Clean breeding system?

[WDLV]

I'd like to get a little input on keeping a cleaner system for breeding. I'm looking to run a max of 90 gallons of tank space on a 100 gallon sump.

Current filtration equipment is:
Euroreef CS12-2
GAC
Reeflo Hammerhead (not in use.)
Reeflo Dart (not in use.)

I'm debating on using bio balls. Are they effective if submerged? If so, I may just put them in the sump or a 14" wide cylinder off the skimmer in the sump. Alternately, I may use LR and baserock. I have no intention of ever using medications in the system.
Also, I might like to add a few phos-ban reactors full of aragonite and GAC (separately.) The aragonite being for pH stabilization.

 

[NirvanaFan]

I'll take a pic of my setup when I get home. I build a rack to hold ten 10 gallon tanks, all plumbed to a 55g sump. There are currently 6 tanks (5 pairs and 1 grow out) on the system. The sump is loaded with live rock. There is probably close to 100 pounds in there now. An oversized skimmer, with about 1lb of rock per gallon of brood tank water should work.

I've never used bioballs, but I don't think they are too effective if submerged. They can't process nitrates to nitrogen wherever they are. Having them exposed to air provides the perfect environment for ammonia and nitrate conversion though.

I don't bother with GAC or phosban in my breeding system. Just remember that you are feeding heavily, so you're going to have to skim heavily and siphon the bottom often.

I also wouldn't bother with the aragonite for pH stabilization. The fish don't mind a lower pH. It is just more stuff for you to clean. If you're doing it for a DSB or for filtration, go for it though.

 

[WDLV]

The ten gallons aren't too small? I've kept clowns in 10 gallons for long periods of time but never thought it was opimal.

 

[NirvanaFan]

Excuse the extremely messy basement....

From left to right on the top shelf, all in 10 gallons...
Clarkii pair breeding
Ocellaris pair breeding
Orange skunk
Onyx Percula
sunrise dottyback

Bottom shelf left to right.
5 gallon copepod culture - not plumbed
blue round tub for raising fry - not plumbed
10 gallon tank unused
10 gallon tank with 20+ baby ocellaris clowns (5/8")

All hooked up to a 55 gallon sump. There probably isn't 100 pounds of rock, but there is at least 75. Skimmer is an octopus nw-200. I'll be building a massive skimmer this summer. Plans are for it being 16" in diameter and 4' tall. It should skim like a beast!


The 10 gallon tanks are fine for the small clowns (ocellaris, percula, skunk, etc). The clarkii's could be in a larger tank. I put them in the 10 gallon to hold them until I could build another rack for 20 gallon tanks. They started breeding before I had the chance. I do plan on doing this soon though because I have a GSM female that I need to pair. The dottyback will be getting a mate soon and will need a larger tank. I'll be acquiring a couple orchid dottyback's as well.

 

[WDLV]

Almost identical to mine. Even the basement window is in exactly the same place.

 

[reefstew]

With the copepod culture under the fish tanks your bound to crash it. I keep my pods in another room & the rotifers have a shower curtain over the shelf above it so nothing spashes in it.

 

[billsreef]

The bioballs will work submerged, but not very effectively. For a submerged application you are better off with a dense porous substrate like LR or one of the commercial bio medias such as sintered glass or the various bio bead type stuff.

 

[WDLV]

Of that's the case I may be best off pulling the old baserock out and using that along with my LR.

 

[NirvanaFan]

I got a good deal on live rock, so that is what I use. I've thought about getting small pieces (golf balls) and making eggcrate "boxes" to put it in. These could be stacked and would be very space efficient.

 

[WDLV]

Liverock it is.

 

[WDLV]

I'm guessing that if I can fill a tower-like structure full of live/base rock and direct my skimmer output over it, that it would help its effectiveness.

 

[NirvanaFan]

If Live rock has water trickling over it, it will act like bioballs and convert ammonia to nitrite and then nitrite to nitrate. There probably won't be as much conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas though because of the highly oxygenated environment. You could always do that with some live rock and then have a bunch submerged also.

 

[WDLV]

That's in line with what I was thinking. I'd say 50-75% would be submerged.

 

[NirvanaFan]

Try it out and see what happens. Can't hurt to try.

 

[WDLV]

Yesterday I installed a 3' long, 14" diameter PVC pipe in the sump, redirected the skimmer output into the pipe and filled it about 2/3 full of branch rock and a little rubbel rock I had stored away. I'm thinking this will make a decent biofilter while allowing me to have easy access to the sump floor for cleaning.

 

[billsreef]

Looks good

 

[WDLV]

Looks good

 

[WDLV]

Question: Trying to plan ahead.... Here's what I'm thinking. I will plumb the fry tanks into the main system but I'll only have a trickle or drip of water going into them and will cover the standpipe with a sponge filter. The other difference is that the fry tanks will be painted black on all sides as well as the bottom and will contain a heater with bubbler to stabilize the temperature.

1. Is there any reason I shouldn't plumb it in?

Next question: Do I need a 30 breeder for ocellaris-sized fish to spawn (for the first time) or would I do well to silicone a black piece of acrylic to divide the tank in half or down size to a 10 gallon for space conservation? The larger of the two pairs are the size of large ocellaris now (about 3.5".) I can't imagine they'll get much bigger and they don't appear to need all the space that's available in the 40 breeder they're in. My space is limited to 96" x 18" footprint for all tanks. My 10 gallons overlap by ~1" on the front and back but I've been doing it that way for a couple years for quarrantine without any structural failures.

On the tile -vs- flower pot debate, I might just pull a quick experiment and put the pot in one corner and the tiles in the other. If they choose one, I'll swap sides and see of they follow the preferred substrate.

 

[WDLV]

Current system configuration recap.

Sump - 100 gallon Rubbermaid livestock trough.
Biofiltration - 14" x 36" PVC pipe 2/3 full of baserock rubbel. Plus 50-75 Lbs of liverock in the sump.
Skimmer - ER CS12-2
Stand - 96" x 18" x 29"
Tanks - 40 Breeder plumbed in. Five 10 gallons are not plumbed in.

Probable future configuration.

Sump - 48"x 44"x 29"rectangular polyethelene produce shipping container
BioFiltration ~ 100-150Lbs assorted Liverock
Skimmer - ER CS12-2
Stand - 96" x 18" x 29"
Tanks - 30 breeder divided in half, plus four 10 gallons plumbed in (one for fry three for growout.) and two 10 gallons for rotifer grow out.

 

[billsreef]

No reason not to plumb the fry tanks into the system, but be sure you set the system up in a way to make it easy to isolate and remove/replace tanks as needed.

Ocellaris can spawn in as little as 10 gallon, though the 30 divided in half will likely be more reliable.