subsea

Getting back to NNR, it really doesn't matter where the bacteria are housed. They can be in a cannistar filter used as a denitrator or in the depths of sand beds as well as in live rock With respect to a utilitarian RDSB, a five gallon bucket half full of arrogonnite will process ammonium and remove the end product of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrate is removed as a free nitrogen gas molecule. However, other nutrients are still in the water, detritus and phosphate. Prevent detritus from accumulating on this sandbed and clogging it up. I prefer to use the velocity of the water to carry particulate matter across the surface of the sandbed. Use a substrate that is smaller than 2 mm. I like Caribsea Special Reef Grade arrogonnite. The velocity of water across the surface is increased by maintaining the least amount of level across the sandbed. A filter sock on raw water can assist with detritus removal. I prefer to use a mud filter with a vegetable filter at this point. As water leaves the RDSB, it enters the first chamber of mud filter, bio balls break up detritus to allow it to be assimilated in the primeval ooze in the mud . In my mud filter of five years, the mud level has increased. I see anaerobic conditions immediately below the surface. Holdfast from fast growing Caulerpa are almond the mud as well as too many worms to identify. This is the incubator that feeds the reef. To continue removing nutrients from the water column requires macro uptake. I like fast growing Caulerpa that is ediable to the fish. At this point nutrient export happens with punning and removing. Nutrient recycling takes place when macro feeds the fish. Depending on your bio load, you may not need multiple nutrient pathways. I like the added insurance. Patrick

Someone wrote some inaccuracies in that article, Jaubert did not use protein skimmers. Patrick

Yes, with qualifications. If you put 1 lb of nutriants a week into a 20 gallon tank, it will not work. You must have sufficient volum to provide bio-filtration. There are many ways to do this. It depends on your existing set up to accomplish goals. I have just this year started using a lagoon method of responsible reef keeping that was pioneered by IndoPacific SeaFarm in Hawaii in which he used no sulfide bacteria or partial water changes. In fact, at the Next Wave conference two years ago, I had in fact challenged him, just before he went on stage as one of the main event speakers. It made no sense to me. Why weren't the nitrates coming up? When biomass is in fact your nutrient sink and your biological filter at the same time. Nothing else makes sense. This is one form of bio filtration. You must limit your food input until system matures sufficient populations. In a recent post on DSB, it was asked what was a remote deep sand bed. In the most utilitarian sense MarcV asked if a five gallon bucket half full of aroggonite would accomplish natural nitrate reduction. Yes. The complete nitrogen cycle with bacteria can only be accomplished in an oxygen reducing environment. Only live rock and DSB methods accomplish this. to be continued Patrick

The whole point to my discussion on partial water changes was to high light that the permanent solution was bio filtration. It comes in many flavors. A five gallon bucket half full of Florida Crushed Coral will provide an army of work a bees. I say turn loose the power of the bugs. While not his biggest fan during his younger years, I find Ron Schimck to be an authority in DSB methods. When he reported bacteria populations doubling in thirty minutes, I saw the logic of "bug power". La bonne temps roulee, Patrick

When karma is good, one should buy a lottery ticket. Patrick

I will lite off a small bonfire and have gumbo with left over BBQ. I might even sing to the moon. Irish Whiskey has pronounced influence on me. Patrick

While drinking morning coffee before sunup, I was surprised at the brisk coolness in the temperature at 47 degrees. It makes for good bonfire events. Last night, I almost lite off one of my wood piles but not enough spectators, but it is available at the drop of a hat. After hours bonfire, after 20 oct frag swap is a grande wood pile, that requires moving all covering on my greenhouse before I light the fire. This event will last to dawn. Some pickers from ejammers will provide a jam session. They usually last all night. I may be getting older, but I like it that way. Patrick

Rob, I know the feeling of being the kid in the candy store. If you have time come look at this Florida live rock. While the rock is not available for sale yet, I have much diversity in macros. If you want more macro in your new tank, come see if you want some starts. Patrick

At 6W per gallon, expect heat. In setting up my 135G lagoon, I initially used 1000W MH at 12" above tank. With a 20" box fan, I maintained 81 degrees in the tank. Let us continue to follow the energy consumption. With MH, half of that energy is wasted heat. The fact that the heat needs to be removed by your house AC or a chiller means that on a 1000W light, you are required to consume 1500W of electricity to get 500W of light. Assume $0.10 per kilowatt hour and assume 12 hour light cycle. 1.5 KW times 12 hours per day times 365 days in a years times $0.10 per KWH. It cost $657 to use the MH fixture. The power company is the winner. Only you can decide how much of a savings that is. Patrick

