Tank Trials: Ultra Low Maintenance Tanks | BRStv Investigates

[FartyParty]

I about died when Ryan read your name @FartyParty!! LOL! Also @WWC you guys sure know how to rock the coral deliveries!

@revhtree Heh, all those years as a technical writer really paid off--i guess i gave them a quote they couldn't refuse.

 

[SantaMonica]

A fuge will likely yellow the water

Yellowing only happens when algae die off from too much thickness, or not enough light or flow. The dead algae turn yellowish brown, like hay.

 

[randyBRS]

ULM Tank Trials Ep-18: Apex Programming for Ultra Low Maintenance | BRStv

Today we get geeky while we walk you through the Apex programming for the ULM tanks and the goals we hope to achieve with each outlet.

This week's question:
How can your water parameter testing be Ultra Low Maintenance?

 

[Deep Reef]

Hey!

If you have been wondering what's been going on with each of the ULM tanks, today is your day! Today we discuss what we've learned so far and changes we have made this far.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on how these are going so far!

Sorry for the late post just getting caught up. I am bringing my new tank on line trying to follow your ULM approach. In ep-16 you indicated it was better to add the cheato with the first fish. Would you still recommend adding the pods and keeping the tank dark for the first month? Or add pods, cheato and first fish and not doing the first dark month?

I’m ready to add water....just not sure which way to go.

Thanks

 

[Devaji]

@Ryanbrs @randyBRS that was a great one guys. but can you go over in move detail the auto WC.?

I would like to, at the very least set up a auto top for my ato res. I have a 29H ATO res. but get about 2 gal a day evap. on my 90 gal.
was thinking connecting it to the RODI via a solenoid or 2 + low level os1 and a high level OS1.

I know it not the best idea to connect a water source to a tank but with redundancy think it could work?? it's just the ATO res.
ans its supper ULM just hauled two 5 gal. buckes of RODI up a flight of stairs...

 

[Ds04384]

To make water parameter testing ULM I would try to include hardware that provides testing information automatically. Using the apex and something like the seneye you can get some water testing data continuously with very little effort. For everything else I would use testing kits that have digital readout like Hanna checkers when available because you can get readings very fast and don’t have to worry about matching colors.

 

[Devaji]

^ pretty much sums up ULM water testing. maybe see if you can get the trident form Neptune. they say its going to be out 2nd quarter of 2018?? that will be ULM for the SPS tank for sure. deff. help on on the LPS as well prob. dont need it for the softy would would not hurt.

 

[randyBRS]

ULM Tank Trials Ep-19: Water Testing for Ultra Low Maintenance | BRStv

This week Ryan shares his testing schedule for the major elements (Alk/Ca/Mg) as well as testing for salinity and nutrients and why the testing frequency he chose could be considered ULM.

Next week teaser...
BRS160 Update!

 

[clark griswold]

Ryan and Randy just wanted to thank you for this ULM series. It's inspired me to get back in the hobby after a 10 year layoff. Though I'll be waiting for more results from the series. But seriously this series is best I've ever seen on the hobby. Keep up the excellent work. It's really appreciated.

 

[Bow69]

Great series guys. One suggestion though. You might want to let everyone know that a lot of these tasks and setups your doing are only available on the 2016 and newer models. Not CLASSSIC or JR models. Thanks guys. Keep up the great work.

 

[randyBRS]

ULM Tank Trials Ep-20: BRS160 Update - Time to dose Nitrate? | BRStv

Woohoo! Time for a BRS160 update and this week's discussion may surprise some of you!

This week's question:
What are your thoughts on Nitrates and Nitrate dosing?

 

[BigJohnny]

ULM Tank Trials Ep-20: BRS160 Update - Time to dose Nitrate? | BRStv

Woohoo! Time for a BRS160 update and this week's discussion may surprise some of you!

This week's question:
What are your thoughts on Nitrates and Nitrate dosing?

If people have the ability to add more fish, that is obviously a more natural approach and much safer. If you can't, another safer and more controllable option is to reduce your nutrient export by running your skimmer less, reducing water changes, or shortening your fuge photoperiod.

If you decide to dose nitrate , I believe trying to reach a specific testable target number is very risky. Testable nitrate does not even begin to reveal the whole picture and you could end up changing a lot more than just that by trying to get there (bacterial balance, reduction in phosphate/DOCs, etc).

You do not need to have testable nitrate levels to have sufficient nutrients available to your corals, otherwise zeovit or other "ULNS" methods wouldn't work. You can have a nutrient rich system with 0 testable nitrate and phosphate, and I believe the BRS 160 was described this way by Ryan while running zeovit.

IMO a much safer approach is to pick a VERY small amount and dose it regularly. Monitor your tank and gradually increase, decrease, or stop entirely based on the response of your tank and corals. It is also very important that people test phosphate and monitor skimmer production during this time period. A significant decrease in the first or an increase in the latter could possibly indicate increased bacterial activity and therefore reduction in other nutrients/DOC, which can obviously be damaging. I believe significant changes in the bacterial population/activity is the reason why people experience problems sometimes when dosing nitrate.

 

[Ryanbrs]

If people have the ability to add more fish, that is obviously a more natural approach and much safer. If you can't, another safer and more controllable option is to reduce your nutrient export by running your skimmer less, reducing water changes, or shortening your fuge photoperiod.

If you decide to dose nitrate , I believe trying to reach a specific testable target number is very risky. Testable nitrate does not even begin to reveal the whole picture and you could end up changing a lot more than just that by trying to get there (bacterial balance, reduction in phosphate/DOCs, etc).

