9 year old 1 gallon pico reef, last full tank shot before cleaning

[brandon429]

thanks for posting friends

 

truly i hesitated on the choice to blast clean lol

 

the original test was how long can you run an unskimmed,only topically-cleaned deep sand bed and reef rocks and not have enduring algae issues? phosphates were supposed to bind to these surfaces in time, then leach it back into the tank, it was kind of a running double test of 1. are dsb's really that bad and 2. how many years of phosphate exposure w no GFO could a regular Joe's reef run and not become a constant algae farm

 

I could have easily rinsed the 9 yr old dsb lol and started fresh, same binding test material, but truly I thought it'd just go another ten and then another ten if I kept rinsing it out each time. I cut the rinsing work for the old sandbed to instantly none, by using all new sand lol. To me it didnt seem like the test needed to be done any longer, we got almost a decade off just timing the feeding cycles to water changes.

 

This prevented most of the po4 exposure that substrates get by letting small daily feedings rot in the tank, to be uptaken where they may or sinked where they may. The higher order animals like fish need frq feedings

 

But corals and motile inverts like crabs or shrimp are fine picking around a reef 5 days then blast fed on one, with a particularly noted weather event which also included a full water change for the micro world. All adapt predictably

 

I did keep all orig rock and corals, those left unstung by the red devil shrooms, so in that way the vase continues. I was also going to use a totally new vase, free of all scratches so clean! But I can find no more of this size so I just vinegar burnt this one lol.

 

In the end, i have a truly hands off vase reef again that isn't being invaded by shrooms, and has no algae issues in fact its immune to any invader besides cyanobacteria and occasional GHA by the laws of obligate hitchhiker control, and no maintenance was all i ever wanted lol!

 

My tank enjoyment went from non enjoyment and letting shrooms take over every blocked niche and watching years of f5 generation corals die back

 

To

 

100% turnaround

Zero recycle

Save old corals

Triple light penetration

Zero items on glass

Full open scape

And still neglect it near totally. But now I look forward to seeing what reemerges from the bio preservation done

 

 

Edit julY 4

Put in new hammer frag

 

He brought in six sprigs of bryopsis

 

I drained tank then walked to the medicine cabinet. What happened next to the bryopsis looked like a dr lector horror movie sequence

[Nano sapiens]

True, frag plugs are the devil for bringing in unwanted organisms. A FW dip for 2-3 minutes of just the plug (not dunking the attached coral), helps a lot when the coral can't be safely separated from the plug But still some of the tougher ones can make it in.

 

I just had Aiptasia and Bubble Algae come in via a frag. The trick is that when first seen, no matter how small, they need to be dealt with immediately before they can spread further. Many people either don't notice them taking hold, or aren't willing to take care of them right way once seen (big mistake!).

 

I understand the decision to start with new sand, but we also know from multiple older systems that it doesn't have to be replaced as some reef authors have advised. If a balanced bacterial community is present (properly fed and provided optimal conditions for 'waste' processing), a dynamic equilibrium within the system will be established.

[brandon429]

Yes agreed. A little rinse to rid detritus that had built up would have still left some organisms to reseed, when I was faced with this much sps on the glass I figured it would take days to dissolve...all the work seemed so daunting lol

 

https://imageshack.com/i/hlK095Ecj

 

 

 

I bought ocean direct sand, rinsed it in clean tap till zero dust cloud when stirred now its ideal oolitic even finer grain than my last. Slowly taking on bacteria...the live rock does the filtration until it takes on the extra duties

This is an ultra clean new decade start that is so headache free~ http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac236/brandon_1_2010/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-07-04%2018.17.51.jpg

 

I'm posting the direct link it never works off my phone its nbd, still opens to good detail

[Nano sapiens]

Yes agreed. A little rinse to rid detritus that had built up would have still left some organisms to reseed, when I was faced with this much sps on the glass I figured it would take days to dissolve...all the work seemed so daunting lol

 

https://imageshack.com/i/hlK095Ecj

 

 

That is some thick stuff right there!

 

One thing that's nice with a vase is that you can simply pick it up to view the life inside from all angle. You can easily rotate it on it's pedestal every so often to change the view, too, which can't be done with the typical tank.

 

I've always been interested in the smaller, less noticeable inhabitants that tend to be underappreciated. Coralline algae, for example, is quite interesting and I've been watching it closely to see which species do well in which environments. Assessing nutrient levels only while keeping other parameters the same, in my system the thick dark purple variety grows slowly and persists in very low nutrient conditions, But, when increasing available nutrients the fast growing bright pink type starts to gain a foothold.

