25 year old 75G Jaubert Plenum on top with 30G EcoSystem Mud/Macro
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dvgyfresh
2500 Club Member
Beautful tank! I think we share similar thought processes with tank design/ maintenance, although I am just getting into reefing. I also run a wet / dry filter in my sump with a refugium , the bio balls are coated with many sponges / pods running aroundThe tank has seen little change in 25 years. Jaubert Plenum was designed to use facultative bacteria in a low oxygen environment to perform denitrification biochemistry. Substrate was 6” deep with false bottom making a Plenum under substrate. Plenum performed well until the introduction of Melanarious Wrasse to control Red Planaria, which unknown to me eliminated my detrivore crew. With a 6” dsb with 25 years of detritus, I made the major decision to vacum sandbed down to < 2”.
After removing several hundred pounds of substrate while syphoning out over 500G of water over a two week time period, I now have a thriving mixed garden with ornamental sponges and ornamental macro along with numerous other filter feeders including flame scallops and numerous fans & feathers that I have no clue to the name, but I consider it a healthy bioindicator.
So, water flow from top to refugium goes into rock rubble first chamber (wet/dry) where gas is exchanged and detritus is broken up and settles into large second compartment with mud. In 25 years, I have never replaced mud. The depth in mud filter has increased in depth from .75” to 1.5”. It felt spongy to the touch and was crawling with worms. When I converted from macro refugium to cryptic refugium, I turned out the lights, composted tomatoes, added eggcrate in mud bed so rock was clear of mud, seeded cryptic sponges and have been very pleased. The flow thru this refugium is much higher than recommended by Steve Tyree.
Flow in my tank is supplied in tank with one HOB at 400GPHR and one Cannistar filter at 300GPHR.
Flow from refugium is 500GPH.
Lighting is supplied by three 4’ BMI 108W bars with a color spectrum of 12K.
Fish include:
Blue Damsels(7)
Flame Angel
Coral Beauty
BiColor Dottyback
Green Mandarin
Blue Chromis
Banggi Cardinalfish
Melanarious Wrasse
Sailfin Blenni
Sponges include:
https://www.live-plants.com/orangesponge.htm
https://www.live-plants.com/elephantearsponge.htm
https://www.live-plants.com/yellowball.htm
Softies:
GSP
Yellow Colonial Anemone
Xenia
Green Sinularia
Cabbage Leather
Red Mushroom
Ornamental Macro
Bortacladia (Red Grapes)
Chemical filtration is seldom used, but due to some cynobacteria, I am using phosphate resin and GAC.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
Thank you for kind words. It’s all about diversity and recycling, I emulate nature.
Last week an interesting thing happened with two tanks going sexual. The first sign was not having to clean film algae from viewing glass for more than a week on the 55G ornamental seaweed lagoon. Then the tell tale sign of while tips the day before. When I woke up in morning, I could not see back glass. Fast growing Caulerpa Parvispora and fast growing Red Gracilaria both were oozing white clouds. In the past, I have added activated carbon to HOB filter to remove white cloud. Instead, as the lights had just come on, I added 20ml of liquid ammoni. Water cleared up in a few hours at which time, I removed dead macro. Because of the excess of healthy, fast growing macros, I performed a very large prune & export of Bortacladia & Red Ogo into 25 yr mature 75G tank. The next day, established C. Paspoidoides in 75G tank went sexual.
On first two pictures, note translucent tips on some of the green macro.
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Subsea
5000 Club Member
“although, I am just getting into Reefing”
After I looked at your thread list, I must comment that I think you are an “addicted reefer”. It’s good that your future soul mate supports you. Who knows, you guys living on Pacific Coast could collect stuff together. I used to make an outing for the family when I went fishing at the Gulf of Mexico coast In Louisiana.
My biggest surprise with your post embracing old school nutrient recycling was your age of 27. What kept you from being a techie to manage your reef?
My two favorite quotes for the techies that want to micro manage their ecosystems are
Less Technology / More Biology
Natural Reef Aquarium by John Tullock
As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey
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dvgyfresh
2500 Club Member
You’d be right , the hooks are in deep. Wow I love that quote!! Partly budget is one reason that I don’t have the apex / trident combo but at the same time I think that letting nature take its course is equally important. All tanks are different ecosystems and I think chasing numbers is a never ending rabbit hole rather would let the biological filters do the work. Another benefit is I get to enjoy the tank more rather than stress the numbers
Subsea
5000 Club Member
It’s true, I was 27 and the internet didn’t exist.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
I further thought on what you said about what style would be ideal for NPS. While I can’t brag about success with NPS, I firmly believe that diverse food webs that recycle nutrients as live food are best for all systems.
At this point, I would try a deepwater Gorgonion.
You would be fine with an NPS gorg with how you manage things. I shall try to enable you and say "GO FOR IT!!!"
Thanks for all the interesting info and observations.
My 120 is BB and has alot of sponge under all the rocks.
My overfĺow is quite cryltic as I have never cleaned it since setup 29 months ago.
I have detrius under my rockwork that I will never be able to remove and their is alot of life their that can be seen at night.
I do run a skimmer that keeps no3 at <5 with my 15 fish.
