1gal MicroReef build!

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Thanks for the input on BB Brandon!

[brandon429]

thanks Sir just rambing lol Im sure someone will come along and disprove it one day or make a mod that works better its fun to make guesses on how things are working

[x3thelast]

They are cute and fun to play with! I personally believe running it without sand helps with keeping it clean, but many say that without the sand it might run into PH trouble as there is no buffer?

 

I don't have any proof but that is what I've read. I hope the tank continues to prosper, maybe some Bare Bottom fans will enlighten?

 

Sand will just be for looks for a tank this small. I believe it would hinder it more than actually helping. It'll just be a magnet for waste to collect on. Not having sand lets me flush out all the waste at the end of the week and then refill with fresh new water. That will in turn "reset" all my levels and replenish nutrients.

 

I'm not even testing the tanks parameters since there's really no need. At the corals first negative response, just dump all the water and replace with a new one. Ofcourse I always do an initial test on every batch of water I make. I'm also using esv salt mix.

 

I'm gunna try to grow some sps coral on the bare bottom starting this week. Hope it works. I've been given all the tips via the 1gallon guru.

 

I guess we'll see what happens in a few months!

 

haha yea.

 

What Brandon said. Lol

[albertthiel]

thanks Sir just rambing lol Im sure someone will come along and disprove it one day or make a mod that works better its fun to make guesses on how things are working

 

Brandon agreed on both .. BB is a way to go but small with a tiny sandbed is another way to go and indeed see how long you can keep it going without it crashing ... I seem to remember that your non BB has been running for what seems like ages ... right ? So if you have sand and it keeps thriving that sandbed must be a real good contribution to the mineralization, nitrification and dissimilation ( I am using terminology from a book by Stephen Spotte, 1979, Fish and Invertebrate Culture in closed systems).

 

Now on the BB ... I am just waiting to see what those who are running them have to say for them and give a comparison to the real small reefs with a small sandbed.

 

Albert

∞

 

They are cute and fun to play with! I personally believe running it without sand helps with keeping it clean, but many say that without the sand it might run into PH trouble as there is no buffer?

 

I don't have any proof but that is what I've read. I hope the tank continues to prosper, maybe some Bare Bottom fans will enlighten?

 

On the sand ... agreed but it is going to depend on what kind is used as not all sand will buffer as you well know I am sure.

 

I ran into a hobbyist the other day who told me he put playground sand at the bottom of his tank ... IME that will not buffer and even worse that is usually silica sand that will raise dissolved silicates and result in massive and hard to control growth of diatoms, and IME once they start they are very hard to get rid of even with CUC's as the sand keeps leaching more and more silicates into the water

 

FWIW

 

Albert

[x3thelast]

scored some free.99 sps to try out one is a piece of hoeksemai

and a pink cotton candy chalice i scored uber cheapo as well.

 

 

and here is an over all FES, i may end up ditching the red sea filter, as its flow is lacking, may switch over to the AC20 after all.

 

 

i have the fan on, even tho our AC is on. our bedroom faces the sun so its warm here still :/

[x3thelast]

Noticed my gsp closed up yesterday. upon closer inspection I saw a tiny aiptasia growing in the back of the gsp. Stabbed it with a skewer. Gsp is now coming back out. Hope that's the last of that pest.

[albertthiel]

Noticed my gsp closed up yesterday. upon closer inspection I saw a tiny aiptasia growing in the back of the gsp. Stabbed it with a skewer. Gsp is now coming back out. Hope that's the last of that pest.

 

Hope so for you but usually if you see 1 you probably have quite a few more so I would keep your eyes open and keep looking for more of them

 

I inject them with very hot Kalkwasser and that seems to kill them off quite rapidly and then I just suck them out with a baster with a large "blob" :0 on the top so that the suction at the tip is real strong

 

thanks Sir just rambing lol Im sure someone will come along and disprove it one day or make a mod that works better its fun to make guesses on how things are working

 

Brandon : I am quite sure that it can be done both ways .... and yes some may come back and try to disprove what you state but since your little tank has been running for so long already and is still doing well they are going to have a hard time doing so

 

OTOH ... BB is just another way to go, just as there are so many different ways to run reefs large and small.

 

If I had a nice AIO set up for a 1 or 1.5 gallon I would set one up for sure and post results on my Albert Thiel thread.

 

I have not seen any AIO 1 G or 1.5 G little tanks though ... Have you ?

