Concave Reef

Daniel Prado said:
One of the most difficult aspects of my project was to calculate the curvature of the reef, because I tried to got the best design without glass distortion. For this one more time, my friend Walmyr Buzzato create this:

The length of arc (in our case, the flat plate size before the plate being bent) is given by the following formula:

Arco.jpg


In this formula, 'b' is the "STRING" and 'h' is the "ARROW". From this formula, I put together a simple excel spreadsheet to calculate the arc, and then you can use 'goal seek' tool to get the value that you want the arc, setting either of the variables:

PlanilhaArcoxCordaxRaio.png


The two blank cells, 'b' and 'h', can be edited. For example, if you want to check if the calculation is correct, simply enter 2XH = b (ie, values ​​for the semi-circle, where the rope and arrow = diameter = radius). Putting 1600 to 'h' results in 5026.55 to S, which is exactly 1600 x PI.

We did the calculation by placing arrows of 300 and string of 3200, and resulted in S = 3274.48. Using the 'Goal Seek' Excel by setting h = 300 and vary the rope leaving (b), this results in 3195.41.

I will use this value in the project!!!!!

If anybody wants this excell formula to calculate some reef arcs is just ask me!!!!!!

Rgds

Daniel
Click to expand...

Great build and planning. But with all those numbers explaining about the glass has went way above my pay grade.
 
WOW this is gonna be awesome man
Cant wait to see how this turns out
Will def be following along

Good Luck
 
dave.m said:
Really? I haven't even heard Siporax mentioned since the 1990s. Is this product common in Brazil?

Dave.M
Click to expand...

Hello Dave,
How are you?
Yes, very common in this years!!!!! Some years ago a very good friend of mine Mr. Carlinhos Moreno (TOMT august 2012) introduced this concept here in Brazil in marine reefs. The siporax is used as a place to nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria can live!!!!!!!

Please see pictures from Mr Carlinhos Moreno, for me one of the best experts in Marine Reefs in whole world:

6522392657_03fff60714_z.jpg


6522390495_ef73d817a5_z.jpg


6522396503_0dcd7cd9a8_z.jpg


6522406625_6cca0a2919_z.jpg


6522404467_49553456c3_z.jpg


6522414981_8c5d9dfa44_z.jpg


Many thank`s,

Daniel
 
dave.m said:
Really? I haven't even heard Siporax mentioned since the 1990s. Is this product common in Brazil?

Dave.M
Click to expand...

Dave,

this thing is "relatively new" over here. some guys just start to use it in SW aquariums (3+ yrs) and it appears to be a bed for bacteria helping in nitrifying / denitrifying process. the main goal (in local's "belief") is replace the sand bed in bb / ssb systems, you know...

it's hard to find people around the world using this product for this purpose; Jürgen Wendel owner of a huge coral farm in Germany ( http://www.korallenzucht-wendel.de/gb/korallen/ ) uses it to "promote" nitrate as part of feeding system for corals... anyway, do you have any experience in any way using it?

---

bump for news :)
 
Euler Kernighan said:
anyway, do you have any experience in any way using it?
Click to expand...
Euler, I don't want to start arguments or make anyone feel bad. Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s American reefers used to keep large compartments of various media in their sumps filled with Bioballs or similar products on which to grow bacteria to consume ammonia and nitrites. It was believed that this was the best way to maintain top quality water parameters. This was called the Dutch system of reef keeping. Media with as much surface area as possible within a limited space was sought to provide the most growth of these bacteria. It was at this time that Siporax (scintillated glass) was suggested as an optimum growth medium in this vein.

It didn't take too long before reefers realized they were fighting high levels of nitrates and that these levels were being created in own their sumps. They had created literal nitrate factories. Few people if any could keep hard corals at such high nitrate levels.

Then the news arrived (via Sprung et al) that the Germans were well aware of these problems and had completely gotten rid of the nitrate factories in their sumps and were using using live rock to control ammonia, nitrites AND nitrates. This was called the Berlin system of reef keeping. This was also the introduction of the bare-bottom tank to reef keeping, though once pollutants were under control many would start to re-introduce a small sand layer for appearance's sake.

That was the last I had heard of Bioballs or Siporax. That stuff was pretty much all gone by 1995-6. That is why I was so surprised to hear Daniel say he planned to use Siporax on his new tank.