You do not need to have testable nitrate levels to have sufficient nutrients available to your corals, otherwise zeovit or other "ULNS" methods wouldn't work. You can have a nutrient rich system with 0 testable nitrate and phosphate, and I believe the BRS 160 was described this way by Ryan while running zeovit.

IMO a much safer approach is to pick a VERY small amount and dose it regularly. Monitor your tank and gradually increase, decrease, or stop entirely based on the response of your tank and corals. It is also very important that people test phosphate and monitor skimmer production during this time period. A significant decrease in the first or an increase in the latter could possibly indicate increased bacterial activity and therefore reduction in other nutrients/DOC, which can obviously be damaging. I believe significant changes in the bacterial population/activity is the reason why people experience problems sometimes when dosing nitrate.

Yeah, I agree on all points. My assumption here is the .5 ppm daily dose will still result in zero nitrates. Even if that's the case I don't think we would consider raising it for some time.

 

[BigJohnny]

Yeah, I agree on all points. My assumption here is the .5 ppm daily dose will still result in zero nitrates. Even if that's the case I don't think we would consider raising it for some time.

Oh, I was just giving my general advice to everyone not specifically to you guys, but that sounds like a good plan to me : ) the tank looks great btw, good job. What's your favorite acro in the tank? (Quick sidebar, I won't follow up and take away from the purpose of the thread)

Keep them vidyas coming!

 

[SantaMonica]

Remember that natural reefs have huge amounts of food particles... as much as a pound per square meter.

 

[Bugger]

Every time I have tried to adding nitrate i have had major algae issues.
I saw the triton guys at interzoo from youtube and it seems they do not know what is optimal for levels of nitrate or phosphate are. They are using the general community as a testing bed and I think this is wrong.
One question::
Have you already sent in your new kit in and have they given you a recommendation for carbon. Can you share what the level are if so
I have also tried ULNS dosing nothing and corals seem to waste away. Those 6 cubes you are feeding your tank is doing something very beneficial in your tank.
One thing that zeovit recommends that nobody seems to do, is dose the tank coral snow daily just to keep cyano at bay. I know you no longer use zeovit but it would help your tank out.

 

[SteadyC]

I saved a note from Randy Holmes-Farley, from another thread on dosing nitrate. His recommendation from that thread was to dose 2ppm, until 2ppm shows on a test kit. Just sharing the thought from another expert . I really found this video very interesting, the part about shooting for 16:1 is really cool. I just started reading about that, and then here you cover it really well in this video. Nice job!

 

[drblakjak55]

Away for twelve days. Daughter in house once a day to do fifty count top off from RO faucet (I still haven’t found a ATO I trust and doesn’t electrocute me) and feed dried plankton with fifteen cc vodka every other day. Auto feeds twice a day. Returns into meshes. Than skimmer. Than chaeto. Than DC return at 840gph. No controllers. No dosers. Turkey baste rocks and sand weekly. 20% WC every three weeks. Test water monthly. I call that low maintenance.

 

[Stigigemla]

The C: N: P ratio is very different in different organisms.
I saved this from another thread here on R2R.

Redfield ratio 106:16:1 (phytoplankton)
bacterioplankton 32:6:1
coral tissue 155:24:1
zooxantellae in coral 365:21:1
copepoda (zooplankton) 30:3:1
Anchovy (fish) 20:5:1
You and me 18:3:1

 

[VJV]

I have quite an experience on this topic, as for the better part of 5 years I have had zero nitrates in my tank and all sorts of issues. Read countless threads, books, papers, etc.

I also started my recent tank with Triton but moved away after 9 months. I was constantly battling cyano, which would than turn into Dino’s, than filament algae (derbesia), and the cycle would keep on. Everyone would say the typical (you have nutrients but can’t see them because the algae is consuming it). Well, my chaeto would loose color, get covered in slimy algae and die. My corals would turn drab looking and last about 2 months (SPS).

After reading about red field ratios, the fact that more complex algae and organisms do require Nitrate (vs simpler forms of algae that are extremely adaptable and can thrive with alternative elements in the water) and having tried everything I could (basically trying to remove the “invisible” nutrients even further) I thought I had nothing to loose and started dosing Nitrate (Seachem Nitrogen Flourish, to be precise).

Well, my SPS immediately became colorful and thriving, with Alk consumption growing threefold.

What I did learn along the way was that with no Nitrates, even the tiniest amount of PO4 would lead to cyano and the algae cycle would start. I started to keep an eye on these and would dose (and measure) Nitrate to keep it between 5 and 10ppm. As I mentioned, now everything is colorful and thriving.

I don’t shoot for a specific ratio but I try to keep PO4 lower than 0,06 and NO3 above 5ppm. I often go long periods without dosing NO3 and will take the test kit out if I start seeing the smallest hint of cyano. 9 times out of 10 the test will say my NO3 is almost undetectable and I dose NO3.

What I also noticed now is that sometimes Nitrates creep up (after having stopped dosing) and the tank suffers no ill effects. One time it went to 50ppm and I just added a ball of chaeto to the sump. In about three weeks they were becoming close to zero and I had to shut down the refugiam again, which I only run in such emergencies. Otherwise chaeto strips the water of Nitrates.

This is my experience and for me dosing NO3 is a tool to keep things thriving. I am by no means the most experienced hobbyist and not even sure I can be considered an experienced one, compared to the vast majority that is doing this for more than 10 years.

But what I can definitely say is that no NO3 and some (even if very low such as 0,01) PO4 leads to a unbalanced tank where cyano and other nasties quickly thrive.