Is a settling tank good for for a reef tank?

karimwassef said:
My future design in planned to be in a sunroom/greenhouse

The type of glass is important because there's a very small subset that reflects IR and allows UV in at a reasonable balance. There are also films and coatings that help. I have a whole thread on it somewhere here.

I plan to use a combination of AC/venting/fans and chillers. I had plans for an underground geothermal, but that's heavily dependent on many other factors.

But all the savings I'll get not pumping out MegaWatts of light (I prefer metal halide), I'll pay about the same in cooling bills :)
Click to expand...


As an engineer, I get specific with things. On my greenhouse growout, I used 150G Rubbermade tanks for mono culture of specific macros. These tanks were 3' tall but could not stand up to 105 degree days in August. I coupled these growout tanks with the Big Tank (20' by 12' by 4' deep). The Big Tank provided thermal stability and I was able to maintain 80 degree temperature during 100 degree days. To accomplish this, I evaporated in excess of 100G each day. That equates to 100G multiplied by 8.4 lbs/G multiplied by 1000 BTU/lb or
840,000 BTU cooling. That would take a 7 ton AC about 10 hours to accomplish.

Just something for you to think about.
 
I agree. I evaporate 20gpd on my current 700gallon system ~ 3% and I need it to keep my tank under 85F on 105F days.

We should move this to my new tank thread here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2589632&page=4

but I was looking at using swamp cooling for the greenhouse.
p1%20cooling%20pad%20ventilation%20fan%20cooling%20system%20transverse%20way.jpg


This is just to cool the inlet air since I really want fresh air except for the winter months.
 
That's a touchy one. MM has strong advocates and detractors, but I don't think it's the same as soft detritus or a silt bottom.

One element of MM is that it effectively doses the tank constantly with elements released from the mud. That's one reason it needs to be replenished. Whether its composition has food for fauna, I don't know.
Its consistency is soft like silt, but the composition is different.

Maybe a MM floor in a settling tank would feed the fauna in the MM?
 
Interesting thought... MM in a removable container (so it can be replaced if needed)in the bottom of the settling tank and allow detritus to settle on it to feed the fauna. Could be better than having LR in the settling tank and the fauna would still have somewhere to live in the settling tank.
 
Miracle Mud is high in iron. In my 10 year old 75G Jaubert Plenum on top with 30G EcoSystem mud filter on bottom, I never replaced mud. I add iron regularly in dosing and with partial water changes.
 
Hmmm... That's the second time someone here has mentioned using iron dosing. The first was in reference to not having to do water changes at all and using iron to precipitate out the phosphates.

What do you think iron is doing in your system?

Do you think MM is basically a giant slow GFO reactor?
 
Unfortunately i dont quite understand the function of iron chemically but in basic marine bio courses we are shown huge bumps in biomass when iron is being deposited in the ocean (for example of the northwest coast of africa). Im sure someone here understands the chemistry but it does seem to indicate that iron is a limiting nutrient in the natural ocean system.

P.s. i dont actually dose iron and i dont have MM. Just my $0.02

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
Also an intresting experiment was performed (illegally) by a billionaire named george russ. He dosed some bay in canada with iron. I believe it was all in an effort to combat climate change (more iron= more bio mass= less co2)
So i definitely do think there is some legitimacy to dosing iron. I just dont have specifics.

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karimwassef said:
Hmmm... That's the second time someone here has mentioned using iron dosing. The first was in reference to not having to do water changes at all and using iron to precipitate out the phosphates.

What do you think iron is doing in your system?

Do you think MM is basically a giant slow GFO reactor?
Click to expand...


All organic life forms need iron. Iron uptake by marine algae is well documented. As well as iron uptake by bacteria.

My opinion of miracle mud is that it provides a matrix to grow worms and things. Yes, it would act as an iron reactor. There are several iron substrates manufactured by SeaChem for use in fresh water systems that work well for me. As a system tool, the Eco system mud filter refugium feed the tank by processing nutrients thru complex food webs.
 
Agree on the food webs and fauna.
Agree on the uptake by algae and some bacteria.

Not sure how it helps clean the water beyond that.
 
What does clean the water mean to you?

If I wanted to polish off the water for clarity because of DOC, I would use activated carbon.

If I wanted to polish off the water because of bacteria or phyto bloom, then I would use UV. as required and not continuously.
 
I am fairly convinced that water should not be polished excessively. I think that water carries nutrients to hungry mouths.
 
karimwassef said:
That's a touchy one. MM has strong advocates and detractors, but I don't think it's the same as soft detritus or a silt bottom.

One element of MM is that it effectively doses the tank constantly with elements released from the mud. That's one reason it needs to be replenished. Whether its composition has food for fauna, I don't know.
Its consistency is soft like silt, but the composition is different.

Maybe a MM floor in a settling tank would feed the fauna in the MM?
Click to expand...
I know its not the same chemically, but my impression is that, as subsea says, provides the right environment for critters that occupy that niche in nature.

From Schimek's writings, particle size is critical for sand (mud) beds.
 
yes. I think MM provides different benefits.. dosing missing elements + creating a hospitable environment for fauna + precipitating phosphates + neutralizing nitrates + creating a food supply in the form for fauna plankton.

combining it with a detritus capturing settling tank may be a way to actively feed the machine
 
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