Rimless Reef 4.0

[Big E]

Hi Sunny,

How did you come up with using MB7 with Bacto balance? Why not just vineger/vodka as the carbon source?

 

[Perry]

Sonny is back!!!
A big fan indeed, glad to see you back in the game. I modeled several tanks with some of your concepts in mind throughout the years. Looks like you are off to a great start, thanks for starting the journal, following along
Cheers

 

[SunnyX]

Hi Sunny,

How did you come up with using MB7 with Bacto balance? Why not just vineger/vodka as the carbon source?

Hello,

Nice to see so many familiar faces still around the forums.

As you may know, I used vodka primarily as my carbon source of choice for many years. And while it did work great I would from time to time run into cyano trouble. It wasn’t anything on a large scale but it was enough to bother me.

In 2020 I was getting back into the hobby. I had been away for a number of years and things had changed around a bit. Back when I started carbon dosing, around 2006, vodka was really the only accessible option. Yes, there was Zeovit but it was hard to come by at the time and cost prohibitive. Fast forward to 2020 and a number of companies now offer carbon dosing systems and additives. I browsed over the usual suspects and settled on Tropic Marin. I had read some of the literature and listened to a few talks that @Lou Ekus had given concerning Tropic Marin’s product. It made sense to me and Lu really gets it. People look to carbon dosing primarily as a nutrient export system but they are missing the big picture and what I believe and have witnessed to be its greatest feature- it feeds your corals. Its been scientifically shown and studied that corals can retrieve 100% of their carbon and nitrogen needs directly from bacteria. The same cannot be said for the other additives and coral food(s) that are added into many systems these days. So, with the daily addition of a carbon source and bacteria you’re packing a one-two punch of nutrient export and nutrition import.

But, back to why I am using Tropic Marin’s product. Lou’s talk made sense and really peeked my interest. He stated that when feeding a carbon source such as vodka/sugar/vinegar you run the risk of feeding other undesirable things such as algae, cyano, doni’s, etc. Lou stated that his companies formulation would specifically feed and target primarily the beneficial bacteria in the system. So, I gave it a shot and for the first time carbon dosing I did not have the normal biannual outbreaks of cyano. The science makes sense and the product works.

The Bacto balance formula I chose is the one that also adds a little nitrate/phosphate to each dose. I like this approach as I have always struggled with having enough nutrients in my systems. They have, for lack of a better term, been run “too clean”. This additive will dose the nitrate/Phosphate in the correct ratio’s(Redfield ratio) and helps to keep things balanced. Corals can feed on nitrates but they will starve without phosphates.

Concerning MB7, I use because its very accessible and I am familiar with it. I will however dose some Zeobak from time to time in order to vary the bacterial populations. I’m not a scientist so I cant say for sure if this approach is even needed, but the results are undeniable.

Personally, I would not run a system without carbon dosing. If you can get the balance right the method works wonders for reducing nutrients while at the same time feeding your corals. I think where people fail in relation to carbon dosing is that they miss the fact that it is a two part system. Many focus primarily on the nutrient export but miss the fact that you also must have high nutrition import. Heavy nutrient export, heavy nutrition import-this is key to success.

To further improve upon the system and provide even more surface area for the bacteria to grow I will be placing online a Zeovit reactor with about half the recommended dose of zeolite rocks. In turn, I will increase the amount of food fed to the fish and possible add a few more of them into the system. We’ll see. I am always looking to push things to the edge, and that’s what makes this hobby so enjoyable- the experimentation!



-Sonny

 

[Big E]

Thanks for the response, I have been dosing MB7 on two of my systems for 17 months. As you mentioned my goal was first to feed the corals as it doesn't add nutrients to the water column. Imo the coral foods do nothing as food for the corals.........the foods break down and bacteria eats the nutrients and then in turn the corals eat that nutrient laden bacteria.

I did Bacto balance alone previously for 14 months and I couldn't keep P04 from rising. It would keep it balanced for a little while but over time it would slowly rise.

I'm interested to see how this works out for you.
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What seems at odds to me is Lou says you don't need to dose bacteria. Jack Kent and Dr. Tim both say you don't need to carbon dose for their bacteria to work

 

[SunnyX]

Thanks for the response, I have been dosing MB7 on two of my systems for 17 months. As you mentioned my goal was first to feed the corals as it doesn't add nutrients to the water column. Imo the coral foods do nothing as food for the corals.........the foods break down and bacteria eats the nutrients and then in turn the corals eat that nutrient laden bacteria.

