720 Gal SPS tank with Full LED lights - BB

[Joe the painter]

wow very cool and inspiring!!!!

 

[Oldude]

Nice set up. I really like the finished built-in look with the sliding door, very cool!!

 

[roberto_lopes]

First of all I have to thanks all you guys for the nice comments. That's amazing.

Looks fantastic. Care to explain a bit on the white silicon bottom? Did the tank manufacturer install that, or is that something you did? Any idea of what brand was used? Very curious for my next build ... love the look

The silicon was applied by the tank manufacturer at my specifications. The silicon is ordinary aquarium silicon but white. That's all. It looks fantastic (I do like it a lot) and no pink algae will attach to it.

It is very strong and things do not slide over the tank like normal BB when you have Vortechs MP60 blowing at full speed.

It's nice against corals that eventually can fall of on it and it's easy to clean.

I really like the idea.

Thanks again to all and here is some more pics. Sorry about the quality and the mess. I'm still doing research job on positioning the colonies.

 

[Aran]

love this look. The scaping is perfect.

 

[albano]

The silicon was applied by the tank manufacturer at my specifications. The silicon is ordinary aquarium silicon but white. That's all. It looks fantastic (I do like it a lot) and no pink algae will attach to it...

Hard to tell....is it smooth or rough finish? Any better pics / close ups?

Had you seen this done before? Any links to other info on it?


Thanks in advance!

 

[TRUKINGNY]

wow great tank wish I had the room for this

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

Those are some nice colonies you picked up. Tank is coming along smoothly.

 

[roberto_lopes]

Hard to tell....is it smooth or rough finish? Any better pics / close ups?



Had you seen this done before? Any links to other info on it?





Thanks in advance!

Its not smooth finish so its look more natural.
I'll take better pics today.

 

[Vlado4x4]

Roberto as i told via PM your system is inspiring, thank you for showing it.

I have a friend how tried siporax in the past, and he told me the following ¨I use it .. about 3 or 4 liters in my previous system .. and it does filter .. but it makes the first part of the Filtration .. ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate .. therefore (at least in my experience ) it´s a nitrates generator¨

Could you be so kind to explain how to mantein siporax ? How much flow, cleanning involved and if you change them at all ?? All info provided will very helpfull, i would love to try them !!

Thanks

 

[alessandro]

Yuor new tank looks fantastic, Roberto!
Wonderful work, compliments!

 

[hugorsf]

¨I use it .. about 3 or 4 liters in my previous system .. and it does filter .. but it makes the first part of the Filtration .. ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate .. therefore (at least in my experience ) it´s a nitrates generator¨

I think that's a myth. Siporax or any kind of biological filtration dosen't produce more nitrate that is allready in the system!

Of course siporax transform ammonia in nitrate, but that a good thing, that's what we want because ammonia and nitrite is much worst then nitrate If there is no ammonia in the system siporax dosen't produce nitrate.

The problem with siporax (and probably why is so miss undestood) is that, like any material in the sump, it restrict the flow somehow and durty particles can acomulate nitrates. But even those particles are not generated by siporax. So to mantain siporax or any kind of biological filtration we need to keep those materials clean as possible, and out of durty particles...

My 2cents!

P.S.:I allways use siporax, eheim substract and bioballs and live rock in my sump and i think live rock is the worst biological filtration material doing the job and to clean!

 

[dave.m]

I allways use siporax, eheim substract and bioballs and live rock in my sump and i think live rock is the worst biological filtration material doing the job and to clean!

There is no question that Siporax, bioballs, biobale, etc. create nitrate in the sump from ammonia and nitrite, as you have correctly stated. The issue is that they ONLY create nitrate.

Live rock, on the other hand, contains the bacteria to create nitrate from ammonia and nitrate PLUS the de-nitrifying bacteria to eventually release it to the atmosphere as free nitrogen. This is the process that helps to get rid of nitrogen-based pollutants in the aquarium.

All these materials (Siporax, bioballs, biobale, etc.) were used in reef sumps back in the early 1990s and experience showed that live rock was far superior to them. That is why we go rid of them (in North American aquariums, at least). It is interesting to me to hear such old and failed technology being resurrected again.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana

Dave.M

 

[hugorsf]

Well tecnicaly speaking siporax DO NOT create nitrate. They process ammonia and nitrite wich are very toxic (ammonia more), into nitrate. Siporax DO NOT create more nitrate that there are allready in the system! I think we all can agreed on this!

About Live rock. I don't say that live rock as no denitrifiyng capabilities, what i argue is what stops denitrifiyng bacteria to be also on siporax.

Ron Shimek, on a well known article in AQ about live rock, write:

Assumption 2: The Interior Of The Rock Contains Denitrifying Bacteria

This is probably the easiest of the assumptions to validate. Most authorities (see Capone, et al., 1992) consider that such bacteria are ubiquitous. They are likely found in virtually all habitats at least in small numbers, but thrive in almost all areas where the conditions are to their liking. The inside of the live rock would be a good place for them, and it appears that they are probably there (Risk and Muller, 1983). It would seem that the assumption that live rock contains the appropriate denitrifying bacteria is therefore valid.

So again: what stops denitrifyng bactéria to be in siporax?! The flow is the same, the porosity is equivalent, ...

But this is not a Live Rock Vs Siporax treath. My post was about the myth that siporax CREATES nitrate witch i steal believe is not correct!

Finaly here are some exemples of "old and failed technology":

P.S.:All this examples as well as Roberto's tank, as no live rock, only fake ones (and siporax )!:dance:

 

[dave.m]

I think we are agreed that siporax et al do not create/invent nitrates. It is just a matter of wording.

Here's a simple test. Start removing the siporax or whatever from the sump. Only remove 5-10% per week so that the rest of the bacteria in the aquarium have a chance to catch up to the additional load. Keep doing this and see if your aquarium reaches a new balance point where the bacteria cannot keep up with the bio load.

This is what was done in the early 1990s to prove that none of these artificial means are necessary when live rock is used. See Sprung & Delbeek for more.

Dave.M

 

[hugorsf]

I don't want to test anything, i'm ok with siporax and i think Roberto is also!
In all this cases (roberto's also), no live rock is used! In my case i love live rock and stil use it

 

[dave.m]

Then you should also look at Chingchai's thread. He removed all his live rock and replaced it with artificial rock. To the best of my knowledge he does not use siporax or any of these other artificial sump materials in his systems. It is probably not needed.

Dave.M

 

[hugorsf]

I know Ching!

 

[Grabloids]

AWESOME! I love the industrial control panel! You know you have a big tank when you use one of those

 

[roberto_lopes]

Well

The siporax, do not create anything and is does the complete cycle. Is does not only converts ammonia to Nitrite then to nitrate and leave the nitrate. Taht wolud be impossible since we cannot control what types of bacteria will colonize the midia.

Siporax is nothing less than a home for ALL types of bacteria. That's all.

My older SPS system also was using siporax and always NO3 = 0 just like this.

In fact on my older system I was DOSING nitrates because my colonies was getting to bight for my taste (I prefer darker colors)

Indeed I do not use live rock on my systems.

I'm happy with this setup but I'm always open to suggestions and I WILL put my fails in here. If something I believe in fact do not work. I'll share so my friends does not make the same mistakes ...

Back to the topic.

New colonies arrived (mostly Tables and exotic SPS colonies)

I'll put pics tonight.

Thanks to all

 

[dave.m]

Roberto, Sorry for hijacking your thread. My apologies.

Dave.M