Sterile or Natural Habitat Tank

[ddrueckh]

Hi fellow reefers. I am wondering how many successful reefers keep a sterile tank and how many have a tank where they try to simulate a natural environment. I would like to hear from those who:

-Have had their tank running for at least 18 months or longer.
-No to very little algae growth
-Good coral growth
-Stable parameters

I consider a sterile tank to be one that has no or very little sand. No refugium or algae scrubber. just water, live rock, inhabitants and equipment (skimmer, reactors, pumps...).

I consider a natural environment tank to be one where a deeper sand bed is kept in hopes that it will lower nitrates or at least be a place to house a variety of animals. The tank might also use a refugium with sand and macro algae or an ATS. These are people who might rely less on equipment than natural methods. It does not mean that you don't use a skimmer or reactors and such. It just means that you employ more natural methods as well.

I don't want this to become an argument of what is better. I just want to know if your method has been successful for you.

I am asking this because my tank is more of a sterile tank. I have a shallow sand bed and run standard equipment (skimmer, activated carbon, GFO in a reactor). This has not led to a lot of success for me. I have had some good coral growth, but have been battling algae for at least 8 months. My tank is currently 19 months old. I am thinking of adding a refugium with sand and Chaeto and would like to know what methods have brought others long term success. There are many threads on the type of equipment people use and what brand is best. I am more interested in the philosophy behind your tank than the brand of equipment used.

Some stats on my tank:

-60 Gallon cube with 20 gallon sump
-All water is RODI with TDS of 0
-Instant Ocean Salt
-CA 400ppm
-Alk 7.3 DKH
-Mag 1400
-Phosphate and Nitrate are 0 (probably because of the algae)
-Radion Gen 3 lighting
-Two Jebao RW-8 powerheads
-3 black axil chromis (12 monts old)
-2 perc clowns (3 years old...came from an older smaller tank)
-Misc. crabs and snails
-5 gallon water change every week

Thanks for any responses.

 

[natas]

I saw a video that reminded me of this same subject. Very interesting debate. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h39VK-tNK30

 

[ddrueckh]

natas,

That is a great video. Thanks for posting it!

 

[Potsy]

While your methods might aim for sterility, your struggles with algae indicate that there is an excess of nutrients.

I have a three year old 50 gallon 36x18x18" barebottom with starboard with an old Euroreef skimmer and an ATO... no reactors, scrubbers, controllers, etc. Aside from a some bubble algae that was eliminated by an emerald crab I recently added, I have never dealt with nuisance algae. I keep mostly lps with a some zoanthids, gorgonians, and a few hardy sps. This has been my most success tank thus far and I don't think I'd go back to a sandbed. Maintenance is a breeze.

I don't know if I'd call a deep sand bed "natural" as it is a closed system... it's just one more method of maintaining low nitrates. In fact, I don't think many people maintain a dsb any more considering the carbon dosing options that are more controllable and effective.

 

[ddrueckh]

Thanks Potsy. I guess the answer I have not found yet is where the extra nutrients are coming from. I don't feed much and don't think 5 fish are too many for the tank. I will test my water change water again to double check it to make sure my brute trash can is not leaching anything. I know my RODI is putting out 0 TDS water as I have checked with two digital meters. Will a TDS meter detect phosphate or nitrate? My thought is that the excess nutrients are coming out of the rocks, but this has been going on for a long time. I have used a lot of GFO but don't see a difference. I run about 2 cups every 3-4 weeks in a Phosban reactor. That is a lot!

 

[Potsy]

Thanks Potsy. I guess the answer I have not found yet is where the extra nutrients are coming from. I don't feed much and don't think 5 fish are too many for the tank. I will test my water change water again to double check it to make sure my brute trash can is not leaching anything. I know my RODI is putting out 0 TDS water as I have checked with two digital meters. Will a TDS meter detect phosphate or nitrate? My thought is that the excess nutrients are coming out of the rocks, but this has been going on for a long time. I have used a lot of GFO but don't see a difference. I run about 2 cups every 3-4 weeks in a Phosban reactor. That is a lot!

What kind of nuisance algae are you fighting? What kind of rock do you have? It is strange that you have these struggles with a bare bottom and gfo. I agree with the idea that your rock is leaching phosphate. I might be wrong but I think TDS is a measure of minerals and metals, not organics. Regardless, a RO unit should remove organics.

 

[ddrueckh]

I first had cyano but when that went away GHA came on like crazy. The GHA has gone away a little and now I see a mix of some other Green Cyano and such. I am not bare bottom. I have about 1" of special grade seafloor sand. I checked my water that I use for water changes again and found 0 ohos and 0 nitrate.

 

[Potsy]

It's strange how some tanks like mine can have rather elevated phosphate and nitrate and yet grow no algae while others seem to grow it in abundance. A lot of people seem to have success with Algaefix Marine when fighting gha.

 

[d2mini]

I would like to hear from those who:

-Have had their tank running for at least 18 months or longer.
-No to very little algae growth
-Good coral growth
-Stable parameters

I consider a sterile tank to be one that has no or very little sand. No refugium or algae scrubber. just water, live rock, inhabitants and equipment (skimmer, reactors, pumps...).

This would be me except that I do have a refugium that holds nothing but a big ball of cheato. This is my main source of nutrient export after my skimmer. I have too little nitrates in the tank and low p04.
No gfo, only carbon.