Is it possible? Minimalist Set-ups?
- Thread starter REV
- Start date
Rev,
I see what you mean. The refugium and sump can be one container and as you say you can put all of the equipment in a fuge. Main reason I kept them seperate is that I had a 30 gallon tank that i wanted to use (fuge) and I wanted more capacity than that so i added the rubbermaid sump. Additionally, the fuge has a pretty deep sand bed and I'd be a little concerned about having the recirculation pump near the bottom where the sand is. Having a seperate sump avoids damage to the main system pump.
Funny you mention it though, because I was considering putiing a pipefish or two in the fuge, would be kind of neat huh? Plenty of natural food in there and no predators!
I see what you mean. The refugium and sump can be one container and as you say you can put all of the equipment in a fuge. Main reason I kept them seperate is that I had a 30 gallon tank that i wanted to use (fuge) and I wanted more capacity than that so i added the rubbermaid sump. Additionally, the fuge has a pretty deep sand bed and I'd be a little concerned about having the recirculation pump near the bottom where the sand is. Having a seperate sump avoids damage to the main system pump.
Funny you mention it though, because I was considering putiing a pipefish or two in the fuge, would be kind of neat huh? Plenty of natural food in there and no predators!
BJJ
New member
I know a guy who has a 150G, 10G sump, berlin skimmer all powered by 1 (ONE) QuietOne pump. The pump splits off to his tank and skimmer with ballancing valves. He has a 'small' power head in each corner. If I remember correctly he was using 4 or 6 four foot VHO tubes. His tank is VERY impressive and clean. He has had it up and running for a few years. He tells me his tank required VERY little intervention.
Drewcipher
Premium Member
I am cheating again. The last thing this tank needs is the new sump for my 225. Once I get that cycled, everything will go from the 26 into the 225. The 26 will then be a QT tank for new livestock.
BJJ
New member
Here is what I know;
150G, aprox 150lbs +/- LR, lots of stoney corals, some softies
Return pump is the older Lifeguard Quietone (aprox 1050GPH at 0 feet head) powering a berlin XL(?) sump skimmer, Skimmer return into deep sand refugium in his sump. I think he has 4 or 6 (cant recall) maxijet power heads for circulation. I was suprised how simple his system was but mostly how clean and lush his corals were. There was no sign of bad algea. It realy made me think that you dont need a super powerfull pump with tons of water movement to have a sucessful reef.
REV
New member
Okay, I have fially concluded... a minimalist set-up is quite possible I see, yet still I'm sure it's not for me. A little won't do I need more... I've got this sickness to the core. One thing's for sure it's not just me... it's most of you too, as far as I can see. I do not like green eggs and ham.......... I'm sick, help, no wait don't.... I just need my auto top-off/doser then I'm good. (Got a four pound branch rock, peppermint shrimp, and some bigger shells for my hermits today at the lfs..... I was just going to LOOK!)
I have inherrited(puchased and did not upgrade) a minimalist creation. An awesome SPS tank; he had a 92gal, DSB, skimmer, heater, lights, chiller, ozone, 4 powerheads. The chiller was only added in the last 6 months of 4 year set-up.
No sump, No refuge, NO WATER CHANGES, He NEVER ADDED CALCIUM, he only added RO top off. I guess the DSB gave him all the calcium the SPS needed.?
I bought the tank and moved it 3 hours to my office. The only thing I changed was the elimination of the DSB. I did not want to reuse his old substrate, so I strained out the larger pieces and ended up with a 3/4inch layer of crushed coral in the front only. I was adding purple-up until... when I finally tested the calcium it was at 780??? Still don't get that one.
Anyway, I think I have a minimalist tank and it is deff a SHOW
The last pic is right after the move and the corals are not very bright yet due to stress.
No sump, No refuge, NO WATER CHANGES, He NEVER ADDED CALCIUM, he only added RO top off. I guess the DSB gave him all the calcium the SPS needed.?
I bought the tank and moved it 3 hours to my office. The only thing I changed was the elimination of the DSB. I did not want to reuse his old substrate, so I strained out the larger pieces and ended up with a 3/4inch layer of crushed coral in the front only. I was adding purple-up until... when I finally tested the calcium it was at 780??? Still don't get that one.
Anyway, I think I have a minimalist tank and it is deff a SHOW
The last pic is right after the move and the corals are not very bright yet due to stress.
geekreef_05
New member
I'll chime in. My 60 gallon is a minimalist tank for sure...
Specs:
60 gallon softie reef
15 gallon fuge (LR, cheato, carbon; growing pods and mysis).
1 maxijet 1200 (flow)
1 mag return pump (return & flow)
PC satellite lighting fixture
This reef has been running for just over a year. Note that it runs skimmerless with a bioload of:
2 O. Clowns, 1 Orchid Dottyback, 1 Sixline Wrasse, 1 Spotted Goby and 1 Yellow Tang.
I did have a Hen. black and white butterfly before, and a lifereef skimmer running. But when I got rid of the butterfly, I figured that I could run the reef without the skimmer. I felt it was less noisy, less smelly (stinky skimmate), more cost effective and overall simpler without the darn skimmer. These considerations were made because the reef is in our living room.
happy reefin'
Specs:
60 gallon softie reef
15 gallon fuge (LR, cheato, carbon; growing pods and mysis).
