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| While sitting on the front porch watching the sunrise and thinking of my upcoming system makeover along with my never ending frustration at our hobby's stagnation, It dawned on me, which should have happened a very long time ago, that to mimic what I see of the reefs here, I am going to have to include a vastly larger macroalgae habitat in relation to the coral reef habitat, yet to do so would mean taking over the entire living room. Being married, thats not really an option, so what to do? Well, taking a look at what I do have already (80 gal display, 20 gal refugium and a 20 gal sump/ATS) I came to realize that I could simply make the 80 gal tank a macroalgae reef flat display with the 20 gal tank becoming the coral reef display, which would put things into a much closer relation to what the reef actualy does. Granted, my coral display would be extremely limited and would have to pick but a few choice coral species, preferably slow(er) growing types yet I can already picture in my mind how and with what to do so. Herbivore seletion is going to be key. And on the bright side, I do find some coral species in such macroalgae fields and could simply include a few here and there within that tank, putting much of the "grazing" in my hands but is something I would have to do anyways since selective trimming is going to have to be done by myself or face having a herbivore simply consume everything. But I was thinking that my brown scopas tang would have to remain with the 80 gal tank to keep the green algae (what could become pests) species under control and chose a variety of algae species that the tang will not consume to remain as functional habitat. All of it is going to take much forethought and tweaking, but I see this as being the only means in which I can honestly make the claim of having a "reef" vice the usual, very frustrating, pointless single tank systems that are nothing but a bunch of corals parked on top of some horribly degraded live rock which forces one to do some very weird things such as the popular "methods" that include vodka dosing, rock cooking, massive, constant water changes, and the addition or use of the hundreds of bottled magic formulas that keep us in the hobby just long enough to spend a great deal of money and kill a shipment worth of livestock before we drop out of the hobby in frustration. (this is the stagnation part I mentioned). Chuck
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Hi Chuck: I know where you are coming from & I have heard Eric's thoughts on this before. However, to make it more biologically realistic I think that you would need a much bigger system set up. I think that a ratio of at least 10:1 refugium:main tank would be a better way to go. It's too bad that you couldn't just set up a very large refugium outside your house & run it back into the house to the main system. If I could do it, and I can't, I would opt for a 500 gal main tank supported by a 2,500 gal refugium/sea grass tank. Now that would be awesome! I would also structure the main tank to a specific biotope that is actually "reef like" rather than just stocking it the typical hodgepodge way it's usually done. Anyway, keep thinking & tossing ideas around & I'm sure eventually you will get there!  Steve
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OOPS! Using my example it would be a 500 gal main tank supported by a 5,000 gal refugium/sea grass tank!!  Steve
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| Thanks Steve, I had quickly come to the same conclusion as well, the area of algae habitat would have to be HUGE compared to the coral habitat, yet to do so, will have to wait untill I can move ocean front, but by then, I could simply run an open loop to the ocean and let its "refugium" do the work for me... Wouldn't be the same or the same satisfaction though of actualy maintaining an ecosystem though. With the very, and I mean, very few corals that I plan to keep, what I have in mind, and only available should work out okay, even with it reversed as it is now, the system has been able to plug along a lot better than I would have thought, with the 80 becoming algae dominated, it should/could only get better. I hope... Chuck
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Here's a slide I use in one of my presentations. The next time I set up a tank in a new place, it will be along these lines, but using sunlight.
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| Hi E: I think that I have seen that slide before. Now can you give us an idea of the various volumes of water that you are alluding to? Just curious as usual...... Steve
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| Thats more of what type of scale I hope to be able to do one day, including the use of sunlight as well, there is no way I could afford the electrical costs of multiple, high wattage metal halides. Thanks as always! Chuck
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I'm actually going to attempt to answer this.
Let's do in in multiples of ten.
A 10 gallon tank, a 1000 gallon seagrass tank, a refugium capable of 2.5g/m3 sustained plankton to the tank (or about 30g/day to the the 10 gallon tank), enough surge to bring eighty gallons/minute, and a reservoir of 2,500 gallons. (I actually spent the better part of an hour typing that sentence and with a calculator in hand)
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| Wow! So, it's actually more like 100:1 ratio of main tank to just the seagrass set up! I am curious as to how you would have a surge of 80 gal/min into a 10 gal tank? Am I missing something here? Steve
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Kind of staggering ain't it. Makes my idea/plan seem very "underfunded"... Chuck
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