Fishless sps tank??

[LifeAquatic]

Hey Everyone,

Please post any pictures and experiences with your SPS tanks that have zero fish and have been running atleast 6 months. Really, Im looking for tanks that have been set up to run without fish. Do you feel its possible to have a healthy tank with no fish? In your experience do SPS tanks with fish do better then tanks with no fish? What do you feed your SPS corals while running a fishless tank?

Please post information you have gathered from first hand experience and not information passed on from something you read somewhere. There is a debate whether SPS use Fish Poo as a food source. We already know that tanks with fish can be successful. Id like to see others experiences going fishless.

Thanks

 

[SPSEMPIRE]

The biggest problem that I always run into when I have set up systems with out any fish is controlling the algae without stripping the nutrients. I aways have a rabbit fish for that reason. They will eat pretty much anything.

Not sure if it is true but I was always told that corals produce more waste than fish.

 

[DopeCantWin]

The biggest problem that I always run into when I have set up systems with out any fish is controlling the algae without stripping the nutrients. I aways have a rabbit fish for that reason. They will eat pretty much anything.

Not sure if it is true but I was always told that corals produce more waste than fish.

How many systems like this have you set up? Have you tried clean up crews? I've really been wanting to get rid of all my fish except my Mandarin in my 90.

 

[SPSEMPIRE]

How many systems like this have you set up? Have you tried clean up crews? I've really been wanting to get rid of all my fish except my Mandarin in my 90.

way too many. Just off the top of my head, at least 10 personal frag tanks that were set up for longer than 6 months over the past 7 years of keeping sps corals.

Clean up crews are tough to keep as primary cleaners. Usually about 1/2 of them always seen to end up dieing off, creating more of a nutrient problem than they were solving.

 

[allsps40]

IMO a reef tank with out fish is like a garden without bees and butterflies. It is just not natural, we are trying to recreate nature in our reef tanks. Fish also provide a very important food source for corals, plankton and bacteria that feed the corals and brake down the waste in the water.

 

[DopeCantWin]

way too many. Just off the top of my head, at least 10 personal frag tanks that were set up for longer than 6 months over the past 7 years of keeping sps corals.

Clean up crews are tough to keep as primary cleaners. Usually about 1/2 of them always seen to end up dieing off, creating more of a nutrient problem than they were solving.

Interesting. The other thought was getting rid of everybody except the Mandarin and Blue Tang. Might be able to keep the Blue Tang for longer then. Or possibly throw in a Kole.

 

[FTK2379]

I've seen a few like this, but I don't have Pics

 

[Alex T.]

I've bought some frags from a local farmer in the past. He and his partner had a main frag tank that was actually a shallow 2x4 framed koi pond in the basement. When I first saw the "tank" I was not impressed with their frags and specimens but the 10 foot long and 6 foot wide runway with light rails and closed loop pumps was incredible. To save on electricity they plumbed it into their main display tank 6 months later as the last "pool" before water was returned to a beautiful 400 gallon sps reef loaded with Anthias and tangs. In less than two months the frag tank's sps took on the most amazing colors and growth forms.

My point is...it's much more difficult to run a system without nutrient import in the means of fish. It would seem that a daily SPS feeding of something like Oyster Feast may simply not be enough. The constant ammonia breakdown of fish waste and urea may be key to keeping sps most vibrant and colorful within reason. Hope this helps.

 

[LifeAquatic]

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I've bought some frags from a local farmer in the past. He and his partner had a main frag tank that was actually a shallow 2x4 framed koi pond in the basement. When I first saw the "tank" I was not impressed with their frags and specimens but the 10 foot long and 6 foot wide runway with light rails and closed loop pumps was incredible. To save on electricity they plumbed it into their main display tank 6 months later as the last "pool" before water was returned to a beautiful 400 gallon sps reef loaded with Anthias and tangs. In less than two months the frag tank's sps took on the most amazing colors and growth forms.

My point is...it's much more difficult to run a system without nutrient import in the means of fish. It would seem that a daily SPS feeding of something like Oyster Feast may simply not be enough. The constant ammonia breakdown of fish waste and urea may be key to keeping sps most vibrant and colorful within reason. Hope this helps.

I agree with your statements 100%

 

[Alex T.]

On a side note, these guys vodka dose the display tank and feed heavily! A sheet of frozen mysis lasts less than a week and a container of NLS pellets is a 2 week supply. They run a very large ETSS downdraft skimmer and the main display tank's water movement is an ungodly 125 times turnover. There are 4 Vortech MP40's on each side panel, 5 across the back, a closed loop from between rockwork and huge return pump with four 2 inch drains to the sump and refugium. They've asked that I not use their name or post some pics that I took so I must respect wishes.