 

Albert

 

 

Thanks for the input on BB Brandon!

 

What is the smallest one that comes as an all-in-one ?

 

Albert

[brandon429]

Mike g on here does aio one gallons. Micro reefs LLC he's great.

 

The only contrast id make to other one gallon options is my reefbowl design which cannot be beaten by any size reef for topoff requirements, depending on your design (airstone + powerhead for ex) the sg shift from. O23 to .o24 can be as far out as -4- days or more due to the way the lid rests on the inner diameter of the vase. Its the most unique topoff control you will ever see while maintaining exceptional aeration, degassing and pH support. The benefits of airstone driven chemistry is amazing when you don't get salt creep while running.

 

That's why the vase its so long lived compared to other gallon setups, the unique chemistry associated with aging is off set by the shape of the system compared to square reefs

 

Now the setbacks of the vase are: small footprint, size of a coffee cup compared to stability of the square tank

 

Easy access...I have to use wires and such to move around my tank, no big open top

 

Mikes tanks actually look like a miniature square reef, mines a self magnifying freak bowl lol

 

Fish in a one gallon are debatable anyway, but some don't want airstone use on the gills. Zero corals mind, I've done almost every common species I recommend bb as you said simply for detritus control

 

The link in my sig has all reef vase details

 

 

 

No ato needed is a unique benefit of a reefbowl

[albertthiel]

Mike g on here does aio one gallons. Micro reefs LLC he's great.

 

The only contrast id make to other one gallon options is my reefbowl design which cannot be beaten by any size reef for topoff requirements, depending on your design (airstone + powerhead for ex) the sg shift from. O23 to .o24 can be as far out as -4- days or more due to the way the lid rests on the inner diameter of the vase. Its the most unique topoff control you will ever see while maintaining exceptional aeration, degassing and pH support. The benefits of airstone driven chemistry is amazing when you don't get salt creep while running.

 

That's why the vase its so long lived compared to other gallon setups, the unique chemistry associated with aging is off set by the shape of the system compared to square reefs

 

Now the setbacks of the vase are: small footprint, size of a coffee cup compared to stability of the square tank

 

Easy access...I have to use wires and such to move around my tank, no big open top

 

Mikes tanks actually look like a miniature square reef, mines a self magnifying freak bowl lol

 

Fish in a one gallon are debatable anyway, but some don't want airstone use on the gills. Zero corals mind, I've done almost every common species I recommend bb as you said simply for detritus control

 

The link in my sig has all reef vase details

 

 

 

No ato needed is a unique benefit of a reefbowl

 

You make some very good points indeed Brandon ....

 

Maybe one of these days I'll try one too ... :0

[x3thelast]

i was actually looking at those sealing jars you put cookies in. drill a hole of an airline hose and maybe another for a one way valve (idk how well they hold pressure) but anyways im just thinking of some ideas to see what can i grow in a jar in my windowsill. it gets really good sunlight in the afternoon, but what could survive such harsh temperature swings...besides pests

[x3thelast]

new corals FTS UPDATE!

[x3thelast]

RKL came in! now installed, FINALLY i can run a fan/heater more reliably!

[x3thelast]

Livestock update

[brandon429]

looks great. isn't it cool there's literally no chemical boundary for the corals you are stocking...you can pack in as much as you want

 

 

its the softs like sarcophytons that w limit you

[x3thelast]

looks great. isn't it cool there's literally no chemical boundary for the corals you are stocking...you can pack in as much as you want

 

 

its the softs like sarcophytons that w limit you

 

Pretty much. Just jamming things in and see what happens. My sps experiment did work. It's starting to turn white. Might be the light. Maybe just the coral itself ? Idk everything else is growing tho.

[brandon429]

No prob at least you can select for what works. Kenya trees won't grow well in mine and I want a neon green one

[x3thelast]

No prob at least you can select for what works. Kenya trees won't grow well in mine and I want a neon green one

 

I was thinking about a Kenya tree. But aren't they super toxic? If I do get it it'll prolly go near the intake.

[Poseidon.]

here is an over all FES, i may end up ditching the red sea filter, as its flow is lacking, may switch over to the AC20 after all.

 

 

Sorry it took me so long to reply on a pic I requested.

 

Cause, damn. The pics make this tank look so much bigger then it is. This FES shows just how small this tank really is. Its hard for me to believe you have a reef in this small of a tank. It makes my 2.5 look like a monster.

