Mhucasey's SPS obsession

[mhucasey]

What are your thoughts on the settling tank? I am thinking of doing a vertical flow settling tank in a conical, but would love to know your thoughts before heading down that road.

Thanks!

My experience was that it didn't remove as much detritus as I would have liked - and i had to run a sponge down the sides when draining it to dislodge the detritus that collected in the cone. If you have a heated fish room to put one in, it may help some and it is a great way to perform water changes - just plumb a bypass before the conical tank, place it in bypass, and remove the water from the conical. Refill with new water and put back in-line.
I'm still looking for the ideal detritus removal system that is not some kind of sock or floss.

 

[mhucasey]

UPDATE: Waiting out the ugly Cyano bloom. This is almost exactly the same as when the tank was first started up, and looking back on this thread I conquered it with Calcium Nitrate - so I've been adding 1/4 tsp each day and the Cyano is weakening. Phosphate was quite high again, so I am reducing using Lanthanum Chloride solution, dripping 1/3ml diluted solution into the skimmer intake every 5 minutes using a peristaltic pump. So far I've reduced the number from 1.08 to 0.60 in just over 3 days. No apparent stress to the inhabitants.

The AIO biopellets have been reformulated - they are lighter in color but heavier in weight. I can barely get them to move in my recirculating reactor and they are putting off a TON of orange sludge. Maybe the sludge is because of the high phosphates - but I may scrap them and go to the standard NP pellets.

Some ugly tank shots:

 

[Reef55]

My experience was that it didn't remove as much detritus as I would have liked - and i had to run a sponge down the sides when draining it to dislodge the detritus that collected in the cone. If you have a heated fish room to put one in, it may help some and it is a great way to perform water changes - just plumb a bypass before the conical tank, place it in bypass, and remove the water from the conical. Refill with new water and put back in-line.
I'm still looking for the ideal detritus removal system that is not some kind of sock or floss.

Do you remember the dimensions of your conical, and what the flow rate was? Those appear to be critical factors in the effectiveness of capturing detritus. I am thinking of trying this out:

https://www.ntotank.com/35gallon-acerotomold-white-inductor-cone-bottom-tank-x9654135

Which has a 24" diameter and top to bottom is 36" tall, and holds 35 gallons.

 

[mhucasey]

Do you remember the dimensions of your conical, and what the flow rate was? Those appear to be critical factors in the effectiveness of capturing detritus. I am thinking of trying this out:

https://www.ntotank.com/35gallon-acerotomold-white-inductor-cone-bottom-tank-x9654135

Which has a 24" diameter and top to bottom is 36" tall, and holds 35 gallons.

Mine was 16 gallons, and I was flowing ~ 300gph through the side just above the cone, creating a slow vortex. Water was removed at the center top using a strainer. Hopefully your larger sized tank will mean better results!

 

[Reef55]

Mine was 16 gallons, and I was flowing ~ 300gph through the side just above the cone, creating a slow vortex. Water was removed at the center top using a strainer. Hopefully your larger sized tank will mean better results!

According to the math in this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2551043

At 300GPH with a 18" diameter container, you should have been able to filter out particles of 0.048mm and larger, which is 48 microns. Most filter socks are capable of either 100 or 200 micron filtration, so what you had should have been more effective than filter socks based on the math.

It sounds like from your experience though that it performed worse unfortunately than filter socks?

With a 93 gallon display, I am shooting for about 300GPH turnover myself. The 35 gallon container I am looking at is 24" in diameter, which would result in a theoretical 0.036 (36 micron) filtration capability. But if real world results are not lining up to the math, then it might not be worth me trying this out. One of these containers is about $300 shipped, and for $400 I can just get the Theiling automatic mechanical roller:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/automatic-roller-mat-theiling-1.html

Thoughts?

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Matt, I am very happy to see your tank up and alive!
Like Dan said, I am very impressed and very jealous of your energy to do a full tear down and redo.
Looking forward to the next stage!
I tried those new aio pellets and had the same reaction: bad! Too heavy and too gummy..

 

[mhucasey]

According to the math in this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2551043

At 300GPH with a 18" diameter container, you should have been able to filter out particles of 0.048mm and larger, which is 48 microns. Most filter socks are capable of either 100 or 200 micron filtration, so what you had should have been more effective than filter socks based on the math.

It sounds like from your experience though that it performed worse unfortunately than filter socks?

With a 93 gallon display, I am shooting for about 300GPH turnover myself. The 35 gallon container I am looking at is 24" in diameter, which would result in a theoretical 0.036 (36 micron) filtration capability. But if real world results are not lining up to the math, then it might not be worth me trying this out. One of these containers is about $300 shipped, and for $400 I can just get the Theiling automatic mechanical roller:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/automatic-roller-mat-theiling-1.html

Thoughts?

