ReefBowl
- Thread starter brandon4291
- Start date
Y m8 Y.
I admit its impressive that u can keep these animals, even allowing 4 the 100% water change but my question is why would you want to. It looks like nothing really, just an expensive lamp stand. What is you reason for keeping animals in such a false (admitting al ltanks are false) situation?
Not an aggressive stance just wondering what enjoyment can be had from keeping corals that are pressed up against the glass?
Alpha :?:
I admit its impressive that u can keep these animals, even allowing 4 the 100% water change but my question is why would you want to. It looks like nothing really, just an expensive lamp stand. What is you reason for keeping animals in such a false (admitting al ltanks are false) situation?
Not an aggressive stance just wondering what enjoyment can be had from keeping corals that are pressed up against the glass?
Alpha :?:
IMO, it’s the challenge that makes it attractive.
I personally had SWFO tanks for years and just didn’t have any interest any more.
Reefing, on the minute scale offered new found fun and challenges.
Small tanks are easy to establish and maintain, but much research and patience is needed.
A well established nano reef tank requires just a few minutes a week to maintain, as compared to the hours I had invested in water changes, glass scraping, filter media changes, equipment maintenance, skimmer adjustments, etc., that I dealt with larger, SWFO tanks.
These flower vase tanks seem a little extreme to me, but each his/her own.
Again, just my opinion.
I personally had SWFO tanks for years and just didn’t have any interest any more.
Reefing, on the minute scale offered new found fun and challenges.
Small tanks are easy to establish and maintain, but much research and patience is needed.
A well established nano reef tank requires just a few minutes a week to maintain, as compared to the hours I had invested in water changes, glass scraping, filter media changes, equipment maintenance, skimmer adjustments, etc., that I dealt with larger, SWFO tanks.
These flower vase tanks seem a little extreme to me, but each his/her own.
Again, just my opinion.
*Thats 100% water change every two weeks, mind you.
I completely welcome any comments that may object or question keeping these corals in such small containers, they are valid points to consider.
agree with the challenge... getting a sub-gallon reef tank to have roughly the same maintenance requirements (bi-weekly, tri-weekly) and stocking abilities as larger reefs is tricky at times.
another fact I consider is that the corals dont mind being in here, or they wouldnt extend polyps and undergo continual asexual reproduction as they do. The rocks are encrusted with coralline and filter-feeding sponges and tunicates, so whats the difference between a reefbowl and a 5 gallon nano reef? Each coral has enough vital space to get its light, oxygen, circulation, and nutrient/waste handling needs met or they would not live.
I wont deny the system is extreme, but so were 5 gallon nanos two years ago. just takes a little getting used to
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I completely welcome any comments that may object or question keeping these corals in such small containers, they are valid points to consider.
agree with the challenge... getting a sub-gallon reef tank to have roughly the same maintenance requirements (bi-weekly, tri-weekly) and stocking abilities as larger reefs is tricky at times.
another fact I consider is that the corals dont mind being in here, or they wouldnt extend polyps and undergo continual asexual reproduction as they do. The rocks are encrusted with coralline and filter-feeding sponges and tunicates, so whats the difference between a reefbowl and a 5 gallon nano reef? Each coral has enough vital space to get its light, oxygen, circulation, and nutrient/waste handling needs met or they would not live.
I wont deny the system is extreme, but so were 5 gallon nanos two years ago. just takes a little getting used to
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its portability has come in handy, and the amount of life it will support unskimmed and unfiltered is suprising as time goes by. I didn't build a reef in a vase, the vase happens to be a useful shape for a small reef. For example, the design of the rolled lip of glass at the top of the vase seals tightly with the plastic lid--this reduces evaporation greatly and is also fairly rare in reef aquarium practice. This technique was extended further in the design of the fully sealed pico reefs, and has all but eliminated a critical step in reef maintenance (fw topoff). they are fun tanks, and I feel they are advancing the hobby of reef aquarium keeping.
The top of my light retrofit is completely full of dust, guess I negelect to clean the top enough (too busy shining the glass)
however, this shows the pvc pipe stand that holds the whole light fixture in place. When I need to get in, I swivel the light over to one side because the rear pvc 90 elbow isnt glued in...
however, this shows the pvc pipe stand that holds the whole light fixture in place. When I need to get in, I swivel the light over to one side because the rear pvc 90 elbow isnt glued in...
