The Other Way to Run a Reef Tank (no Quarantine)

[Rybren]

It looks like they are plumbed directly into your tank, or is it an optical illusion?

 

[PiscesPower]

This might be a dumb question I live in Puget sound, near Seattle. Would taking sand from a sound beach here to put in the tank be beneficial? Not sure if these sound beaches have more pollution that the open ocean beaches?

 

[Jamez]

Make a lot of sense most shops have already dose there tanks

 

[Oldsalt]

Thanks Paul for a great write up. This is a subject that I was discussing with one of my LFS suppliers only last week. He asked me if I used a QT or if I used natural seawater. I answered no question one and yes to the 2nd. He agreed with my concept, though I never went to the beach to pick up mud (it's soooooo easy here in Perth so thanks for the idea), but my water comes straight from the Indian Ocean where it's full of microbial life. I started keeping saltwater fish over 30 years ago with mostly good results and a few bad - usually the bad due to silly choices of life I thought would be "cool". We all learn from our mistakes. Thanks again. Really enjoyed reading your article.

 

[Paul B]

Would taking sand from a sound beach here to put in the tank be beneficial?

I would as long as you don't quarantine. If you quarantine, you should never do that.

 

[Subsea]

It looks like they are plumbed directly into your tank, or is it an optical illusion?

My bad. Less than 2 days old, I diy an invention inspired by my rowdy friends” @Paul B & @atoll.............

Because I think algae filtration is a powerful biofiter, I designed an algae zooplankton reactor to feed the tank.

BRS TV did a five part series on algae as the primary filter in a reef tank and they used a 25G refugium with a $1000 light source to manhandle a 160G SPS dominate reef tank with Chaetomorphy as the only method of nutrient export. Less than a month ago, BRS TV focused on coral nutrition and Randy referenced @Dana Riddle articles on Coral nutrition.

As I massaged all that knowledge, I saw algae filtration as the big winner in my reef husbandry.

As I understand the science of photsythesis & biofiltration, light as a form of energy is coupled with carbon dioxide to form glucose which is carbon for the reef. So, Eisenstein was right when he said: E = MC2

As a byproduct of photosynthesis there are numerous compounds, exudates, that are bunched up into dissolved orgnic carbon. @Scrubber_steve @Lasse @Randy Holmes-Farley for technical expertise.

Reef tank DOC is a gumbo of ingredients which includes proteins, lipids and carbohydrates all of which grow coral. The flow of DOC, just like oxygn & carbon dioxide, is a two way street depending on light cycle: on/off.

When the Triton Method was integrated with World Wide Corals & BRS TV, I saw a common philosophy: Feed the Tank. Biofiltration will work it out. When John Tullock said in the Natural Reef Aquarium, I agree with.

LESS TECHNOLOGY / MORE BIOLOGY

After 5 billion years, Nature knows best.

 

[Lasse]

This might be a dumb question I live in Puget sound, near Seattle. Would taking sand from a sound beach here to put in the tank be beneficial? Not sure if these sound beaches have more pollution that the open ocean beaches?

Everything has its limit - in this context I think mud from Puget Sound and Chesapeake Bay is the limit

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Oldsalt]

Taking a drive to a secluded beach tomorrow. I don't want somebody's sun block. Plenty of beaches here in Western Australia that have zero visitors. Nice bucket of sand to collect.

 

[Subsea]

Taking a drive to a secluded beach tomorrow. I don't want somebody's sun block. Plenty of beaches here in Western Australia that have zero visitors. Nice bucket of sand to collect.

Are there any Super Models? Ask@PaulB for some of his.

 

[Subsea]

Taking a drive to a secluded beach tomorrow. I don't want somebody's sun block. Plenty of beaches here in Western Australia that have zero visitors. Nice bucket of sand to collect.

Do you scuba or free dive? I would think that sand from bottom in open water past first sandbar would be perfect in a reef tank.