I don't think that it will be as effective as the math shows - there is too much almost neutrally-bouyant detritus and it just doesn't settle out. A big, rectangular, acrylic tank with lots of baffles that can be removed for cleaning, and a sloped bottom drain might work.

At one point i directed the outflow of the conical tank into a Primary Sump, which then overflowed to the secondary sump where the return pump was. The Primary sump settled out as much detritus as the conical tank as far as I could tell.

That Thelling Automatic Mechanical roller is pretty cool. The only thing I wonder is how stinky the dirty roll gets by the end of the month.

 

[mhucasey]

Hey Matt, I am very happy to see your tank up and alive!
Like Dan said, I am very impressed and very jealous of your energy to do a full tear down and redo.
Looking forward to the next stage!
I tried those new aio pellets and had the same reaction: bad! Too heavy and too gummy..

I'm actually getting interested again It's almost a completely fresh canvas, and there will be only one rule when it comes to Acros - NO MORE GREEN ACROS!!!!

I'm surprised at the change in the AIO pellets. These are completely useless. Everything has turned rust orange. I will be switching ASAP.

 

[kevlow]

I'm actually getting interested again It's almost a completely fresh canvas, and there will be only one rule when it comes to Acros - NO MORE GREEN ACROS!!!!

I'm surprised at the change in the AIO pellets. These are completely useless. Everything has turned rust orange. I will be switching ASAP.

I am glad to see you are posting again and that your interest is on the rise. Your tank was great to view and your thread was a good place to learn.

I will second the No More Green Acros.

I have a green slimer and green dragon. everything else has been removed or is on its way out. A couple are on the fence as to which way they finish coloring up.

 

[Pife]

I'm with you all on the green. I wonder why they switched up the AIO pellets? I've always have thought that you had a great eye for picking out corals.

 

[mhucasey]

I am glad to see you are posting again and that your interest is on the rise. Your tank was great to view and your thread was a good place to learn.

I will second the No More Green Acros.

I have a green slimer and green dragon. everything else has been removed or is on its way out. A couple are on the fence as to which way they finish coloring up.

Thanks very much! As for the green Acros, some in the tank are good, but a good number of the survivors are green already, so I won't be adding to their number. The green slimer is a classic, there is always room for classics!

I'm with you all on the green. I wonder why they switched up the AIO pellets? I've always have thought that you had a great eye for picking out corals.

They claim that they changed the formulation to make them easier to tumble. With full flow from a Tunze Silence I could barely move them. The old AIO pellets tumbled easier and didn't put off sludge like the new ones do. I had to clean all the tubing, pump, and reactor to get the orange sludge buildup off.

I'm trying Dr. Tim's Bio Pearls. They are tumbling perfectly with the Silence turned down to 50% output. Right now its lots of waiting for the system to stabilize.

Im looking forward to lots of pink and red and blue acros - there are a ton of beauties at the local stores right now

 

[Myka]

I've been away a long while, and am catching up on your thread. I see this last pic, and I'm like, "Wth happened to Matt's tank?!" You say flatworms...AEFW? Those things are HORRIBLE. I'm glad to see you're on the mend now. It's nice to start with a clean slate, but new tanks are a PITA, haha! It will keep you on your toes for the next year.

Regarding the AIO biopellets, yeah they break apart and drop the GFO into your system. I don't like them, and prefer to use normal BP with GFO in a reactor if needed.

 

[mhucasey]

I've been away a long while, and am catching up on your thread. I see this last pic, and I'm like, "Wth happened to Matt's tank?!" You say flatworms...AEFW? Those things are HORRIBLE. I'm glad to see you're on the mend now. It's nice to start with a clean slate, but new tanks are a PITA, haha! It will keep you on your toes for the next year.

Regarding the AIO biopellets, yeah they break apart and drop the GFO into your system. I don't like them, and prefer to use normal BP with GFO in a reactor if needed.

To make a long story short - I had some corals with flatworms, which prevented me from adding more corals, then my Mom passed away last summer and I left the tank on autopilot for a long time. Late in the year, I discovered an impeller had cracked and had rusted into the tank, likely the cause of a big wave of coral deaths. I set up a temporary tank and stripped the tank down and rebuilt the aquascape, and got rid of all the infected or damaged corals. I have a few of the good ones, but the tank is going through the rough part of tank startup right now so I'm working toward stabilization before adding anything new.

I used the AIO pellets initial formulation for over a year and I had great success with them. There was a little brown dust that came off of the pellets but it was manageable with a sock and skimmer. This new formulation is way different and it's junk as far as I am concerned.

 

[Myka]

To make a long story short - I had some corals with flatworms, which prevented me from adding more corals, then my Mom passed away last summer and I left the tank on autopilot for a long time. Late in the year, I discovered an impeller had cracked and had rusted into the tank, likely the cause of a big wave of coral deaths. I set up a temporary tank and stripped the tank down and rebuilt the aquascape, and got rid of all the infected or damaged corals. I have a few of the good ones, but the tank is going through the rough part of tank startup right now so I'm working toward stabilization before adding anything new.

