My tap water, low flow 55!

[fritz]

I've decided to throw up a thread of my "poor man's 55". I started this tank inspired by Archie's Zoo and Ric tank from a few years ago:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-08/totm/index.php
I also wanted to test what we actually "know" about reef keeping.

I use straight up tap water. I mix my salt 15 minutes before I put it in the tank. I vastly overfeed. I keep the tank overstocked. I use xenia and zoanthids for nutrient export. No sump, no fuge.

It's an AGA 55 with 70 lbs of live rock. Aqua C remora with Maxi-jet 1200. Closed loop run on an Eheim 1262 (pushes about 800GPH) and an additional Maxijet 1200 for extra flow behind the rocks.

My nitrates are ZERO! I have ZERO Nuisance algae! I overfeed on purpose just to see if that changes but no matter what I do, no nitrates, occasionally I get some cyano and kick myself for overfeeding. When that happens I use Phos-pads in the surface skimmer box of my remora and perform water changes, siphoning out the cyano.

For lights I use 2 110watt VHOs run by an icecap 660. My SPS growth has been insane! My purple Digitata was brown but now it's turning purple. My Monti Caps grow very quickly. The zoos grow like weeds as do the shrooms and GSP. I must say that I'm a bit surprised by the SPS growth. I'm not expecting them to color up very well but I do expect they will continue to grow out of control.

1 Bulb is Actinic White (I've read it's the closest to natural sunlight, spectrum wise). The other bulb is a 6500k. The color combination is a bit blue but I like it.

My only problem is detritus. I keep my sand bed > 1inch and after siphoning off the cyano I'm now left with about >.5 inch. Detritus buildup becomes an issue in a tank with such little flow. My rock work doesn't make it possible to maintain enough flow over the sand bed to make a DSB a safe enough alternative in my opinion. I don't have enough flow or a powerful enough skimmer to go DSB. I'm kind of in limbo on this.

Now for the pics.... I'll post more later.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

how long has the tank been up and running with tap... do u use any polyfilters, carbon, phosban.... tank looks great by the way

 

[House of Laughter]

FYI - cyano is nuisance algae, sorry.

:shhh:

House

 

[fritz]

FYI - cyano is nuisance algae, sorry.

:shhh:

House

Hahhahahaahha, I know.

It's on such a small scale and such a direct result of my actions that I don't count it. It really only comes out when my bulbs get old or when I upgrade my lights. I've had three outbreaks so far, one during the cycle and one when my PC bulbs got old and one when I went to VHOs.

The tank has been up for one year with tap. I use phos-pads now and again but not with any regularity. I run carbon in the return part of the surface skimmer of the Aqua C for a few days every couple weeks.

No phos-ban reactor because I don't have clearance for it as a HOB and without a sump I've no where to put it. I agree that adding one in would be a good idea. I've heard that Phos-Ban is great for removing more then just phosphate. Using tap water I could use the extra filtration that a phos-ban reactor would add.

Another thing that surprised me was how well my candycanes have done. I got about a five head piece from SlamaJama and I placed them down at the bottom. Well it seems that candycanes like low light, low flow dirty water because I've fragged them a few times. I've now got about 15 heads scattered around. Go figure.

 

[fritz]

More pics...

 

[fritz]

Ro/di

I've ordered an RO/DI for my setup. It was pointed out that I appear to have diatoms on my back wall and yes I am in the midst of a cyano outbreak. While my tap water only experiment was fun I have no idea what I'm putting into my reef. As the argument goes, "with all the money invested in a reef tank, why would you use anything other then RO?"

I think I've been lucky so far but this reef will be RO/DI only soon.

 

[fritz]

So much for tap water and low flow!

After the cyano outbreak from hell (literally!) I turned my 55 to a fully RO/DI high flow, BB tank!

The cyano was so bad, I brought my alk to dangerously high levels and the cyano loved it, I added in Phos pads and the cyano didn't care. I increased the flow and syphoned out the cyano and it made no difference. So I went BB, changed 70% of the water with RO/DI and so far so good.

I have an Eheim 1260 running a closed loop, a Maxi-Jet 1200 with the Melev mod (not the stream mod), a Maxi 600 and an Aquaclear 80 powerhead (or something like that) plus the Remora with a Maxi 1200. I used plain old cutting board for the bottom and I love it. My tank is sooooo clean. I was never a fan of BB but after trying it I love it.