Because I embrace diversity, I would also grab some funky old mud from the marsh estuaries and put in a sump/refugium.

 

[atoll]

View attachment 978221 View attachment 978222 View attachment 978223 View attachment 978224


My bad. Less than 2 days old, I diy an invention inspired by my rowdy friends” @Paul B & @atoll.............

Because I think algae filtration is a powerful biofiter, I designed an algae zooplankton reactor to feed the tank.

BRS TV did a five part series on algae as the primary filter in a reef tank and they used a 25G refugium with a $1000 light source to manhandle a 160G SPS dominate reef tank with Chaetomorphy as the only method of nutrient export. Less than a month ago, BRS TV focused on coral nutrition and Randy referenced @Dana Riddle articles on Coral nutrition.

As I massaged all that knowledge, I saw algae filtration as the big winner in my reef husbandry.

As I understand the science of photsythesis & biofiltration, light as a form of energy is coupled with carbon dioxide to form glucose which is carbon for the reef. So, Eisenstein was right when he said: E = MC2

As a byproduct of photosynthesis there are numerous compounds, exudates, that are bunched up into dissolved orgnic carbon. @Scrubber_steve @Lasse @Randy Holmes-Farley for technical expertise.

Reef tank DOC is a gumbo of ingredients which includes proteins, lipids and carbohydrates all of which grow coral. The flow of DOC, just like oxygn & carbon dioxide, is a two way street depending on light cycle: on/off.

When the Triton Method was integrated with World Wide Corals & BRS TV, I saw a common philosophy: Feed the Tank. Biofiltration will work it out. When John Tullock said in the Natural Reef Aquarium, I agree with.

LESS TECHNOLOGY / MORE BIOLOGY

After 5 billion years, Nature knows best.

Nature cetainly knows best. My philiosophy again. Follow mother nature as much as is practically possible and you won't go far wrong after all she has had millions of years to perfect her ways. Think you can di better? Think agsin. [emoji6]

 

[Paul B]

Taking a drive to a secluded beach tomorrow. I don't want somebody's sun block. Plenty of beaches here in Western Australia that have zero visitors. Nice bucket of sand to collect.

Filter out any Duck Billed Platypusses.

 

[Dana Riddle]

View attachment 978221 View attachment 978222 View attachment 978223 View attachment 978224


My bad. Less than 2 days old, I diy an invention inspired by my rowdy friends” @Paul B & @atoll.............

Because I think algae filtration is a powerful biofiter, I designed an algae zooplankton reactor to feed the tank.

BRS TV did a five part series on algae as the primary filter in a reef tank and they used a 25G refugium with a $1000 light source to manhandle a 160G SPS dominate reef tank with Chaetomorphy as the only method of nutrient export. Less than a month ago, BRS TV focused on coral nutrition and Randy referenced @Dana Riddle articles on Coral nutrition.

As I massaged all that knowledge, I saw algae filtration as the big winner in my reef husbandry.

As I understand the science of photsythesis & biofiltration, light as a form of energy is coupled with carbon dioxide to form glucose which is carbon for the reef. So, Eisenstein was right when he said: E = MC2

As a byproduct of photosynthesis there are numerous compounds, exudates, that are bunched up into dissolved orgnic carbon. @Scrubber_steve @Lasse @Randy Holmes-Farley for technical expertise.

Reef tank DOC is a gumbo of ingredients which includes proteins, lipids and carbohydrates all of which grow coral. The flow of DOC, just like oxygn & carbon dioxide, is a two way street depending on light cycle: on/off.

When the Triton Method was integrated with World Wide Corals & BRS TV, I saw a common philosophy: Feed the Tank. Biofiltration will work it out. When John Tullock said in the Natural Reef Aquarium, I agree with.

LESS TECHNOLOGY / MORE BIOLOGY

After 5 billion years, Nature knows best.

