SPS Keeping...a new twist

[ldrhawke]

This is only my second post on this site, so please excuse me if this has been discussed before.

As all SPS reef keepers have experienced when doing a water change, I noticed how the change and bubbles occuring during a water change often caused SPS slime to collect bubbles and sluff off and float to the top of the tank and over the overflow. I made the following changes to take advantage of this as a method to more effectively remove SPS slime. The slime is basically SPS waste, and I assumed more frequent and positive removal of slime would only benefit SPS growth and propagation. Much like high and random water flow does.

In addition to my normal over flow system and circulation. I installed a 3000gph recirculating pump, which gives nearly 60 water changes an hour. It appeared continuous operation was too high a flow rate so I set it up to cycle. I noticed everytime it started up it would throw out air bubbles and some of the bubbles attached to the SPS slime, causing the slime to float off the SPS.

I experimented and injected air bubbles into the pump return, which caused the tank to turn white with air bubbles. The air bubbles floated away a lot of SPS slime. I have automated it now to act similar to what happens in a tidial wave action on a reef.

Every 4 hours the heavy recirculation comes on for 20 minutes. The tank is briskly stirred up from the increased flow. I have a bare bottom so the heavy flow picks a lot of fish waste off the bottom and puts it into suspension. Next, automatically an air pump is turned on for a minute and injects air into the recirculation system.

The brief heavy foam is probably similar to what some coral may see from breaking waves. During this 20 minute period and lot of SPS slime is removed, as well as waste off the bottom that gets air bubbles attached to it and floats it to the surface and over the overflow. Obviously, the timing and frequency can be changed. I look at the resultant action and cleaning to simply be closer duplicating what a lot of coral see on a reef.

I have been doing this for 6 months and only see positive results from doing it. I added a bag filter to remove the increased waste load daily that over flows the tank. After you see all the waste that collects in the filter bag, it is easy to understand how this may help to remove a lot on N & P waste and help to maintain low nutrient levels. It does a great job of removing SPS slime and reduces the need for continous heavy random flow. In addition, it will save on the power bill.

Food for thought.....comments.

Air injection/heavy recirculation cycling for filtration

[Reefaholic]

Great thoughts and practices.

I did it only when i am doing a water change once a week. But not as frequent as you did. I do agree that having some bubbles can helps to remove the slimes that sps have. I did noticed that the filter floss on my overflow has becomes more dirty after a flush of bubbles across my tank.

Thanks for sharing.

[madmac]

Thats very creative of you.... I like the idea... the bubbles can certainly stir up things

Some questions pls:

1. HOw do you contend with bubbles burst up on the surface... they may clog your lighting/glass panes... frequent cleaning?

2. How efficient do you find this method as compared to just targeting the flow towards the bottom to carry the detritus up and over the overflow. Besides bathing the SPS off their slime, does it carry even the heavier ones?

3. Care share a pic of your implementation. Is there an electrical solenoid for the air Thx.

I've arrange the flow such that it leaves a bunch of poo in the front centre and thats syphon out 12 hourly... tis the best I could do with the current streams,... any way of automating their removal is greatly welcome.

BTW cld the slime produced be a stress related reaction to the increased air-bubbles... I noticed, for some SPS, when you do remove them, they shed a great deal of slime... more like a protective mechanism, rather than something that in the normal shouldn't...

[CalciumReef]

The saltspray would be a real headache. Great looking tank ldrhawke

[ldrhawke]

Some questions pls:

1. HOw do you contend with bubbles burst up on the surface... they may clog your lighting/glass panes... frequent cleaning?

2. How efficient do you find this method as compared to just targeting the flow towards the bottom to carry the detritus up and over the overflow. Besides bathing the SPS off their slime, does it carry even the heavier ones?

3. Care share a pic of your implementation. Is there an electrical solenoid for the air Thx.

I've arrange the flow such that it leaves a bunch of poo in the front centre and thats syphon out 12 hourly... tis the best I could do with the current streams,... any way of automating their removal is greatly welcome.

BTW cld the slime produced be a stress related reaction to the increased air-bubbles... I noticed, for some SPS, when you do remove them, they shed a great deal of slime... more like a protective mechanism, rather than something that in the normal shouldn't...

___________________________________

1. Keeping the bubble on duration short...1 minute. Also my lighting is set just out of bubble burst range.

2. With the strong 6o water changes/hour flow, everything on the bottom is very stirred up. I have the ability to manually close valves and direct even heavier flow on one side or the other. My flow is from the top of the tank through two wide open fittings and directed down toward the bottom. It picks nearly everything off the bottom. When the bubbles come on they attach to a lot of the waste and float it to the top. I do not have to manually clean the bottom ever. Not waste builds up.