I used the AIO pellets initial formulation for over a year and I had great success with them. There was a little brown dust that came off of the pellets but it was manageable with a sock and skimmer. This new formulation is way different and it's junk as far as I am concerned.

Thanks for the update Matt! I remember your mom passed away last summer. That's around the time I dropped off the planet.

You're smart to run the AIO pellets before a filter sock, but do you run the output of your BP reactor directly into the input of your skimmer? Ime, the AIO actually remove too much PO4. I really haven't had much luck with them being "all in one". :lol: If it works for you though, that's great!

So the AEFW are gone now? They were AE?

 

[Piper27]

Hey man, I am glad to see your getting a good start going! It feels good to have so many options when beginning to restock.
I have had the same situation with trying to remove detritus. I can't use filter socks because carbon dosing bacteria clog them in a day or two. I have a lot of fish and if I am not basting my colonies weekly detritus sticks inside some of them and causes problems. I may dump all my acros crabs from my wild acro holding tank into my display to help with that.
I went ahead and bought a bubble bead filter to try out. I know it's used for koi ponds and such but a lot of large public aquariums use them on reefs. I am hoping to make my waterchanges easier to remember and more frequent but smaller since I will have to flush it around twice a week (I am guessing). I think the beads will help collect bacteria mulm and detritus effectively. People have always said they are nitrate factories but I don't see that happening with maintenance. I mean the detritus is already in the tank and this should be removing it even more. There is always small specs of particles and detritus floating around in my water coln so my fingers are crossed that this works well.

 

[mhucasey]

Thanks for the update Matt! I remember your mom passed away last summer. That's around the time I dropped off the planet.

You're smart to run the AIO pellets before a filter sock, but do you run the output of your BP reactor directly into the input of your skimmer? Ime, the AIO actually remove too much PO4. I really haven't had much luck with them being "all in one". :lol: If it works for you though, that's great!

So the AEFW are gone now? They were AE?

I used to run the outlet of the pellet reactor into a sock sitting in a funnel, which then led to the skimmer. That worked great for the old version of AIO pellets. The new AIO pellets are garbage and so I threw them out. I am trying Dr Tim's pellets now. The outlet of my recirculating reactor goes directly into the skimmer. It's only been a few days so far, too soon to see how well they will work just yet.

 

[mhucasey]

Hey man, I am glad to see your getting a good start going! It feels good to have so many options when beginning to restock.
I have had the same situation with trying to remove detritus. I can't use filter socks because carbon dosing bacteria clog them in a day or two. I have a lot of fish and if I am not basting my colonies weekly detritus sticks inside some of them and causes problems. I may dump all my acros crabs from my wild acro holding tank into my display to help with that.
I went ahead and bought a bubble bead filter to try out. I know it's used for koi ponds and such but a lot of large public aquariums use them on reefs. I am hoping to make my waterchanges easier to remember and more frequent but smaller since I will have to flush it around twice a week (I am guessing). I think the beads will help collect bacteria mulm and detritus effectively. People have always said they are nitrate factories but I don't see that happening with maintenance. I mean the detritus is already in the tank and this should be removing it even more. There is always small specs of particles and detritus floating around in my water coln so my fingers are crossed that this works well.

A bubble bead filter...not familiar with that type. Ill have to take a look. Generally the problem with any mechanical filtration is the filter holds the detritus in place in a high flow, highly oxygenated stream of water. This encourages aerobic breakdown of ammonia from the detritus and the nitrate is swept away to build up in the tank. That is where the "Nitrate factory" label comes from. If the filter can be cleaned very regularly, it should be fine - in my case cleaning a filter sock over and over is a pain that I don't want to deal with. Ill take a look at the filter you are talking about.

 

[thirst]

I'm having similar problems and with pests. So basically restarting and using a different tank


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Piper27]

A bubble bead filter...not familiar with that type. Ill have to take a look. Generally the problem with any mechanical filtration is the filter holds the detritus in place in a high flow, highly oxygenated stream of water. This encourages aerobic breakdown of ammonia from the detritus and the nitrate is swept away to build up in the tank. That is where the "Nitrate factory" label comes from. If the filter can be cleaned very regularly, it should be fine - in my case cleaning a filter sock over and over is a pain that I don't want to deal with. Ill take a look at the filter you are talking about.

Yea I am hoping to set up the filter in a way which will keep it full of water with no air inside to avoid the aerobic breakdown inside. The whole thing is an experiment since I can't find a single person who has tried to use one on a smaller sized reef tank. The only other option would be a roller mat but I believe it would be way to expensive to start and to expensive to change the floss rolls on, with the amount of fish I have.

 

[markalot]

Wait a sec,

are you saying it's not a coincidence that my few spots of cyano tends to fade when I dose CaNO3? :facepalm: Ignoring the cyano the corals look good, hopefully things continue to go well!