Junior's Reef

[Gary Majchrzak]

thanks all

thanks all

Running ReefBrite 14/14ks

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

 

[locito277]

Man your tank never gets old man!


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[gregkn73]

Huge corals with amazing fish.....What a beautiful reef! Mpravo

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

 

[blanden.adam]

Nice tight skeletal growth changed to a wider growth habit when I moved the colony to a lower position with less flow. The move allowed some Majano anemones to settle on the colony. (Recall that I delibrately introduced Majano into my aquarium.)
Fast forward to this morning's pic where you can see Majano on the way out courtesy of butterflyfish.
This coral was originally flat/globe shaped and it's getting sculpted into something else. Approximate length at widest point 2ft. Montipora has overgrown it at the far side.

Sorry Gary. Just saw this. You deliberately put majanos in? When was this and what was the thought? (Please Feel free to just point me to the thread where it was originally discussed. I tried to find it but couldn't.)

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

bah!

bah!

I can't find the thread. Not sure if there was a THREAD... but there was definitely discussion when folks saw me putting Majano into my tank!
(It was on the underside of a chalice coral addition along with Bryozoans, Foraminiferins etc.)
I bumped a thread in SPS forum just now regarding biodiversity. Liverock vs dry rock. That thread started around the time DRY ROCK was becoming increasingly popular. Since that point in time we've seen plenty of problems associated with starting a reef aquarium with DRY DEAD LIFELESS rock.

I'm completely convinced biodiversity has enhanced my (over) two decades of reefkeeping learning/enjoyment.

I've noticed Chaetodonts (in particular) appear to do less well in sterile, dry rock (or FO) systems.

 

[locito277]

I can't find the thread. Not sure if there was a THREAD... but there was definitely discussion when folks saw me putting Majano into my tank!

(It was on the underside of a chalice coral addition along with Bryozoans, Foraminiferins etc.)

I bumped a thread in SPS forum just now regarding biodiversity. Liverock vs dry rock. That thread started around the time DRY ROCK was becoming increasingly popular. Since that point in time we've seen plenty of problems associated with starting a reef aquarium with DRY DEAD LIFELESS rock.



I'm completely convinced biodiversity has enhanced my (over) two decades of reefkeeping learning/enjoyment.



I've noticed Chaetodonts (in particular) appear to do less well in sterile, dry rock (or FO) systems.

Do you believe that seeding with LR the dead rock will have growth on it eventually? I went a combo route due to pricing and the fact that most LR isn't live anymore. I got mine from tampa bay LR and loved the diversity of organisms on it good and bad of course lol


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[Gary Majchrzak]

Do you believe that seeding with LR the dead rock will have growth on it eventually? I went a combo route due to pricing and the fact that most LR isn't live anymore. I got mine from tampa bay LR and loved the diversity of organisms on it good and bad of course

to answer your question in a nutshell: yes.
That Tampa Bay LR is awesome :beer:

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I wish rock products like Tampa Bay had better distribution networks. I would really like to use their rock in my new tank but I'm not about to pay the $90 shipping minimum just to get 10 lbs of rock here for a nano.

 

[blanden.adam]

I gotta tell ya Gary. I've got 65 lbs of dry rock curing in Omari's tank for the next year or so in preparation for the 280, but I think you've still convinced me I should just pony up the cash for 280 pounds of TBS cultured Walt 2.1 rock. Almost all of the stable reefs I've seen that are 10+ years do the 100% live rock, biodiversity angle.

But majanos. Why? Was it just a biodiversity thing? Biodiversity I get, and not being afraid of pests I understand, but why deliberately introduce one?

 

[locito277]

Just watch out for stone crabs! I got a huge one who now lives in my sump. He came in tiny but grew quick. Super cool stuff on the rock though. Oysters, sponges, moluscs etc


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[der_wille_zur_macht]

I gotta tell ya Gary. I've got 65 lbs of dry rock curing in Omari's tank for the next year or so in preparation for the 280, but I think you've still convinced me I should just pony up the cash for 280 pounds of TBS cultured Walt 2.1 rock. Almost all of the stable reefs I've seen that are 10+ years do the 100% live rock, biodiversity angle.

But majanos. Why? Was it just a biodiversity thing? Biodiversity I get, and not being afraid of pests I understand, but why deliberately introduce one?

I don't want to step on Gary's toes here but if your 65 lbs of rock is curing for a year in a healthy, diverse tank I wouldn't hesitate to continue with that plan. Maybe add some other small batches of fresh rock from other sources if you're concerned about diversity. Going with ALL live rock versus some healthy diverse rock and some dry rock really just seems to make things balance out quicker, ending up with the same final result.

 

[blanden.adam]

I don't want to step on Gary's toes here but if your 65 lbs of rock is curing for a year in a healthy, diverse tank I wouldn't hesitate to continue with that plan. Maybe add some other small batches of fresh rock from other sources if you're concerned about diversity. Going with ALL live rock versus some healthy diverse rock and some dry rock really just seems to make things balance out quicker, ending up with the same final result.

That's just the thing. I'd think you'd get to the same place. Everything I know about microbiology tells me you should get to the same place, after enough time anyway. And yet, every great tank I've seen that's older than 10 years is all live rock. So, maybe I'm wrong about that.

Does anyone know of examples of thriving 10 year old reefs (or older) that started with dry rock?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

there are examples of EVERYTHING

there are examples of EVERYTHING

there are decades old thriving reef tanks that used no really live rock.
There are even reef aquariums that don't perform water changes that will blow you away! (Google Triton method).
I really don't want to get into a debate on liverock vs. dryrock on my RC "build" thread.
Julian Sprung told me not to skimp on liverock because it's the backbone of a successful reef tank.

I can tell you from personal experience that not all rock is made equal

Every reef aquarium is unique and reflects the personal choices it's owner makes :beer:

 

[gregkn73]

Does anyone know of examples of thriving 10 year old reefs (or older) that started with dry rock?

GlenF, long island 20000g reef.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

GlenF, long island 20000g reef.

exactly the first one that came to my mind

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I'm a huge fan of biodiversity. Just look at my signature. Like Gary said though, I think there are multiple ways to get there and be successful. Using 100% high quality healthy diverse rock is certainly one way, but it's very expensive and can be a logistical/sourcing challenge, especially in a big tank. If you're hoping for diversity I'd be more concerned with the source and quality of your rock, not what percentage was live versus dry. 20% good live rock and 80% dry is probably better than 100% low quality live rock.

Sorry for the slight derail Gary. Your tank is gorgeous as always!