Tank of the Month - June 2012

[acanthurus4lyfe]

Its gotta be that mountain spring water

im not a fan of water changes as well. but its effectiveness is purley based on your bioload and since your fish and non-sessile inverts are lacking, the nutrient export can be maintained by the chaeto, skimmer, and bioballs.

i like your diy led next to the radiums, we hear so much about how the lack of full spectrum from LEDs effects coral color.... but not in your tank.

simple is very effective and ive heard lots of success stories with no water changes, the largest nutrient import is feeding... if you have little to feed youll be fine.

well done

[IridescentLily]

Originally Posted by letter2no

April and RK team... thank you for choose my tank to be TOTM this month. Really surprise me...

Hi Nano, thanks, it was my pleasure
I have a question regarding your corals;
I noticed you have two pink (goniopora?), near a euphyllia, and near a toadstool leather, all three known for being territorial. Have they had any problems being close to each other?

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by psteeleb

beautiful tank - well deserved

@psteeleb... thank you...

IridescentLily

Here's a link to other 'no water changes' thread where many folks utilize this method with success. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...+water+changes
Keep in mind, It's not for everyone.

April... thank you for the link about "no water changes" thread...
and agree with your word... "It's not for everyone" ..
in my country only my tank that could run like this... and there is more debate with my system for every person who run with ultra low nutrient.

@BrownPoseidon and moshi1ry...i only dose Ca with CaCl2 , Mg with MgCl2 / MgSO4 and alkalinity with NaHCO3... for replacing the element. i do not dose strontium because in my country SrCl2 expensive for me. i think if we could maintain the main minerals it would ok... (this is my opinion)
*i try dose KCl (potassium ion) for replace this element... need extra attention because over dose potassium could cause burn tip and STN on SPS.

S2minute :
This has got to be a first. I too, would VERY much like to know how this is possible. Something major in that setup must be exporting the nutrients other that the skimmer. It has to be the combination of skimmer and dsb/fuge?? He did say he was running a bio-ball reactor too right.

@S2minute.. yups.. i run with bio-ball reactor... in my opinion.. detritus or something else would filtered for the fist step in this reactor... before exported by protein skimmer.

[DownwardDawg]

Your tank is magnificant and your English is just fine!!!!!! I hope my 125 looks like this someday.

[DownwardDawg]

In picture 4 of 28, the ones of the corals, what is that in that pic? Is that a birdsnest? That thing is beautiful!!! Has that "superman" color to it.

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by acanthurus4lyfe

Its gotta be that mountain spring water

im not a fan of water changes as well. but its effectiveness is purley based on your bioload and since your fish and non-sessile inverts are lacking, the nutrient export can be maintained by the chaeto, skimmer, and bioballs.

i like your diy led next to the radiums, we hear so much about how the lack of full spectrum from LEDs effects coral color.... but not in your tank.

simple is very effective and ive heard lots of success stories with no water changes, the largest nutrient import is feeding... if you have little to feed youll be fine.

well done

@acanthurus4lyfe...... yups i agree with your opinion.. mature refugium with macro algae .. DSB with good sand size (maybe..) bio-ball/ ceramic rings/ gromax combine with bacteria would be effective export nutrient. the real evidence is when my fish death in the evening of the day... in the morning i found my fish just covered by biofilms of bacteria...
i dose 100-300mL bacteria culture for my system .. may be this help export more effective nutrient in my tank.

* i wish i could feed my fish in little portion... but i am worried for my fish would starve

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by IridescentLily

Hi Nano, thanks, it was my pleasure
I have a question regarding your corals;
I noticed you have two pink (goniopora?), near a euphyllia, and near a toadstool leather, all three known for being territorial. Have they had any problems being close to each other?

@April... yups... after i observe why one of them not expand the tentacle i remove to another space... because one of them get STN on the base... after i removed the tentacle expand more big... the euphyllia is in the bottom of the tank, so tentacle could not reach another coral.. and the flow in the tank inhibit the euphyllia tentacle...

[LobsterOfJustice]

Nice looking tank!

For all the people acting like this is some kind of voodoo... I read the article and I don't see what's so strange about it - carbon and bacteria dosing, skimmer, refugium, rowaphos (or is that just the reactor and not the media?)... It's not like he's not running any filtration.

Just don't expect to copy only one part of the system (i.e. no water changes) and get the same results.

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by DownwardDawg

Your tank is magnificant and your English is just fine!!!!!! I hope my 125 looks like this someday.

DownwardDawg : In picture 4 of 28, the ones of the corals, what is that in that pic? Is that a birdsnest? That thing is beautiful!!! Has that "superman" color to it.

