Pictures of Bomber's barebottom SPS tank and related equipment
- Thread starter gregt
- Start date
photobarry
New member
I knew you liked the other colors as well! 
musicsmaker
Premium Member
That's it. I'm setting up a tank just for them. Now where to get my hands on a few...
photobarry
New member
That might be a challenge. I say that reefkeeping is easy compared with those guys. Here's what you'll need. A large stainless steel vessel that can withstand high pressure. Then a big pump so you can pressurize it to 4000psi. Then a big chiller to keep it at 10C. Then a method to keep a controlled level of hydrogen sulfide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide gases in there. Oh, and keep the pH at ~6.8. And that's it! Getting your hands on the worms is the problem. I can send you a tube and you can pretend. 
musicsmaker
Premium Member
-pffft- I'll be breeding them by next weekend.
photobarry
New member
I couldn't resist. Here's a pic. If you are easily grossed out, don't look.
electric130
Active member
i'll take 3!:lol: of course you know if you tell people not to look, they'll intentionally look.photobarry said:I couldn't resist. Here's a pic. If you are easily grossed out, don't look.
DerekW
Member
Neo_Ta said:
Look for the stuff that is used to keep leaves out of rain gutters. Also, aquaticeco.com
electric130
Active member
they had a display at Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach this summer called "the Abyss" or something like that. That's the first place i saw those worms (on a video, not on display)photobarry said:That might be a challenge. I say that reefkeeping is easy compared with those guys. Here's what you'll need. A large stainless steel vessel that can withstand high pressure. Then a big pump so you can pressurize it to 4000psi. Then a big chiller to keep it at 10C. Then a method to keep a controlled level of hydrogen sulfide, oxygen, and carbon dioxide gases in there. Oh, and keep the pH at ~6.8. And that's it! Getting your hands on the worms is the problem. I can send you a tube and you can pretend.
musicsmaker
Premium Member
If all the other requirements were met, do you think they could survive in our low pressure world? Hypothetically speaking that is.
photobarry
New member
If kept very cold they can survive 12-20 hours without pressure. Beyond that the mortality rate becomes quite high. Without pressure their cell membranes literally start falling apart. We also keep mussels and crabs from those sites. When we depressurize the crabs they lose all motor control for several minutes which is quite handy for moving them around without getting pinched to death. LOL
I don't have to speak hypothetically. We have had pumps fail on several occasions and if not caught immediately, most animals are dead by the next day. The lack of oxygen doesn't help matters. We do keep mussels and shrimp from the deep ocean in the Gulf of Mexico. Those aren't found nearly as deep (~2/3 mile down) and we keep them cold but not under pressure. I'm always entertained when people worry about corals collected 150 ft down and think that they might not do well at atmospheric pressure.
Edit: BTW I was out in Pittsburgh before Christmas and was at the PMAS raffle. Were you there, did I meet you?
I don't have to speak hypothetically. We have had pumps fail on several occasions and if not caught immediately, most animals are dead by the next day. The lack of oxygen doesn't help matters. We do keep mussels and shrimp from the deep ocean in the Gulf of Mexico. Those aren't found nearly as deep (~2/3 mile down) and we keep them cold but not under pressure. I'm always entertained when people worry about corals collected 150 ft down and think that they might not do well at atmospheric pressure.
Edit: BTW I was out in Pittsburgh before Christmas and was at the PMAS raffle. Were you there, did I meet you?
photobarry
New member
electric130 said:
LOL I know, isn't human nature great!
They are even cooler to see in person. Too bad they are so smelly! My boss has a picture of a former grad student pretending to eat one on a hot dog roll. Nasty!
If you guys watch the Blue Planet series on the Discovery Channel one of the guys we work with from PSU is on there talking about deep sea sites in the Gulf of Mexico. He has short brown hair and rosey cheeks.
photobarry
New member
Bomber said:
ROTFL That's not me! That's a hippie german professor from Scripps that we bring along on all our cruises.
The scary thing is that he was talking to our cook! :eek1:
ClarkiiClownfish
Active member
Not wanting to argue here, but what harm could there be in putting a very thin (1/2 inch or so) of sand on the bottom for aesthetics? It does look very unnatural without any substrate.
The reason I ask is I am in the process of setting up an in-wall 180 and I just put the sand in the bottom (about 1/2" to 3/4") this past Saturday. My buddy is coming over to help me finish plumbing the tank next Saturday and we will start to drip the ro/di water when we are finished.
Bomber, do you think such a shallow substrate can/will cause problems in the future?
I have the same type substrate (3/4") in my current 220 that has been set-up for 8 years. About 3 1/2 years ago, I had an event occur which suddenly, for no apparent reason, nearly fatally crashed the tank. I am not sure what happened (I think my biological all died suddenly). I was doing 30-50g water changes for 13 straight weeks to try and stop it. But in the end, I failed. I could not stop it. I even had two well-respected owners of LFS come to my home and have a look and take a shot at what the problem was. I also took water to my buddy that is a chemist for the local water company and he said there was nothing wrong with the water. I am still stumped to this day. The tank has always had a small bio-load. I am trying to avoid this happeneing again at all costs. I have read and re-read your threads on DSB and understand your disdain for it, but my bed was not even 1 inch. Maybe I am stretching here, but like I said, this cannot and will not happen again. I lost a lot of fish/corals. Not to mention the GIANT headache and having to start from scratch and also the battle with hair algae shortly after the crash.
