My Non Photosynthetic System (NPS)
- Thread starter Jaco Schoeman
- Start date
Okey gents, more photos (sorry, but I'm really only getting the hang of taking pics under actinics now...
)
Here is two images of my one gorgonian (photos also on another thread, but thought I should place it here)
Note how fine the branches are compared to a pin point:
[EDIT: JB] Removed Zoa pic and comment, on Jaco's request
)Here is two images of my one gorgonian (photos also on another thread, but thought I should place it here)
Note how fine the branches are compared to a pin point:
[EDIT: JB] Removed Zoa pic and comment, on Jaco's request
Last edited by a moderator:
Looking great there Jaco. I bought my whife a new camera for christmas (Which is actually for me) but still trying to get the hang of it. Pics still come out very blury even if the mode is set on close up pics. My phone takes better pics at this stage.
Hey Jaco, how are the zoa's I brought you doing?
110%!!! 
The new T5 light is also working like a bomb!! Allot less white light in my system. I also only run the MH lights for 3 and a half hours a day. Since then my algea problems have gone out the window!!
Allot less white light in my system. I also only run the MH lights for 3 and a half hours a day. Since then my algea problems have gone out the window!!
SCHWEEEET!!! Glad to hear - I actually added more light to my tank though. Replaced a Actinic Plus with another 14000K T5 - the Shrooms etc was sturggling, but they are all doing better!!!
PS: Last night I reaped another 2litre ice cream container of pea's from my veggie garden from the same stools!!!! Wish my aquarium would grow that fast!!!
PS: Last night I reaped another 2litre ice cream container of pea's from my veggie garden from the same stools!!!! Wish my aquarium would grow that fast!!!
My word!! That is impressive. I hope you're not taking your bathroom breaks on the vegy garden.!! Or you should try that with you tank! Just imagine!, all those nutrients. Maybe your skimmer will start working!:razz:
BTW, the skimmer is 90% canned!!! My ATS is growing like mad. I still have the skimmer in the tank, but it is off. Will keep it a while longer just for backup, but my plan is to build my ATS above my sump, and make it double the size it is now. The ATS will be about 70-80cm longs.
That should really spice things up a bit!!!
Watch out for a TS1 skimmer in the classifieds soon...
That should really spice things up a bit!!!
Watch out for a TS1 skimmer in the classifieds soon...
Just thought I'd post this. This is what inspired me to do my tank, and what I am hoping my tank would like by the end of the year. This is so amazing.
Spotlight on Non-Photosynthetic Coral Tank
Spotlight on Non-Photosynthetic Coral Tank at The Aquarium of the Pacific. Long Beach, CA
Tank Size: Acrylic, 600 gallons total water volume. Stand-alone system.
Equipment: ETS skimmer, sump with a lot of live rock covered in sponge growth for natural filtration, & a filter bag. No refugium.
Lighting: one 250w 20,000K Metal Halide bulb
Water Temp: 76° F
Feeding: The tank is fed throughout the day on average hourly. Foods include: lots of Cyclop-Eze; Ocean Nutrition Nano Reef food; baby brine shrimp (nauptili); frozed mysid for the fish; and phytoplankton occasionally. Some days food is only offered to the fish.
Cleaning: Filter bag is cleaned daily, sprayed clean with fresh water – protein skimmer is cleaned weekly. We used to do daily 25% water changes when all the corals were closed, but now that they have adapted we can do two to three 25% water
changes per week. We use a hydrovac to keep the sand clean.
Coral Location: About 15 species of coral from Indo-Pacific. One or two gorgonians from the Caribbean that may get removed.
Most Expensive Coral in Tank: Dendrophyllia and Micro Dendros
Fish: Deep water fish mostly. Fathead / Sunburst anthias, Ventralis anthias, yellow damsel, firefish, yellow assessors, and pipefish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQoBnZe7URs&feature=player_embedded
Spotlight on Non-Photosynthetic Coral Tank
Spotlight on Non-Photosynthetic Coral Tank at The Aquarium of the Pacific. Long Beach, CA
Tank Size: Acrylic, 600 gallons total water volume. Stand-alone system.