None of this is meant to suggest that there aren't many ways to run a reef tank, and I didn't mean it to sound as a criticism of Daniel's method. Those whose systems run too cleanly have actually had to re-introduce some pollutants in the form of biopellets just to increase bacterial levels in their reef systems. As long as the various systems and levels are maintained in a controlled manner there are all sorts of things one can achieve. For example, look at GlennF's new/old Dutch Reef System method of measuring many different water parameters on a regular basis and dosing many different elements in order to avoid doing water changes. Some of this goes right back to Berlin school efforts in the 1970s.

As for my personal experience in using these methods, no, I have not ever been able to afford to keep reef tanks of my own. My experience has been with maintaining reef tanks for others professionally. I have been following the reef hobby since I first learned of it in the 1980s. I even have Peter Wilkens' books from the 1970s. I have watched new fads/methods/learnings come and go, all in attempts to make reef keeping better for everyone. Please do not consider this to be a criticism. None was intended

I have never seen so many people so successful at keeping reef tanks as there are today. Surely we must be doing something right.

Dave.M
 
Last edited:
Euler Kernighan said:
Dave,

this thing is "relatively new" over here. some guys just start to use it in SW aquariums (3+ yrs) and it appears to be a bed for bacteria helping in nitrifying / denitrifying process. the main goal (in local's "belief") is replace the sand bed in bb / ssb systems, you know...

it's hard to find people around the world using this product for this purpose; Jürgen Wendel owner of a huge coral farm in Germany ( http://www.korallenzucht-wendel.de/gb/korallen/ ) uses it to "promote" nitrate as part of feeding system for corals... anyway, do you have any experience in any way using it?

---

bump for news :)
Click to expand...

Euler,
Many thank`s for quote!!!!!!
Rgds
Daniel
 
dave.m said:
Euler, I don't want to start arguments or make anyone feel bad. Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s American reefers used to keep large compartments of various media in their sumps filled with Bioballs or similar products on which to grow bacteria to consume ammonia and nitrites. It was believed that this was the best way to maintain top quality water parameters. This was called the Dutch system of reef keeping. Media with as much surface area as possible within a limited space was sought to provide the most growth of these bacteria. It was at this time that Siporax (scintillated glass) was suggested as an optimum growth medium in this vein.

It didn't take too long before reefers realized they were fighting high levels of nitrates and that these levels were being created in own their sumps. They had created literal nitrate factories. Few people if any could keep hard corals at such high nitrate levels.

Then the news arrived (via Sprung et al) that the Germans were well aware of these problems and had completely gotten rid of the nitrate factories in their sumps and were using using live rock to control ammonia, nitrites AND nitrates. This was called the Berlin system of reef keeping. This was also the introduction of the bare-bottom tank to reef keeping, though once pollutants were under control many would start to re-introduce a small sand layer for appearance's sake.

That was the last I had heard of Bioballs or Siporax. That stuff was pretty much all gone by 1995-6. That is why I was so surprised to hear Daniel say he planned to use Siporax on his new tank.

None of this is meant to suggest that there aren't many ways to run a reef tank, and I didn't mean it to sound as a criticism of Daniel's method. Those whose systems run too cleanly have actually had to re-introduce some pollutants in the form of biopellets just to increase bacterial levels in their reef systems. As long as the various systems and levels are maintained in a controlled manner there are all sorts of things one can achieve. For example, look at GlennF's new/old Dutch Reef System method of measuring many different water parameters on a regular basis and dosing many different elements in order to avoid doing water changes. Some of this goes right back to Berlin school efforts in the 1970s.

As for my personal experience in using these methods, no, I have not ever been able to afford to keep reef tanks of my own. My experience has been with maintaining reef tanks for others professionally. I have been following the reef hobby since I first learned of it in the 1980s. I even have Peter Wilkens' books from the 1970s. I have watched new fads/methods/learnings come and go, all in attempts to make reef keeping better for everyone. Please do not consider this to be a criticism. None was intended

I have never seen so many people so successful at keeping reef tanks as there are today. Surely we must be doing something right.

Dave.M
Click to expand...

Dave.M,
I am so sorry for the delay in answer, but I have a lot of job here with the new tank and unfortunately without time to answer!!!!!
I would like to thank you very much for teaching us with your knowledgement.... It was amazing!!!!!
I will try siporax and biopellets!!!!!! Let`s see what will happen!!!!!!
Many thank`s,
Daniel
 
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