25 year old 75G Jaubert Plenum on top with 30G EcoSystem Mud/Macro

[Subsea]

Today is Rip Tide Day: 25 year old Jaubert Plenum out and Reverse Flow Undergravel Filter In

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Today is Rip Tide Day: 25 year old Jaubert Plenum out and Reverse Flow Undergravel Filter In

Huh?

 

[norfolkgarden]

Let us know how it went. I have considered it but I have been far too lazy to take out 200 pounds of rocks and add a RFUG. Afraid the plates would crack under too much rock.

 

[Subsea]

Let us know how it went. I have considered it but I have been far too lazy to take out 200 pounds of rocks and add a RFUG. Afraid the plates would crack under too much rock.

Removed all liverock. Removed all substrate. Lifted eggcrate and installed 1/2” PVC piping on bottom of tank. The void under eggcrate was filled with a very soft muck from 25 years of accumulation. Repositioned eggcrate with fierglass screen covering. The 5G bucketof substrate was lightly washed out with well water, then covered up the egg crate and establishing reverse flow, up thru the Plenum. Allowed all HOB & canister filters to ruń for 4 hours with water clearing up enough to position liverock and then 2 hours later add back fish.

Everything looks to be good. Will take pictures when lights come on in 3 hours.

 

[Subsea]

With Blue Devil Damsels removed tank has taken on a more mellow mood. Five Pajama Cardinals are playing nicely. I think a school of ten would look better with a school of five clowns. The main culprit in this tank was the Melanarius Wrasse.

 

[Subsea]

Two days after:

Just added a few pieces of small rock and a second green sinularia, so water clarity is a bit stirred up. Inner glass needs some cleaning bur I defer unnecessary intank activity to reduce stress in fish.

Two very nice surprises were a tube anemone from 5 years ago and a flower anemone that were exposed when I reorientated live rock upon viewing new aquascaping.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Two days after:

Just added a few pieces of small rock and a second green sinularia, so water clarity is a bit stirred up. Inner glass needs some cleaning bur I defer unnecessary intank activity to reduce stress in fish.

Two very nice surprises were a tube anemone from 5 years ago and a flower anemone that were exposed when I reorientated live rock upon viewing new aquascaping.

Its alive!!!!!

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Whats this one

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Found it, yhx

 

[Subsea]

Whats this one

I have had a huge 10” diameter flower anemone for many years that began wandering about two years ago. I was preoccupied with other aspects of my life and lost track of it. I guess it’s kind of like seaweed going sexual and putting numerous spores of self preservation into the water column. I got at least one of those spores.

PS:
With respect to the Green Sinularia, I had purchased a frag the size of my thumbnail for $45 more than 30 years ago, while traveling thru New Orleans from my work 200 miles due south of New Orleans on a Transocean semisubmersible drilling rig. As a subsea engineer, I had numerous conversations with Shell “Company Man”. When I showed him the connection with maintaining a fragile eco system as a reef tank with a once thru flow of water that we floated on then what better way to demonstrate environmental impact than with a thriving filter feeding tank. He immediately wrote up $100K AFE with their environmental engineering oversight. It was a huge success. We were floating on top of a large zooplankton reactor of Blue Water from the Gulf Stream in 3000’ of water. I was like a kid in a candy store with that kind of budget. In good faith, I couldn’t spend all of the money for only tank inhabitants. We included a TV monitor to make remote viewing available by using our satellite data link. Both Shell & Transocean public relations departments as well as sales department were estatic to use these videos. It was a fun time.

 

[Subsea]

Tank gets a Christmas present in red: 6 flame scallops & 2 red tree sponges.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Beautiful!

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Tank gets a Christmas present in red: 6 flame scallops & 2 red tree sponges.

You've done it again, Grandpapa. Beauuuutiful.

 

[najer]

Looks great.

 

[Subsea]

Aquascaping from the Lazy Boy:

 

[Subsea]

Continue vacuum cyno mats from gravel with victory within sight. I manufactured a shade overhang with circulation a major consideration. Eggcrate box worked out best. Awaiting Calurpae Prolifera to hide white grid. I also remove two circulation pumps and added air lift from phytoplankton reactor air supply.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

OK Subsea, what is this, & have the authorities given appropiate approval for domestic use?

 

[Subsea]

OK Subsea, what is this, & have the authorities given appropiate approval for domestic use?

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aqua...S2_JC-tSDhbWq-8o0_gGoORtoiNxPrjwaAgz8EALw_wcB

Acrylic tube with LED rope light with 4:1 ratio of red to blue led. Initially led rope was 16’ but tube was too warm. After two test runs, I cut off 8’ and then another 2’. Final cut reduduced wattage from 50W to 22W with a water temperature of 87 degrees. I paid $120 for tube with brackets and $20 for rope light. I have a second phytoplankton reactor that I made from a water thermos jug. It has 15W of PAR 38 bulb and 78 degree water. I reduced air flow rate to increase water temperature. This diy cost < $30.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

How is the phyto progressing in the two?

 

[Subsea]

DIY is operational for less than 12 hours. Acrylic tube has 14 days of operation with darkening color noted. Both culture were started from AlgaeBarn seed stock.