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

[Dr. Dendrostein]

@Jomama
Fifeteen years ago, we stressed bacteria in activated sludge with a resultant uptake of phosphate. We were told by the bug doctors that the phosphate was uptaken to repair bacteria membrane. Does that make sense to you?

From all the reading on water treatment, I've read. Anaerobic process at one point was suppose to remove nitrates and phosphates, I believe at certain orp readings. That all I know

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

the permeable coral wall is made from coral skeletons & a mortar of coral sand & rock salt mixed with white cement.
Water flows through it & over it.

I think I do something similar without know I did it, but with crush clay. Yours I would think very efficient.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Steve,
I heard you the first time.

Can't we all just get a long?

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I think I do something similar without know I did it, but with crush clay. Yours I would think very efficient.

The rock salt added to the mortar disolves eventually leaving the structure more porous & permeable so water flows through it.
Besides making the flow of water through the cryptic zone more gentle the wall would provide some nitrification & de-nitrification & provides a place for filter feeders to populate, as is happening, slowly. ;Bookworm

 

[Subsea]

the permeable coral wall is made from coral skeletons & a mortar of coral sand & rock salt mixed with white cement.
Water flows through it & over it.

I love it. Rock salt dissolves allowing porosity through the cement.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I love it. Rock salt dissolves allowing porosity through the cement.

There's surprisingly little cement in the mortar. I think I used a ratio of course coral sand to cement of around 5 or 6 to 1.

 

[Subsea]

There's surprisingly little cement in the mortar. I think I used a ratio of course coral sand to cement of around 5 or 6 to 1.

This is a great concept. For people that don’t have a lot of room for refugiums, this is a perfect mechanism to have an econominal in tank refugium. Two displays with shared biofiltration. By eliminating predators, pods and algae can grow on one side with display for rest of tank or you could spruce it up with ornamental macro like red grapes or Dragons Tongue. Two seperate apex predators could share the same biofiltration.

 

[Subsea]

Since I am the OP, I will digress some. In my living dining room I have two display tanks, the 75G tank on this thread and a 7 month old 120G new build. Also in my living room are two 55G grow out tanks and two 55G algae tumble culture tanks. The top algae tumble tank leaked at seam about 15G. Water goes a long way on a wood floor. I would prefer monoculture tanks but 55G tumble culture has both Gracilaria Hayi and Halymenia dilatata.

Outside aquaculture consist of six 150G tanks: one glass and five Rubbermade tubs. Many pods and mixed utilitarian macros. Picture inside only. It is 105 degrees on back porch.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Why all the macro algae tanks? Do yo sell it?

 

[Subsea]

I sell wholesale to market in Austin. Outside mariculture will be refugium kits with live food: pods, grass shrimp and green mollies. I am retired from deep water drilling. Growing things keeps me busy. I grow most of the vegetables that I eat. I shut down my large outside system in a greenhouse with 10,000G. Cost to cool water and run my home peaked at $1000 one month. While it was fun to design and build, I failed miserably at marketing. With insufficient revenue, I shut it down.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I sell wholesale to market in Austin. Outside mariculture will be refugium kits with live food: pods, grass shrimp and green mollies. I am retired from deep water drilling. Growing things keeps me busy. I grow most of the vegetables that I eat. I shut down my large outside system in a greenhouse with 10,000G. Cost to cool water and run my home peaked at $1000 one month. While it was fun to design and build, I failed miserably at marketing. With insufficient revenue, I shut it down.

Thats unfortunate.

 

[Subsea]

My daughter fussed at me for letting it go. She wanted me to market Red Ogo. Instead, she is going to do hydroponic veggies in the greenhouse to supply her catering business.

 

[Paul B]

This point you made supports how my 25 year old refugium mud bed increased in depth by 1/2”. The mud felt spongy to the touch.

This is my Son N Law lifting my UG filter for the first time in maybe 25 years. The bottom half inch or more was just mud. No gravel what so ever. But the water from the RUGF kept going through it.

 

[Subsea]

Dr Ron, the Mud Scientist, would be happy to know this. Did you have the time to investigate for micro fana & fauna?

@Paul B
My newest build at 7 months was modeled after your 45 year old tank with RUGF: 120G on top with 40G cryptic refugium on bottom.

 

[Paul B]

Dr Ron, the Mud Scientist, would be happy to know this. Did you have the time to investigate for micro fana & fauna?

Of course, I moved the tank along with everything in my home that I lived in for 39 years in the same day so I also had time to get my nails done, exfoliate my face, get a foot massage, travel out to the wineries and taste 6 varieties of Pino Nior, write 2 more chapters of my new book (NOT) and try on some New Balance sneakers.

So the answer to that , would be No. I didn't even have time to get most of that mud out so the people who bought my house are having to deal with it. They were going to put goldfish in that tank so I hope they like worm infested mud.

 

[Subsea]

Of course, I moved the tank along with everything in my home that I lived in for 39 years in the same day so I also had time to get my nails done, exfoliate my face, get a foot massage, travel out to the wineries and taste 6 varieties of Pino Nior, write 2 more chapters of my new book (NOT) and try on some New Balance sneakers.

So the answer to that , would be No. I didn't even have time to get most of that mud out so the people who bought my house are having to deal with it. They were going to put goldfish in that tank so I hope they like worm infested mud.

I understand those thoughts.

I have been exercising some softer tones in the conflict resolution part of my male psychic, “Men Are From Mars”. Instead of “worm infested mud”, I would tell the new tenets, “squiggly things”.

I am a firm believer that the mud in your filter is the heart of a complicated ecosystem that begins with bacteria and algae. I have read research papers that documented “quorum sensing” with biofilms that cover all wet surfaces.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11544353

Bacteria are smart, they communicate within the coral holobiont.

 

[najer]

Lots of cogs just clicked into place then, I have an off the shelf tub of mineral mud and 4 new containers waiting, this just answered a big question with me, no I won't be removing the 4 old trays, I will be adding 4 fresh trays on top!

 

[Subsea]

@najer
I have started systems with mineral mud. I have been told that mm among other things is heavy on iron. I now mostly use Seachem iron rich substrate with no socks in my sump. Detritus builds up creating these zones in time.

Simon,
Please discribe your system here. For certain, I will check out your tank journal.

 

[najer]

@najer
I have started systems with mineral mud. I have been told that mm among other things is heavy on iron. I now mostly use Seachem iron rich substrate with no socks in my sump. Detritus builds up creating these zones in time.

Simon,
Please discribe your system here. For certain, I will check out your tank journal.

Don't hold your breath here for a tank description, I am not big on testing and stuff!

 

[Subsea]

I should have said, tell me about the cog that fell in place. No worries either way.