 

Curious, what have you noticed over the years in regards to nutrient availability and the predominance of certain coralline algae types in your vase?

[brandon429]

Mine was always just normal red coralline however I should have had someone chip me off some orange for seeding

 

we can make easy trades among tanks. blender up the sample and dose it right in~

[brandon429]

https://imageshack.com/i/p9n3wea3j

 

look at this peek a boo from lowest possible rock formation

 

a little red mushroom, after all that work

 

but he's no longer a worry. .. the change in power balance was the driving force for the re scape.

 

in preserving the bio system (no restart cycle or rock microbenthic recycle) and aged corals but removing the compression locked in growth all the way up to the glass, the reefbowl was updated/continued per 2015 tank invasion prevention standards

 

the older ways of pico reefing didnt utilize the total access option, it was more hands off testing where stuff just grew into place locked by coralline and skeletal bonding of rocks etc

 

how can we clean under something like that

 

couldn't, so they took over. You cant wedge a majano wand to get to the base of that shroom above.

 

but as of next water change, the entire reef structure is now 5 sep pieces easily removed for cleaning under or invader removal

 

he will be chipped off so easily and after this long Im not seeing a single one other than this one; a single leftover from a 200+ invasion is no longer a threat. The most impactful design element ive ever seen for pico reef longevity is choosing the total access scape option, something you can remove to rework as needed.

[metrokat]

Hi Brandon!

[smeagol108]

Yes agreed. A little rinse to rid detritus that had built up would have still left some organisms to reseed, when I was faced with this much sps on the glass I figured it would take days to dissolve...all the work seemed so daunting lol

 

https://imageshack.com/i/hlK095Ecj

 

 

I bought ocean direct sand, rinsed it in clean tap till zero dust cloud when stirred now its ideal oolitic even finer grain than my last. Slowly taking on bacteria...the live rock does the filtration until it takes on the extra duties

This is an ultra clean new decade start that is so headache free~ http://i903.photobucket.com/albums/ac236/brandon_1_2010/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-07-04%2018.17.51.jpg

 

I'm posting the direct link it never works off my phone its nbd, still opens to good detail

Where did you buy your sand from? I am finally starting off the new tank I told you about, and want to start it with dead sand? Suggestions

[Nano sapiens]

The most impactful design element ive ever seen for pico reef longevity is choosing the total access scape option, something you can remove to rework as needed.

 

Abosultely! If I couldn't easily dismantle my rockwork to remove pests and such I'd have a much bigger mess on my hands.

[Deleted User 9]

Peace Brandon,

 

So glad that you did it. The Vase Reef looks beautiful!! Now you have that open spaced reef you wanted.It will have much better circulation, better light penetration, easier wiping of the inside glass, easier fragging and moving Corals, as they grow, and you won't need so many lights.

 

Vase Reef Keeping...For LIFE...

 

Some People Keep Dead Flowers In Their Vase.

We Keep Live Corals And Inverts In Ours..

 

Blessings To All...

[brandon429]

6 mos after the cleanup

 

 

 

 

 

http://reef2reef.com/threads/one-gallon-reefbowl-still-going-strong.105291/#post-2640815

 

I did a kessil 160 over it, on low setting its the only light the RB will ever need. Martiza told me to go LED 3 yrs ago, I hesitated, had junked up pc since then but no more! ok LED rules agreed

 

 

 

on page one post-cleanup, you can see a break in between the brain coral lobes where mushrooms stung things. that entire rock 100% was a brain coral boulder. now, its bridged back and adding mass.

[Beer]

You either have to resize them to upload directly to the site or place the link between the "" and "[\img]" tags. But without the quotation marks; I had to add those to get it to post properly. Should work with the http, but if it doesn't, try removing that part. You also need the direct link and not the link to the webpage for the site that hosts your pictures.

[Beer]

And are those pico planted aquariums on your imgage shack account yours?

[brandon429]

Yes thanks for checking planted mini moss tanks are fun

have worked so long on the invention of modifying a sealed planted aquarium that doesn't evaporate + pressure co2 gas injection and those pics are the culmination.

 

That was a clear description on how to link thanks I w try to find areas it will let me link to

 

My shack acct wants me to pay it canceled out tons of pics I'd linked into just Xs it's really testing

 

mainly I really don't want to make more log ins I'm already on photobucket and when I try to use it, nano reef.com gives error says not allowed. It's fully insane how much I try to post pics lol.

