Me, Myself, & Sherman too.

[jnarowe]

Hi!

Well, budget and skimmer don't go well together. More like skimmer = couch. :lol:

Opinions on skimmers can make your head spin as well. If you really want to save money, don't buy a cheap skimmer. If you are even remotely handy (Like you state "DIY reef system), then build one. Keep in mind that ultimately all that makes up a skimmer is a container filled with air bubbles, through which your tank water flows.

You can build a skimmer out of all sorts of things. When I started out, I did mine, though large, based on other DIY skimmers I studied, as well as some basic principles I gleaned from Snailman's DIY. This is old info. but gets to the heart of the whole skimmer issue. Also keep in mind that there are many reef keepers that do not believe in using a skimmer at all. Want to go really budget? Set up a skimmerless reef!

The point is, skimmers are just one tool to remove polutants from your reef, and they can be build out of virtually any kind of food safe container. Good luck and feel free to PM about build ideas!

 

[jnarowe]

And something I have been wanting to discuss for a while...

Mangroves!!

Mine keep out-growing their space. I had to pull them from my fuge a long time ago and now house them in my QT/Snail grow-out tank. This tank has more space above it for adjusting the pendant, but the fact is, I really can't go any higher now, and still propely light the tank. The mangroves of course are getting burned and I keep topping them. The fact is, they are supposed to be trees, not bushes, so I need to figure out what to do going forward.

Sherman was over last evening and I discussed it a bit with him, explaining that I wanted to build a tank on the floor for them to give them more room to grow. Maybe plumb it into the main system and get another couple years of growth or more. As is normal, he told me that was crazy.

But the truth is, there is some sick switch in me that wants to grow mangroves to life size. Maybe 4' - 5' tall indoors, and then move them to a greenhouse later.

So, looking for suggestions, links, etc. to solutions regarding keeping mangroves growing long-term!

 

[mrlang1981]

what's your opinion on having a skimless reef tank going? i have just set up my 75g and have have it plumbed it to a 30g glass tank that i built baffles for. the sump has 3 chambers. 1st chamber is where the overflow water goes and has live rock. There is then a baffled wall. The 2nd chamber has about a 2.5 in sand bed (caribsea ocean direct live sand 20lbs) and various algaes including some cheato, feather caulerpa, grape caulerpa, ulva, and both red/green gracilaria. Not much of each except for the cheato and feather caulerpa. Oh it also has a pencil sea urchin and various snails including some dwarf ceriths, nassarius vibex, fly speckled ceriths, and star snails. in the 3rd chamber is where i have a black spongey filter pad i picked up from the lfs and my return pump. As for the display tank i only have 80lbs of the caribsea ocean direct live sand mixed with 30 lbs of the caribsea sugar sized oolite sand. I also have another 50 lbs of live rock waiting to be put in the display tank along with 2 false clowns and 2 damsels. As for lighting the main display has a 48" coralife fixture that has 2x150w hqi MH lamps, actincs, LEDs, and built in cooling fans. Will this set up be sufficient for a reef tank that i am hoping to eventually carry a heavy bioload? oh and how long do i have to wait before i can start adding corals, ect.? thanks a lot for all the help! all the friendly reefers here have definately been a great resource!

 

[jnarowe]

Well you bring up a lot of issues/questions:

1. I do not run skimmerless mostly because I just don't have the experience or talent yet to do so. It's my belief that although it is certainly possible to do, I would consider it very advanced reef keeping.

2. I am not into baffles as a method. They are more of a PITA than they are worth IMO. I try to design everything to work without them. For my main system I have dual sumps, and inbound and an outbound, with connecting pipes between the two sumps placed very low. That way the bubbles produced by the incomming water rise to the surface rather than travel to the display.

3. Small refugiums like you have set up are fun to observe, can be interesting sub-systems providing food like pods, and very limited nutrient export. But, on the flip-side, they can go to crap in the blink of an eye. So the question is, what is your goal for that part of the system? Whatever macro algae grows well keep it and do wekly maintenance on it by swishing it to remove detritus and trimming it to remove nutrients. Whatever the case, trying to replace ones that die off is a mistake. It is very rare to see them all flourishing under the same conditions. Dead macros just release nutrients back into the system, and sometimes even compounds that will stress corals.

4. That leads to question #1: What are your reef keeping goals? Do you want to keep a mixed reef, softies, SPS, aggressive? What is your primary reef keeping method ie: will you you the balling method, zoevit, etc?

5. Once you have determined what your goals are, then you can analyse each part of the system through your "mission" statement.

6. Regarding bio-load: Keep it low. We are for some reason attracted to every damn thing in a fish store, but the fact is, less is more. The fewer organisms you have under your care, the more apt you will be to take good care of them, avoid melt-downs, and see them grow and flourish. Careful research and selection is vital to a well balanced reef ecosystem.