Equipment: ETS skimmer, sump with a lot of live rock covered in sponge growth for natural filtration, & a filter bag. No refugium.
Lighting: one 250w 20,000K Metal Halide bulb
Water Temp: 76° F
Feeding: The tank is fed throughout the day on average hourly. Foods include: lots of Cyclop-Eze; Ocean Nutrition Nano Reef food; baby brine shrimp (nauptili); frozed mysid for the fish; and phytoplankton occasionally. Some days food is only offered to the fish.
Cleaning: Filter bag is cleaned daily, sprayed clean with fresh water – protein skimmer is cleaned weekly. We used to do daily 25% water changes when all the corals were closed, but now that they have adapted we can do two to three 25% water
changes per week. We use a hydrovac to keep the sand clean.
Coral Location: About 15 species of coral from Indo-Pacific. One or two gorgonians from the Caribbean that may get removed.
Most Expensive Coral in Tank: Dendrophyllia and Micro Dendros
Fish: Deep water fish mostly. Fathead / Sunburst anthias, Ventralis anthias, yellow damsel, firefish, yellow assessors, and pipefish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQoBnZe7URs&feature=player_embedded
Advice from the Curator for keeping a Non-Photosynthetic Tank: Most important factor is clean water quality. With the amount of feeding required the nutrient levels are going to rise so you're going to have to do water changes frequently in order to keep a good balance on the tank. Keep the tank closer to 76F degrees instead of 80F. Don't try to keep dendronephthya (aka cauliflower coral) in any home aquarium. No matter what they always seem to decline and perish.
Hehehe Warr... Trust me, once your daughters sees those nice pretty Barbie coloured corals devouring live brine shrimp like something out of a sci-fi movie, they would change their mind.
I am in constant crap with the wife and kids when I feed live brine...
I am in constant crap with the wife and kids when I feed live brine...
Just a quick update guys:
NPS tank doing great. As some know, I have (busy) sold all my softies (zoa's and shrooms etc) and I am now going 100% NPS!!! This means no more white light at all, unless I need some light on the "topic"...
New inmates to the tank:
I got a Sea Cucumber that is doing really well. He enjoys all the food, and pooh's like a "wors" machine...
I also got two more Chili Corals, one of which I am really struggling to revive. They were in a very bad shape from the LFS, and, being so long in the LFS, they didn't get the required food. The other chili is doing great, and extending and feeding well.
I also got two Tube Anemone's - they are jewels!!! Increased the substrate level where they are, and they are doing very well. Last night, my one Bangai Cardinal learnt that these are NOT suncoral from which he can just steal food... Checked the fish out for any major damage, but he just a small ass-whipping from the nem.
Yesterday I got a rare sun coral colony from Idol Marine. Was in the area and went to check the wave cube, so I saw this one small polyp suncoral. It is still a bit overrun by green algae, but good luck to them with 0 light!!!
Anyway, I already had about 60% of the polyp heads extending fully this morning, but they are also in desperate need of some HEAVY feeding. Amazing specimen though!!!
One problem I have been having, is my menella has closed down for almost a week now, without polyp extension. No aparant reason for this that I can detect, and even the Acabaria Delicata is doing very well, and it is a much more delicate gorgonian than menella. I am thinking however that it might be going through a "detox", as many softcorals do. I hope so. It was feeding like a demon, and I really gave it alot of food, so it can not be due to underfeeding.
If anyone knows what the cause could be, feel free to let me know please.
This weekend the last "other" corals are leaving the tank, so the tank will be a bit bare for a while, but I have spoken to Lanzo, and he has ordered me the following:
2x Black Suncorals
1x Rare orange Suncoral
1x Blue sea squirt
Very soon, this tank will look amazing.
PS: Thank you BOB from Idol Marine on your insight into the bacteria side of filtration. I will follow this religiously, as it made alot of sense.