John Tullock = there's a name from the past! I used to drive up and see him in Knoxville, TN years ago. Bought my first Acropora from him.
That's a cool biofilter you've got. Reefing inspires ingenuity.
Thanks for the heads up on the BRS video. I'll have to watch it to see what I said.

 

[MnFish1]

This might be a dumb question I live in Puget sound, near Seattle. Would taking sand from a sound beach here to put in the tank be beneficial? Not sure if these sound beaches have more pollution that the open ocean beaches?

The question is 'what problem or issue are you trying to help or fix if any?'. If your tank is doing well - why? If its not doing well - do you think this will help?

As to your direct question If you read about Puget sound - and some of the problems with PCB's and other toxins, etc I'm not sure this is a great idea.

Secondly - unless you are running a 'cold water tank' - isn't the water near there close to 50 degees or less most of the year? I would expect that you are not going to find many organisms that will make the transition to 78 degree water - and those that do will likely be easily out competed by the organisms in your tank. JMHO.

 

[Dana Riddle]

The question is 'what problem or issue are you trying to help or fix if any?'. If your tank is doing well - why? If its not doing well - do you think this will help?

As to your direct question If you read about Puget sound - and some of the problems with PCB's and other toxins, etc I'm not sure this is a great idea.

Secondly - unless you are running a 'cold water tank' - isn't the water near there close to 50 degees or less most of the year? I would expect that you are not going to find many organisms that will make the transition to 78 degree water - and those that do will likely be easily out competed by the organisms in your tank. JMHO.

Didn't Ron Shimek test Puget Sound sediments, and find all sorts of metals, organics, etc. from all the shipping traffic?

 

[Subsea]

This might be a dumb question I live in Puget sound, near Seattle. Would taking sand from a sound beach here to put in the tank be beneficial? Not sure if these sound beaches have more pollution that the open ocean beaches?

+10 on what @MnFish1 said in the above post.

If you are competent in your skill level and wish to embrace diversity in biofiltration, then do so with caution. I have brought in pod predators that offset my primary goal of feeding tank with pods. I have also brought in Red Planaria as diversity. Selective management of predator prey hierarchy establishes who stays in the food chain. I normally let nature take its course. I do help at times with diy home designs like algae filtration on steroids.

@Paul B
You see how tall the grass is in my back yard in the middle of February. You know what that means and I am not a junk yard dealer.

I am going to take the advice of the Marine. Go fishing and experience Patience.

https://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhikers-guide/

 

[Thales]

Didn't Ron Shimek test Puget Sound sediments, and find all sorts of metals, organics, etc. from all the shipping traffic?

Yep. This is one of the dangers will collecting stuff and putting it in your tank. When I collect pods and crabs as feed, I rinse the heck out of them. There are real possible dangers to adding collected substrates.

 

[Subsea]

@Paul B
A friend has this for his signature. I thought you might enjoy it.

As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance,
our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey

 

[Paul B]

Didn't Ron Shimek test Puget Sound sediments, and find all sorts of metals, organics, etc. from all the shipping traffic?

I think he did. I am not one to go along with Dr. Ron's theories. (especially that deep sand thing. Him and me are the same age and got into the hobby the same year) After saying that, I believe the metals in a tablespoon of mud you take from Puget Sound, or Love Canal for that matter would be considered trace elements in a tank as he is not taking all his water from there. Just a tiny bit.

The ocean, even over a coral reef is loaded with metals and most of them are needed and probably missing in a tank. (Ref: Me.)
I started my still running tank with water from the East River in Manhattan. There is probably no place more polluted than that and it is the oldest tank on here, not that I would advocate anyone do that. But metals, all metals are needed in a reef.

I could see if he was throwing a 4 speed transmission from a Thunderbird in there, but he is not.
I say, Be a Man and collect that Mud. Let the Nay Sayers say Nay.

 

[soflmuddin]

But metals, all metals are needed in a reef.

Mercury is a metal.[emoji57]