@Downwarddawg... Thank you... yups that is seriatopora hystrix. ...
about the "superman"... the color changes every month. I don't know why.... some time green-orange polips with blue bases... sometime green polips with blue-green bases..

[bata-bata]

Well done bro, you deserved it!!

A tank w/out WC is very posible, im one of his follower who decide to use his methode in simple & easy maintaining reef tank. In my own opinion, for the sucsess of non WC reef tank
Is to know your tank need and a bacteria/carbon dose. But always remember that each reeftank have different need. So choose what methode you'll follow carefully.

Greets
Wawan

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by LobsterOfJustice

Nice looking tank!

For all the people acting like this is some kind of voodoo... I read the article and I don't see what's so strange about it - carbon and bacteria dosing, skimmer, refugium, rowaphos (or is that just the reactor and not the media?)... It's not like he's not running any filtration.

Just don't expect to copy only one part of the system (i.e. no water changes) and get the same results.

@LobsterOfJustice... thank you... agree with your opinion
it is just reactor not media.
Carbon and bacteria dosing...skimmer....refugium with DSB

[wahyu_pb]

Congrats for TOTM in reefcentral Mas Nano... Some one will not believed with this tank with such as no water change and messy additives. But Here in Indonesia we all believed that his tank is what he already said...

[Fernando Chang]

Dear Letter2No. !!

My congratulations from PANAMA awesome tank reef very impressed the color of your corals also the simplicity of your entire system !!

Regards
Fernando Chang
Panama

[weezyfella]

Spring water must be magic, the color of your corals look amazing and healthy considering no water change in so many years. I've been struggling to get color though I get good growth. I might just have to start carbon dosing. But what gets me is that you never test for Nitrates or Phosphates, how would you know if you are over dosing on the carbon? Best advice would be don't change nothing lol.

[Fernando Chang]

Dear Letter2No. !

I have one question for you about the lighting : understand you are using 2 different set of lights LEDs and M. Halides. Do you have the results or indications on which the corals are doing OK ? good colors, fast or slow growing ? that will be interesting to know the results of your experiment.
thanks in advance your kind reply.

Regards
Fernando Chang
Panama

[Reefahholic]

Very nice!

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by wahyu_pb

Congrats for TOTM in reefcentral Mas Nano... Some one will not believed with this tank with such as no water change and messy additives. But Here in Indonesia we all believed that his tank is what he already said...

@wahyu_pb.... matur nuwun

weezyfella : Spring water must be magic, the color of your corals look amazing and healthy considering no water change in so many years. I've been struggling to get color though I get good growth. I might just have to start carbon dosing. But what gets me is that you never test for Nitrates or Phosphates, how would you know if you are over dosing on the carbon? Best advice would be don't change nothing lol.

@weezyfella... ehmmmm in my opinion when you overdose carbon-bacteria, it would get snow storm... my friend in jakarta get snow storm for 10days...because overdose carbon and bacteria. Maybe dosing bacteria would help your system more mature. About the color.. i don't know the answer... it's just like that...

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by bata-bata

Well done bro, you deserved it!!

A tank w/out WC is very posible, im one of his follower who decide to use his methode in simple & easy maintaining reef tank. In my own opinion, for the sucsess of non WC reef tank
Is to know your tank need and a bacteria/carbon dose. But always remember that each reef tank have different need. So choose what methode you'll follow carefully.

Greets
Wawan

@mas Wawan... thank you... agree with your opinion..

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by Fernando Chang

Dear Letter2No. !!

My congratulations from PANAMA awesome tank reef very impressed the color of your corals also the simplicity of your entire system !!

Regards
Fernando Chang
Panama

Fernando Chang Dear Letter2No. !

I have one question for you about the lighting : understand you are using 2 different set of lights LEDs and M. Halides. Do you have the results or indications on which the corals are doing OK ? good colors, fast or slow growing ? that will be interesting to know the results of your experiment.
thanks in advance your kind reply.

Regards
Fernando Chang
Panama

@fernando chang : thank you for your compliment... about the lighting. I think under my LED.. coral growth more faster than under Radium 250w 20kk. (this is in my tank) i compare my red digitata.. under LED digitata grow faster than under radium. but.. encrusting monti show great color and growth under Radium. In my opinion, zoas, encrusting montipora, acans, GSP, tridacna clams and LPS show great color and growth under Radium. But some LPS (doughnot coral and trachy) would bleach under my LED, except i drive my led at 290mA each LEDs. Zoas, sps, clove polip, sarcophyton, show great growth under my LED.

