LR in SUmp = Nitrate Factory?

[mcarroll]

Yeah...I need to lay off the posts for a bit myself! :rolleyes: ...have I even mentioned live rock once????
:(

I'm a fan of an open sump, so I probably wouldn't put live rock down there on purpose.

I do have live rock in my sump because a few years ago I acquired some extra and didn't want to put it in the display and it was too ugly to sell. If it doesn't have mushrooms growing on it:mad::mad::mad:, I may use it in a future tank reboot. :D

 

[Brew12]

Yeah...I need to lay off the posts for a bit myself! :rolleyes: ...have I even mentioned live rock once????
:(

I'm a fan of an open sump, so I probably wouldn't put live rock down there on purpose.

I do have live rock in my sump because a few years ago I acquired some extra and didn't want to put it in the display and it was too ugly to sell. If it doesn't have mushrooms growing on it:mad::mad::mad:, I may use it in a future tank reboot. :D

I did the same thing. Had a few pieces that were wet that I decided not to use when I finished my aquascape. The refugium of my sump seemed like a good place to put them at the time. They are still there 2+ months later. :oops:

 

[Rybren]

That belief is due to the lack of a good examples to the contrary to refer to. ;)

It's eminently possible – I do it* – but in a crowd of 1000 reefers, I think you might have only a handful or maybe even none attempting it.

I don't know anything about your tank, but what size it and how many fish/corals/etc are in it? I could be way off base here, but I'd hazard a guess that we'd need something like one fish in a swimming pool to somewhat match the ocean. (This is purely a guess on my part. I've never been able to find anything to back it up or refute it.)

Nonetheless, I expect that you probably do have a low bioload as compared to most other reefers and I'd surmise that you are quite effective with a low stocking level. It would certainly make things easier.

I am certainly not in that camp. I have a heavy fish load and need to employ a many-pronged attack to manage the nutrient issue. :)

 

[mcarroll]

I don't know anything about your tank,

This is the very foundational knowledge of the hobby. Literally.

Please don't accrue this to me, or to my tank being special or unique in any way for employing it. This is available to anyone and has been since 1850. :)

Just don't be in denial of it and pls help to spread the word. :) Systems with lower livestock densities are more stable and last longer.

"The aquarium principle was fully developed in 1850 by the chemist Robert Warington, who explained that plants added to water in a container would give off enough oxygen to support animals, so long as their numbers do not grow too large."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Warington
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/1851/qj/qj8510300052#!divAbstract

 

[NHreefguy]

I have a 40b with a 30g sump. I have about 100 lbs total rock in the system, 30ish of that is in my fuge. I keep a powerhead running in it for a little cross flow. I had to stop doing water changes because my water was "to clean". Nitrates were always un readable.