I did Bacto balance alone previously for 14 months and I couldn't keep P04 from rising. It would keep it balanced for a little while but over time it would slowly rise.

I'm interested to see how this works out for you.
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What seems at odds to me is Lou says you don't need to dose bacteria. Jack Kent and Dr. Tim both say you don't need to carbon dose for their bacteria to work

Yeah, lots of information going back and forth concerning what to dose and what not to. I do notice a difference if bacteria is not dosed, and based on the relatively low cost of MB7 I continue to dose it.

I will be sure to post up some more updates as the weeks progress. So far, so good!

 

[SunnyX]

Hello, all!

Week in review:

• Added a mated pair(Male/female) Genicanthus melanospilos Angelfish
• New camera coming in this week. Nikon Z6ii. Should really help with my images and video. I currently have a Nikon D50 and this will be a huge upgrade.
• It’s been in the back of my mind for a while now but I’d like to give back where I can and impart some knowledge. Hopefully it will be well received and helpful. With that being said, look for some upcoming videos on YouTube concerning my methods and overall philosophy on reefing.
• Tunze Kalk reactor is working well. Its such a simple device yet works great. PH has been holding steady between 8.05-8.20.
• The Ultrareef UKS-200 is doing a fantastic job. The image below is five days of skimate. Look for a video soon concerning my review and overall thoughts on its use and application.
• 
  Quick iPhone shot of the new pair of Angels. Look for much better images soon once the camera in is hand and setup.
• 
  
  
  

 

[cpschult]

Love it!

 

[SunnyX]

Well, I picked up a new camera and am putting it through its paces. A lot has changed with camera technology. I am moving from a very old Nikon D50 to a Nikon Z6 mirrorless. I still have a few things to work out with the camera but thus far am impressed. There are a few things to adjust concerning the exposure as the lights can play havoc if the lens hits it at just the right angle.

The tank is doing very well. Since adjusting the Ph the SPS growth has exploded with almost all corals exhibiting growth tips. The tank should be interesting to see in a few months and it will grow out rapidly.

Look for an updated video to be released soon.

 

[Perry]

Looking great Sonny!
Beautiful scape, coral placement and selection
Looking forward to seeing this one take off!!!

 

[SunnyX]

New images! Playing around with the macro lens.

 

[SunnyX]

Week 5 video

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[evo187]

absolutely beautiful

 

[MtnDewMan]

Week 5 video

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Your water clarity is amazing!

 

[SunnyX]

Your water clarity is amazing!

DIY coral snow keeps things nice and clear. I add it once a week. I also carbon and bacteria dose which aids in clarity.

DIY KZ Coral Snow (with >97% purity)

So Korallen Zucht's Zeovit product line has been around for a while. It contains many products, but one that finds usefulness outside of the ultra low nutrient setups is Coral Snow. In addition, the claims that KZ makes about it are not completely absurd and actually lie in the science of it...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[rtparty]

Where is the Stream 3?

 

[SunnyX]

Where is the Stream 3?

Hi!

I have it mounted vertically on the other side of the overflowbox(back left corner). The pump is fantastic and the way it’s currently mounted helps to eliminate dead spots and keeps the water flowing. The Tunze and it’s unique flow pattern really compliments the Vorechs.

I’ll try and get a photo tomorrow of it mounted.

 

[MtnDewMan]

DIY coral snow keeps things nice and clear. I add it once a week. I also carbon and bacteria dose which aids in clarity.

DIY KZ Coral Snow (with >97% purity)

So Korallen Zucht's Zeovit product line has been around for a while. It contains many products, but one that finds usefulness outside of the ultra low nutrient setups is Coral Snow. In addition, the claims that KZ makes about it are not completely absurd and actually lie in the science of it...

www.reef2reef.com

What do you carbon and bacteria dose?

 

[rtparty]

Hi!

I have it mounted vertically on the other side of the overflowbox(back left corner). The pump is fantastic and the way it’s currently mounted helps to eliminate dead spots and keeps the water flowing. The Tunze and it’s unique flow pattern really compliments the Vorechs.

I’ll try and get a photo tomorrow of it mounted.

I really like mine but need to modify the mount to take better advantage of it. Tunze has an awesome pump on their hands but terrible mounting options for it

 

[Sean Clark]

I really like mine but need to modify the mount to take better advantage of it. Tunze has an awesome pump on their hands but terrible mounting options for it

How would you do it differently?

 

[rtparty]

How would you do it differently?

Parker's Reef has a great video on how he modded them. That's what I plan to do for mine