Juiceman Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 My recent status sparked a lot of questions and comments so I figured I'd make a thread about it. On a suggestion from Ty who has EXCELLENT polyp extension, I removed my filter pad from my SUMP. This intern left only skimming as my source of mechanical filtration. I have since seen a significant change in polyp extension. I took a few pics to illustrate. I've had both of these for 6+ months so they were definitely used to my system prior to the filter removal. Before After Before After There have been no changes in flow, or anything else. That being said, I would not reccommend trying this in your system unless you are already stable and have little to no Nitrates or Phosphates. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainK Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Very interesting, maybe excess food is not being caught making them think it's time to feed. Are you going to continue to run without a filter pad? I would be curious to see if the polyp extension remained the same after a week or two without the pad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Very interesting, maybe excess food is not being caught making them think it's time to feed. Are you going to continue to run without a filter pad? I would be curious to see if the polyp extension remained the same after a week or two without the pad. I've been without the pad for 3 weeks now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 That's interesting. I removed my pads thee weeks ago as I moved everything to a temporary 40 breeder. All my polyps are really out in the morning before lights on. My acans are even reaching out. So I turned on one light to see and everything was feeding. They retract some when the mp10 kicks on. Also I'm not running a skimmer right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I remembered some obscure lecture in one of my classes about the amount of energy expended to extend polyps... if there was no net payoff for the amount of energy expended, that it was not in the coral's advantage to extend the polyps. So I figured, no detritus in the water column, the polyps would have no reason to extend... then the opposite must be true. I appreciate all who added their results and for Rory to bring it to light. I like it when we all have an opportunity to learn together... the theory is nothing without the experiments to prove it. -Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 +1 on the stable nitrate and phosphate. I prematurely removed all my mechanical filtration when my tank was set up in its early days and I believe that contributed heavily to the problems I have had. I now just use one very course sponge on my overflow drain pipe that is changed daily. It gets filled with Dinos an gunk. I'm afraid to stop using it! It catches quite a bit of smelly slime every day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Agreed! Good catch! I believe most doing this have a pretty aggressive formula for removing nitrates and phosphates and an oversized skimmer. If your system is balanced, I would always hesitate to upset that balance. Just shot a PE (polyp extension) video with my phone, sorry for the cruddy quality but I figured a visual would be appropriate. Just a quick note, you can see the detritus in the video very clearly. The video actually over emphasizes it, it's not nearly that bad in person. I've actually gotten more comments on how clear my water looks then anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 I can't see the video Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 That's weird, it pops right up on my computer. It however, does not pop up on my android phone. You browsing through your phone? -Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Yeah, I'll try my comp later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Worked fine on my computer, idk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshel1217 Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 maybe a stupid question but do corals eat poop? If so wouldnt extra polyp extension help reduce poop build up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Tangs are a coral reefs' own personal fertlizing crew. Haha. They do but even after the poop is eaten, there is still wastes once the coral digests what it can use and excretes it back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I've been pooping in my tank for about a year now, and the corals and visitors to my house are not impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 HAAAA!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Monnat Jr Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I've been pooping in my tank for about a year now, and the corals and visitors to my house are not impressed. Obviously, you need more Rod's Food in your diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 you need a jenkem reactor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 my nutriants are totally reduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I've found if you cut back on the amount of corn in your diet, its less noticeable to guests. When they ask, just tell them it's a rare brown sea cuke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Yal are gross 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I have to say, I'm very impressed with the polyp extension. Though I wish I'd thought about checking my nitrates before pulling out the sponge. Nothing seems to be going terribly wrong... yet.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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