie]

the article was first explaing what bio balls with baterials do, then praising how the the tank can go on for a year without changing water itself is very misleading.

not only addictive , how about the constant chemical war the coral wage among each other to fight for space, that require water change to get rid of , unless the species are selected correctly. I think for FOWLR setup or selected species reefs tank , it is possible to go without changing water if you can solve the nitrate export problem.

[barnacle]

Just thk about it, where is our big boss in heaven skimmer? Understand the eco system and do your chemistry, its possible.

try to observe along the beach

during high tide till low tide......ebbing period

u will find natural skimmer

[35Cents]

Not changing water is possible. Use some logic thinking and you'll find its possible.

Just thk about it, where is our big boss in heaven skimmer? Understand the eco system and do your chemistry, its possible.

Yes. A tank that requires no change of water is possible. Saw a few like this in RC forums...but we are talking about VERY mature reef tanks that had been around for years even decades... and for the first few years still required changes of water and there is no guarantee it will be no-change-water-tank. In addition, the equipment used in such matured ECO-ESTABLISHED tanks consist of CR, chiller (or heater), MH lights (for corals), super-efficient skimmer and other godly items. But the tank we talking about here only got PL lights and weipro 2011 skimmer. Skeptic or paraniod you think we are? The answer so simple.

[corrado]

wasnt there a similar article few years back?

that frederick was bombed left right centre.

AT should write in to the ST forum.

[dleecool]

It says no water change but never say how many fishes had died mah!! He didn't change water doesn't mean he never change fish!!

[Ekia]

Not changing water is possible. Use some logic thinking and you'll find its possible.

Just thk about it, where is our big boss in heaven skimmer? Understand the eco system and do your chemistry, its possible.

Yah of course it is possible not to change water. You will just be able to have simple FOWLR. Notice that tank doesn't even has coraline algae? Says something about that tank. I personally used to have a 4 gallon nano tank with no water change for 1 year as well. Using UGF. My clown and damsel 'surving' inside for a year with no water change at all. However, ever since I transfer them over to my 4ft which has a lot more equipments and water change, the colour of the fishes actually brightens up. As long as the system is able to convert the harmful NH4/NO2 to NO3, there's no need to change water. This is what that lecturer is doing. Using bio-balls to house lots of bacterias for this sole purpose. Simple concept which has been known to hobbyist for many years.

Really wonder about the credibilty of the lecturer. These bioballs stuff has been around for so many years. I'm is this hobby for slightly more than a year only. Those lao jiaos care to share how long have the bioballs 'technology' been around? Seems like this lecturer is just interested to just make a quick buck.

[Chris]

'No water change and only top-up' tank is possible....but must also be contented to build a large tank with good equipment just to house a few fish and simple corals. (Then it's like a whole world to 2 persons on earth theory) Most hobbyists, if spent thousands on such equipment want to keep more exotic stuff...then 'no changing water' becomes impossible.

I do agree that the reporter has not done his/her research to realise that their feat is chicken feet in many experienced hobbyists' eyes.

[aStRoBo|]

just read that.. very misleading. keep hardy fishes maybe the case for no water change, but no to corals and not-so-hardy fishes. Myabe that article is a commercial posting.

[Chris]

Such sensational news will always capture attention and inadvertibly cause some people to take the plunge without thinking further. It will boost the business of CR and cause the death of many corals and fish.

Remember chemipure's claim of 5 year without water change?

[Rocks]

I think the article covered is too shallow and to an extend misleading. It never mentioned about what equipments / components (ie. skimmer, lights, CR, FR.. etc) the tank used to sustain the water quality without the water change for a long period of time (ie: at least 1 year)

If its just only uses the so called Advanced Biological Filtration System (super efficient filtration system) without any equipments and can sustain no water change for a year !! ... then i won't mind paying $5000 for a 1.8m tank (inclusive of set-up) (mentioned in the on-line article) !! ...

Leave me thinking ...

(1) Sounds like they are using a fresh water-tank system concept to host marine life.

.

(2) No water change for a year... BUT constant and frequent CORALS and FISHES change every 2 weeks.

.

(3) Those buying the Advanced Biological Filtration System idea will likely gets their pocket burnt thinking that by paying $1000 (or slightly more) for a 90cm long glass-box is all they need to maintain marine life... and then making water changing as one of the CNY spring cleaning task.

.

(4) A sad story....

Extracted from the on-line arcticle

March 6, 2005

No need to clean this fish tank for one year

Bacteria in super efficient filtration system does all the cleaning

By Sharlene Tan

FISH hobbyists who dislike the hassle of cleaning their tanks now have a solution: a low maintenance tank in which the water does not need to be changed for at least a year.

