Cryptic zone filtration and its concern

[uwiik]

Does it actually work? What about it being a detritus bank? I actually am using it right now but I can't tell if it's working or not, one time I had to tore apart mine due to a big crab that keep on destroying my corals at night residing inside it (it is a deep fiberglass tank with cryptic zone covered with coral gravels on the lower half of the tank then egg crate on top to place the corals, a commercial setup), it was definitely a huge detritus bank, I literally had a bucketfull of detritus, but when I try to smell the rocks and the detritus it smelled very very fresh just like the ocean, no foul smell or anything like that.

I would like to think that it is working otherwise I have to tear apart my system and re design it because my tubs were designed around cryptic zone idea. :hmm5:

Thanks

 

[Subsea]

My mud filter is a detritus sink. I bought the system used 12 years ago. Bit has gotten slightly deeper in those 12 years and is crawling with worms and pods in the macro above the mud.
Patrick

 

[uwiik]

My mud filter is a detritus sink. I bought the system used 12 years ago. Bit has gotten slightly deeper in those 12 years and is crawling with worms and pods in the macro above the mud.
Patrick

No problem with nitrate or phospate or other ugly things? I also thought that a broken down detritus is not dangerous anymore because it is just turned into inorganic mulm? Like I said, when I tore down my ceyptic it smelled very fresh...

 

[Subsea]

Themis filter is 1" deep. If I stir it up, I can smell h2s. It has not been a problem in 12 years. On top is a 75G Jaubert Plenm with a DSB. I can see a black line migrating back and forth. When I stir he top 1", the polyps extend and eat detritus and bacteria. No problems.
Patrick

 

[reefgeezer]

I'm not as into it as Partick, but I do use a cryptic fuge of sorts to help reduce nutrients and supply food to the tank's inhabitants. If you have the proper life in your system, much of what you see in the bottom of a fuge like you are speaking of is just the inorganic residue of biological processes. It isn't a good or bad thing... just how it works. Within reason, it doesn't have to be removed and just becomes additional substrate for organisms that feed on the organic matter to grow.

Unfortunately, I think you have to decide it is working based on the conditions in the display tank.

 

[Aquarist007]

Test your water leaving the refugium for nitrates and phosphates.

 

[uwiik]

Test your water leaving the refugium for nitrates and phosphates.

There is no dedicated water pipe exiting my cryptic zone. Like I said my cryptic zone is underneath my egg crate that holds my corals. It's a deep fiberglass tank with the entire bottom acting as cryptic zone being fed with very slow flow from return pump bleed off and water goes up from the entire surface, kinda like the concept of reverse undergravel filter but it's a deep dark cryptic zone with tons of live rocks underneath covered with 4" of coral gravel on top just underneath the egg crate.

 

[Aquarist007]

There is no dedicated water pipe exiting my cryptic zone. Like I said my cryptic zone is underneath my egg crate that holds my corals. It's a deep fiberglass tank with the entire bottom acting as cryptic zone being fed with very slow flow from return pump bleed off and water goes up from the entire surface, kinda like the concept of reverse undergravel filter but it's a deep dark cryptic zone with tons of live rocks underneath covered with 4" of coral gravel on top just underneath the egg crate.

Would love to see a picture of that system

 

[uwiik]

I will get pictures when I am back in the office tomorrow..

 

[Timfish]

As far as long term performance I would point out Steve Tyree has been using cryptic zones for many, many years to raise his signature "SPS" corals without skimmers. There's also this piece of research suggesting the importance of detritus (fish poop) in marine ecosystems:
http://www.pnas.org/content/108/10/3865

 

[Aquarist007]

As far as long term performance I would point out Steve Tyree has been using cryptic zones for many, many years to raise his signature "SPS" corals without skimmers. There's also this piece of research suggesting the importance of detritus (fish poop) in marine ecosystems:
http://www.pnas.org/content/108/10/3865

I agree with that... I stir up the detritus once a week.. Why vacuum all the good stuff out of the tank
The necessarius get a little whizzed at me however