If my wife were still with me, she would have kicked me out of our house for stacking up 500 lbs of water at the 6' level next to our $5K entertainment center. In the early days of our marriage, we left Dow Chemical in Freeport, Tx to move near Baton Rouge, La so that she could pursue a two year masters program as a social worker. I had just started working for an offshore drilling contractor as a rig mechanic on semi submersible drilling rigs with a 7 day on / 7day off work cycle. Shortly into this schedule, on going home day 7, my relief rig mechanic did not show up at the heliport for crew change day. This put me in the position of working his shift and being required to work my third 7 day hitch in a row. Cheryl was in her first trimester with our second daughter and she was having much morning sickness lasting all day. Before leaving on the heliport on day 1', I arranged delivered flowers to perk her up. That very same day, my first 55G marine tank overflowed 20 gallons on an ugly shag carpet. It still smelled in the house after 21 days. She told me that after cleaning the bulk of the mess, after the first born had been put to bed, she was sobbing and thinking of ways to hurt me, when the flowers were delivered to our home. Saved by the flowers. Patrick

Chip, Your children are doing fine in my high nutrient cube. Patrick Come watch college ball this afternoon. You can see them better that way. Patrick

I like red. I have no idea what this is but it is pretty in red. Patrick

Actuately, Tim, I was being obnoxiously silly, but I would recommend brackish and not sensitive marines. The few damsels and clowns that I have in my outside grow out manage to thrive in it. In one case, I subjected 7 Hippo Tangs to fresh water for 6 hours. I lost every macro and invert in all my sandbeds, but the Tangs thrived. If someone had the money to spend, then a two ton heat pump with titanium tube and shell heat exchanger with the RO unit that you mentioned could easily run a 500G raised pond. If you treated it like an above ground pool, then a deck at the surface on one side would provide seated viewing. Add to that a waterfall to assist with evaporative cooling. Even in the winter time, you may find it necessary to cool water. It would be durable here in the Hill Country. If you choose a lagoon theme, I can help with macros. Patrick

I like that thought. I will frag some Frogspawn in there. Patrick

In viewing tanks from the top, under natural sunlight, the blues, reds, yellow and orange stand out vividly. The clownfish and the Blue Yellow Tail Damsel are gorgeous from above.

To accomplish the complet nitrogen cycle requires denitrification chemistry using facultative bacteria. These bacteria live in an oxygen reducing enviroment. Depending on the grain size determines the rate at which oxygen concentration is used up. This determines at what depth facultative and sulfide bacteria perform denitrification chemistry. Using Caribsea Special Reef Grade aroggonite, I would use 2"-4" minimum. On my Jaubert Plenumn, I use Caribsea Florida Crushed Coral at a 4"-6" minimum. In my mud filters, I use .5"-1.0". If you want to talk more about denitrification, start up a thread. I do not want to hijac Bio3 thread. Patrick

Morning sunlight filters into tank for about 30 minutes. I hope you enjoy pictures. I know that I am. Patrick

In all of my outside tanks. There is much fluctuation in salinity because of the large amount of evaporative cooling required. My make up water comes straight out of the Aquifier with no pretreatment. On the hottest of days, I would evaporate 50 gallons in one day with a 1000 gallon system. For this reason, I would highly recommend lagoon type livestock similar to what would be in a mangrove swamp setting. Temperature and salinity fluctuations are common in these inshore habitats. Patrick

Tim, You have infected us with your shark wading pool. The next thing to happen is an attack from LAND SHARK with loud soundtrack from Jaws. Patrick

I took out all my prop kits on MaxiJets used in my seaweed propagation system. I have two that you can have. I find them too tempemental and not as dependable as power head.

Poppy ****

Use a DSB. If I can do it in the tank without extra equipment, that's what I like to do. Patrick

I like that set up. I will be doing something similar in my greenhouse with a 55 drum as a Carson Surge device. Timfish is responsible for me going over the edge. Patrick

You need to stop thinking like a Berlin Style reefkeeper, if you are going to do an outdoor pond. While you can use live rock, I would not use standard live rock from tropical reefs. Unless you spend big dollars, the temperature will fluctuate to the detriment of the diversity on rock. An exception to this would be rock collected from the Gulf of Mexico. In its environment, temperature is not stable. I have numerous mollies in my systems for many years. I would suggest that you use about 1" of aroggonite with mollies and GOM live rock. I have display quality macro that you can attach to dense limestone collected in your backyard. I would not put reef fish in this outdoor setting unless you commit to higher bills with heating and cooling water. Patrick

Temperature control is the real issue. I have well over 1000 gallons in different Rubbermade tanks, some buried in the ground and some tanks sitting on the ground under a greenhouse with 60% shade cloth. While my electric bill in summer would normally be close to $400, it has been over $750 twice this summer. Anything is possible, I grow ediable seaweed in the Texas Hill Country. Come visit if you want to know more? Patrick