 

This is the gas receptacle and dispenser, an API tube pan flute array. Inverted tubes simply fill with co2 and pass bubbles up to the next as this is underwater, in my tank. Takes six hours to drain, and six tubes is about 30 ppm co2 constant in a half gallon tank mostly sealed. As the co2 is pulled back into soln it creates a vacuum in the tubes which then takes in water awaiting the next round. The tubes take one minute to fill, my paintball co2 setup comes on 1 minute twice a day, 6 hours apart, and keeps my lighted cycle at 30 ppm

 

 

[Beer]

I'm already on photobucket and when I try to use it, nano reef.com gives error says not allowed. It's fully insane how much I try to post pics lol.

Odd. I posted some stuff the other day with no issues. Are you sure you are grabbing the direct link? The other ones have code that doesn't display properly here (or any other forum I've been on). Inserting that in the img tags would definitely cause additional issues.

 

I've seen you around on one of the planted forums, haven't been active over there in a while.

[Weetabix7]

Love this.

[brandon429]

Weet hi! I did not see your reply thank you for stopping by glad to see you it had been a little while.

 

Just now shot a short video, shows movable frags for par adjustment, sweeper adjustment or flow zone adjustment

 

Look at the red brain coral now months after redo. Compare it's edges to pics on prior page after redo this system is blast fed and water changes sometimes 3 times per weekend

 

 

 

Lighting is Kessil 160 tblue adapted to full on, one foot above the gallon vase med blue setting.

 

Thanks to Maritza the Vase Reef<---keeps high standards for reef cleanliness

for co motivating reefness without our chats I might not have cleaned it up in time, didn't even know that much brain was left till digging in

[Deleted User 9]

Peace Brandon.

 

So glad you put up this video. She looks amazing and beautiful!!

Love the Coral placements, the waterproof magnets as frag plugs, on the glass.

The Kessil lights, are absolutely on target and their Spectrum and Intensity are hitting very closely to their natural light,

and they Grow Corals..

It's great to see you overcome those minor obstacles and get back in gear for Science and for the evolution of Vase Reef Keeping.

The Originator is BACK!!!

In Full Force...

 

Let's continue...SUCCESS .....For LIFE..

 

Some People Keep Dead Flowers In Their Vase,

We Keep Live Corals and Inverts In Ours.

 

Vase Reef Keeping..

The Truth..

 

Blessings All...

[Nano sapiens]

'Simply Mahvelous'

 

Looking really sparkly and clean. Must be a relief not to have Red Mushies all over the place, too.

 

Onwards to year 10! (or are you there, already?)

[brandon429]

Thank you Maritza for your motivation and hard work with the picos! I tediously dose not anymore and it's doing just as well on water changes and feeding alone mostly.

c balance occasionally for no particular reason possibly a coralline bump here and there.

 

2006 that should make it a youngster reef now sapiens~

Had one before then too on the old forum posts and here but it was taken down due to red algae invasion, gelidium, didn't know about peroxide fix back then for obligate hitchhikers and it zapped me. Even this bowl above got it eventually but that's right when I was shown peroxide so it was simply killed and stopped.

 

One frag of blastomussa on the left in vid above was moved over from that original vase and grew 50+ heads over time per YouTube vid sequences, then got stung back to this 25 heads or so... a lineage of merletti grown only in reefbowls and no other medium for the entire mass of the coral since 2002

 

 

 

probably the most important takeaway for me was access/cleaning. It's not about how long your reef runs untouched, it's how much coral mass production can you make. For the period I was having red mushroom invasion, frag production stopped and that's a low period even though I left it three years in that invaded state. The ultimate rule in invasion control in reefing is that you have say on what's on your rocks though you may have to alter your original access choice to attain command over what grows on your captive reef.

 

 

The dotted look with magnets doesn't bother me I'm going to try fattening up a bunch of different small frags

[Nano sapiens]

I totally agree that access is key, no matter what size the aquarium. Best of all is EASY access since one is more likely to maintain if access is a breeze

[natalia_la_loca]

Looks fantastic Brandon.

 

What experiences have you had with other invasives like hydroids, flatworms, vermetids? I'm planning to add some of the zoas from my old system, which had all three, and am bracing myself for battle to get rid of them so I can get my bowl off to a good start. I plan to do a combo of Bayer dips for the flatworms + manual removal for the vermetids and hydroids.

 

(I was assuming peroxide would not work on any of these pests but am open to peroxide use as well)

[Ivery]

Did you make the little frag holders with magnets? If so what magnets and are they coated?

[brandon429]

best underwater magnets ive seen, locked in plastic!

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/370622-mini-plastic-coated-magnets-you-glue-frags-to-as-singular-pico-frag-racks/

 

yes on the invaders lol ive had em get me but got them back, at work w respond sec agreed its not peroxide for them. verms are currently hurting my old blasto

[natalia_la_loca]

Thank you, look forward to any insights you can provide!