1 maxijet 1200 (flow)
1 mag return pump (return & flow)
PC satellite lighting fixture
This reef has been running for just over a year. Note that it runs skimmerless with a bioload of:
2 O. Clowns, 1 Orchid Dottyback, 1 Sixline Wrasse, 1 Spotted Goby and 1 Yellow Tang.
I did have a Hen. black and white butterfly before, and a lifereef skimmer running. But when I got rid of the butterfly, I figured that I could run the reef without the skimmer. I felt it was less noisy, less smelly (stinky skimmate), more cost effective and overall simpler without the darn skimmer. These considerations were made because the reef is in our living room.
happy reefin'
i've got the bare bones, and i have yet to see a easier tank to take care of!!!!
I have a 29 gal reef with 2X96 watts of PC with a 30 gal fuge (above) with 1X96 watt bulb, (i have cheto growing)
a fluval 304 pumping water up to the fuge and gravity bring it back through the drilled holes, and i have one little penguin power head in my reef.
Thats IT i do have like 8 lbs dead rock (it's live now) and about 10-13 lbs of live rock. plus 40-50 lbs live sand.
since i have the HUGE FUGE I only have made 2-3 water changes and cleaned the fluval twice since may!!! and i scrape the glass every couple weeks.
my tank mates are
1 snowflake eel
1 green mandarin
1 six line wrasse
1 royal gramma
1 fire fish goby
1 molly (in fuge)
2 cleaner shimp
1 orange linkia star
dozzens of snails and hermits
40-50 corals, LPS, SPS, Zoos, shrooms, leathers, clams, gorgonia, sponge, gonoporia, and many others
i add B-Ionic daily
and Lugol's iodine weekly
add top off weekly or every other week (doesnt really matter IMO)
some times every three weeks
and feed Cyclopsezze (sp ) and squid daily/ or every other day
and i just threw away 7 gal of pure cheato into the street
and i still have another 10 gal ish
no heater, no auto top off, no dosers
I have a 29 gal reef with 2X96 watts of PC with a 30 gal fuge (above) with 1X96 watt bulb, (i have cheto growing)
a fluval 304 pumping water up to the fuge and gravity bring it back through the drilled holes, and i have one little penguin power head in my reef.
Thats IT i do have like 8 lbs dead rock (it's live now) and about 10-13 lbs of live rock. plus 40-50 lbs live sand.
since i have the HUGE FUGE
I only have made 2-3 water changes and cleaned the fluval twice since may!!! and i scrape the glass every couple weeks. my tank mates are
1 snowflake eel
1 green mandarin
1 six line wrasse
1 royal gramma
1 fire fish goby
1 molly (in fuge)
2 cleaner shimp
1 orange linkia star
dozzens of snails and hermits
40-50 corals, LPS, SPS, Zoos, shrooms, leathers, clams, gorgonia, sponge, gonoporia, and many others
i add B-Ionic daily
and Lugol's iodine weekly
add top off weekly or every other week (doesnt really matter IMO)
some times every three weeks
and feed Cyclopsezze (sp
) and squid daily/ or every other dayand i just threw away 7 gal of pure cheato into the street
and i still have another 10 gal ish
no heater, no auto top off, no dosers
Reefjunkee
Premium Member
i`m runnig only a skimmer and 4 32w pc`s on my nano
My tank is 5.5yrs old, started with
Red Sea hang-on skimmer
heater
2 ph's
Icecap 430
3XUri bulbs (why not 4? I don't know)
NO sump, refuge or overflow
I've slowly added a sump/refuge & overflow, changed the skimmer last year when it broke (was a pita from day one) and now changing the circulation.
I'm finding that with a 72 gal bowfront (only 70ish lbs lr island style) I'm still getting a couple of dead spots in the back (rocks aren't against the glass btw) so I've got to fix those spots.
I'm hoping to change the lighting but then that's always been a priority that I just haven't gotten around to yet
The tank is doing great, I've been dosing b-ionics (softie/lps tank) for about 5 yrs and I get great growth.
Red Sea hang-on skimmer
heater
2 ph's
Icecap 430
3XUri bulbs (why not 4? I don't know)
NO sump, refuge or overflow
I've slowly added a sump/refuge & overflow, changed the skimmer last year when it broke (was a pita from day one) and now changing the circulation.
I'm finding that with a 72 gal bowfront (only 70ish lbs lr island style) I'm still getting a couple of dead spots in the back (rocks aren't against the glass btw) so I've got to fix those spots.
I'm hoping to change the lighting but then that's always been a priority that I just haven't gotten around to yet
The tank is doing great, I've been dosing b-ionics (softie/lps tank) for about 5 yrs and I get great growth.
REV
New member
Read the thread!
Read the thread!
Thanks for al the feedback... I'm not sure I know what minimalist actually is, but the idea here is kinda tongue-in-cheek. I believe that it is almost impossible for most reefers (Outside of nano reefers) to be content with what we have. Whether it's minimalist or not, we all seem to begin to drool a bit when we see a good price on a piece of equipment..... :hmm4:
Read the thread!
Thanks for al the feedback... I'm not sure I know what minimalist actually is, but the idea here is kinda tongue-in-cheek. I believe that it is almost impossible for most reefers (Outside of nano reefers) to be content with what we have. Whether it's minimalist or not, we all seem to begin to drool a bit when we see a good price on a piece of equipment..... :hmm4:
