The Pros & Cons of BB Reef tank?

[chucktdbm321]

well i might as well talk about my secret here lol...

I put aluminum foil underneath my tank to act as a reflector and it reflects light like there is a light on the bottom of my tank. I have zoas that are on a small rock the open up fully underneath so im thinking its def helping me out plus it looks cool like a mirror finish under neath. It would really cool to see if this actually helped PAR out and everything compared to one with out it. I dont have a par meter to check so i just tell myself it does lol

[scythe]

well i might as well talk about my secret here lol...

I put aluminum foil underneath my tank to act as a reflector and it reflects light like there is a light on the bottom of my tank. I have zoas that are on a small rock the open up fully underneath so im thinking its def helping me out plus it looks cool like a mirror finish under neath. It would really cool to see if this actually helped PAR out and everything compared to one with out it. I dont have a par meter to check so i just tell myself it does lol

 

Watch out with that if there are any creases or folds in the foil it can cause a hot spot and may burn corals. I have some experience with tinfoil as reflector and growing plants. Mylar would be a better choice, and even better would be a shiny peice of white board.

[chucktdbm321]

its perfectly flat with out a crease, took a couple tries to get it perfect. Also i don't think it would be intense enough to burn anything. Mylar would be cool to use but def not white board for me since i wanted something that you couldn't notice unless you looked down on it. Whiteboard i feel would make the whole bottom white so that would be a no go for me. But it would reflect well since studies show that white reflects better than most metals.

[brandon429]

I have railed about crushed coral use as a sandbed substrate but only because it wasn't cleaned like that. dealing with detritus in any legit manner equates all substrates when nutrients are the topic jmo

 

never heard of bottom reflecting thats so darn smart how about just getting a cut mirror to glue on to the bottom of a tank before you set it up? wow with different mirrors and different angles you could really do something for lux bounces what a sick idea. thanks

[Amphiprion1]

its perfectly flat with out a crease, took a couple tries to get it perfect. Also i don't think it would be intense enough to burn anything. Mylar would be cool to use but def not white board for me since i wanted something that you couldn't notice unless you looked down on it. Whiteboard i feel would make the whole bottom white so that would be a no go for me. But it would reflect well since studies show that white reflects better than most metals.

 

Do you have any links to these studies? Reflector comparisons that I've seen seem to show that white surfaces are more diffusive in terms of reflected light than metallic ones. That seems to be a disadvantage and a more inefficient means than what we currently have. I had some old pendants that simply used a white interior for reflectivity versus a metallic reflector and the latter was superior by far in terms of actual incident light in the aquarium.

[chucktdbm321]

Most metals my man as in just a normal reflector you would see in a fluorescent desk lamp or something. Im pretty sure a metal sprayed painted gloss white reflects better than aluminum foil is what im getting at but yes. Todays fixtures with german high polish aluminum reflects better.

 

Here's a quick link to show some perecentages...

http://anomet.com/cgi-bin/online/storepro.php

 

The white painted is 90% and if you look at the other metals some are still polished and only have mid 80s%

 

A lot of the reflectors in well built fixtures are usually 95% and some even higher

[scythe]

I have railed about crushed coral use as a sandbed substrate but only because it wasn't cleaned like that. dealing with detritus in any legit manner equates all substrates when nutrients are the topic jmo

 

never heard of bottom reflecting thats so darn smart how about just getting a cut mirror to glue on to the bottom of a tank before you set it up? wow with different mirrors and different angles you could really do something for lux bounces what a sick idea. thanks

 

Mirrors only reflect certain parts of the spectrum from what i have read during my research in reflective material for plant growth.

[brandon429]

freakin cool science. the mirror back coating absorbs some of the spectrum I'd like to see your plants man.

[chucktdbm321]

yea i came up with the idea of trying to have some reflective thing underneath the tank so it would bounce back light and par. And the cheapest and best thing i had laying around was good old alum. foil. I was even thinking of patenting the idea since i haven't seen it anywhere but thats too much work and someone probably already did it lol. But yea id like to think its def making a difference. Like on my wall there used to be a little light spill buy now holy sh!t theres a ton. Not a good thing for some people but id think it would getting the most out of your light.

[Amphiprion1]

Most metals my man as in just a normal reflector you would see in a fluorescent desk lamp or something. Im pretty sure a metal sprayed painted gloss white reflects better than aluminum foil is what im getting at but yes. Todays fixtures with german high polish aluminum reflects better.

 

Here's a quick link to show some perecentages...

http://anomet.com/cgi-bin/online/storepro.php

 

The white painted is 90% and if you look at the other metals some are still polished and only have mid 80s%

 

A lot of the reflectors in well built fixtures are usually 95% and some even higher

 

Ah, okay. That's a bit different than just white paint. The coating is fairly specialized for reflectivity, so that makes sense.

 

Mirrors only reflect certain parts of the spectrum from what i have read during my research in reflective material for plant growth.

 

Sure, since it has to pass through glass twice in order to make it back into the area where you want it. That's for standard mirrors, though, with a reflective surface on the back.

[chucktdbm321]

Ah, okay. That's a bit different than just white paint. The coating is fairly specialized for reflectivity, so that makes sense.

