Reef Harmony

[JDP]

Hello!
There is wisdom in a multitude of consultants!

My name is JD and I am looking for a match made in Heaven (Reef only! I LOVE MY WIFE). I would like to ask everyone's help with deciding the right reef for me.

I have had a "tank" of some sort for 30 years. I like long swims in my local Florida coastal waters, where I have grown to appreciate the mix diversity there in. The challenge that come with the complexity of this hobby, I believe, starts with the care of things unseen. The rest will find it way.

I have a 3 month running fish (3 Anthias, clown, yellow watchman, 5 Chromis, and Cardinal) and live rock (100lbs) 150gal DT 48x24x30", 40gal of water in DIY sump with lots of room for refuge. Have not started skimming at this point. Doing 20gal WC every week! 260 watt PC lighting (150 watts of DIY LEDs unused). I have started the QT build to clear the fish of anything and rebuild the reef. I think I my like a more rustic diversified system, maybe DSB...?

Any Reef therapist's willing to take this case?

Respectfully, JD

 

[tyler1503]

The challenge that come with the complexity of this hobby, I believe, starts with the care of things unseen. The rest will find it way.

Best way to sum up this hobby
We look after water, not the inhabitants.
Good luck with the build!

 

[JDP]

Interesting! Having studied horticulture, the same can be said for plants. People do not kill plants, water does.

So maybe a way the view this is with an analogy. With plants there are about two different growth setups; organic and engineered. Organic may represent a deep sand bed like compost media with a lot of organisms to break down the substrate and make available nutrients for the plant. Some issues with organics can be, sharing your yield with pests, esthetics, and requires move personal observation.

The engineered system can be anything from special mixed soils to hydroponics. The more you move to hydro the more difficult and less stable the system is. Very few people are able to successfully grow plants hydroponically! IMO, hydroponics would be in line with bare bottom DTs having auto dosing solutions, etc...

Just for the record, I do not have a compost hopper, but I do make my own beef jerky. I believe in high quality soil, fertilizer, and WATER! Hydroponics, although fascinating, is too temperamental with no room for error!

So if water quality is the subject, then it should be safe to say, predictability and reliability is the best path to start with. At my level I can not manage a tricked out system, but I do not want to build a mini van either! Something in the middle, maybe DSB in the sump, DT, or both??? It's also safe to say, I don't know we're the middle is!

Sorry for the plant lecture! JD

 

[tyler1503]

but I do make my own beef jerky.

Hahahahaha I don't know why I find that so funny

predictability and reliability is the best path to start with.

Something in the middle, maybe DSB in the sump, DT, or both??? It's also safe to say, I don't know we're the middle is!

I agree, with this hobby being so difficult to fully understand it's best to stick with tried and true for the most part.
I've never ran a DSB so I can't help there. If it were me, I'd do it in the sump. I don't know the pros and cons of either way, but I just don't like seeing a quarter to half of the display being taken up by sand.

 

[tyler1503]

Oh and I don't want to derail your thread, but I have some plant related questions. Would you be able to help me out with that one?

 

[mcarroll]

Check out my "favorite links" thread at the top of the chemistry section - you will like the reading suggestions.

There are most definitely parallels as you are observing...seawater is a lot like soil water. Soil it a little looser parallel cuz it's both the water and detritus at the bottom of the deep ocean. Two utterly different environments that both wind up in our tanks that are supposedly dedicated to the shore environment - a third utterly different environment.

So, reefkeeping is more like hydroponics in space than same on earth or growing a plant traditionally.

BUT a tank is a much more exotic experiment than plants because so much less is commonly known about the critters and their specific needs as well as the environment itself.

Making it even more exotic is the high percentage of critters that are plucked from the wild. It's the extreme-ecological-opposite of growing seed- or nursery-grown domestic plants. Not everyone thinks the same on this, but for me and some others, this mandates an even-more-conservative approach. The critters NEED protection from our fads and ignorance!

DSB, for example, is a great theory and research project, but takes very special setup and ongoing care to prevent it from becoming a problem. There is a good reason that almost nobody runs one. In the long run, they are a risk vs a benefit.

As far as suggestions on what to keep, I tell people not to worry about any technical details until they have a firm idea of what THEY like. Get lots of books on fish and corals - from the library or by purchase. Depending solely on the internet is likely to be limiting and probably confusing. The internet is more useful for working out details than it is for gross learning. After you feel like you have a solid feeling, or even a list of what you like, then you can start looking at technical details to see what on your list is the best, most reasonable to keep.

Hope this helps!

-Matt

 

[mcarroll]

Oh and I don't want to derail your thread, but I have some plant related questions. Would you be able to help me out with that one?

Try the Lounge, PM, or other space - I think there are at least a few plant-heads here (myself too) you'll run into!

-Matt

 

[JDP]

Oh and I don't want to derail your thread, but I have some plant related questions. Would you be able to help me out with that one?

Sure whatcha got! I am still learning this site so I guess send me a PM?

 

[JDP]

Check out my "favorite links" thread at the top of the chemistry section

Making it even more exotic is the high percentage of critters that are plucked from the wild. It's the extreme-ecological-opposite of growing seed- or nursery-grown domestic plants. Not everyone thinks the same on this, but for me and some others, this mandates an even-more-conservative approach. The critters NEED protection from our fads and ignorance!

Thanks everyone!

When I see these mind blowing reef aquariums, I can not help but think of an aquatic biological Knick knack shelf (Please no disrespect!) that we are to keep clean and dust free at all times, such as the ones in our grandparents house! Because of this bazar image I think about placing live deco rock from my local water venders. But I have a feeling this is voodoo for exotic hydroponic space stations that are so fascinating.

So is it possible to have an earth like sump and a space like DT? How earthy can the sump be with out contaminating the DT?

Respectfully, JD