I added in some cheato (Thank Astoria!) and I like the look of it in the rocks. After a few week of having to pruce it I may change my mind but right now I like it. Hopefully the cheato and my xenia will pull any phosphate that may be stuck in my rocks from a year of using tap water.

I'm thinking of switching to a the Tunze 6000 kit and pulling all my powerheads & Eheim out. The lower wattage usage would be nice. I'm not sure if the Tunze will be able to replicate the random flow that I have now. Anyhow see pics below!

 

[scarf_ace1981]

looking much better. if you like sand i would still put it in. the cyano problem wasn't the sand but the tap water and since you've changed that to ro cyano should be no problem. it still may take a while to fully get rid of the cyano

 

[Quang]

haha glad to see u swtiched fritz...tank is 100% better.

 

[cali_reef]

I keep the tank overstocked.

How many fish, what they are, and what size?

I use xenia and zoanthids for nutrient export.

How do you use xenia for nutrient export? I see like 5 stalks in the pictures. In order for you to "export" something, a physical removal of the exporting medium is required. Having xenia and zoas in your tank does not automatic "export" unwanted nutrient.

 

[DevIouS]

Looks cool~

You might want to up-grade skimmers, since you went BB.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

If you do upgrade your skimmer let me know how much you want for your remora

 

[DevIouS]

Vulture!

:tongue1::lol:

 

[fritz]

How many fish, what they are, and what size?



How do you use xenia for nutrient export? I see like 5 stalks in the pictures. In order for you to "export" something, a physical removal of the exporting medium is required. Having xenia and zoas in your tank does not automatic "export" unwanted nutrient.

You're quoting my old setup. Zoanthids will remove or use up nitrates I don't need to remove them from my tank in order for them to perform that function. It's not like they'll leach the nitrates back into the tank if I don't get them out quick. Same with the Xenia, I'll prune it if it encumbers it's neighbors but if I don't it'll still pull phosphate out of the water. Export means to go from one place to another. When nitrates are absorbed by the cheato in your sump, well I guess that would be an import, then you would export it by removing it. Ok so then I use to use zoanthids and xenia for nutrient import. Now I've added some cheato to help them along.

My zoanthids did a remarkable job with the nutrients. I've had the tank setup for a year and I've maintained 0 nitrates the whole time. In fact other then my nitrites coming down to zero I was unable to tell the end of my cycle because my nitrates never spiked! I've switched test kits, tried it on other people's water to make sure it works etc. That's why I started over feeding, just to see if I could get some nitrates in the tank. (Obvious to see where that was going to lead)

I have 2 ocellaris clowns, a coral beauty, 2 scissortail gobies, a yellow bellied damsel and Hector the 6 line wrasse.

One skunk cleaner shrimp, 2 halloween hermits, 3 red leg hermits (might be one now, haven't seen two in a while), 4 trochus, 3 astraea, 2 turbo and 3 margarita snails.

Yeah my Remora is certainly working overtime now. I was afraid that I would have to go bigger once I went BB. So far so good but yeah I'll let you know when I upgrade. I'll give you first dibs on the Remora.

 

[fritz]

Vulture!

:tongue1::lol:

hahaha.

I'll let you both know and you can "chooze for it!" (todays' old school throw back line)

 

[Deanos]

My zoanthids did a remarkable job with the nutrients. I've had the tank setup for a year and I've maintained 0 nitrates the whole time. In fact other then my nitrites coming down to zero I was unable to tell the end of my cycle because my nitrates never spiked! I've switched test kits, tried it on other people's water to make sure it works etc. That's why I started over feeding, just to see if I could get some nitrates in the tank. (Obvious to see where that was going to lead)

Can you provide additional information (books or Internet) about where you learned of zoanthids & nitrates? I've never heard of that connection.

 

[fritz]

Can you provide additional information (books or Internet) about where you learned of zoanthids & nitrates? I've never heard of that connection.

My mistake I pulled up an old wetwebmedia response which I remembered incorrectly. I had asked them why my nitrates had never spiked in spite of my actions. Their response was not that the zoanthids were the reason, but that my rock / skimmer were most likely the reason. Their only mention of the zoanthids was that they'll tollerate notrates more then other corals.

:smash::banghead::headache:

 

[DevIouS]

hahaha.

I'll let you both know and you can "chooze for it!" (todays' old school throw back line)

LOL!


Nah......I'm good. I don't need it.