Defensive reefing - Controlled tank crashes may develop new Reefer's confidence

[The Rasta Reefer]

If all your main flow through filtration systems (sump, canisters, reactors etc ) went down for 9 months, could you sail your tank safely while adding livestock and feeding normally as if nothing happened? The Rasta Reefer thinks he can, and yes that includes turning off all return pumps on his 50 gallon marine tank.

Starting with shutting down the tank, moving everything out into holding containers, polishing the glass then returning livestock with all filtration off for more than 24 hours wasn't actually what I originally planned. Honestly, I was confidently nervous when the idea first came to me but what you are about to see is, well... i Never expected This.

So what led me to this? I was simply replacing an old filter with a new DIY design while filming it for my YouTube channel then something made me go hmmm.

Having maintained and serviced several fish only with live rock (FOWLR) and reef tanks all across Calgary and as I continue to guide new hobbyists in starting and managing their new reef tanks I quickly realized one thing, everyone's budget, expectations, learning curve and access to a personal tank coach plays such a critical role in success rates. What if there were a simple path everyone new to the hobby could follow to break the 90% failure rate? I think keeping it simple just might work to build confidence while keeping all our named sea creatures alive, happy and part of our lives for years to come.

There will be NO spolier alerts here, so I will limit my response to questions and comments until the entire journey which began April 2020 has been posted. Raw videos will be posted on the Rasta Reefer channel while pictures and Apex data etc. will be highlighted here on Reef2Reef.

Enjoy, cry, scream, shout, laugh, get angry... yes I've experienced all those emotions and way more while filming this journey as a part of my COViD lockdown stress relief, so no offence taken if you experience one or all of the same.

One Love,
the Rasta Reefer

P.S. as a Jamaican Rastafarian and Canadian ACMPR patient, natural herbs also inspire me so if that offends you don't watch my videos! if you choose to proceed then welcome to my winter home in Calgary on Day 8

 

[KrisReef]

I'm too you to view.

 

[MnFish1]

Sorry. What might be helpful is a plan. Step 1 2 3 etc you first post is contradictory

 

[MnFish1]

Sorry. What might be helpful is a plan. Step 1 2 3 etc you first post is contradictory

By the way - what I said wasn't clear (enough) - part got caught off.

By plan - I meant a step by step method that someone can follow (i.e. your plan up front). And I thought the post was contradictory, because it says - can you turn off all of your filtration etc off for 9 months - then you say you put everything in buckets and restarted filtration after 24 hours.

That - I believe you can do. I do not believe anyone can shut off their tank/filtration/etc for 9 months. It sounds like you're basically doing a tank transfer - except you're transferring your livestock into buckets - rather than another tank. It is well known (I think) that this should be successful- thus my comment asking for clarification

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

April 18, 2020 marks the day I really started to plan how I would continue to sail my saltwater tank safely for 9 months without any filtration. I already knew back then that maintaining a healthy beneficial bacterial population would be essential and for that I needed to supercharge the tank's gas exchange capacity.

Having waste air from a nearby hydroponic grow, I connected the two systems by installing Neptune's solenoid valve that would control the flow of carbon filtered air into new Coralife Limewood airstones anchored at the tank's surface.

I never expected that the microbubbles would create such an amazing light show at night under the Kessil A360X.

Here are a few pics of the initial setup after pre soaking the Limewood:

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

By the way - what I said wasn't clear (enough) - part got caught off.

By plan - I meant a step by step method that someone can follow (i.e. your plan up front). And I thought the post was contradictory, because it says - can you turn off all of your filtration etc off for 9 months - then you say you put everything in buckets and restarted filtration after 24 hours.

That - I believe you can do. I do not believe anyone can shut off their tank/filtration/etc for 9 months. It sounds like you're basically doing a tank transfer - except you're transferring your livestock into buckets - rather than another tank. It is well known (I think) that this should be successful- thus my comment asking for clarification

Thanks for your input and quite honestly I was very skeptical myself but please note that the date of this tank test began almost 2 years ago in April 2020

 

[MnFish1]

Thanks for your input and quite honestly I was very skeptical myself but please note that the date of this tank test began almost 2 years ago in April 2020

Right - but my point was - where are the results? What exactly did you do? No offense - this seems more like an advertisement for your YouTube channel than a desire to help people? I dont have the time to look at a couple years of videos - unfortunately

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

Right - but my point was - where are the results? What exactly did you do? No offense - this seems more like an advertisement for your YouTube channel than a desire to help people? I dont have the time to look at a couple years of videos - unfortunately

Certainly 2+2 is a short and easy way to get to 4 but fortunately for me ,this tank journey I'm only just now starting to share is taking me on an infinitely longer route and so I figured I better start posting now or I might never catchup. I don't encourage nor expect anyone to take this very risky and highly uncertain path, so no offence will ever be taken

 

[MnFish1]

Certainly 2+2 is a short and easy way to get to 4 but fortunately for me ,this tank journey I'm only just now starting to share is taking me on an infinitely longer route and so I figured I better start posting now or I might never catchup. I don't encourage nor expect anyone to take this very risky and highly uncertain path, so no offence will ever be taken

. Thats all well an good. But - Its unclear what path you're following. Thats all I''m trying to 'tease out'?

