interested in turf scrubbers

[zygote2k]

I use algae, and a skimmer.

 

Can your tank grow SPS?

What happens when you take the skimmer offline? Can the algae trough handle the additional load? I suspect that it can.

Why use the skimmer at all then?

The only reason I ask these things is because when I explain to people that I don't use a skimmer, usually the first thing they ask is, "can the system grow sps"? At first I only had softies, shrooms, zoas, LPS, etc. that thrived under the algal filtration. Then as I became more comfortable with SPS, I started throwing them in and not only did they live, but they grew. I'm now convinced that the 'fuge and DSB system can support the necessary water chemistry to support SPS dominated tanks.

The hard part is trying to get others to believe that a simple system like mine will do the same, if not better job than a conventional skimmer based system. I believe that this system will allow for higher survival and more diversity of planktonic life as well.

I honestly think that skimmers will make ultra clean water, but at what sacrifice?

[paul b]

Can your tank grow SPS?

What happens when you take the skimmer offline? Can the algae trough handle the additional load? I suspect that it can.

Why use the skimmer at all then?

 

I only have 2 SPS corals in my tank now. They seem to be doing fine and the tank was all SPS many years ago but I like LPS better. Also SPS have a hard time in my tank but I don't think the skimmer, which has been on the tank for 35 years has anything to do with it.

It seems that when you have a large population of leather,s, soft corals and LPS, it is detrimental to SPS.

Most, if not all corals exude chemicals to disuade other, non similar, corals from attaching near them. In a tank these chemicals are present continousely and are dertimental to certain species of corals.

My reef being old has gone through many cycles, some lasting for years. Some years leather corals will grow huge and multiply all over the tank then suddenly shrink and disappear only to have an abundance of gorgonians or some other type of coral which will then grow very fast and multiply. These cycles I can only assume are due to the chemicals exhuded from the corals themselves. I don't change much water and I don't think it would help much anyway.

This specimen alone is about 14" across and there are four others like it but smaller. It had doubled in size in two years. I also have many mushrooms that also seem to be multiplying faster than they usually do.

I have noticed many times that when these soft coral growth spurts occur, the SPS corals have a hard time.

This of course is my theory but it comes from closely observing the same reef for 4 decades not just a year or two.

These cycles are not restricted to types of corals, they extend to things like copepods, amphipods, brittle stars, worms and algaes but I would imagine for different reasons.

A large problem in this hobby is that the majority of tanks are only up for a few years and these cycles which may last a few years, are not evident.

I am sure that if I emptied my tank and re filled it with all SPS corals, they would thrive with no problem as they were there before.

These cycles and "coral chemicals" I am talking about have not been studied much or at all.

As I said, most tanks are not old enough or diverse enough to have a proper study.

As to why I don't remove my skimmer, I like to look at the bubbles, what can I say

 

 

 

This is that same giant mushroom coral a year or two ago. It is only about 6" across here.

 

 

The hard part is trying to get others to believe that a simple system like mine will do the same, if not better job than a conventional skimmer based system. I believe that this system will allow for higher survival and more diversity of planktonic life as well.

 

I actually believe that also. An algae system is all that is "needed"

 

This is another example of one of my SPS (on top) killing one of my LPS (below) It took the SPS a few hours to kill the LPS after it fell near it.

 

Edited January 1, 2010 by paul b

[zygote2k]

I've realized a while back about the chemical warfare amongst corals. I believe someone wrote about 'terpenoids' or 'terpenes' being one of these chemicals present in a softcoral dominated tank that made the success of SPS difficult. That is the main reason why I am slowly phasing out the majority of my shrooms and leathers. I'll still keep zoas, but not in any sufficient quantity or proximity to the sps.

I have noticed small cycles in my own tank even in the short time(<2 years) that it has been active. For instance, I have observed several planktonic blooms of critters that cover the glass for a few days, then suddenly disappear as quickly as they appeared. I have also witnessed the algal succession in my fuge from over 10 different species to just one. I suspect that within a few years, I'll witness battles between individual sps species. I think it would be very nice to have a tank dominated by one single sps specie- one massive coral head spanning the entire tank...

[paul b]

Yes that would be kind of awesome

[Ryan S]

http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?show...bbyatv&st=0

 

I think I may try this myself. I have the same exact spot available in my sump. I could just hang another light there and it should work pretty easily. Looks like it was very successful for Bruce.