Beaslbob! Now's Your Chance to show your stuff!

[Anonymous]

First tip in getting someone to respond to you is not talk about them in the third person as if they can't read what you're writing guys It's also just polite.

 

[Anonymous]

I plan on doing a tank to Bob's specifications, and we will see how it does. I'm being completely serious here. These are the specs:

6 gallon tank, filled with a 2" fine sand bed and probably about 4 gallons of water.
Dechlorinated tap water mixed with Instant Ocean.
No water changes.
No heater.
No artificial light. It's in a window that receives about 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
No skimmer, no carbon, no biowheel, no phosphate remover.
An airpump will provide a moderate amount of water current.

The planned livestock are some Red Mangroves (hey, ACTUAL plant life!!) added on the first day of the system of course. I may add a small goby and pistol shrimp later on down the road. I will also be topping off with RO/DI water every day when I spray off the leaves of the mangrove. I may add some upside down jellies also.

Bob,
I'd like your input on this. Would you say this is "your" method?

Well pretty close. "my" method is to get the plant life thriving then do the rest. Not sure about "air plants" like mangroves. Never tried that. My concern is they may be using energy in the seed pod to start instead of nutrients from the water. an even bigger concern is they are not waterplants and therefore probably not removing carbon dioxide from the water and adding oxygen. I would feel it was more "my" method with macros/plants that were submerged.

but you get it established it should out compete the algaes for nutrients (except co2).

I don't see any need to dechlorinate the water. But then I always have aquatic plant life also.

Well except for the beta vases. the peace lillies are plants.

Be sure to adjust the light to allow the plant life to thrive but prevent the micro blooms. Generally that takes a huge amount of light especially until the nutrients are controlled. But 6 hours may be about right.

Bob,
I'm curious if there is anything different about the tank I'm setting up that you would do differently. Are you willing to admit your method has flaws if my tank doesn't do well? Admittedly I don't believe your methods are good husbandry, but on the other hand I have a vested interest to try and make the tank look good.

Is it OK that I use dechlorinator? I'm really not comfortable putting chlorine in my tank.

What about RO/DI for topoff, or at least a mixture of tap/RO/DI? This tank will be evaporating a very large percentage of water.

The mangroves will already be sprouted, and will go in the tank the day it is set up. Is this thriving?

Since this is only costing me about $50, I find it hard to believe you won't do it yourself. Heck, it would only cost you $10 for the tank if you have an air pump, some lights, and some plant life already available, which I'm sure you must. Space? Put it in your garage. You must have a square foot of space somewhere in your house.

 

[Anonymous]

>......only because he refuses to answer LEN of all people.

Who is this Len anyway ?!?! :wink:

 

[Len]

Now that's a damn good question!

 

[leftovers]

Len who?

 

[Bucktronix]

matt the problem is mangrove isn’t the best form of nutrient export compared to the same amount energy devoted to caulerpa or even xenia. i doubt very highly that 1 or 2 mangroves will be able do provide much in the way of filtration in the short term. if you wanted to better replicate bobs "method" you would need to use actual caulerpa. what i suspect is you don't, you just want a nano mangrove tank and to appease bob you will use tap water. while admirable in your quest to shut his piehole you have to follow the "method" in it's entirety to prove it a waste of time.

 

[Anonymous]

Bob,
I'm curious if there is anything different about the tank I'm setting up that you would do differently.

the main thing was that I would use some fast growing macros at least at first to insure the co2 and o2 are better.

Are you willing to admit your method has flaws if my tank doesn't do well?

my methods has flaws. there happy :lol: What do you mean by do well? If the plants grow well, there is limited to no nusiance algaes, and animals thirve are you willing to admit it worked?

Admittedly I don't believe your methods are good husbandry, but on the other hand I have a vested interest to try and make the tank look good.

Is it OK that I use dechlorinator? I'm really not comfortable putting chlorine in my tank.

sure your system. I just don't and haven't for years. Do you know how the dechlorinator works? what chemicals are added? or is it just an additive that sounds good? And have you researched how long chlorine (and ammonia) remain in an open heavily planted aquarium? But we just have different experiences

What about RO/DI for topoff, or at least a mixture of tap/RO/DI?

I use straight tap. After the system has been running and balanced out the only diference should be simple more plant life and less dosing if you use tap.

This tank will be evaporating a very large percentage of water.