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

. Thats all well an good. But - Its unclear what path you're following. Thats all I''m trying to 'tease out'?

Is it safely possible to manage a saltwater tank without a filter for 9 months? That's the thought that teased me onto this path and oh btw no promos here as my channel can Neva be monetized nor will I be entertaining sponsorships lol. Thanks again for the lively interest and chatter - updates posting soon...

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

Welcome to my winter condo in Calgary. (View from entrance door)

It's now the 2nd. week without any filtration on Blue Lagoon, can you tell?

The water clarity seems strangely similar to when I ran dual canisters, which makes me still can't believe I'm looking at a crashed tank with no man made filtration system, just a glass box of water, rocks, Neptune's Wav pump and airstones. Huh! but I digress, The new condo furniture layout also increases the intimate interaction with the tank, as that red cushion is now sooo inviting and gives such great closeup views while chillaxing.

Notice too that I bought the Seneye, because I just have a difficult time with treading the colour changes for the ammonia test, which is my most important safety indicator at this early stage. Below are today's test results:

Viewing these pictures and videos for the first time since almost 2 years ago brings back such a wide range of emotions because this journey marked the beginning of a new relationship with my tank. I became so in tune with her by taking my auto water top up offline and committing to try manual daily water top ups, as this ensured I spent at least 5 minutes of service time daily with her.

My OCD makes me sterilize the glass measuring cup before use every single time.

Only my dual temperature probes are installed in the probe rack, one for the Apex and the other for the heater's Exo Terra controller. Tank sits at 78 degrees F.

Approximately 70% of the tank surface is covered by glass to reduce evaporation and the Kessil A360X is just on it's factory lunar setting. Notice also the reflective silver lining reduces salt splash hitting the cabinet's woodwork, making it super easy to clean. The fish feeder is also off.

I also changed the blue sand airstone to a much smaller cube style which improved the side profile aesthetics personally speaking.

That's all for toady. April 19, 2020

 

[MnFish1]

Is it safely possible to manage a saltwater tank without a filter for 9 months? That's the thought that teased me onto this path and oh btw no promos here as my channel can Neva be monetized nor will I be entertaining sponsorships lol. Thanks again for the lively interest and chatter - updates posting soon...

so no skimmer? it sounds alot like the Berlin Method. Right?

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

so no skimmer? it sounds alot like the Berlin Method. Right?

Different in that there is no skimmer, no algae scrubber, very small water changes planned and I have very low light vs strong light so perhaps only similar to Berlin and DSB in our focus on managing bacterial colonies.

 

[MnFish1]

Different in that there is no skimmer, no algae scrubber, very small water changes planned and I have very low light vs strong light so perhaps only similar to Berlin and DSB in our focus on managing bacterial colonies.

so no coral?

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

so no coral?

As of the posting date (April 19, 2020) I have a mushroom coral in the tank with high hopes of adding more.

 

[MnFish1]

Best wishes - This is not the correct forum for this post. This is not an experiment. I might suggest you start a thread in 'the build area'. you're not able to atticulate a clear plan, a clear hypothesis or a clear 'protocol' for what you're trying to achieve. Thanks @Daniel@R2R

 

[MnFish1]

As of the posting date (April 19, 2020) I have a mushroom coral in the tank with high hopes of adding more.

So - a bit meaningless

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

Best wishes - This is not the correct forum for this post. This is not an experiment. I might suggest you start a thread in 'the build area'. you're not able to atticulate a clear plan, a clear hypothesis or a clear 'protocol' for what you're trying to achieve. Thanks @Daniel@R2R

Thanks much Daniel. Here is my new Build thread which hopefully provides answers to your statement above

Build Thread - Defensive Reefing - Piloting a 50 gallon tank with no plumbing, sump, filter or return pump

It's the world's 1st lockdown and the second week of running our 50g marine tank without any filtration. This is what Blue Lagoon looked like, sitting at the centre of my winter condo in Calgary on April 19, 2020. and here is the day's API chemistry: All reefers will confront the fear of...

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