I also run a 7" filter sock and a carx.
I just setup a remote 30g fuge plumbed into my sump.
3" sandbed some live rock from my frag systems sump.
I have 2 types of red macro and a ever expanding ball of chaeto.
No fish but a few crabs and snails.
The plan for the fuge is to do away with my media reactor that runs po4 reducing media to keep it below 0.1.
I was changing media every 3-4 days to keep levels below 0.1.
The fuge has only been running for 6 weeks. I was surprized at how fast and effective its been at keeping po4 below 0.1.
I changed the media after 2 weeks and po4 was still below 0.1 at 0.08.
I reduced media useage by 50% at the change also.
I have always used live rock in all my systems since the late 80's.
The 120 is 50/50 live dead. This worked very well and I would not go less than 50/50 on any future systems.
I have always thought that biolocical diversity is key to long term successful systems. That applies to whichever way you run your systems.
My system today.
My 120 is BB and has alot of sponge under all the rocks.
My overfĺow is quite cryltic as I have never cleaned it since setup 29 months ago.
I have detrius under my rockwork that I will never be able to remove and their is alot of life their that can be seen at night.
I do run a skimmer that keeps no3 at <5 with my 15 fish.
I also run a 7" filter sock and a carx.
I just setup a remote 30g fuge plumbed into my sump.
3" sandbed some live rock from my frag systems sump.
I have 2 types of red macro and a ever expanding ball of chaeto.
No fish but a few crabs and snails.
The plan for the fuge is to do away with my media reactor that runs po4 reducing media to keep it below 0.1.
I was changing media every 3-4 days to keep levels below 0.1.
The fuge has only been running for 6 weeks. I was surprized at how fast and effective its been at keeping po4 below 0.1.
I changed the media after 2 weeks and po4 was still below 0.1 at 0.08.
I reduced media useage by 50% at the change also.
I have always used live rock in all my systems since the late 80's.
The 120 is 50/50 live dead. This worked very well and I would not go less than 50/50 on any future systems.
I have always thought that biolocical diversity is key to long term successful systems. That applies to whichever way you run your systems.
My system today.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
@90's reefer
Kudos to your integrated system. I went to your last post on your build thread. The picture you posted does no justice to the inhabitants in your gorgeous tank. With that many fish, your oversized skimmer is required. Are those metal halides, how big?
I do like your remote macro refugium. What are your goals for it? Consider a display refugium to double your viewing pleasure.
Six months ago, I started up two ornamental seaweed lagoon tanks (55G & 30G) using diver collected live rock from Gulf of Mexico. Once these live rocks are removed from heavy herbivore grazing, they sprout what can’t be bought. I have allowed everything to grow at its own pace and just did harvest prune much red macro. It displays nicely with the tangs until they eat it.
Kudos to your integrated system. I went to your last post on your build thread. The picture you posted does no justice to the inhabitants in your gorgeous tank. With that many fish, your oversized skimmer is required. Are those metal halides, how big?
I do like your remote macro refugium. What are your goals for it? Consider a display refugium to double your viewing pleasure.
Six months ago, I started up two ornamental seaweed lagoon tanks (55G & 30G) using diver collected live rock from Gulf of Mexico. Once these live rocks are removed from heavy herbivore grazing, they sprout what can’t be bought. I have allowed everything to grow at its own pace and just did harvest prune much red macro. It displays nicely with the tangs until they eat it.
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Thanks!@90's reefer
Kudos to your integrated system. I went to your last post on your build thread. The picture you posted does no justice to the inhabitants in your gorgeous tank. With that many fish, your oversized skimmer is required. Are those metal halides, how big?
I do like your remote macro refugium. What are your goals for it? Consider a display refugium to double your viewing pleasure.
Six months ago, I started up two ornamental seaweed lagoon tanks (55G & 30G) using diver collected live rock from Gulf of Mexico. Once these live rocks are removed from heavy herbivore grazing, they sprout what can’t be bought. I have allowed everything to grow at its own pace and just did harvest prune much red macro. It displays nicely with the tangs until they eat it.
Yes MH 250 watt de 14K phoenix.
Macro fuge goal is to eliminate po4 reducing agents and go natural.
Also it will be a display fuge with alot of the things I cant keep in my display.
Not sure the exact directìon it will go but for now focused on po4.
I have been looking at all display refugiums for ideas.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
If phosphate reduction is a goal, I suggest you target feed nitrogen to encourage growth in everything. The N
ratio for many macro is 30:1.In my mature sand-beds, phosphate is always available.
My fuge has a 3' sandbed and should help down the road.If phosphate reduction is a goal, I suggest you target feed nitrogen to encourage growth in everything. The N
In my mature sand-beds, phosphate is always available.
I think of it as po4 managment instead of reduction.
I am looking at the fuge as a natural way to acomplish it.
Po4 levels in my system have been as high as 0.4 with no issues except some loss of color.
Time will tell as my fuge matures.
Yes. Same as turkey basting rocks.
Just test before the stir and you will see increase in po4.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
I think it’s a limpet. This one is dull yellow. Years back in the same tank, it was bright orange and stayed in light somewhat. They come in with diver collected rocks every few yrs I bring in a 200 lb shipment via air freight.
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