NPS tank doing great. As some know, I have (busy) sold all my softies (zoa's and shrooms etc) and I am now going 100% NPS!!!
This means no more white light at all, unless I need some light on the "topic"...New inmates to the tank:
I got a Sea Cucumber that is doing really well. He enjoys all the food, and pooh's like a "wors" machine...
I also got two more Chili Corals, one of which I am really struggling to revive. They were in a very bad shape from the LFS, and, being so long in the LFS, they didn't get the required food. The other chili is doing great, and extending and feeding well.
I also got two Tube Anemone's - they are jewels!!! Increased the substrate level where they are, and they are doing very well. Last night, my one Bangai Cardinal learnt that these are NOT suncoral from which he can just steal food...
Checked the fish out for any major damage, but he just a small ass-whipping from the nem.Yesterday I got a rare sun coral colony from Idol Marine. Was in the area and went to check the wave cube, so I saw this one small polyp suncoral. It is still a bit overrun by green algae, but good luck to them with 0 light!!!
Anyway, I already had about 60% of the polyp heads extending fully this morning, but they are also in desperate need of some HEAVY feeding. Amazing specimen though!!!
One problem I have been having, is my menella has closed down for almost a week now, without polyp extension. No aparant reason for this that I can detect, and even the Acabaria Delicata is doing very well, and it is a much more delicate gorgonian than menella. I am thinking however that it might be going through a "detox", as many softcorals do. I hope so. It was feeding like a demon, and I really gave it alot of food, so it can not be due to underfeeding.
If anyone knows what the cause could be, feel free to let me know please.
This weekend the last "other" corals are leaving the tank, so the tank will be a bit bare for a while, but I have spoken to Lanzo, and he has ordered me the following:
2x Black Suncorals
1x Rare orange Suncoral
1x Blue sea squirt
Very soon, this tank will look amazing.
PS: Thank you BOB from Idol Marine on your insight into the bacteria side of filtration. I will follow this religiously, as it made alot of sense.
We want Pics!, We want Pics!!
Thanks guys. Okey, I promise some pics tomorrow. But now a FTS yet... Tank is a mess with all the "sold" corals lying around.
Okey, as promised (Tiger and Nemo), here are some pics. Not the best thought, as I had to take them this morning and I didn't have much time to get the best shot I could.
Here is the Tube Anemone. You will notice Cyclop-Eeze in its' labial tentacles, and you can see how a feeding tentacle is feeding the labial tentacles on the righthand side of the anemone. This anemone didn't touch the piece of LR next to it two days ago, and now it does - so it really is extending very well after a few days of good feeding.
Below is the new Sun Coral I got from Idol Marine. Still very overrun with GHA, but they are dying off quite fast without light. This colony is not opening up 100% yet, but last night (when I had the time) I saw it opening up quite well after feeding.
This is a unique specimen, as it is a small polyp suncoral. The biggest they get is max about the size of a 10c coin, but generally even smaller than that. Although not the best looking Sun Coral of them all, but a unique addition to a NPS system I think.
I did not have time to take photos of the new Chili's and the Sea Cucumber, but I will attempt this tonight and post.
Here is the Tube Anemone. You will notice Cyclop-Eeze in its' labial tentacles, and you can see how a feeding tentacle is feeding the labial tentacles on the righthand side of the anemone. This anemone didn't touch the piece of LR next to it two days ago, and now it does - so it really is extending very well after a few days of good feeding.
Below is the new Sun Coral I got from Idol Marine. Still very overrun with GHA, but they are dying off quite fast without light. This colony is not opening up 100% yet, but last night (when I had the time) I saw it opening up quite well after feeding.
This is a unique specimen, as it is a small polyp suncoral. The biggest they get is max about the size of a 10c coin, but generally even smaller than that. Although not the best looking Sun Coral of them all, but a unique addition to a NPS system I think.
I did not have time to take photos of the new Chili's and the Sea Cucumber, but I will attempt this tonight and post.
