reeffirstaid
Active Member
There has been some debate about this, going around various reef forums. Since I am on the process of converting my system, I thought I would chime in. Natural coral reefs, nor reef aquariums, are ULNS. A true ULNS would be void of life. If you test the water on a thriving reef, or reef aquarium, you will likely find no nitrate, or phosphate, leading you to believe that it has very low nutrients. This isn't the case, actually there are a lot of nutrients, being broken down by bacteria, and removed via various filtration.
What ULNS refers to, is keeping what scientists would call, an oligiotrophic system, one that quickly and efficiently cycles nutrients. This is accomplished a variety of ways, mainly a zeovit or bio pellet reactor (though there are a host of others). What these systems do, is allow aquarists to rely less on things like live sand, live rock, refugiums and more on dosing, and the complex actions taking place within the reactors. The benefit is, nutrients are so efficiently cycled, that you can decide, via dosing, what you want available to your corals. ULNS systems, in and of themselves, don't necessarily offer enhanced results with corals, but the ability to fine tune what's in your water, because everything is cycled so efficiently, can have good results.
If you are looking for a clean, live rock and sand free, sump, bare bottom tank, or having a system that allows detritus to be cleaned out easily, than an ULNS works. It sort of throws the natural, lots of live rock, sand, macroalgae - style of aquarium keeping on its head. In reality, neither a natural or ULNS system, is anymore natural than the other. In the ocean, on thriving reefs, both principles are in play, to create a healthy ecosystem.
What ULNS refers to, is keeping what scientists would call, an oligiotrophic system, one that quickly and efficiently cycles nutrients. This is accomplished a variety of ways, mainly a zeovit or bio pellet reactor (though there are a host of others). What these systems do, is allow aquarists to rely less on things like live sand, live rock, refugiums and more on dosing, and the complex actions taking place within the reactors. The benefit is, nutrients are so efficiently cycled, that you can decide, via dosing, what you want available to your corals. ULNS systems, in and of themselves, don't necessarily offer enhanced results with corals, but the ability to fine tune what's in your water, because everything is cycled so efficiently, can have good results.
If you are looking for a clean, live rock and sand free, sump, bare bottom tank, or having a system that allows detritus to be cleaned out easily, than an ULNS works. It sort of throws the natural, lots of live rock, sand, macroalgae - style of aquarium keeping on its head. In reality, neither a natural or ULNS system, is anymore natural than the other. In the ocean, on thriving reefs, both principles are in play, to create a healthy ecosystem.
