Recent content by apos

Found this mostly anti-scrubber discussion: http://stason.org/TULARC/animals/aqu...bers-long.html Like many others, it seems based on the older concepts, leading to a lot of yellowing. But it does get into the debate over total algal load in a system towards the end. This is a really...

While a harder DIY, I'm actually more of a fan in theory of the algal turf idea at this point (because it handles more than just nitrates: also controlls algal growth in the rest of the tank). But, I no longer have my system around anymore (had to move) so will just have to wait and experiment...

Yeah, he's very convincing. His bucket design would be awesome, but unfortunately unfeasible unless you can get a bucket's bottom up above the DT or sump somehow.

Ok, I've settled on a design to try. I have very limited space, so I'm going to start by trying to use an angled screen in a container, lying horizontally on top of my sump with lighting from above. My maximum space is Height 5in x Width 8in x Length 15 inches. That should allow me to fit in...

There are a number of mods that can improve their performance if you are willing to tinker. The easiest is simply getting a good quality air valve rather than using the one that comes with the venturi setup.

My last DIY project was creating a deep sand bed, hooked into my system remotely. https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/305309/starting-remote-deep-sand-bed-diy-in-bucket It was fun, simple, and as far as I can tell, effectively cut down on my nitrates, or at least played a role. For my next...

I've never successfully gotten my frogspawn to accept food. I've tried different times of day, seeding the water with a little food to wake it up before feeding, leaving the pumps off for a long time so that the food won't just blow away... never seen it move anything into its mouth, or even...

DTs can be used to start a culture, but because it's not a mono culture you can get unpredictable results. Diversity is very good in your tank of course, but its not so good for making viable, sturdy cultures. Namely: DT-based cultures can crash quite easily. One species will outcompete the...

Just a note: things are going fine, and trates no longer a worry (though again, can't prove it's the RDSB). But I have added a bubble tower of sorts where the bucket returns into the sump: I built it out of a 2inch wide piece of PVC tube with a cap on the top. I put a hole in the cap where the...

The last two scream cucumber to me. Cukes often have "frilly" feeding ends like that.

I saw Tullio Dell Aquila at a reef club talk as well. Seemed very knowledgeable, and his company basically designs all sorts of fixtures for the industry (halides, t5s, etc), but doesn't do direct retail to consumers (only to manufacturers), making him at least a little more reliable than a...

Been testing at 10ppm-5ppm in nitrates and below with my Salifert kit: not a huge drop from my former average (20ppm) but certainly noticeable, particularly as I haven't been seeing any of the higher readings I used to occasionally get (30-40 or so) However, in the interests of full disclosure...

I know this is a fairly old thread, but I'm skeptical about something: whether essential elements is really enough to feed the phyto. Don't they need nitrates and phosphates to grow, pretty much at all? Where are they getting any of that in this setup?

To live long term, they, like most non-photosynthetics, really need large water volumes and a special feeding system. This is probably one of the best non-photo systems out there: http://www.twilightreef.com/dendrotank4.htm But keep in mind: he has a HUGE system, and he spends a RIDICULOUS...

Sulfer denitrators are basically just like any media filter: set it up, have a pump run water through it, and some minor daily adjustments/testing.