Although, some corals/fish did survive (about 50%) and I still have to this day.
Thanks and sorry for the long post. Please give me your advice. I still have a 6 days to think about getting rid of the substrate.
P.S. Your probably wondering why a construction worker needs help plumbing a tank?
I have 2 ruptured discs in my back and I am having surgery Jan 13. Right now, I am half crippled. Cant walk right, cant stand up straight, pain shooting down my legs.....life generally sux right now. But I want to get this tank set-up b4 surgery and get the water in and get it circulating and cycling while I am recouperating for 2-3 months.
Wish me luck on the surgery and thanks in advance for any advice from any of the experts out there.
The reason I ask is I am in the process of setting up an in-wall 180 and I just put the sand in the bottom (about 1/2" to 3/4") this past Saturday. My buddy is coming over to help me finish plumbing the tank next Saturday and we will start to drip the ro/di water when we are finished.
Bomber, do you think such a shallow substrate can/will cause problems in the future?
I have the same type substrate (3/4") in my current 220 that has been set-up for 8 years. About 3 1/2 years ago, I had an event occur which suddenly, for no apparent reason, nearly fatally crashed the tank. I am not sure what happened (I think my biological all died suddenly). I was doing 30-50g water changes for 13 straight weeks to try and stop it. But in the end, I failed. I could not stop it. I even had two well-respected owners of LFS come to my home and have a look and take a shot at what the problem was. I also took water to my buddy that is a chemist for the local water company and he said there was nothing wrong with the water. I am still stumped to this day. The tank has always had a small bio-load. I am trying to avoid this happeneing again at all costs. I have read and re-read your threads on DSB and understand your disdain for it, but my bed was not even 1 inch. Maybe I am stretching here, but like I said, this cannot and will not happen again. I lost a lot of fish/corals. Not to mention the GIANT headache and having to start from scratch and also the battle with hair algae shortly after the crash.
Although, some corals/fish did survive (about 50%) and I still have to this day.
Thanks and sorry for the long post. Please give me your advice. I still have a 6 days to think about getting rid of the substrate.
P.S. Your probably wondering why a construction worker needs help plumbing a tank?
I have 2 ruptured discs in my back and I am having surgery Jan 13. Right now, I am half crippled. Cant walk right, cant stand up straight, pain shooting down my legs.....life generally sux right now. But I want to get this tank set-up b4 surgery and get the water in and get it circulating and cycling while I am recouperating for 2-3 months.
Wish me luck on the surgery and thanks in advance for any advice from any of the experts out there.
Last edited:
gregt
Premium Member
This system works on the principle of high flow to keep the detritus from settling. The concept is to remove it before it has a chance to break down. If you have enough flow to do the above you will have a snowstorm of sand in your water column rather than an inch of sand on the bottom.
I agree with you completely that it would look more natural, but I've decided that I'd rather have a tank that's simple to maintain and will not be a nutrient sink than have the sand.
Shoestring Reefer
New member
Maby it would be possible to get "fake sand". A big piece of sand-textured plastic, sort of like white plastic sand paper, but not abrasive. Then again, it may look cheesy.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
electric130
Active member
they make King StarBoard in a sand color, but it's more like beach sand, not reef sand. it's more of a light tan color. if Bomber grows coraline like i do, it will look like rock in a few months anyway. coraline grows in plates in my tank. i actually have "chunks" of it that fall off the back glass because they get too heavy and won't stick anymore.Shoestring Reefer said:
Good luck with your surgery Clarkii and a speedy recovery.
but my bed was not even 1 inch.
This depends of course on what size substrate the bed is made up of, and as long as yours was set up, it could very well have included alot of very fine material. Once this occurs, you might as well say you have a DSB as far as the biological and chemical processes that will take place.
Steve
but my bed was not even 1 inch.
This depends of course on what size substrate the bed is made up of, and as long as yours was set up, it could very well have included alot of very fine material. Once this occurs, you might as well say you have a DSB as far as the biological and chemical processes that will take place.
Steve
ClarkiiClownfish
Active member
Thanks SPC. I am not looking forward to it, but it has to be done.
This is a GREAT idea I think. You could cut a piece of this StarBoard to the sxact size of your tank bottom. Comb is with a notch trowel (like a trowel for setting ceramic tile) with aquarium silicone, then dump sand all over it. Press it down a bit, and let it dry for a couple days or longer. Then when your ready to put it in the tank, tilt it up and knock off all the loose sand. Shake it real good to get all the loose stuff off. Then put it on the tank bottom. Waa-laa! You have a sand substrate that will not move due to high flow.
This is a GREAT idea I think. You could cut a piece of this StarBoard to the sxact size of your tank bottom. Comb is with a notch trowel (like a trowel for setting ceramic tile) with aquarium silicone, then dump sand all over it. Press it down a bit, and let it dry for a couple days or longer. Then when your ready to put it in the tank, tilt it up and knock off all the loose sand. Shake it real good to get all the loose stuff off. Then put it on the tank bottom. Waa-laa! You have a sand substrate that will not move due to high flow.
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