subsea Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 The set up was purchased used 12 years ago with an alredy established mud filter. I do not know what is in Miracle Mud from 15 years ago. Water enters refugium first chamber of bioballs with an important function of gas exchange. Also bioballs break up detritus to enter mud filter at the bottom to be assimilated into biomass on bottom, crawling with worms and things. Over the years the mud depth has increased slightly and is spongy to the touch. The assumption that bioballs are a nitrate factory is quite academic. Both macro and coral will use the nitrate, I see no problem with the nitrate factory. If bioballs are a nitrate factory, then so is every shallow sand bed. I have used many different macros over the years. I am presently using Calurpea Prolifera. Aside from feeding it to fish, as a nutrient recycle technique, I am experimenting with a dehydrated veggie snack. Try it, you may like it. Because, I believe in multiple nutrient pathways and complex food webs, I find protein skimming to be detrimental to the bottom of the food web. Bacteria are the single most important component in the earths ecosystems. Just ask the Martians in "Battle of the Worlds". For those that say protein skimming produces the same or better results, I say where are the flame scallops and sea apples in there systems. Early in my 40 years of reef keeping, I made a choice to use natural passive techniques in my reef keeping. It has served me well and I like it like that. Lights on display tank are a mixture of 250W MH at 14K, 260W of actinic power compacts and just recently, a 4' LED fixture from MAKE MY LED. Refugium lighting is 120W of 6500 kelvin CFL bulb. With the added refugium lighting I evaporate at least 2 gallons per day. Water changes are not scheduled. Only when vacuming gravel is any water changed. Trinity Aquifier water enters tank with no treatment. Fish bioload is one mated pair of Oceallarius Clowns. They have the tank to themselves. More later/pictures coming. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 patrick what is the red/yellow/purple critter to the left of the first image? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 patrick what is the red/yellow/purple critter to the left of the first image? Sea apple... it is real nice looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Sea Apples are exotic marine Venus Fly Traps. After 40 years of reefkeeping I got my first sea apple sixteen months ago. I now have three in my orchid. I stir up sandbed to feed detritus and bacteria to numerous filter feeders. When there is much food in suspension, the Sea Apples have a ring of stalks with smaller feeding tentacles that capture food. As one stalk is going into mouth with captured food, another stalk is been withdrawn in a well coordinated technique to capture and feed. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 The one that was in first picture has red feathers. This one has orange feathers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Looks good. Your sea apples are really cool. I see that baby clam is hanging in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Looks good. Your sea apples are really cool. I see that baby clam is hanging in there. Thank you. I really do enjoy these Sea Apples. The first picture is my lower lagoon tank that I dubbed Red Planet. The second picture is some GOM curated rock with emerging red macro that look as if it may be Dragons Breath. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I found a baby gold Molly tonight in my tank. So they do reproduce in SW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 When the orange mollies get under the red LED, they really do glow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 After working on sandbed with much vacuming, I have removed cynobacteria. This is an early morning shot with one 4' lamp from BUILD MY LED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Looks so clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 I am dealing with residual and dwindling cyno outbreak. Since I switched to open top tank, it has been easy to vacum the sandbed of cyno. I am moving rocks and things around. Enjoy the pictures. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 That's a nice macro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nwehrman Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Looks great Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 I like it when the Apples are feeding. These orange/red tentacles are absolutely gorgeous. Now that I have an apprentice, quality videos are assured. I hope that I can do it justice with this iPad. The water is cloudy from stirring sand beds to feed detritus and bacteria to hungry filter feeders. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 This tank is really looking good! I love the sea apple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 The colors on that apple are about as good as it gets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 Moving things around so took some pictures. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Looks good. Your clam looks like its grown quit a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Looks good. Your clam looks like its grown quit a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 Two months ago, I removed macro from the refugium and replaced with live rock. In my twelve years of operating this tank, I have never had so much trouble with cynobacteria as I have experienced in the last two months. The reason I made the change was to remove the heat source from the 120W of compact florescent. During this same time period, the MH fixture and the canopy were removed and replaced with BML fixtures. Very nice clean look to top of tank. I can not rave enough about these LED fixtures. Plus, access to perform substrate maintenance with the slim line of these fixtures. With tank top open, I have lowered operating temperature 4 degrees to 77. Today, I will go back to my macro filter and re-install the refugium light. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 that's interesting about the cyano and the rock. i've almost gotten rid of the cyano in my tank. but i have a compartment in my sump that is full of rock and that rock is covered in cyano. it's in the return chamber, so i'm afraid if i leave it there it will continue to be sucked into the DT, so i may get rid of it. otherwise, it seems like it would be a fine phospahte filter. those apples look great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 that's interesting about the cyano and the rock. i've almost gotten rid of the cyano in my tank. but i have a compartment in my sump that is full of rock and that rock is covered in cyano. it's in the return chamber, so i'm afraid if i leave it there it will continue to be sucked into the DT, so i may get rid of it. otherwise, it seems like it would be a fine phospahte filter. those apples look great. The funny thing about cyano is that is that it's hard to tell which came first. When you have cyano your phosphate reads 0 but you wouldn't have cyano without phosphate for it to feed on. I recently killed mine in 4 days by reducing the lighting period to 4 hours per day and then doing a 20% water change after all of the cyano was gone. I also replaced my PhosBan at the same time as the wc. Patrick, what's the name of that macro on the far right next to the G. Hayi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 that's interesting about the cyano and the rock. i've almost gotten rid of the cyano in my tank. but i have a compartment in my sump that is full of rock and that rock is covered in cyano. it's in the return chamber, so i'm afraid if i leave it there it will continue to be sucked into the DT, so i may get rid of it. otherwise, it seems like it would be a fine phospahte filter. those apples look great. The funny thing about cyano is that is that it's hard to tell which came first. When you have cyano your phosphate reads 0 but you wouldn't have cyano without phosphate for it to feed on. I recently killed mine in 4 days by reducing the lighting period to 4 hours per day and then doing a 20% water change after all of the cyano was gone. I also replaced my PhosBan at the same time as the wc. Patrick, what's the name of that macro on the far right next to the G. Hayi? according to patrick the cyano feeds on the type of phosphate that isn't in the water so it is not measured by a water sample. i need to update my build thread, so i will discus my cyano woes there for anyone interested and let patrick have his thread back . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted September 19, 2013 Author Share Posted September 19, 2013 that's interesting about the cyano and the rock. i've almost gotten rid of the cyano in my tank. but i have a compartment in my sump that is full of rock and that rock is covered in cyano. it's in the return chamber, so i'm afraid if i leave it there it will continue to be sucked into the DT, so i may get rid of it. otherwise, it seems like it would be a fine phospahte filter. those apples look great. The funny thing about cyano is that is that it's hard to tell which came first. When you have cyano your phosphate reads 0 but you wouldn't have cyano without phosphate for it to feed on. I recently killed mine in 4 days by reducing the lighting period to 4 hours per day and then doing a 20% water change after all of the cyano was gone. I also replaced my PhosBan at the same time as the wc. Patrick, what's the name of that macro on the far right next to the G. Hayi? I do not know the name. It grows too slow to list for sale. Come visit, I'll give you a cutting. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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