3. The air control is simple. I have a small air pump plugged into an X10 module controlled by my desk top computer. I also control the pump the same way. I have installed an air stone inside the tank, near the recirculation pumps inlet. I can set the pump and air pump to turn off and on anytime and any duration I want from the computer.

Initially some of the SPS slimed a little more. That seemed to slow down as they got use to the airbubbles and flow.

The only detrius maintenace I do now is remove a handful of dirty filter floss every couple of days. I used to remove the waste daily. I noted some of the softies in the tanks stopped growing. They looked fine but they didn't appear to like the low low nutrient conditions that theis process seems to develop. A month ago I started to change out the dirty floss every three days. The softies have bloomed from the increased nitrates and the SPS haven't seemed bothered.

Some questions pls:

1. HOw do you contend with bubbles burst up on the surface... they may clog your lighting/glass panes... frequent cleaning?

2. How efficient do you find this method as compared to just targeting the flow towards the bottom to carry the detritus up and over the overflow. Besides bathing the SPS off their slime, does it carry even the heavier ones?

3. Care share a pic of your implementation. Is there an electrical solenoid for the air Thx.

I've arrange the flow such that it leaves a bunch of poo in the front centre and thats syphon out 12 hourly... tis the best I could do with the current streams,... any way of automating their removal is greatly welcome.

BTW cld the slime produced be a stress related reaction to the increased air-bubbles... I noticed, for some SPS, when you do remove them, they shed a great deal of slime... more like a protective mechanism, rather than something that in the normal shouldn't...

________________________________________________________________

1. Keeping the bubble on duration short. Also my lighting is set just out of bubble burst range.

2. With the strong 6o water changes per hour flow, everything on the bottom is very well stirred up. I have the ability to manually close valves and direct even heavier flow, which I do once a week. My flow is from the top of the tank through two wide open fittings and directed down toward the bottom. It picks everything off the bottom. When the bubbles come on they attach to a lot of the waste and float it to the top. I do not have to manually clean the bottom ever. Not waste builds up.

3. The air control is simple. I have a small air pump plugged into an X10 module controlled by my desk top computer. I also control the pump the same way. I have installed an air stone inside the tank, near the recirculation pumps inlet. I can set the pump and air pump to turn off and on anytime and any duration I want from the computer.

Initially some of the SPS slimmed a little more. Excess slimming slowed down as they got use to the airbubbles and flow.

The only detrius maintenace I do now is remove a handful of dirty filter floss every couple of days. I used to remove the waste daily. I noted some of the softies in the tanks stopped growing. They looked fine but they didn't appear to like the low low nutrient conditions that theis process seems to develop. A month ago I started to change out the dirty floss every three days. The softies have bloomed from the increased nitrates and the SPS haven't seemed bothered.

I don't measure water quality very often anymore, so don't ask for how much of anything. I go by how the coral look. I do use small amounts of carbon, Rowa, and even zeolite rock in the bottom of my small filter bags. I also dose 1ml/25 g of Vodka daily into the filter floss to encourage bacteria to work on the detrius the floss collects and on the zeolite. And I skim heavily.

[ldrhawke]

Some questions pls:

1. HOw do you contend with bubbles burst up on the surface... they may clog your lighting/glass panes... frequent cleaning?

2. How efficient do you find this method as compared to just targeting the flow towards the bottom to carry the detritus up and over the overflow. Besides bathing the SPS off their slime, does it carry even the heavier ones?

3. Care share a pic of your implementation. Is there an electrical solenoid for the air Thx.

I've arrange the flow such that it leaves a bunch of poo in the front centre and thats syphon out 12 hourly... tis the best I could do with the current streams,... any way of automating their removal is greatly welcome.

BTW cld the slime produced be a stress related reaction to the increased air-bubbles... I noticed, for some SPS, when you do remove them, they shed a great deal of slime... more like a protective mechanism, rather than something that in the normal shouldn't...

___________________________________

1. Keeping the bubble on duration short. Also my lighting is set just out of bubble burst range.

2. With the strong 6o water changes per hour flow, everything on the bottom is very well stirred up. I have the ability to manually close valves and direct even heavier flow, which I do once a week. My flow is from the top of the tank through two wide open fittings and directed down toward the bottom. It picks everything off the bottom. When the bubbles come on they attach to a lot of the waste and float it to the top. I do not have to manually clean the bottom ever. No significant or noticeable waste builds up.

3. The air control is simple. I have a small air pump plugged into an X10 module controlled by my desk top computer. I also control the pump the same way. I have installed an air stone inside the tank, near the recirculation pumps inlet. I can set the pump and air pump to turn off and on anytime and any duration I want from the computer.

