Pictures of Bomber's barebottom SPS tank and related equipment

[MiddletonMark]

This hobby is nothing but patience.

I stocked my tank from frags ... took a year to have them truly colony size now. Will be another year before everything in my tank is colony-size ... then just another 38 years of life to enjoy them as big corals. Seems like a long pay-off period for only a few years of patience ... though that's not how most folks like to see it.

I try to work towards what my tank will be in 6 [or 12] months ... as often it takes that long to get things where you want then stable for long enough for everything to `boom' ... or for the new frag to grow into decent size.

But I'm just as impulsive as the rest. It's no fun having patience, but if I want a TOTM or similar stunning tank, that's the only way to get there that I've seen.

 

[Cody Ray]

Good words!

 

[musicsmaker]

Haven't tuned in to this thread for a while. Bomber, where can I find the most recent pics? Any growth comparison pictures? Would you fall off your chair if I went BB?

 

[Bomber]

This rock cooking thing has piqued my interest many times, but I've not made the time to read that thread yet. It definitely seems like a new trend has formed on RC about it. I doubt I could cook any of my own unless I had extra on hand that I could put in the tank in its place.

Marc, think about bacteria, nutrients, etc. Then think about rock.

People go out of there way to buy rock with the most life on it. What conditions would that rock have to have been in to support "all that life"?
Then they put it in a system that they are trying to run nutrient poor (SPS particularly), a system that won't support "all that life".
Then think about what "nutrient" is associated with "all that life" that you are trying to eliminate from a SPS system.

What you're trying to accomplish with rock "cooking" is to clean up that rock ahead of time. So you don't add all that phosphate to your system from the get go.

There's a lot of things that go on in the hobby that I think totally flies in the face of common sense.

Like buying rock "with all that life on it", thinking that you're going out of your way to cycle it to preserve "all that life" - and then putting it in a system that you're trying to run nutrient poor and starving "all that life" so it just dies and releases nutrients.

 

[Bomber]

Haven't tuned in to this thread for a while. Bomber, where can I find the most recent pics? Any growth comparison pictures? Would you fall off your chair if I went BB?

Nope, I didn't fall off the chair when I went BB either. LOL

I'll work on that. Let me see what I can find.

 

[melev]

Just tell him to scroll back 3 pages to see Greg's images. Remember those photoshop'd ones?

Cooking LR. Crazy talk. :lol:

 

[Bomber]

It's really just aging it better. Get the nutrients out before you put it in the tank.
Even if you go DSB, I've never understood not "cooking" the rock.

The first thing a DSB does is create a nutrient poor system as it gets established. It needs those nutrients to work. People add live rock that's full of nutrients associated with all that "life".

 

[AJtheReefer]

Bomber,
Thank you for all the information. It is hard to argue with success.

Is the use of dry rock recommended? so you would only need to cook a portion of the live rock to seed the dry rock?

Thanks

 

[melev]

I've found that it is easier to just enjoy the rock as it is. I've never looked for any life on my rock when shopping at the LFS, other than coralline. I like the purple stuff. Now some of my rock is 7 years old, some is 4, some is 2, some is 1.5, some is 1. Hopefully they aren't chocked full of nutrients and decay, but I have to accept that some must need cooking.

Have you ever taken rock out of your existing tank to cook, so you can reuse it later? Or only with the new rock coming in?

 

[bigben]

hey marc,

in my existing tanks, i've always just blown the rock with a high flow of water (powerhead or nasal bulb) once a month or so. you'd be amazed at how much crap builds up inside of them. the corals always seemed to love this too (polyp expansion and feeding).

i've ALWAYS cured my new live rock for 1-2 months before adding to the tank, though. during this process, i blow the insides out, too.

 

[melev]

I really need to do that myself.

 

[Bomber]

Have you ever taken rock out of your existing tank to cook, so you can reuse it later? Or only with the new rock coming in?

Sure, Greg's rock is my old rock. we just cooked it again before he used it.

If you run the system nutrient poor, the rock will shed detritus.

If you run the system nutrient rich, the rock will suck it up.

 

[Rothie]

Bomber-
I am confused by these 2 statements-
"Even if you go DSB, I've never understood not "cooking" the rock."

"The first thing a DSB does is create a nutrient poor system as it gets established. It needs those nutrients to work. People add live rock that's full of nutrients associated with all that "life".

Does a DSB need nutrient rich rock to become established?

I am setting up 2 tanks,one DSB,the other BB.I am using dry base rock from www.reeferrocks.com in the BB-this is supposed to be mined coral rock from the Bahamas I believe.Will this rock still be full of phosphates?

 

[Bomber]

Does a DSB need nutrient rich rock to become established?

Nope

Sediments hold, retain, and tightly recycle phosphorus compounds. They also retain fine particulates. Both of those things would come from nutrient rich rock.

Those two things, either separate or together, contribute to the imbalance in aerobic to anaerobic. That imbalance is what causes sediments to leak.

Adding a lot of either one of those in the very beginning will just speed up the process.

 

[Rothie]

Bomber-
"Adding a lot of either one of those in the very beginning will just speed up the process."

What process is getting sped up?
Should the base rock in the BB be cooked also?

 

[Bomber]

It would probably be a huge help if the hobby experts either understood or explained how the nitrogen cycle and denitrification really worked, instead of leading you guys down the wrong path from the get go.

Leaky sediments, Rothie

 

[gumbybc]

is there a forum that explains rock cooking? I have been following along with your discussion, but can't get a grasp on exactly what rock 'cooking' is. Thanks.

 

[Rothie]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=405128&highlight=cooking+rock
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=437342
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=485572&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[Rothie]

Bomber
"It would probably be a huge help if the hobby experts either understood or explained how the nitrogen cycle and denitrification really worked, instead of leading you guys down the wrong path from the get go."

Hobby Experience: 50 yrs +
I was counting on you to be the expert!

After7 years in FW and 4 years in reefing,I thought I had a grip on the nitrogen cycle.I guess not.The reason I read these boards is to get a better understanding of the hobby, and to see what changes are taking place.I also have a decent library and keep up with the online reef magazines.Why would information about denitrification and the nitrogen cycle be kept a secret?I seem to get more confused each day(might have something to do with age).
I was going to set up a 300 with a barebottom and base rock for SPS, and a 125 with a DSB and "cooked" rock for LPS,but I guess it would be a great waste of time and effort,if I really don't understand what I am doing.
If you have time to be my mentor,shoot me a PM.I could use the help.

 

[gumbybc]

thanks rothie