OP
OP
Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to go through this thread. I can't believe it has been nearly 10 years!
To answer your question, detritus does build up in my sump, but not an absurd amount. I also vacuum my sump about twice a year so all the doo doo gets pulled out eventually.
Chummingham (AKA Ryan) is actually a good friend of mine, he frequented my place when he was studying to be a doctor and starting up his systems. He's got one awesome set up right now!
I've been fluid in my reefing philosophy and always try to find synergistic methods. You have to pick the best aspects of certain approaches and that is what I think makes the hobby fun for me. It's the experimentation and knowledge that I love the most.
To give you a glimpse at how effective my system is at processing nutrients, here's another snapshot. The combination of existing corals in the tank plus my hybrid zeo approach turns my tank into a nutrient processing machine!
So after 3 consecutive days of my feeding my concoction of
Zeozym
Min S
ME amino
Amin
Reef roids
Coral sprint
Zeobak
This stuff looks like brown milk. You have to shake it in order to prevent everything from settling. When dosed into the tank, it'll cloud your tank for a few hours, but you'll be left with crystal clear water and happy corals!
my phosphate was at .506 ppm yesterday morning, then I tested again at night without feeding the concoction and measured at .38 ppm.
Another system had .598 ppm yesterday morning, then at night .212 ppm.
Isn't that crazy! The consumption rate is ridiculous, its like if I added a pound of gfo.
I see why coral reefs are nutrient deserts now, it's because of all the corals rampantly feeding!
I think I watched that video where Jake mentioned that awhile ago. It certainly got some gears in my head rolling. Similar to waste water treatment facilities, I think that leveraging bacteria and enzymes will be key.
While dosing this concoction this there was not a single skip of a beat on the part of the acros. You'd think that this dramatic increase in phosphate would lead to an RTN issue or something. But nope!
The PE has greatened and the tissue on paler acros has noticeably thickened. The combination of the zeobak and zeozyme must really enhance the nutrient processing ability of the tank. The sps polyps appear engorged, like they've been stuffed. I presume that these bacteria become "gut-loaded" from all the aminos, vitamins, trace elements that are available in the feed and are readily captured by the corals when dosed. This is a good example of "heavy in, heavy out". I leverage the bacteria and enzymes to digest my foods, then my corals feast!
I think I will continue this method, as it makes feeding my systems easier since I can premix everything and feed throughout the day.
It makes you rethink our "old school" way of reefing. It's not about the numbers, it's about the corals! All the actions I take are due to visual indications. If a number is a little low, but the corals are fine I won't rush to make major adjustments. Healthy corals are tolerable to wide range of parameters, and can handle reasonable parameter swings.
That's why consistent maintenance and testing is key, that way you'll notice where certain parameters are trending. Then you act to fix the trend, try not to focus too much on the immediate test value as that only provides a brief snapshot.
Anyone looking at my tank by the numbers would be shocked and hound me to "lower this or raise that", but without a holistic view and understanding of a system it is often times hard to prescribe any action plan as each system is so unique. Visual indications are my primary tool to determine if anything has gone awry in my systems, but it takes years to develop an acute reefing sense. That's why guidance and mentors are so important in all walks of life!