Initially some of the SPS slimmed a little more. Excess slimming slowed down as they got use to the airbubbles and flow.

The only detrius maintenace I do now is remove a handful of dirty filter floss every couple of days. I used to remove the waste daily. I noted some of the softies in the tanks stopped growing. They looked fine but they didn't appear to like the low low nutrient conditions that the process seems to develop. A month ago I started to change out the dirty floss every three days. The softies have bloomed from the increased nitrates and the SPS haven't seemed bothered.

I don't measure water quality very often anymore, so don't ask for how much of anything. I go by how the coral look. I do use small amounts of carbon, Rowa, and even zeolite rock in the bottom of my small filter bags. I also dose 1ml/25 g of Vodka daily into the filter floss to encourage bacteria to work on the detrius the floss collects and on the zeolite. And I skim heavily.

[ldrhawke]

sorry about the double post.....this works a little differently than I'm used to.

[RAV-65]

The softies have bloomed from the increased nitrates and the SPS haven't seemed bothered.

I don't measure water quality very often anymore, so don't ask for how much of anything. I go by how the coral look. I do use small amounts of carbon, Rowa, and even zeolite rock in the bottom of my small filter bags. I also dose 1ml/25 g of Vodka daily into the filter floss to encourage bacteria to work on the detrius the floss collects and on the zeolite. And I skim heavily.

Bro,

why is there an increase in nitrates? I thought it would have been lower?

Also, you mentioned you have some zeolite rocks... do you run the zeovit system? If not, why do you have zeolite rocks? I had toyed with the idea of using some zeolite rocks in my tank to assist in absorbing the nutrients but not running the entire system... Is that wat you're doing?

Thanxs!

[ldrhawke]

Bro,

why is there an increase in nitrates? I thought it would have been lower?

--------------------------------

I am assuming a slight nitrate increase from the heavy build up of detrius in the floss. I am assuming some waste may be carried over untreated back into the system. It may also be the increase in bacteria being carried back into the water column. What ever it is, the softies are much happier than when I changed the floss out daily.

Also, you mentioned you have some zeolite rocks... do you run the zeovit system? If not, why do you have zeolite rocks? I had toyed with the idea of using some zeolite rocks in my tank to assist in absorbing the nutrients but not running the entire system... Is that wat you're doing?

----------------------------------------------------

I did run the zeolite basic system plus amino acid. I stopped using the ZEObac and Zeofood. I think I get just as good of SPS color by using the zeolite rock and feeding with clean Vodka as a carbon source now that the bacteria has been established. I always squeeze some dirt from the old floss into the fresh floss when I change it out to reseed bacteria.

I guess you can call it a modified zeo process..... Or better yet a modifed everything process.....

[RAV-65]

How long have you stopped the zeobac and zeofood? And how often do you change out the zeolites?

[ldrhawke]

How long have you stopped the zeobac and zeofood? And how often do you change out the zeolites?

Stopped it about 4 months ago. Not really stopped...just changed food, from an acetate carbon base(vinegar) to alcohol(vodka), and stopped feeding Zeobac. Once the bacteria is well established and I reseeded it, I don't think it is neccessary to keep feeding ZEObac bacteria.

I use rock at about 1/2 the recommended quantity and then add the other half in about a month, and remove that in another month. Simple answer I change the recommended quantity every 8 weeks.

The rock goes into my bag filter and I shake it up when I change out the floss. The floss get so much bacteria on it in a matter of hours, since I drop the Vodka right into it, that if you pick it up it feels like a hand full of snot ... excuse the expression. I have plenty of bacteria right were I want it....in the floss where the waste collects.

[RAV-65]

Stopped it about 4 months ago. Not really stopped...just changed food, from an acetate carbon base(vinegar) to alcohol(vodka), and stopped feeding Zeobac. Once the bacteria is well established and I reseeded it, I don't think it is neccessary to keep feeding ZEObac bacteria.

I use rock at about 1/2 the recommended quantity and then add the other half in about a month, and remove that in another month. Simple answer I change the recommended quantity every 8 weeks.

The rock goes into my bag filter and I shake it up when I change out the floss. The floss get so much bacteria on it in a matter of hours, since I drop the Vodka right into it, that if you pick it up it feels like a hand full of snot ... excuse the expression. I have plenty of bacteria right were I want it....in the floss where the waste collects.

thanxs bro...

back to the bubbles, do you get air trapped like under your rocks in the tank??

[ldrhawke]

thanxs bro...

back to the bubbles, do you get air trapped like under your rocks in the tank??

yes

[RAV-65]

yes

Thanxs!