Show Us Your SUMPLESS Tank(s) !

[nemo1017]

How long did it take to grow out the coralline algae in your tank ? Is there anything special you do to keep your water parameters and eco system just right in your tank (other than what you mentioned above) ?

This particular tank I set up January 2016. I transferred everything from a 55 gallon to this 50. the 55 gallon was set up in December 2012. I saved a handful of of the old sand and I saved the seachem matrix for seeding purposes so I didn't lose any bacteria or have a new tank completely. I started seeing coralline probably a month or so in. T-5s, for me anyways, grow it like crazy. I don't do anything special besides my weekly 5 gallon water changes with reef crystals and dose brs 2 part with a jebao dp2. Nothing special lol.

 

[AcroNem]

My display is sump less, running for 3 years. Water volume is about 130gallons. Lit by 2 of the original Razors, 160w 16,000k. Maxspect gyre xf150, canister for chemical media running carbon, purigen and phosphate media (either gfo or the pads) that's changed every two weeks. tunze 9012 skimmer, weekly 20%water changes with gravel vac each time. As you can see, lots of coral, it's packed and everything grows like mad, other than the favia that got in a fight and never quite recovered. I dose for calcium and alkalinity, rarely for magnesium due to the higher content in reef crystals. I also dose about 5ml of acropower per day. I feed a lot of phytoplankton nightly mixed with either rotifers, nauplii, or oyster eggs rotated every two days to mix it up.
I've always loved more natural systems and it works quite well.

 

[AdamNC]

1. Before my crash

1.2 After my crash, nothing to do with chemistry. My son decided to "help" :/

1. Picture of Tank
2. Tank Size - 29 gallon standard
3. Sps/fish with a minor in lps and zoas
4. Filtration Method / Equipment - AC70 and AquaC Remora
5. Lighting type - Maxspect R420r 160w 16k
6. Apex Classic, 2 MP40s(1 wQD and 1 an wES ( soon to have a wxm in the mail in a few days), 2 BRS 1.1ml dosing pumps for Alk/Ca, Tunze nano ATO
7. Any chemical additives/dosing you use - Red Sea Program minus Alk/Ca/Mg, for that its BRS.
8. Water change frequency & how much - 5 gal/month.
9. Tank build is in my signature.

 

[Finatik]

1. Before my crash

1.2 After my crash, nothing to do with chemistry. My son decided to "help" :/

Sorry to hear about your crash. What caused the crash ?

 

[Darth George]

Here's my fusion 20. Kessil a160we, mp10, heater and return pump. No dosing. Weekly water changes 5 gallons.

 

[AdamNC]

Sorry to hear about your crash. What caused the crash ?

Lol my son when he was 3. I was fishless for a fallow period so figured I didn't need my screen top. Well one morning my son decided to wake up before us and fill the tank with everything within reach. There's a thread on here somewhere about it.

 

[Sir Chris]

48' T5s atintic and coral +. 20g biowheel with media in 2nd chamber chato bag above powerhead. 2 clowns 1 mandarin and a lot of coral. Dosing calc mag strod iod and hardly ever a dkh buffer and like a pinch litterally. Home made skimmer that's crazy. And 2 gal water changes weekly.

 

[Sir Chris]

Skimmate and my back rack

 

[mkwarner77]

I started a 46 gl in Dec. Oceanc remora protein skimmer. Jbj eh35 canister filter. 2 100w hydor heaters. 1 hydor 425 power head. So far I've got 2 mocha clowns,3mexican turbos, 2 trocus,1 peppermint shrimp, 2narsius snails. 1 green star polyp, 1daisy polyp, 1toadstool, and 1 blue rodactus mushroom.

 

[mkwarner77]

 

[mkwarner77]

Oh and 1 coco worm
I'm still trying to het algae under control

 

[Travis Stewart]

Old 15 gallon with two hob filters one for chaeto and one for filtration. No skimmer or anything else.

 

[klp]

Following

 

[Vahanyos]

My display is sump less, running for 3 years. Water volume is about 130gallons. Lit by 2 of the original Razors, 160w 16,000k. Maxspect gyre xf150, canister for chemical media running carbon, purigen and phosphate media (either gfo or the pads) that's changed every two weeks. tunze 9012 skimmer, weekly 20%water changes with gravel vac each time. As you can see, lots of coral, it's packed and everything grows like mad, other than the favia that got in a fight and never quite recovered. I dose for calcium and alkalinity, rarely for magnesium due to the higher content in reef crystals. I also dose about 5ml of acropower per day. I feed a lot of phytoplankton nightly mixed with either rotifers, nauplii, or oyster eggs rotated every two days to mix it up.
I've always loved more natural systems and it works quite well.

Great tank bud. My goal in a year or so

 

[Evan West]

My lps and softy reef with a blaker ice clown, starry blenny and royal gramma, its 20g and runs a fluval g3 for filtration. For lighting I have a kessil a360we and the spectral controller. The heater is a 100w neo therm. I change 25% of the water a week and don't dose anything else.

 

[AcroNem]

Great tank bud. My goal in a year or so

Thank you, I've been doing this long enough I stopped caring about high tech stuff for my personal systems. At work I like it but it doesn't need to be that way at home.

 

[Vahanyos]

Thank you, I've been doing this long enough I stopped caring about high tech stuff for my personal systems. At work I like it but it doesn't need to be that way at home.

I get my insipiration from reefers like you. Keeping it simple. Even if it means waiting another couple months to let my tank season more to achieve what I want. Less pain in the butt when you don't put anything extra and let nature take its course.

 

[Travis Rider]

What do you guys do/use to keep nitrates down, or do you run with higher nitrates? My tank usually runs about 20-40 on nitrates. Can't seem to get them any lower.

 

[nemo1017]

1. Not use crushed coral ( crushed coral traps ALOT of nutrients and I found out that the hard way back when I started)
2. Purigen
3 seagel
4. Chaetomorpha
5. Weekly 10% water changes
6. Measure how much I feed and only feed what the fish can consume within a few minutes.

I Usually run my nitrates around 5ppm.

 

[Vahanyos]

What do you guys do/use to keep nitrates down, or do you run with higher nitrates? My tank usually runs about 20-40 on nitrates. Can't seem to get them any lower.

I've been on 0 for a while now, maybe a little higher but never anything over 10... I do weekly water changes with good reef salt. I would suggest more frequent water changes? Also, I don't have personal experience with them but I hear canisters will need to be cleaned good weekly otherwise they're nitrate factories. Not sure tho