Neal's Barebottom SPS & ZOA System...

[Pallobi]

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/?action=view&current=9ecf4234.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/9ecf4234.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App"></a>

 

[Pallobi]

also have some good news concerning my RO... and the DI i havent started using yet... I figured out my RO, and i now have a incoming TDS of around 80... and an exiting TDS after the membrane of 1... and i have yet to hook up the DI, which im gonna do in jus a few minutes...

REALLY glad i got this figured out... a fellow club member prompted me to consider some things, which helped get the ball rolling and get me thinken about troubleshooting the issues... so im thankful for that...

to think, for 2 years i have been using water that was around 100 TDS... as i never even had my RO membrane in use... yea, im dumb... i know... i was only running water through the 3 canisters... and that is it... i would imagine the TDS is built up in my system pretty substantially... but now i have it figured out, so all top off and water change water from here on out, will be monitered, and have a proper TDS... over time, i thinking i should definately see some improvements... which would be cool, cuz most everything looks pretty good now...

anyhow, one less thing, and another aspect of husbandry learned

:beer:

 

[brad65ford]

Neal,

What happened to all your big sps colons?

edit... oops just read the above posted by you, was it to hard to keep that many?

 

[Pallobi]

Neal,

What happened to all your big sps colons?

edit... oops just read the above posted by you, was it to hard to keep that many?

i jus decided to slim down my collection... some of my colonies where moved along to other hobbyists... I did keep a nice frag of each however... so they will become 2nd generation sorta speak...

 

[cato]

Lookin good Neal.

 

[Pallobi]

Lookin good Neal.

thank you my friend...

i cant get over the water i have been using this whole time... using RODI that is 0 tds, instead 100 tds water that wasnt even properly RO'd, should yeild be some good results i am hoping... i am quite relieved... and looking forward to the months ahead...

 

[sweetnsour]

nice update man, how do you stop stuff from growing on the frag plugs other than the corals?

 

[Pallobi]

nice update man, how do you stop stuff from growing on the frag plugs other than the corals?

all kinds of things grow in my tank... believe it or not... i usually clean off what i can like worms and whatnot... i also have small stringy hyrdroid type things that grow a little here and there too... to the quick and naked eye, you dont see much, but there is other organisms in there... my pod population is off the hook really... but one might think its "too clean"... but that is not the case...

 

[Pallobi]

and we now have 0 TDS on my fresh water... for the first time in 2 years, i will now be using only water with 0TDS, not water with 80 to 100+, lol...

 

[Pallobi]

with that said, a few more sps pics...

red planet...

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/?action=view&current=33ed4bff.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/33ed4bff.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App"></a>

icefire...

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/?action=view&current=c075dd02.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/c075dd02.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App"></a>

limeade...

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/?action=view&current=2aa4e3cb.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/2aa4e3cb.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App"></a>

lost half my setosa, but i managed to save a few small frags, and decided after all i would keep one even though its not an acro...

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/?action=view&current=b3417f87.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/b3417f87.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App"></a>

 

[Pallobi]

my strawberry shortcake that i get no growth out of... i plan on snipping the top off to hopefully induce growth when after a few more water changes with the 0 TDS water over the next couple weeks or so... hoping it will help a little...

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/?action=view&current=1a53e15b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/1a53e15b.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App"></a>

 

[Pallobi]

my pearlberry which is still new... still has a ways to go, but im hopeful...

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/?action=view&current=fd9a8891.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%20May%202012/fd9a8891.jpg" border="0" alt="Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App"></a>

 

[brad65ford]

Neal,

Have you ever come to a point where you over skimmed to much with your setup?

 

[Pallobi]

Neal,

Have you ever come to a point where you over skimmed to much with your setup?

im not sure to be honest... i wouldnt think so... but i guess its possible though its never really made sense to me...

i am going to be adding a couple more fish however... so the bioload will go up a bit...

 

[brad65ford]

Your system and results have always intrigued me. Your bacterial / nutrient levels looks so spot on, do you still have any live rock in your sump or have you remove that?

 

[brad65ford]

I jus wanted to take a couple moments and talk about this part of my system... I know I have basically no rock in my display and sump aside from my porcelian crabs shelter / clams resting spot... however I jus wanted to emphasize how important and crucial to my system's survival this part of my setup is... I do have great flow and a very much oversized and capable skimmer, but it is this live rock space that keeps my system so stable... without it, the system jus would not work properly... flow, skimming, and detritus removal are vital, but bio filtration is the most important part of any system I feel... it is the bacteria the rock and very shallow sandbed harbor that really do all the work in keeping my system pure... I have about 550+ gph running through this section of my system... about 4.5 times my total water volume...

I jus thought this was very important to point out as I dont want to encourage ANYONE to not have a good, solid bio-filter in any system they may keep...

BIO-FILTRATION IS ALWAYS #1...

<a href="http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%202011/?action=view&current=00009.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i906.photobucket.com/albums/ac268/Pallobi11/System%202011/00009.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Neal,

Going over your thread now (for the tenth time :crazy1 now. I'm very interested in hearing how you maintain your liver rock/live sand tank. What have you done to this tank/area since you have started your setup?

Brad

 

[Pallobi]

ok, so to answer your questions, i no longer have any live rock in my system... the only biofiltering of any kind i have, is the tiles that become established with time, jus like the live rock... so there is none in my system and hasnt been for 5 months... the pic above, is from a year ago, when i had that "fuge" plumbed in... i ditched that particular one early last summer... my system is only the display i have now, and sump... i do use a filter sock, i use ROX carbon, and my high flow and oversized skimming... i have a koralia magnum 6 in my sump for extra flow to keep things a churnin'...

my approach is very simple... and my intention is to keep it that way... i am basically starting over with sps as i only have kept 12 peices... and some are starting over as "2nd generation" frags from my original colonies... ive learned alot the last year especially... im excited to take what i have learned, especially the last few months, and apply that to the next year of my hobby... i really feel like ill be more succesful if i keep up the diligence...

 

[Pallobi]

Another new pic of my lokani...

<a href="http://s1071.photobucket.com/albums/u515/dakobi/?action=view&current=9d6e0798.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1071.photobucket.com/albums/u515/dakobi/9d6e0798.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

 

[Pallobi]

That red planet is amazing!

Thank you! I really love it's colors and I feel they are very rich in color... Jus doesn't grow much lately it seems... I think my ALK issues stunted its growth as it seems to have lost its growth tips... But hey, if it stays small but lookin good, I guess that's cool with me

 

[OneReef]

Very odd setup, ha, but kudos for doing what is pleasing to you. That's all that matters. My husbandry is a lot different than yours, but I will say that you have nice colors and growth. Coral looks nice!