Are you sure? my Fw planted and beta vases evaporate 5-10% per week. the quart jars I tried to culture micro algae only evaporated about 1" per week. I think you will find the with very little circulation the evaporation will be much less than reef tank with external sumps/refugiums or trickle filters. And you should need even less circulation if you are using mangroves which are vascular plants and therefore provide a very slow circulation.

The mangroves will already be sprouted, and will go in the tank the day it is set up. Is this thriving?

yes. But they will take time to establish the roots and the like. They should provide excellent handling of nutrients and bioaccumulation of toxins. Just they don't remove carbon dioxide and add oxygen to the water column. So my "gut" feel some fast growing macros like cheato would be beneficial especially during the first few weeks.

Since this is only costing me about $50, I find it hard to believe you won't do it yourself. Heck, it would only cost you $10 for the tank if you have an air pump, some lights, and some plant life already available, which I'm sure you must. Space? Put it in your garage. You must have a square foot of space somewhere in your house.

cost is not the issue. Another tank in the house is. And the garage is full also. I will mention it to the wife though.

 

[Anonymous]

Dechlorinator is sodium thiosulfate. I will let the tap sit for a day instead of dechlorinating it. Same effect.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a question. What is you TDS of your tap water?

This may be different depending where you live. My TDS is 350. Thats is garbage. However if you have a TDS reading of 30 or lower than RO/DI may not be needed.

 

[Anonymous]

My tap is anywhere between 4-600 ppm at times. A lot of that is Ca and CO3 though. We have very hard water. It actually grows coralline really well. But put an octopus in it and it will croak overnight. Apparently octopods are better at absorbing toxins than plant life

 

[Anonymous]

so most of what you would remove is calcium carbonate. 8O

Look most all tap water is chlorine (or chlorine-ammonia), phosphtes from additives to coat and isolate copper plumbing from the water, nitrates, and parts per billion of some real nasties like copper. Chlorine dissapates rapidily to the point where agitating the water removes most of it. I maen like just running it into a bucket and then pouring it into your tank. Ammonia, nitrates, and phosphates are just plant food. As the plant life thrives and consumes those nutrients it also brings the nasties down to safe levels through bioaccumlation.

Additionally, copper comes from contacts with the copper plumbing. the higher the water temperature and the longer the contact, the more the copper. Just like in your water heater. So by:
1) using cold water
2) from a frequently used faucet
3) and allowing the water to run for a minute before collecting

, you vastly limit the copper in the water you are using.

 

[Anonymous]

So by:
1) using cold water
2) from a frequently used faucet
3) and allowing the water to run for a minute before collecting

, you vastly limit the copper in the water you are using.

This is worthy of a new thread. I'll post it.

 

[Anonymous]

So by:
1) using cold water
2) from a frequently used faucet
3) and allowing the water to run for a minute before collecting

, you vastly limit the copper in the water you are using.

This is worthy of a new thread. I'll post it.

yea this must be a really long thread :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Matt,

I think if you are going to do this you need to go all the way and do what Bob says he does. Water straight from the tap, no declorination. If you cut any corners, you aren't replicating what Bob says he does.

 

[Jolieve]

I'd also like to point out that nowhere in Calfo's answer does he say that plant life filters out copper, and nowhere in that email does Bob ask him specifically about copper.

J.

 

[Anonymous]

Matt,

I think if you are going to do this you need to go all the way and do what Bob says he does. Water straight from the tap, no declorination. If you cut any corners, you aren't replicating what Bob says he does.

I think the only way is for Beaslbob to actually start and maintain the tank.

 

[HClH2OFish]

Apparently octopods are better at absorbing toxins than plant life

So should I start my system by getting a thriving supply of octopoidal critters? <grin>

 

[Anonymous]

beaslbob wrote:

Actually I never recommend skimming. Much better to spend the money on a larger system to start off with.

bwaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahhahaha :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


so what happens when the larger system reaches the same level of dissolved organics as a small system ?

 

[Anonymous]

beaslbob wrote:

Actually I never recommend skimming. Much better to spend the money on a larger system to start off with.

bwaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahhahaha :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


so what happens when the larger system reaches the same level of dissolved organics as a small system ?

more macros. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

what if you exceed macros???? Then you have a tank full of algae and it no longer becomes a reef tank right? or you just keep plumbing in fuges and sumps to expand you nice algae collection...IMO, not the best way to go...Macros can be an assistant to a reef tank not run it..