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this angle shows some xenia and a forked montipora (green) I grew out from a straight frag. they are on the very top, getting the best light. LPS and SPS specimens are staggered right to left towards the bottom of the rock base, so each one gets its sun for the day. You know the whole dog/behavioral experiment thing was a joke right :?
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no its not like putting a fish in a small container, theres nothing chemically or biologically similar in the two actions. Bioloads are not the same in a heavily-stocked fish system versus a heavily-stocked CO (coral only) system, thats why everything you have in a large reef I have in a small one, minus the fish.
Brandon M
Brandon M
Your opinion is valid but I don't think there is any science in it, just human emotion. These organisms are not like dogs or cats or people, they don't know what size environment they are in--they only know if their needs are being met. What makes you think they "like" being kept in a 10 gallon reef? Anything less than the real ocean is all equivalent if the corals remain alive and vital while in captivity.
Sorry you feel that way, but its a matter of choice and not fact. If you have proof otherwise I'd love to hear about it.
BTW, no coral is touching the glass walls and when they do, they are pruned as usual. The picture fails to show the spacing in the LR structure and the sides of the vase.
Brandon M
Sorry you feel that way, but its a matter of choice and not fact. If you have proof otherwise I'd love to hear about it.
BTW, no coral is touching the glass walls and when they do, they are pruned as usual. The picture fails to show the spacing in the LR structure and the sides of the vase.
Brandon M
thanks qwuintus, Im a little edgy about that topic possibly 
ps, the post in the general forum is not meant for you--I've been getting close to making a post like this for a year now, to see what poeple think is bad/good about pico reefs. lots of people disagree with them and I think everyone's opinion is valid, but I just like to run them by a few conditions and see if they still end up thinking the same way.
One thing that is always on my mind is the environmental effects of the reef aquarium industry--all the LR in my local fish stores is right out of fiji few of their animals are aquacultured, but thats just how it is in my region/ this trend towards environmentally-friendly specimen sources hasn't hit here yet, save for a few avid aquarists in Lubbock who have the serious sytems to produce steady quantities of SPS and LPS/soft frags. This is the only thing I am guilty of, taking from nature.
What I am saying is that if we aren't buying aquacultured, we're stripping the environment to some degree and this is reflecting bad on reefkeeping as a whole. That is an ethical issue every reefkeeper has to quarrel with, and a very valid point certainly. Size is irrelevant among reef tanks.
The answer to that question is to buy aquacultured reef items, then any ethical problem associated with reefs of any size will be answered by a self-sustaining industry.
ps, the post in the general forum is not meant for you--I've been getting close to making a post like this for a year now, to see what poeple think is bad/good about pico reefs. lots of people disagree with them and I think everyone's opinion is valid, but I just like to run them by a few conditions and see if they still end up thinking the same way.
One thing that is always on my mind is the environmental effects of the reef aquarium industry--all the LR in my local fish stores is right out of fiji few of their animals are aquacultured, but thats just how it is in my region/ this trend towards environmentally-friendly specimen sources hasn't hit here yet, save for a few avid aquarists in Lubbock who have the serious sytems to produce steady quantities of SPS and LPS/soft frags. This is the only thing I am guilty of, taking from nature.
What I am saying is that if we aren't buying aquacultured, we're stripping the environment to some degree and this is reflecting bad on reefkeeping as a whole. That is an ethical issue every reefkeeper has to quarrel with, and a very valid point certainly. Size is irrelevant among reef tanks.
The answer to that question is to buy aquacultured reef items, then any ethical problem associated with reefs of any size will be answered by a self-sustaining industry.
