Big Daddy's Box of Water

[Big Daddy Reefer]

Well, here we go again!

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

I've got to start this thread with a story, eye candy will come so be patient.

December 2018, we're in Petsmart shopping for our dog's xmas present. Without a tank at the time, I wondered over to the fish section for a quick look at my past hobby. Behold!....a brand new 75 gallon glass tank and stand with SALE signs all over it. 50% off for xmas plus another 50% marked off for the missing canopy. Paid $150 bucks for a brand new tank! ;Woot Another $20 bucks at my LFS to drill holes in the back and I'm off and running! After the wife settled down I had to prioritize gadgets and gear. ;Blackeye

In past builds, I was all about technology but this tank won't have that type of budget. After some thought I boiled things down to three goals; cost effective, little to no maintenance and to produce a beautiful tank that persists for at least five years.

 

[GoVols]

Shotgun!!

 

[Seahorse man]

Following this thread, keep us posted![emoji226]

 

[count krunk]

excited to see how you are going to achieve your desired results.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

Thank you all for the support.

After I brought home the aquarium and stand, it was time to aqua-scape. In past tanks, it was a struggle for me....I never achieved my desired aesthetics, plus stacking rocks not only made me paranoid but it also created poor water circulation. The goal was to have rock-work that was unique, stable and allowed ample water flow throughout. I clearly needed to attach the rocks to each other, but I was not keen on mortar products. Either they were specifically designed for aquariums but far to expensive or would leach lime, cement or other nasty elements into the water. ;Stop

After a little research, I decided to use pond foam. Completely safe for livestock, workable and slightly flexible - I felt like it was the ideal option. The only draw back was color, everything I found was black which is a stark contrast to the white-ish dry rock. However, corals and coraline algae should easily disguise differences in color and texture - I was okay with the temporary appearance. The nursery section of our local big box home improvement center had pond foam in a can for $5.

As a fisherman, I know that fish congregate around natural (or unnatural) changes in environment ie, where flats become vertical, shallow water meets a deep ledge or even oil rigs in the middle of open oceans. So the decision was to create an aqua-scape that mimicked the transition from the edge of reef to caves and overhangs. Edge of the reef was to provide high flow and limited rock work for SPS and open water fish, while the overhangs and caves were created for softies, LPS, shy fish and inverts.

With concept and materials in hand, it was time to get creative.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

Started with dry stacked rock to my desired look, then foamed in place.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

Of course I can't leave the rock with blobs of foam, so I experimented with different cutting tools. The best was a Dremel with a drill bit to cut and carve the foam to be similar with the rock. I even added some hiding holes for fish and inverts. Lots of fun making caves, arches and vertical walls that I know will be safe and secure. No avalanches

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

It was time to start the cycle but I wasn't ready to setup the display tank, so I dusted off my old 30 gallon rimless tank and set it up as a display refugium in my garage. LED grow light, sand and water with dry rock and macro algae was all I needed to start the bacteria colonies.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

With the refug set up, I moved to initial setup of the display tank. Drilled a couple of holes in the wall and plumbed in two SeaSwirls on the return line for truly random flow (didn't want spinning blades in my display). Also installed my new reef octopus classic 202s, and built a new canopy.

I thought the BRS videos on lighting and comparisons between metal halides, T5s and LEDs was great. LEDs were compelling but with my limited budget, I decided to go with T5 retro fit kits. With the canopy built, I installed six fluorescent tubes on my old Reef Keeper LT power bar. Went with ATI bulbs, beautiful look and plenty of power to grow just about anything.

With everything running, I hit a huge brick wall
In all the tanks I've owned, never seen so much green algae! I was intentionally overfeeding the tank to generate plenty of bacteria, so I cut the food and increased my refug photo period to 24 hours which helped but it seemed to late - my display was completely immersed.

While I waited for the tank to stabilize, I stumbled across some VERY interesting information....

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

We've always been told that;

Ammonia--->Nitrites--->Nitrates
With nitrates and phosphates we grow algae, to no end. ;Drowning

BUT what if we could get ammonia to convert into nitrogen gas, thereby skipping nitrites and nitrates from being produced thus eliminating nutrients (and algae) before it even starts? ;Bookworm

What would happen? ;Nailbiting Would it negatively impact our beloved creatures? ;Dead What's the cycle time? ;Vamp

This relatively unknown information plus my own success is what compelled me to start this thread.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

Facultative bacteria, which can function in either an aerobic or in an anaerobic environment which can be created by an Anoxic Filtration system.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

Dr. Kevin Novak is an Ichthyologist. Post-doctoral studies in Limnology and Aquatic Microbiology. He has designed a new kind of filtration system using microaerophile bacterium called: facultative anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria. The filter system works as a network of never clogging negatively charged sites in baskets that are coined the name: biocenosis-clarification-baskets.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

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[temetvince]

I'm excited to see how this plays out. How quickly will the black foam get covered with coraline? How will it look underwater? Will the fish actually use the shelves and features you created as hang out spots?

Can't wait to see!

 

[temetvince]

(Always love uber budget tanks)

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

I started with red mangrove pods, after six months this is the growth

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

The little bits of algae are all that’s left from total takeover

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

I'm excited to see how this plays out. How quickly will the black foam get covered with coraline? How will it look underwater? Will the fish actually use the shelves and features you created as hang out spots?

Can't wait to see!

I just started dosing calcium, I’ll let you know but I suspect it will be covered by Christmas. I’ll video the fish and invert behavior tonight. Thanks for the support.

 

[Big Daddy Reefer]

(Always love uber budget tanks)

Uber cheap budget