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75G Reverse Flow UG Filter on Top and 30G Cryptic Refugium with Mud Filter on Bottom (1 Viewer)

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Subsea

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The tank has seen little change in 25 years. Jaubert Plenum was designed to use facultative bacteria in a low oxygen environment to perform denitrification biochemistry. Substrate was 6” deep with false bottom making a Plenum under substrate. Plenum performed well until the introduction of Melanarious Wrasse to control Red Planaria, which unknown to me eliminated my detrivore crew. With a 6” dsb with 20 years of detritus, I made the major decision to vacum sandbed down to < 2”.
After removing several hundred pounds of substrate while syphoning out over 500G of water over a two week time period, I now have a thriving mixed garden with ornamental sponges and ornamental macro along with numerous other filter feeders including flame scallops and numerous fans & feathers that I have no clue to the name, but I consider it a healthy bioindicator. That was 5 years ago.
So, water flow from top to refugium goes into rock rubble first chamber (wet/dry) where gas is exchanged and detritus is broken up and settles into large second compartment with mud. In 25 years, I have never replaced mud. The depth in mud filter has increased in depth from .75” to 1.5”. It felt spongy to the touch and was crawling with worms. When I converted from macro refugium to cryptic refugium, I turned out the lights, composted tomatoes, added eggcrate in mud bed so rock was clear of mud, seeded cryptic sponges and have been very pleased. The flow thru this refugium is much higher than recommended by Steve Tyree. That was 5 years ago.

Today
 

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soymilk

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Great looking tank.

Very cool that it’s been running so long. What’s your maintenance like for a tank like this?
 
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Subsea

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Great looking tank.

Very cool that it’s been running so long. What’s your maintenance like for a tank like this?
I clean glass every other day or when I take pictures. Ornamental Sponges sometimes need cleaning with a toothbrush so I hired some more different janitors, my favorite is Sally Lightfoot.

Perhaps 3-4 hours a week. Most of that is not mandatory every week. As an avid reefer of 52 years, it’s not work, it’s fun.
 

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Diver collected life rock removed 2 years ago from 30‘ of water 30 miles west of Tampa Bay in Gulf of Mexco, Nether rose coral or gorgonion were visible until 1 year ago.
Hmm 🤔 that's where I went diving for my rock... small world.
 
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Hmm 🤔 that's where I went diving for my rock... small world.
I am jealous as I have never scuba dove. I snorkeled Cancun and can only imagine the freedom it gives. Recently watching National Geo documentry on sharks, scuba without bubbles alloweda more natural response to apex predators. Too much adrenaline for me. I will stick to white water kayaking.
 
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Subsea

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Before my sponge enlightenment, I used GAC to deal with DOC. I had good success with macro refugium composting tomatoes and growing pods for 24 years. So now, instead of growing tomatoes, I grow sponges and coral.

The GSP on back wall was tennis ball size 5 years ago, when the video was made.
 
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Green Madarain male has flourished in tank for 5 years. Last month at LFS, I found a beautiful female that within an hour of being released in tank they danced briefly.
 

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Between hippo tang and maxima clam, I got blue covered. Green is on excess with back glass covered in florescent green star polyps and two lime green leathers. Now, I am working on red. Because of hippo, I am limited on what he allows in tank this includes fish and ornamental macros. Gracilaria Hayi as lightly calcified has escaped his heavy grazing. The colors displayed by this red macro under low light intensity is dark burgundy, as intensity increases color changes to fire engine red and under intense light, it displays yellow/orange.


A beautiful species of Gracilaria featuring rigid, flame shaped branches that form a tight symmetrical bush. It is lightly calcified so the addition of calcium is recommended. In shallow water it is often found in very large clumps covered in colonial tunicates or encrusted with epiphytic bryozoans. The coloration varies between deep crimson red to bright orange depending on the amount of light provided. It features a small holdfast that can be attached to rocks or left as a free floating specimen if desired. Overall it is undemanding and will grow well under a variety of conditions even in low flow environments. Due to its lightly calcified branches it is not known to be very palatable to fish or invertebrates.
 

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Erin

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Green Madarain male has flourished in tank for 5 years. Last month at LFS, I found a beautiful female that within an hour of being released in tank they danced briefly.
I'm looking for a male for my female... Hard to find one the right size that seems healthy
 

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When I converted from macro refugium to cryptic refugium, I turned out the lights, composted tomatoes, added eggcrate in mud bed so rock was clear of mud, seeded cryptic sponges and have been very pleased. The flow thru this refugium is much higher than recommended by Steve Tyree. That was 5 years ago.

Today
How much more flow? And how little light is needed? Trying to see if I can incorporate a cryptic zone into my new sump but I still want the ability to keep macro (in the sump)...
 
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How much more flow? And how little light is needed? Trying to see if I can incorporate a cryptic zone into my new sump but I still want the ability to keep macro (in the sump)...
When Tyree first wrote on Cryptic Zone filtration, he initially stressed exceptionally low flow. As in many things, that was back then. It’s not so much a zone as it us all about cryptic sponges. Any high quality live rock will harbor cryptic sponges if kept out of the light. Often when I move live rock in display tank, there are cryptic obges on back side. I use HOB algae pod refugiums to feed live food but cryptic sponges will impact chemistry by recycling DOC exudates of coral and algae into the microbial loop.
 
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Subsea

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Good quality pictures. I have had most of those at various times, but not in this tank with the Hippo Tang.

In other tanks for green, I now have Caulerpa Prolifera and Caulerpa Paspoides, which is probably the fastest growing macro of them all. I use it as a bioindicator of low nitrogen as some fronds turn white. That’s when I dose ammonia.

In this 30G ornamental macro tank, there were reds & greens growing exceptionally fast, then 4 days ago, only the one green Caulerpa Paspoides went sexual and it completely disintegrated where fish at front glass were unrecognizable. I added an air bubbler and activated carbon and in two days water was stellar clear.

In the last picture, if it came out, is Caulerpa lentillifera. I hope to cultivate this for personal consumption.

I am not much of a photographer
 

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Subsea

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He looks good. So does the dragons breathe.... hmmmm..
I have a little Halymenia Floridian that has volunteered in two places and a few sprigs floating about. I have much Red Grapes, Bortacladia: some grow in low ligtht at 50 PAR and a bunch at100 PAR. Tgey need Aptasia removal.
 
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