SPS Lagoon without protein skimmer

najer · Sep 17, 2017

Very nice.

Jacek56 · Sep 17, 2017

Pedoconfuego said:
Wow this tank is superb! Very well done. So beautiful it has me thinking of a lot of questions, so here are a few. How long have these corals been growing? We're they fragments or wild/maricultured? What are your phosphate levels sitting at on average? I didn't see the dimensions of the tank and back chamber? Also, your saying that there is no other filtration other than zeolites? No refugium? Are you pumping the zeolites to keep them clean and are you supplying the tank with any carbon source?
The main thing i find that is different is the flow seems to be very low compared to most tanks. I would love to see a video with some food floating in the water so we can get an idea of how much the water is moving. Everything's growth patterns are amazing so I am guessing the water is moving better than I would think.
Again amazing job and great coral placement and selection!

Thanks for the compliments.
Some of the corals have been growing since 2013. They are 50/50 wild/maricultured I would say.

09mv by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

rzio by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

Old system view from October / December 2013

PO4=0,00 Hanna

Tank dimensions (230cm x 150cm x 60cm , back chamber 60cm x 150cm x 60cm , display part 170cm x 150 cm x 60cm).
I run zeolite reactor + ceramic media+ LR in back chamber. These ceramic balls ( 20 ltr) I keep in the DIY baskets which I shake every night ( if I remember to do it

) to feed corals ( same idea like zeo reactor).

Untitled by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

I follow KZ dosing pattern : ZS 1.2ml x2/day, SP 1ml/ day, ZB 5 drops daily, ZF 5 drops weekly, CB 1 ml daily.
I plan to release short clip in October to show the whole tank.

Jacek56 · Sep 17, 2017

najer said:
Very nice.

Thank you Simon

Mattrg02 · Sep 17, 2017

I don't run a skimmer either on my bare bottom 17g reef. I feed my two fish rinsed mysis every other day and do a 20% water change almost each weekend.

My tank actually requires dosing of nitrates and phosphates. I also dose acropower daily.

No sump either. Just suck up detritus Durant water changes.

Maritimer · Sep 17, 2017

Your argument that a reef tank can be run without a skimmer is unassailable!

In the photo "

Jacek56 said:

What would you call the purple coral in the upper right? I have one similar which was given to me by a fellow reefer who named it as "Maybe some kind of millie? It's pretty fuzzy..."

~Bruce

Jacek56 · Sep 17, 2017

Mattrg02 said:
I don't run a skimmer either on my bare bottom 17g reef. I feed my two fish rinsed mysis every other day and do a 20% water change almost each weekend.

My tank actually requires dosing of nitrates and phosphates. I also dose acropower daily.

No sump either. Just suck up detritus Durant water changes.

Well done

Maritimer said:
Your argument that a reef tank can be run without a skimmer is unassailable!

In the photo "

What would you call the purple coral in the upper right? I have one similar which was given to me by a fellow reefer who named it as "Maybe some kind of millie? It's pretty fuzzy..."

~Bruce

You may spend your money on the skimmer but what for if you can achieve the same without having one?
The purple acropora for me looks like a acropora prostata.

Jacek56 · Sep 20, 2017

Low tech and maintenance tank still alive and kicking

Untitled by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

nashorn · Sep 20, 2017

Jacek56 said:
Low tech and maintenance tank still alive and kicking

Untitled by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

Wow! That's amazing! Hard to believe that a tank shot.
Please post more pics

Jacek56 · Sep 21, 2017

nashorn said:
Wow! That's amazing! Hard to believe that a tank shot.
Please post more pics

Thank you.
That’s my wife perfect hand and eye. She is running the tank for 6 weeks when I am away from home.

Untitled by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

Graffiti Spot · Sep 21, 2017

Beautiful! Love the abrotranoides at the top! Looks like it's about to take off, thoes things always grow a huge base first and that one has definitely done that. Thanks for sharing the pics. Any info on this maintenance tank?

Jacek56 · Sep 21, 2017

Pedoconfuego said:
Beautiful! Love the abrotranoides at the top! Looks like it's about to take off, thoes things always grow a huge base first and that one has definitely done that. Thanks for sharing the pics. Any info on this maintenance tank?

Thank you.
Maintenance is strait forward. Filtration mats are replaced every 1-2 days, activated carbon is change every 30 days, zeolites are change every 8-12 weeks, every day dose of: ZS 1.2ml x2/day, SP 1ml/ day, ZB 5 drops daily, ZF 5 drops weekly, CB 1 ml daily. WC are performed every 1-2 weeks 30-70ltr, depends on my mood.

Basically I try to follow KZ maintenance book, except I do not have to clean the skimmer

and I dose much, much less then it is written on blue bottles.

_IGP2167 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

_IGP2153 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

_IGP2170 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

_IGP2190 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

Jacek56 · Sep 22, 2017

Little "crop" for today.

_IGP2166 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

_IGP2179 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

Jacek56 · Sep 23, 2017

Untitled by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

Jacek56 · Sep 24, 2017

Opposite view

Untitled by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

rtparty · Sep 24, 2017

Gorgeous tank and results! Thank you for sharing. I've wanted to take my skimmer off line for a few weeks and just haven't brought myself to do it. I only have a few LPS currently but I am battling cyano after my battle with chrysophytes. Plus I'm headed out of town for a week. I don't like making any serious changes before leaving.

Thanks again for sharing! Your tank may push me over the edge to turn my skimmer off

Jacek56 · Sep 24, 2017

rtparty said:
Gorgeous tank and results! Thank you for sharing. I've wanted to take my skimmer off line for a few weeks and just haven't brought myself to do it. I only have a few LPS currently but I am battling cyano after my battle with chrysophytes. Plus I'm headed out of town for a week. I don't like making any serious changes before leaving.

Thanks again for sharing! Your tank may push me over the edge to turn my skimmer off

Thank you
Remember cyano in the tank is the due to biology of the tank is out of balance. Skimmer is removing a lot of good stuff from water and therefore make a room for cyano, and this might be one of the reasons you have it. When you turn off skimmer take it out of the sump, to avoid creating any dead spots.
I had cyano few months ago. I battled it using magical blue bottles recommended by KZ and within 3 days it was over, and since then I don't know what cyano looks like

. Biology of the tank system is the key to success, or Stability Promotes Success. A lot of times we forget about it.

Yesterday's picture.

_IGP2251 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

rtparty · Sep 24, 2017

Jacek56 said:
Thank you
Remember cyano in the tank is the due to biology of the tank is out of balance. Skimmer is removing a lot of good stuff from water and therefore make a room for cyano, and this might be one of the reasons you have it. When you turn off skimmer take it out of the sump, to avoid creating any dead spots.
I had cyano few months ago. I battled it using magical blue bottles recommended by KZ and within 3 days it was over, and since then I don't know what cyano looks like . Biology of the tank system is the key to success, or Stability Promotes Success. A lot of times we forget about it.

Yesterday's picture.

_IGP2251 by Jacek Kowalski, on Flickr

Speaking of KZ...one of their cyano products is Coral Snow. Coral Snow is just calcium carbonate. So I have ordered calcium carbonate and will start dosing when I get back from my vacation. A skimmer or mechanical filtration is required to use.

Hoping it works for me.

Great picture as well. Tank looks good

Jacek56 · Sep 24, 2017

Well, I don't know if CS is just calcium carbonate but combined with the AB and CC does the job. In my opinion the best way to battle cyano is to increase "good" bacteria population.