Why go ULNS?

phurst

phurst

Richmond Reefer
So, I've been watching all the hype over ULNS for the last year or more here online as well as in my local reef club. My question is, why would I want to take the next step to ULNS? I'm definitely not bashing those using this method, as surely there are some very beautiful ULNS tanks out there. There are also some very attractive non ULNS tanks out there. I'm using the 'old school' method of SSB, cheato fuge, water changes. I have a 150g SPS display, 30g sump, 15g frag tank, 10g fuge. Color looks good to me, and growth is good. I typicaly have about 5PPM nitrates, and phosphates show up as '0' on my mostly useless API kit. I've never invested in any kind of low range kit or meter, because I don't have any algae issues, and these cheap kits do fine for me. If I had issues, I might be more inclined to get pinpoint accuracy in my testing. I run GFO and GAC in reactors, I have a good skimmer, and that's about it. Yeah, I get film algae on the glass that requires scraping every few days, but beyond that, there's no algae in the DT or frag tank.

Now, I know what some of you are going to say: "If you're happy with it, then don't change anything". True enough, but like the rest of you, I'm always looking for a way to make things just a little better. So, is ULNS the way? Is it worth all the trouble for the result you get? Admittedly, I haven't looked into it extensively, but it seems like a lot of added work/expense to do the daily dosing, addition of AAs and other coral foods, boosting the fish population, testing, testing, testing, strict maintenance of what I would consider moderate alk levels, dealing with possible bacterial blooms, and the general work and paranoia with what seems to be, running your tank on the razors edge of disaster. So, what's the word? Those of you that made the switch. Was it worth it? Did you do it in order to combat some issue you were having? Are you happy with the results? Is it worth all the work? If I'm generally happy with my tank, is it something I should consider?
 
I made the switch and have been very happy. I hate dealing with GFO and its cost for one thing. For me the work has been reduced. My fish are happy because they get to eat much, much more and the corals as well. If you consider putting a couple of drops in your tank every day increased maintenance then you likely would not like it but the time that takes vs changing GFO is worth it to me. I will say that ULNS is a bit of a misnomer though. You need nutrients. I prefer "probiotic". The system simply allows me to add more nutrients without fowling the water.
 
gfo only removes phosphates, and not nitrates. I suppose your chaeto is supposed to take care of nitrates? but you still get some nitrate reading. ulns by itself will take care of both phosphates and nitrates, so you will get 0 on both and you save the additional work of maintaining the fuge.
 
schminksbro:

What are you doing in addition to (I assume) carbon dosing? Are you adding AAs or any other of the 'coral foods' I see discussed? How much testing, and of what are you doing to make sure things stay within spec? Like I said, I haven't tried UNLS/carbon dosing, but I'm under the impression one has to really stay on top of things to be successful. I'm definitely not opposed to additional work, I'm just trying to decide if the cost-labor/benefit ratio is worth it.

d0ughb0y:

I understand the point of ULNS/carbon dosing, but is it something I NEED if my 5PPM of nitrates aren't causing an issue? There is virtually no maintenance involved with my fuge besides pruning every once in a while. In fact, all I'm doing right now is feeding the fish Am and PM, changing my GAC every few weeks, GFO every few months, and dumping my skimmer cup. I also manage a water change every now and again :)

Nanook:

Thanks, as I mentioned in my first post, maintaining the status quo is definitely an option. I'm just trying to decide if the process of going ULNS is worth it for me.
 
Well, I've gone the vodka dosing route full tilt and didn't like what I saw. The particulate matter from the bacteria clogged up everything like plumbing and sponges. The slightest changes in alkalinity had adverse effects on my acros and I lost several in the learning process. I also lost some anemones that had been in captivity for years.

Now, another ULNS might be more forgiving, but I think it is less work and more natural to go old school.
 
phurst said:
d0ughb0y:

I understand the point of ULNS/carbon dosing, but is it something I NEED if my 5PPM of nitrates aren't causing an issue? There is virtually no maintenance involved with my fuge besides pruning every once in a while. In fact, all I'm doing right now is feeding the fish Am and PM, changing my GAC every few weeks, GFO every few months, and dumping my skimmer cup. I also manage a water change every now and again :)
Click to expand...

the motivation for me is less work. if you are used to your routine, I suppose it won't make any difference. The only other thing is unless you have a large collection cup, you will empty the skimmer cup more often. I like a clean sump (like no algae), I don't think I can keep it clean with chaeto in it.
 
Yeah, cleaning the skimmer neck/cup every 2-3 days was a pain too. It was also embarrassing buying cheap vodka from the store every couple weeks:lol:
 
Nanook said:
The particulate matter from the bacteria clogged up everything like plumbing and sponges. The slightest changes in alkalinity had adverse effects on my acros and I lost several in the learning process. I also lost some anemones that had been in captivity for years.
Click to expand...

See, these are some of the things I worry about. Particularly the Alk. I dose 2 part via peristaltic pump, but occasionally, It will take me a while to mix up more after I run out, and would have for the variation to cause issues. i also tend to maintain slightly elevated alk at around 10-11 which I understand is a no-no in ULNS.
 
I say stay with what is working for you. One major con of a ULNS is that it is very hard to get off of it once you have been on it for a log time. Its sort of like when a longtime drug user goes "cold turkey" and starts going into withdrawl. The good "natural" bacteria is all but gone from your system, having been outcompeted by the bottled bacteria, which in turn may cause your system to cycle when the dosing of bacteria has ceased.

If you are looking for improvements I would try dosing only the bacteria at first and see if it does anything for your system. Next, you could try dosing Lugols Solution or playing around with your lighting/photoperiod/bulbs to improve coloration and/or growth.

Dont get me wrong, probiotic systems are great and I love them but they do have their pro's and con's as anything else. I run a probiotic system because it is less time consuming, cheaper, and has given me great results. I had just as good of results with a refugium and GFO, so I know for a fact that both meathods work well when done right.

But, as everyone here has said, if everything is doing well then dont mess with it.

EDIT: perhaps mesocosm can chime in with info on what happens to a reef after getting off of probiotics. He is the expert afterall. :D
 
Last edited:
JMalone81 said:
If vodka dosing you don't need bottled bacteria so I don't think that would be a problem. I dose vodka and vinegar.
Click to expand...

How sensitive is your system to alk swings? Are you doing any supplemental coral feeding? Did you go ULNS to solve some problem, or just to try to improve your tank?
 
working toward ULNS, the reading and understanding of the way these systems work has been a biological renissance for me. I've built my system with nothing but implements of technology to maintain my system parameters.

Beyond a good understanding of some basic relationships (nitrifying bacteria, ca/alk/mg) there wasn't seemingly much more to explore, or at least nothing that sparked my attention, since my focus has essentially been SPS for the last 2 years. Exploring ULNS has been alot of fun and the results have been great!
 
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