Carlson the GSP in the 55 (skimmer off) has covered it's rock and is starting up the glass on it's own since I turned the skimmer off. I have a anthelia (sp?) rock that was like one third covered when we got it. 6 months later it's been harvested twice and you can't see much of the rock.
The 180 has three kinds of Xenia and a small GSP colony. I shut the skimmer off on it Friday to give it a two week test. The blue Xenia "looks" like it's taking an interest in my experiment but I really do everything via pictures every couple of weeks. As soon as this is over I am moving some of the Xenia over to the 55 to start hopefully growing it so when the 125 cycles and comes online in November I have xenia and anethelia (again, sp?) for one side and cheato in the other. The xenia side will have a small skimmer in it just in case it's ever needed.
I disagree on a better system, I just experiment more than some would. I do have a skimmer on that tank just in case but just as I noticed with the fuge on the 180... as it matured I got less skimmate, even with a more densly populated tank. I had the anethelia in the 55 and during one of the tantrums the aquamedic skimmer has I noticed it and the GSP had grown. OK. I shut the skimmer off and we're a couple of weeks into a self cleaning tank. I am sure someone will come up with a way something is wrong before it's all over but so far the experiment is working.
The 180 has three kinds of Xenia and a small GSP colony. I shut the skimmer off on it Friday to give it a two week test. The blue Xenia "looks" like it's taking an interest in my experiment but I really do everything via pictures every couple of weeks. As soon as this is over I am moving some of the Xenia over to the 55 to start hopefully growing it so when the 125 cycles and comes online in November I have xenia and anethelia (again, sp?) for one side and cheato in the other. The xenia side will have a small skimmer in it just in case it's ever needed.
I disagree on a better system, I just experiment more than some would. I do have a skimmer on that tank just in case but just as I noticed with the fuge on the 180... as it matured I got less skimmate, even with a more densly populated tank. I had the anethelia in the 55 and during one of the tantrums the aquamedic skimmer has I noticed it and the GSP had grown. OK. I shut the skimmer off and we're a couple of weeks into a self cleaning tank. I am sure someone will come up with a way something is wrong before it's all over but so far the experiment is working.