[Drunken Master]

 

 

Ikea fixture... ME 2 OMG TWINSIES!!!! LOL

 

On a serious note how is that RKL. Does it come with the 4 outlet power supply or is that separate?

[x3thelast]

Sorry it took me so long to reply on a pic I requested.

 

Cause, damn. The pics make this tank look so much bigger then it is. This FES shows just how small this tank really is. Its hard for me to believe you have a reef in this small of a tank. It makes my 2.5 look like a monster.

 

lol yea. I just keep wanting to go smaller and smaller. Watch, when you've got your tank stocked you watch and stare at every single inch of it. It's just fun to see al the little details easily lost in bigger tanks.

 

I find myself spacing out when I'm on the computer and just stare at the tank lol

[Poseidon.]

lol yea. I just keep wanting to go smaller and smaller. Watch, when you've got your tank stocked you watch and stare at every single inch of it. It's just fun to see al the little details easily lost in bigger tanks.

 

I find myself spacing out when I'm on the computer and just stare at the tank lol

 

 

Now that, I feel you on. When my pico was set up before. I found an entirely new love for reef tanks. It was the first time I had set up a pico and the first time I really looked at the smaller life in our tanks. I've always known it was there and I had obsovered it in my other tank before. However I never thought just how "big" that small stuff really is until the pico tank went up. All the tiny brittle stars and the masses of pods....... One day im gonna buy a microscope.

[x3thelast]

Now that, I feel you on. When my pico was set up before. I found an entirely new love for reef tanks. It was the first time I had set up a pico and the first time I really looked at the smaller life in our tanks. I've always known it was there and I had obsovered it in my other tank before. However I never thought just how "big" that small stuff really is until the pico tank went up. All the tiny brittle stars and the masses of pods....... One day im gonna buy a microscope.

 

or even a magnifying glass. lol for now i just use my iPhone and the zoom on the camera

[albertthiel]

looks great. isn't it cool there's literally no chemical boundary for the corals you are stocking...you can pack in as much as you want

its the softs like sarcophytons that w limit you

Brandon were you going to put a Kenya Tree (Capnia sp.) in your small pico ?

 

Not sure that would work due to possible toxicity if the tree dies ... and according to many it needs a larger aquarium, some say 40 or more gallons

 

Your thoughts ?

 

Albert

[brandon429]

I had tried two of them, on different occasions. each lasted about two months then would deflate and withdraw polyps. rather than outbound allelopathy it was inbound...the density of other corals was affecting it the best I could tell...the one genus that was truly outbound toxic and actually stung/terpenoided a huge amount of my established corals was goniopora...alveopora was harmless, but a small red goni frag after a month had started to kill my blastos and caulastreas such that skeleton was showing around the edges! after removal/trade they all came back. nephtheids didn't do so well, goni too, but on youtube there are reefbowls from cichlidmania 26 that has some and seem to be fine. who knows why they'll adapt to some spaces and not others...perhaps its that we were working with such small frags. perhaps a normal sized colony needs the larger space, but either way they wont grow in my bowl so its all sps and lps for me

[albertthiel]

I had tried two of them, on different occasions. each lasted about two months then would deflate and withdraw polyps. rather than outbound allelopathy it was inbound...the density of other corals was affecting it the best I could tell...the one genus that was truly outbound toxic and actually stung/terpenoided a huge amount of my established corals was goniopora...alveopora was harmless, but a small red goni frag after a month had started to kill my blastos and caulastreas such that skeleton was showing around the edges! after removal/trade they all came back. nephtheids didn't do so well, goni too, but on youtube there are reefbowls from cichlidmania 26 that has some and seem to be fine. who knows why they'll adapt to some spaces and not others...perhaps its that we were working with such small frags. perhaps a normal sized colony needs the larger space, but either way they wont grow in my bowl so its all sps and lps for me

 

Thanks for the detailed clarification Brandon and yes it is sometimes a mystery why some corals and other reef creatures do well in one aquarium and not in another one and how they sometimes do better in larger ones but not in smaller ones, or to be honest and complete vice-versa.

 

Some of the ones you mention are hard to keep and others are indeed powerful stingers and can release toxins in the water that then affect other corals even some that are not nearby

 

Have a great week end ... and do post some pics to my thread will you. Thanks

 

Albert