I've tried to mimic their water movement. I have 4 Vortech's in my 6 foot 150 on Lagoon Mode and would like to see what 2 more would do when I get the funds to afford them. One thing I've also noticed is how healthy all the fish are with all that flow, and how thick and robust the SPS grow with that much flow. SPS seem to grow much larger bases and thicker branches in their tanks.

 

[DopeCantWin]

On a side note, these guys vodka dose the display tank and feed heavily! A sheet of frozen mysis lasts less than a week and a container of NLS pellets is a 2 week supply. They run a very large ETSS downdraft skimmer and the main display tank's water movement is an ungodly 125 times turnover. There are 4 Vortech MP40's on each side panel, 5 across the back, a closed loop from between rockwork and huge return pump with four 2 inch drains to the sump and refugium. They've asked that I not use their name or post some pics that I took so I must respect wishes.

I've tried to mimic their water movement. I have 4 Vortech's in my 6 foot 150 on Lagoon Mode and would like to see what 2 more would do when I get the funds to afford them. One thing I've also noticed is how healthy all the fish are with all that flow, and how thick and robust the SPS grow with that much flow. SPS seem to grow much larger bases and thicker branches in their tanks.

Intesting. I have an MP60 in a 90. I have it turned up 70% on Nutrient Export. Would you recommend hitting the 100%?

 

[Alex T.]

I don't know. That's a lot of flow from one powerhead. I would think in that footprint your rockwork could topple over...

 

[DopeCantWin]

I don't know. That's a lot of flow from one powerhead. I would think in that footprint your rockwork could topple over...

When I first turned it on a few frags blew away, but that was about it. At the current rate, I see a little air pulled in every once in a while, but my sand isn't the kind to make sand storms. It is still a lot less flow than the tank you mentioned.

 

[cutegecko3]

Here is one my old fishless SPS nano tanks. I was so tired of my blenny chewing on my corals, clownfish getting sucked into the powerhead, etc. That I just did without fish. LOL

 

[Alex T.]

dope,

I think that in a larger tank you can get away with higher flow rates like that. If it's on the smaller side, there's no rest period between the flow patterns and it's more severe because of a smaller water volume getting sloshed around. I like the rule that I was taught....if your fish can comfortably swim from one end of the tank slowly and unimpeded, then you don't have anywhere near enough flow. If they have to swim harder and use a few different paths to get to the other side you're good. But if they pass a jet stream and look like they just got shot out of a cannon then maybe it needs to be turned down a bit...:spin2:

 

[Amphiprion]

dope,

I think that in a larger tank you can get away with higher flow rates like that. If it's on the smaller side, there's no rest period between the flow patterns and it's more severe because of a smaller water volume getting sloshed around. I like the rule that I was taught....if your fish can comfortably swim from one end of the tank slowly and unimpeded, then you don't have anywhere near enough flow. If they have to swim harder and use a few different paths to get to the other side you're good. But if they pass a jet stream and look like they just got shot out of a cannon then maybe it needs to be turned down a bit...:spin2:

Aww, my fish look like the latter on the daily. That's what I get for an MP40 @ 100% in a 25g . It changes, though, so there are times where the flow isn't nearly as severe.

 

[Alex T.]

Personally, I think the upswells and currents on a reef are much more severe than anything we can mimic in our home aquariums. The movement of water is just unreal. When I was snorkeling over a reef in Bali I had to use all my strength just to keep from getting sloshed around like I was in a washing machine. Nothing I have in my tank could move me around like that! And if the tide is rolling in it's even worse. Being a surfer, it's no secret that some of the best coral reefs in the world are in highly turbulent and violent areas with some of the most monstrous waves in the world.

Personally, as long as pumps aren't pointed directly at corals, I don't know if you can have too much flow. With my 4 MP40's on Full Lagoon Mode and an Iwaki 30 Return pump fully open my SPS seem to love it in my 150. I've always been a fan of extremely high water movement in an SPS tank. Turn it up and you'll never have weak, spindly SPS colonies. I think it takes them longer to grow out because they grow much thicker branches and bases than in most tanks, but it really is interesting to see my Green Slimer actually table out a bit just to brace itself.

 

[acrohead500ppm]

I am a firm believer that good flow rates = good growth / coloration