 

 

 

Sure, since it has to pass through glass twice in order to make it back into the area where you want it. That's for standard mirrors, though, with a reflective surface on the back.

 

This gets to my other option that i wanted to do but just didn't have the time. What if you spray painted the "liquid mirror" or a very high reflective metallic paint stuff on the bottom of your tank cause then it would only have to go through 1 pane of glass?

 

next what if you spray painted the bottom and all sides with 2 way mirrors? it would look like nothing is painted to you but in the tank all f***ing mirrors lol how cool would that be?

[Amphiprion1]

It'd still have to pass through it twice, since it goes through it once, strikes the mirror, then passes through it again on its way into the tank. For the bottom of the tank, I wouldn't imagine that'd be a problem, though. I don't see why that wouldn't work for what you are wanting.

 

As far as 2 way mirrors, that may get a bit stressful for many fish and would be a bit more unnatural for the corals, since they would be bombarded by light in relatively odd directions. That may be good for frags, but it may also influence odd growth forms.

[chucktdbm321]

i made a new thread for this topic "reflective bottoms" sorry for taking up your thread op

[gabe_j]

I'd like to agree about using Mylar instead of foil. But it can be a hassle to work with. If your going the white paint route go with a flat paint. It aids in defusing light. Mylar when new can reflect over 90% light back but it must be kept tight and clean once it gets dirty it looses reflectiveness. Now the white can reflect a bit less than Mylar if I had to guess I'd put it up in the high 80s but being flat or semi gloss maintains it's reflectiveness over time unlike Mylar that needs replacing as there is no way to clean it back to factory clean. I too have a pretty good history with plants. And white paint is where it's at. Now I don't want to feet flamed for not saying that parabolic reflectors are atthe top of the game but we are talking about under tank reflectors.

If you didn't want to go the paint route you could get some panda liner white on one side black on the other. It's relatively cheap, and it's easy to clean when need be.

 

Dude chuck what about mirror tint something around 2% transparency. That would be totally cool

[chucktdbm321]

hey gabe go to the thread i just made about reflective bottoms check it out

[bitts]

Back to sand vs bb .

Even in a nano tank sandbeds can be correctly established, Then Run for years. All of which while never becoming the dreaded sink that every one fears them to be. The main Question in regards to sandbeds is there proper utilization & understanding of specific limitations. Moving a sand bed will of coarse be a pain in the ### compared to a bb. So that is a definite advantage. Another is the time it takes to properly establish a sandbed. Followed be the limit then placed on stocking, since the sand should never be stirred. By anything more than snails. If animals which feed on the fauna that lives within the sand are present, ie crabs, stars, & such. then the bed will collapse. Where a bb has none of these dangers. Establishing water movement between the rock work & the bed either sand or glass will again be easier in the bb. Preventing detrius build up is the purpose of a bb & establishing a flow pattern that prevents this can be difficult. Where as in a tank with an established sandbed while there should be an effort to minimize this accumulation it is necessary to maintain the sandbeds fauna.

 

 

 

Having run both would have to say that the sandbed is much more limited but a far more "natural" setup when done correctly, allowing for greater variety in stocking. While a bb will be more forgiving to the individual who has less time for the setup of a tank (moves frequently), prefers higher flow for sps in tanks that due to size will not have areas of low flow, & is not interested in stock that requires a sandy bottom.

[straightjiggy10]

great info guys

[xgame2k]

best thread ever.

 

mine is in the worx....

[straightjiggy10]

best thread ever.

 

mine is in the worx....

 

super clean tank whats that on floor?

[xgame2k]

cutting board (starboard).

[blasterman]

I run BB only because I move a lot. Moving a sand-bed is not only a PITA from hell, but dangerous.

 

If I was living in the same place for a long term I would certainly go back to a 1.5" fine sand bed. Much more stable tank params in my experience. Nitrate levels swing around in my BB more than sand beds, and calcium is funkier without constant monitoring.

[beeker]

Actually every sandbed i've ever run i always made sure to atleast siphon half of it everytime i do a waterchange (except on my very first tank that had a ton of issue's because i didn't siphon the sandbed)

 

if you never siphon the sand it will soak up all the nitrate it can and it will leach it back into the water collum (i've had this happen to me personally) it is the main reason i run BB now

 

Sand covers up waste and uneaten food which means you have to clean the sandbed to keep these things from building up in excess (sand covers up waste very well)

 

Sand is work and to keep it doing it's job and looking good you will want to siphon it and you will want to keep it shallow 1.5 to 2 inches at most with as much flow as you can to keep water flow through it high

[Adam]

Not the best picture, but here is mine BB 57G Oceanic Illuminata.

 

 

[Akwarius]

Adam, do you have any flow running through the bottom of your rockwork to stir up detritus?

 

How are you guys keeping the coralline from growing on the bottom glass?

[Adam]

Adam, do you have any flow running through the bottom of your rockwork to stir up detritus?

 

How are you guys keeping the coralline from growing on the bottom glass?

I have Vortech MP40W plus return pump.. and still it is to much flow all the crap is collecting on the right side of the tank (bottom) just under Vortech pump, so every week when I do 4g water change, I just siphon it. Takes no more than 10 minutes to be done with water change.

 

I do not care of there is coralline growing on bottom.. I actually cant wait for it to happen