Brandon429,
It really bothers me to see anyone say that your experimenting is in any way "wrong", as some of your systems have been created with an ethical concern for the animals care, as well as the advancement of the small system's boundaries. Do not worry about the concerns of naysayers in regards to your lovely microcosms, as I look forward to reading your frequent updates on these tiny systems. How cool is it that you have beautiful aquatic creatures in a vase, doing well, happy, and in fact growing to the point of regular fragmenting? That in itself is mindboggling, as the general mentality is "it cannot be done, it's cruelty, it's too unstable, it'll never work." It is readily apparent to myself and others, I'm sure, that you could maintain a larger system or two, given the extreme amount of attention to detail you give these smaller ones, but you choose not to. Instead, you go above and beyond, and for that, you should be applauded. Keep up the good work! Joey
It really bothers me to see anyone say that your experimenting is in any way "wrong", as some of your systems have been created with an ethical concern for the animals care, as well as the advancement of the small system's boundaries. Do not worry about the concerns of naysayers in regards to your lovely microcosms, as I look forward to reading your frequent updates on these tiny systems. How cool is it that you have beautiful aquatic creatures in a vase, doing well, happy, and in fact growing to the point of regular fragmenting? That in itself is mindboggling, as the general mentality is "it cannot be done, it's cruelty, it's too unstable, it'll never work." It is readily apparent to myself and others, I'm sure, that you could maintain a larger system or two, given the extreme amount of attention to detail you give these smaller ones, but you choose not to. Instead, you go above and beyond, and for that, you should be applauded. Keep up the good work! Joey
Thanks Joey and Ducman, had to stop by for another update pic.
I like to make monthly updates to show new corals added, and to document the polyp appearance as the system ages. I think much can be inferred about the health of the corals as they are photographed over the course of a year. It was already a year old during the above pics--we'll document the next year '03 here at RDO.
The newest coral is a tiny pink and green frogspawn, and excellent specimen sold to me by a LFS owner from his "NFS" display tank. Apparently I had been offering him $30 to break me off a one-inch frag off this mother colony for so long the idea finally sounded good to him. It is a small bud, one inch across. Will develop nicely in time, check back in a few...it is my new favorite coral. Across from the brown montipora branch--little green circle of polyps.
Coralline has coated up the walls again, half the viewing area is again pepto-bismolled. Glazer I havent forgot your master creations
Brandon
b429
I like to make monthly updates to show new corals added, and to document the polyp appearance as the system ages. I think much can be inferred about the health of the corals as they are photographed over the course of a year. It was already a year old during the above pics--we'll document the next year '03 here at RDO.
The newest coral is a tiny pink and green frogspawn, and excellent specimen sold to me by a LFS owner from his "NFS" display tank. Apparently I had been offering him $30 to break me off a one-inch frag off this mother colony for so long the idea finally sounded good to him. It is a small bud, one inch across. Will develop nicely in time, check back in a few...it is my new favorite coral. Across from the brown montipora branch--little green circle of polyps.
Coralline has coated up the walls again, half the viewing area is again pepto-bismolled. Glazer I havent forgot your master creations
Brandon
b429
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Brandon429,
In one of your earlier posts you mentioned that the dsb in the reefbowl was not functioning as a nitrate reducer, and I was curious why you stated this. Is it because the grains are the incorrect size or not deep enough or what? Currently I have a dsb in a 20 tall which some would argue is not large enough to create anaerobic layers deep enough to break down nitrates to the point of bubbling them out of the system. I have even contacted Ron Shimek about the functionality of the bed, and he replied that the bubbling in the sediment was a clear indicator that it was functioning properly.This is contradictory to his statements of late that nanos could not have the area necessary for the process to occur. Nevertheless, my nitrates have tested <1 for months, even with regular feeding of a bta, tubestraea, large maroon clown and gobie.(the only things I target feed.) What is your take on the dsb and it's role in the nano, aside from a haven for benthic fauna? Is yours not showing the typical bubbling of a mature dsb? This issue is definitely one I would love to discuss here. Looking forward to your replies and updates as usual!
Joey
In one of your earlier posts you mentioned that the dsb in the reefbowl was not functioning as a nitrate reducer, and I was curious why you stated this. Is it because the grains are the incorrect size or not deep enough or what? Currently I have a dsb in a 20 tall which some would argue is not large enough to create anaerobic layers deep enough to break down nitrates to the point of bubbling them out of the system. I have even contacted Ron Shimek about the functionality of the bed, and he replied that the bubbling in the sediment was a clear indicator that it was functioning properly.This is contradictory to his statements of late that nanos could not have the area necessary for the process to occur. Nevertheless, my nitrates have tested <1 for months, even with regular feeding of a bta, tubestraea, large maroon clown and gobie.(the only things I target feed.) What is your take on the dsb and it's role in the nano, aside from a haven for benthic fauna? Is yours not showing the typical bubbling of a mature dsb? This issue is definitely one I would love to discuss here. Looking forward to your replies and updates as usual!
Joey
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