Regards
nano

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by Reefahholic

Very nice!

Thank you Jared....

[Fernando Chang]

Dear Letter2no. !

thanks very much for yr response. Understand from yr message that the corals in general growth OK under the radium lights !! the reason why I asked you about the lighting because I am in the process to determine whether to change from Halides to LED. the Halides produce too much heat and the electricity bill is high too but I have to be sure what is better for my reef tank. my current tank is 95% soft corals, few pcs of lps and 2 pcs of sps. the softs are doing OK but the sps not sure. unfortunately in Panama there is a lack of information also very very few hobbyst that we can share information. thanks anyway for yr quick response.

Regards
Fernando Chang

[S2minute]

Originally Posted by acanthurus4lyfe

Its gotta be that mountain spring water

im not a fan of water changes as well. but its effectiveness is purley based on your bioload and since your fish and non-sessile inverts are lacking, the nutrient export can be maintained by the chaeto, skimmer, and bioballs.

i like your diy led next to the radiums, we hear so much about how the lack of full spectrum from LEDs effects coral color.... but not in your tank.

simple is very effective and ive heard lots of success stories with no water changes, the largest nutrient import is feeding... if you have little to feed youll be fine.

well done

LEDS HAVE full spectrum. They just peak at different wavelengths depending on for example: the type of white led you choose what bin color of that type.
PS: For those thinking LEDS i JUST got my DIY LED fixture running last night. I have pics posted in the album on my profile if you like.

S2minute :
This has got to be a first. I too, would VERY much like to know how this is possible. Something major in that setup must be exporting the nutrients other that the skimmer. It has to be the combination of skimmer and dsb/fuge?? He did say he was running a bio-ball reactor too right.

@S2minute.. yups.. i run with bio-ball reactor... in my opinion.. detritus or something else would filtered for the fist step in this reactor... before exported by protein skimmer.

You know your bio-ball reactor sounds very much like the ole school bio-ball wet/dry sumps that were all the rage in the 90's. I had one myself and was then sold on the concept BUT, later thay were discovered to be huge NO3 generators and good for fish only tanks.
However, you say you use it AS PART of an overall system. You must have some type of mesh in place before the water reaches the bio-balls? So, a mesh,*to be cleaned or replaced on a reg. basis then through the bio-ball chamber,(which would then generate lots of NO3), which the skimmer removes part of ...then all return to the DT and fuge where your clams and dsb get busy too. That's pretty cool because i have like over 15 gallons of bio-balls in storage.
So your DSB is 4 years old. My dsb is 6" and about 4 years old too. Some folks say that after 3 years a dsb gets to old and loaded with hvy metals and PO4 ect. Is that a concern for you? I built mine with 12 compartments so when/if i wanted to change it out i'd change one conpartment per month BUT, i've heard some people with DSBs that are over 15 y/o with no problems. I've also read in the book," Sand Bed Secerts" by Ron Shimek, and i gathered that their is NO reason to replace it. How do you feel about that? Have you noticed the way waste is being processed?

[halmahera]

Congrats for the TOTM !
For those interested here is a video of the tank posted in our local forums
It's real

[IridescentLily]

Originally Posted by letter2no

@April... yups... after i observe why one of them not expand the tentacle i remove to another space... because one of them get STN on the base... after i removed the tentacle expand more big... the euphyllia is in the bottom of the tank, so tentacle could not reach another coral.. and the flow in the tank inhibit the euphyllia tentacle...

Berfasar. Also, Do you find your trachyphyllia to be light sensitive?
My trachy starts bleaching at the drop of a hat. If i give all the corals more light, they grow and look good, but my trach radiata starts bleaching. So we put a screen over the top to keep trachy from bleaching, but all other corals in the tank suffer for it. But the trachy has gained back color and has even grown too large for my tank.
I don't know what to do with the light dilemma at this point.

[letter2no]

Originally Posted by Fernando Chang

Dear Letter2no. !

thanks very much for yr response. Understand from yr message that the corals in general growth OK under the radium lights !! the reason why I asked you about the lighting because I am in the process to determine whether to change from Halides to LED. the Halides produce too much heat and the electricity bill is high too but I have to be sure what is better for my reef tank. my current tank is 95% soft corals, few pcs of lps and 2 pcs of sps. the softs are doing OK but the sps not sure. unfortunately in Panama there is a lack of information also very very few hobbyst that we can share information. thanks anyway for yr quick response.

Regards
Fernando Chang

@Fernando...i agree with you about halides. halides produce too much heat and cause your wallet empty and in my opinion may be LED with dimmer would support for your system. i learn all the DIY lighting from youtube.