Electric Reef ?!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11094312#post11094312 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Echidna09
If this ever makes it way to the hobby, I doubt it will be anytime soon.
Click to expand...

Think again, its affecting the hobby in a great way. It might be a new alternative to DIY rock...but you could have like a whole rock wall in your aquarium, rather than just individual peaces. This would be a great accomplishment for a big aquarium, such as a marine park.

I've spoken with Hilbertz about the whole process, neat indeed. But it can also help with major issues, such as beach erosion which are affecting all of Florida, especially where I live.
 
It's working in the ocean because the ocean has a huge dissolved calcium content to electroplate (probably not the right word) onto the structure.

But in a home aquarium, all you have is what's currently in your comparably small volume of water.

I suspect we're stuck with inserting limestone (natural or homebrew) into the tank the old fashioned way. :D
 
Ahhh, I just reread the article to the end and now I realize you're probably referring to the increased _natural_ growth on these structures, not just deposits as I've seen described elsewhere! So nevermind... ignore me. :D
 
ya i mean it seems to need a very low amount of electricity and it just seems to speed up some of the slow processes we all have to wait so long for so using some of this metal maybe to hold all your life rocks in some sort of interasting enviroment in larger coral tanks might be very useful
 
I think what makes it work is the minerals that deposit on the wire and get charged around it so yes our small aquariums may be mineral limited but no one knows until we try :) Do it!!!
 
u can't use them in your average home.

they produce chlorine gas when it's accreting or charged. unless u can find a way to neutralized the chlorine, then u're on the $$.

u can try dosing anti cholrine continuously but that might be cost inhibitive.

it's great for open system and the sea... test will be done very sooon in the open sea.... and proper records and scientific paper will be done, with 3rd party observers to determine results of this method... there (has not been any documented paper on it yet, but plenty of field work thou)

Wolf Hilbertz passed away a few mths ago, but his work will carry on, and hopfully his dreams of using this method on a bigger scale and in reef building and constrution industry will come true one day.

cheers
 
Sad to see Wolf go. I have spoken with Tom at length about the process for accelerating coral growth. We did several experiments in 2004, and while it does work well, in small (<2000 gallons) closed systems, chlorine gas is a problem.
 
I may be wrong but I think that I read that that is temporary. When you turn off the current they thicken up to normal density.
 
robwsup,

I remember getting in touch with you last time this issue came about in the forums, and me and you talked a while. I had another username that I lost my email account and password to and I couldn't recover the account.

I wasn't aware that Wolf had passed...that's a sad sight.
 
i heard of this...their making a large reef near the Palm Island in Dubai (actualy not an island but a peninsula :P)...the growth rate is fast....but it still takes a long time...and eats up the minerals in the water relatively fast.....definatly not for the aquarium culture.
insane volumes of water, water currents, and time are required for these types of growth.
 
I know it could be done if you could deal with the by products such as Hydrogen and Chlorine.

How you ask? One helluva calcium reactor would be one experiment to see how it works. If that fails theres always using NSW as robswup was saying...but you'd either have to truck it there, which would be a PITA, or you would have to be located near there so you could be pumping in.
 
what if you guys did it outside? I mean all you would need is a tub of a large sort and a canopy to prevent rain water entry, you won't be able to grow corals in it but you could at least grow this limestone rock and then put it into your tank. then you can add supplements to the water any time you want without mineral depletion. not to mention you wouldn't be slowly poisoned to death...that's always a plus
 
I mean even if it is the natural coral growth won't the deposits work just as well at increasing coral growth when disconnected from the electrical circuit?

at very leased it could be used as a supplement of sorts
 
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