Continuous feeding NPS filter feeders - Page 14

herring_fish · 05/04/2015, 02:07 PM

I love your high level of success. Can you tell me about your walls? Are those dendros the result of spawning?

vmvm60 · 05/04/2015, 03:02 PM

Thanks!
Well, I only know that the polyps on the walls originated from the yellow tubastrea at the right-hand side of the tank, about 7-8 months ago(it was alone at that time). I'm not sure it spawned, as at the same time it lost a number of polyps. I've read somewhere that it may be possible for the polyps to leave the colony when under stress.Just my 2c... Other opinions?

herring_fish · 05/04/2015, 03:14 PM

Did you add somenthing to the walls or did you just let it grow out neturally?

vmvm60 · 05/04/2015, 03:31 PM

All natural, grown in a few months on bare glass.

herring_fish · 05/04/2015, 03:55 PM

Cool. It's just going to get better and better looking with time.

laga77 · 05/05/2015, 07:22 AM

Taken from Advancedaquarist, sun corals are hermaphroditic and can also reproduce sexually and/or asexually by producing planulae larvae11/12, which they will also do in aquariums at times. These can drift around an aquarium until they eventually settle and develop into a new colony. So, don't be surprised if new colonies seem to spring up from nowhere in an aquarium containing a well cared for specimen. Like this.

SantaMonica · 05/09/2015, 10:02 PM

Keeping food in circulation/suspension is one reason why I prefer no sump. Once you can just keep food in the display, you can just circulate it non-stop until the food is eaten. With a sump however, it eventually settles out.

vmvm60 · 05/10/2015, 01:35 AM

@SantaMonica
I fully agree, when stopping the return pump the polyp extension extends longer after feeding. Strong current pumps are equally important, preferably alternating, to avoid deposits.

However, such a system needs a lot of filtering. how can it be done with acceptable aesthetics using only the display?

SantaMonica · 05/30/2015, 09:23 PM

That's the filtering challenge. Check the advanced section for the scrubber thread, and lots of ideas there.

BTW many NPS are uni-directional feeders, especially deeper ones, and they orient themselves to only one direction of flow.

vmvm60 · 06/01/2015, 03:54 AM

Here's the sun-powered AS on duty on my system, working together with a greatly oversized skimmer, macroalgae refugium, ozone and carbon/GFO reactor.

SantaMonica · 07/17/2015, 08:19 PM

Sun power is great

Just a little water pump power, and you have great filtering.

droog · 09/01/2015, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SantaMonica

Sun power is great

Hard to do a "reverse photoperiod" though

-droog

vmvm60 · 09/01/2015, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droog

Hard to do a "reverse photoperiod" though

-droog

Indeed

. Actually this is one of the main drawbacks(other than size), it makes the day/night pH swings even larger. Also, for an SPS tank, when the sun peak intensity matches the tank lighting, I guess it may happen to compete on photosynthesis ingredients, like CO2, iron, etc. Any thoughts?

Tweaked · 09/01/2015, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vmvm60

Here's the sun-powered AS on duty on my system, working together with a greatly oversized skimmer, macroalgae refugium, ozone and carbon/GFO reactor.

How do you keep the outside contaminants out of your reef? Neighbors spraying plants, etc etc etc. This would have my ocd running wild

vmvm60 · 09/01/2015, 12:47 PM

True, contaminants are a real risk. Well, there's actually a detachable acryl panel covering the upper side of the scrubber(4mm thickness, similar to the fixed lower part). I have removed it for this picture because of the reflections.

SantaMonica · 09/12/2015, 06:34 PM

Photoperiod is probably not a concern. Worst case the pH get up a little high, but 8.5 is not going to hurt anything.

06/01/2015, 03:54 AM	#335
vmvm60 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 26	Here's the sun-powered AS on duty on my system, working together with a greatly oversized skimmer, macroalgae refugium, ozone and carbon/GFO reactor. Last edited by vmvm60; 06/01/2015 at 04:21 AM.

07/17/2015, 08:19 PM	#336
SantaMonica Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Santa Monica, California, USA Posts: 2,424	Sun power is great Just a little water pump power, and you have great filtering. __________________ Inventor of the easy-to-DIY upflow scrubber, and also the waterfall scrubber that everyone loves to build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843

09/12/2015, 06:34 PM	#341
SantaMonica Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Santa Monica, California, USA Posts: 2,424	Photoperiod is probably not a concern. Worst case the pH get up a little high, but 8.5 is not going to hurt anything. __________________ Inventor of the easy-to-DIY upflow scrubber, and also the waterfall scrubber that everyone loves to build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843

05/04/2015, 02:07 PM	#326
herring_fish Crazy Designer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Winston-Salem NC, USA Posts: 1,019	I love your high level of success. Can you tell me about your walls? Are those dendros the result of spawning?

05/04/2015, 03:02 PM	#327
vmvm60 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 26	Thanks! Well, I only know that the polyps on the walls originated from the yellow tubastrea at the right-hand side of the tank, about 7-8 months ago(it was alone at that time). I'm not sure it spawned, as at the same time it lost a number of polyps. I've read somewhere that it may be possible for the polyps to leave the colony when under stress.Just my 2c... Other opinions?

05/04/2015, 03:14 PM	#328
herring_fish Crazy Designer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Winston-Salem NC, USA Posts: 1,019	Did you add somenthing to the walls or did you just let it grow out neturally?

05/04/2015, 03:31 PM	#329
vmvm60 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 26	All natural, grown in a few months on bare glass.

05/04/2015, 03:55 PM	#330
herring_fish Crazy Designer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Winston-Salem NC, USA Posts: 1,019	Cool. It's just going to get better and better looking with time.

05/09/2015, 10:02 PM	#332
SantaMonica Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Santa Monica, California, USA Posts: 2,424	Keeping food in circulation/suspension is one reason why I prefer no sump. Once you can just keep food in the display, you can just circulate it non-stop until the food is eaten. With a sump however, it eventually settles out.

05/10/2015, 01:35 AM	#333
vmvm60 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 26	@SantaMonica I fully agree, when stopping the return pump the polyp extension extends longer after feeding. Strong current pumps are equally important, preferably alternating, to avoid deposits. However, such a system needs a lot of filtering. how can it be done with acceptable aesthetics using only the display?

05/30/2015, 09:23 PM	#334
SantaMonica Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Santa Monica, California, USA Posts: 2,424	That's the filtering challenge. Check the advanced section for the scrubber thread, and lots of ideas there. BTW many NPS are uni-directional feeders, especially deeper ones, and they orient themselves to only one direction of flow.

09/01/2015, 12:47 PM	#340
vmvm60 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 26	True, contaminants are a real risk. Well, there's actually a detachable acryl panel covering the upper side of the scrubber(4mm thickness, similar to the fixed lower part). I have removed it for this picture because of the reflections.