Clam's foot ripped off :(

[ZephNYC]

+1^

 

No skimmer but floss, purigen and chemipure in the back.

Seems to be doing the trick.

Awesome....You may want to add a little Phosguard to that mixture.

[GHill762]

+1^

 

but floss seems to be doing the trick.

[TJ_Burton]

It took me a very long time to convince myself to turn off my skimmer. I was very concerned that a lack of skimming would have a negative effect on my acro. I have several very large colonies, some well over two feet, that have been growing for years. The lack of skimming has had no negative effect on them whatsoever, and i have actually noticed increased growth in almost all corals and clams. I do think it is important to run carbon if you chose to go skimmerless though.

 

I decided a little over a year ago that I should try to run a successful SPS reef the "wrong" way to show myself the practical differences between my previously successful methods, and those that are generally frowned upon. This was partially to solidify my beliefs and observations about my preferred methods, while also trying to prove that with the right care and attention, even less popular methods could be just as successful.

The system I am referring to is a 20 gallon reef utilizing an Eheim Classic canister filter, Turbo Twist sterilizer, and in-line heater; no protein skimmer, ATO, or sump sump to speak of. Weekly 5 gallon water changes and attention to dosing is what I believe helped the system thrive long term. The maxima clam in the system has done very well, and continues to grow at an acceptable rate along with the SPS in the system. I never ran straight carbon; instead I use Chemipure Elite, which I am certain has helped keep unwanted nutrients low.

Overall I would say of all my tanks, this system seemed to support maxima clams the best. After some thought, I wasn’t surprised with the overall success of the system. What I also found important was that I no longer seemed to need to dose live phytoplankton in this particular system (as I have done for clams in the past).

 

Sometimes stepping out of your own methods to expand your mind and experiment with your practices is the best way to hone your skills and understanding of the hobby. Some of us will always try new things and pave the way to a new "popular method" of reef keeping, while others will always follow carefully in the steps of trailblazers instead of taking risks on their own to learn something new.

 

Either way, sharing the knowledge is immeasurably valuable, and will only help push the entire reefing community, as a whole, towards grand success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PRJ]

+1^

 

No skimmer but floss, purigen and chemipure in the back.

Seems to be doing the trick.

 

I just picked up some Purigen! Will be tossing that in the sump this weekend.

 

I'm looking forward to some time off work around Christmas! I'll finally get to see my tank in the middle of the day instead of at 5pm+ only!

 

 

I decided a little over a year ago that I should try to run a successful SPS reef the "wrong" way to show myself the practical differences between my previously successful methods, and those that are generally frowned upon. This was partially to solidify my beliefs and observations about my preferred methods, while also trying to prove that with the right care and attention, even less popular methods could be just as successful.

The system I am referring to is a 20 gallon reef utilizing an Eheim Classic canister filter, Turbo Twist sterilizer, and in-line heater; no protein skimmer, ATO, or sump sump to speak of. Weekly 5 gallon water changes and attention to dosing is what I believe helped the system thrive long term. The maxima clam in the system has done very well, and continues to grow at an acceptable rate along with the SPS in the system. I never ran straight carbon; instead I use Chemipure Elite, which I am certain has helped keep unwanted nutrients low.

Overall I would say of all my tanks, this system seemed to support maxima clams the best. After some thought, I wasn’t surprised with the overall success of the system. What I also found important was that I no longer seemed to need to dose live phytoplankton in this particular system (as I have done for clams in the past).

 

Sometimes stepping out of your own methods to expand your mind and experiment with your practices is the best way to hone your skills and understanding of the hobby. Some of us will always try new things and pave the way to a new "popular method" of reef keeping, while others will always follow carefully in the steps of trailblazers instead of taking risks on their own to learn something new.

 

Either way, sharing the knowledge is immeasurably valuable, and will only help push the entire reefing community, as a whole, towards grand success.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope to someday bring this level of rigor to my own personal reefkeeping!