The super efficient aquarium filtration system, developed by a Singapore Polytechnic lecturer and his students and manufactured by Coral Reef Aquarium, has become a commercial success, with sales so far reaching $4.5 million.

The system was an extra-curricular project started in 2001 by maritime law lecturer Frederick J. Francis, 43. He began developing it when the polytechnic's Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA) said it wanted a fish tank for its office.

'I told them, we're a maritime academy, we should get a proper one,' he said.

The biological filtration system uses bacteria and micro-organisms to convert toxic ammonia, produced from fish waste and dying plant matter, into less poisonous substances such as nitrites and nitrates.

It has chambers in which filtering devices like plastic 'bio-balls' and ceramic 'bio-rings' provide areas on which bacteria can flourish.

The modified system, called the Advanced Biological Filtration System, slows down the rate of water flow to ensure that the bacteria is not washed off the filtering devices.

About 15 students have worked on the project, with new batches joining each year.

Final-year maritime transportation management student Charlene Chia, 19, said: 'We work on Saturdays for about five hours, but it's a hobby project so we don't mind.

'I not only learn about the components of a fish tank, but also how beautiful marine life can be.'

Captain Francis, who has two aquariums at his Bukit Timah home, approached Coral Reef to make a prototype.

Impressed, the company sponsored the tank, which now sits at the SMA office.

Coral Reef managing director Dan Lee, 45, said: 'Keeping fish is sometimes more like keeping water. With the usual filtration systems, there is a need to change the water regularly, so the new system is good for our customers.'

Captain Francis added: 'It's a win-win situation for both parties. Our students get experience, we get our tanks made free, and Coral Reef doesn't have to spend so much on research and development.'

The tanks, manufactured at Coral Reef's Tagore Lane factory, can cost from $1,000 for a 90cm-long one, to $5,000 for one measuring 1.8m, inclusive of set-up.

Restaurant owner David Lee, 48, bought a tank at the Aquarama exhibition in April last year.

He said: 'I haven't had to change the water since I bought it. I just top it up. The water is clear, the fish are happy.'

[Cookiemunster]

I think the article covered is too shallow and to an extend misleading.  It never mentioned about what equipments / components (ie. skimmer, lights, CR, FR.. etc) the tank used to sustain the water quality without the water change for a long period of time (ie: at least 1 year)

If its just only uses the so called Advanced Biological Filtration System (super efficient filtration system) without any equipments and can sustain no water change for a year !! ... then i won't mind paying $5000 for a 1.8m tank (inclusive of set-up) (mentioned in the on-line article) !! ...

Leave me thinking ...

(1) Sounds like they are using a fresh water-tank system concept to host marine life.

.

(2) No water change for a year... BUT constant and frequent CORALS and FISHES change every 2 weeks.

.

(3) Those buying the Advanced Biological Filtration System idea will likely gets their pocket burnt thinking that by paying $1000 (or slightly more) for a 90cm long glass-box is all they need to maintain marine life... and then making water changing as one of the CNY spring cleaning task.

.

(4) A sad story....   

I got quite worked up after reading that article. Its sad how the papers can just report blindly. It just goes to show how much truth there is in journalism.

It just takes a rich guy who has alot of time to one day sue them for his own tank setup in which stuff keep dying.

It also makes me wonder how smart all these journalists are. I should just tell them to interview me to let them know I was the first person to invent light contained in a box. And thru many years of research I managed to harness the correct luminance and wavelength thats suitable for corals. No need sunlight ever!

These days, it seems singaporeans are just good at one thing. Copying other people's designs and claiming credit.

[jc85]

Did anyone saw the half dead maze coral?

[blueheaven]

I have since written a letter addressed to Frederick Francis asking him to elaborate on his system. Can't believe he is also working with Sentosa to create dunno what coral garden

[minsmarine]

Dead Coral Garden of Singapore OFF SENTOSA

Haa Haaa

4.9Million $ sale

Hmmmm just wonder, whether that company going for public listing soon.

If they do I sure SHORT SALE their stock to make money ( FOR SURE MAKING )

It's so sure that sure than no need to change water forever.

[FuEl]

Hmm...a pushing factor for me to go PhD to knock some sense into them? No point arguing with them unless reporters see you on par with them. For one thing, slowing down water flow to prevent bacteria from being washed off the filter medium is the biggest joke I have heard. No good filteration media will be so smooth.

[Rocks]

Can we invite the students and lecturer in here for a discussion? (if they dare to)