7. Starting a tank journal thread may be of some help to. I would start one on your favorite forum so that people can follow your progress, help you with suggestions, and learn from your experience. That is one of the most rewarding parts of this hobby.

 

[jnarowe]

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=439160#post439160

 

[dhnguyen]

can you guys recommend a good skimmer or someone to build a really good skimmer for a 75g glass tank that i am hoping to eventually have a heavy bioload? i am a new reefer and have finally been able to set up my very 1st DIY reef system! i am located in the seattle area so somewhere where i can get it local would be good. thanks!

If you can wait a month, I may have a highly modified Turboflotor T1000 skimmer I can part with. Unmodded it would handle a light to med loaded 75g no problems but now that I have modded it will be able to handle a heavily loaded 75g with ease.

Here are some pics of the skimmate it pulled from my 125g after 48 hours




transferred into a 1 gallon container so you can see the actual volume


foamhead already forming immediately after cup cleaning

 

[jnarowe]

yo D, you still around??

 

[danno14]

Good grief! What are you feeding that tank?! Os should I say "How much"!!!!

 

[dhnguyen]

yeah J. I'm still around til next Tuesday

 

[dhnguyen]

Good grief! What are you feeding that tank?! Os should I say "How much"!!!!

:lol: actually I dont feed mine all that much.. That's what vodka dosing does, it makes your skimmate dark as hell and stink to high heaven

 

[jnarowe]

does the same for me.

OKAY...so how is the prep going? Got everything squared away? Need to bring anything over for babysitting?

 

[dhnguyen]

Checked, cleaned, and made sure all the hardware are in working condition as expected.
Barring any unforeseen disaster (knock on wood) I think I am all set on the tank.

 

[jnarowe]

oK, GOOD TO HEAR. Hope you have a great trip! DOn 't forget to ditch the family and check out ome tanks!!

 

[jnarowe]

So I decided to take a few shots...they did NOT come out very well but I figure no reason to waste them! This is a primer as I have decided to take my tank down due to health reasons. It's not very complicated, as I just cannot physically maintain my tank.

This anemone is frighteningly large. The lesson learned here, IMO, is that when you use an abundance of light, they have no reason to split or even move around. This anemone has been in this location for 3 years.

It just doesn't get any sweeter than this. That's a Tyree Sunset I borrowed from Steve Weast and it has grown like a weed.

You can see the original pie-shaped piece in the center that Steve purchased directly from Tyree at the Coral Farmers Market. I just sent it back to Steve today so he can have it handy when he gets back in. I am not usually a fan of "LE" corals, but I have to say that every coral I have gotten from Tyree has been EXTREMELY hardy albeit slow growing.

About a year ago:

Yesterday:

An unuasually successful LPS. It's all about placement and this one has done well being in a lower flow, and lower light area:

Keep in mind this is a very large tank so this coral looks much smaller than it really is. A fine SPS with an extremely large "bone structure".

 

[soyadrink]

That sunset is HUGE! Is it really lacking that much orange?

 

[Vicki]

This is a primer as I have decided to take my tank down due to health reasons. It's not very complicated, as I just cannot physically maintain my tank.

I'm so sorry to hear you're taking your tank down Jonathan. I certainly can relate though as I've just about finished taking my 360 in the hallway down. I just can't keep up with all these tanks anymore either.

Hope your health is improving and that soon you'll be looking for another setup.

Vicki

 

[jnarowe]

That sunset is HUGE! Is it really lacking that much orange?

Hey Nelson, not really. It just depends on when th elight is over it. I wouldn't call it "lacking orange" as I would call it a high rate of polyp extension.

 

[jnarowe]

I'm so sorry to hear you're taking your tank down Jonathan. I certainly can relate though as I've just about finished taking my 360 in the hallway down. I just can't keep up with all these tanks anymore either.

Hope your health is improving and that soon you'll be looking for another setup.

Vicki

Hey Vicki! Yeah, I can understand with all the tanks you have as well. I am using a walker to get in and out of bed right now so the situation is a bit grim physically. I am optimistic that someone will see the value in the 750 lbs. of Marshall Island rock I have and come in to take the tank down. Funny thing is I was hoping you would be interested in the anemones. The PLTA I have is feakin' wicked cool.

 

[soyadrink]

Hey Nelson, not really. It just depends on when th elight is over it. I wouldn't call it "lacking orange" as I would call it a high rate of polyp extension.

Yeah, I guess thats true. Everything looks really good though

 

[jnarowe]

Thanks. I have a bit of HA in the system but it seems to be doing fine overall.