ULNS a thing of past??

Nereaga · 07/13/2019, 01:50 PM

When I left the hobby 10+ years ago, the hobby was transitioning towards ULNS. Heavy skimming, under feeding, high flow, no sand, weekly water changes. Truth be told, the most successful system I had running was BB, high flow, Low nutrient, and heavy skimming 100g mixed reef.

So is it a thing of the past?

I know it depends on the type of system/reef you are wanting to run. But when I checked out, it was skimmer VS skimmer wars and the start of Mh vs LED lighting debate. I just don’t see a ton posted about it as I remember 🤷*♂️.

hegeh · 07/13/2019, 05:18 PM

Lol. I guess people read the good old threads. Good skimmer and high flow are still essential. But people have moved/accepting LED and i have not seen people debating T5xMHxLED for a while.. haha welcome back to reefing!

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Uncle99 · 07/14/2019, 03:07 PM

Not a thing of the past but as you said, more in tune with SPS dominant regimes

JPMagyar · 07/16/2019, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hegeh

Lol. I guess people read the good old threads. Good skimmer and high flow are still essential. But people have moved/accepting LED and i have not seen people debating T5xMHxLED for a while.. haha welcome back to reefing!

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Lack of forum debate is not proof of acceptance.

paal · 07/17/2019, 07:12 AM

LED/T5/MH debates are still going on.
LEDs have come a long way the last 10 years, but if you truly want to provide the more challenging corals with the best light possible, a lot of people still swear by the old tech.

ULNS is not really as "hot" as it used to be.
I guess more efficient equipment over the years has lead to easier nutrient export for most reefers. Even to the point that many are now struggling with "too clean" systems: Dinoflagellates -threads are popping up like never before and it seems like people are talking just as much about dosing nutrients as they do about removing them.

reefgeezer · 07/17/2019, 07:48 AM

The numbers have evolved. 0 is no longer the absolute target. The levels are still low and depend somewhat on what kind of corals are being collected. Personally, my SPS tank does best when I can see just barely positive N & P levels on my test kits (Hanna ULR Phosphate/Salifert Nitrate) while feeding the tank heavily.

IMO, a lot of the problems encountered when maintaining low nutrients is the limitation of organic input or stripping of dissolved organics used to maintain those levels. I think the actual change in the hobby is that we've figured out how to maintain relatively low nutrient levels while not starving the system by limiting organic input.

07/13/2019, 01:50 PM	#1
Nereaga Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oley, Pa 19547 Posts: 1,513	ULNS a thing of past?? When I left the hobby 10+ years ago, the hobby was transitioning towards ULNS. Heavy skimming, under feeding, high flow, no sand, weekly water changes. Truth be told, the most successful system I had running was BB, high flow, Low nutrient, and heavy skimming 100g mixed reef. So is it a thing of the past? I know it depends on the type of system/reef you are wanting to run. But when I checked out, it was skimmer VS skimmer wars and the start of Mh vs LED lighting debate. I just don’t see a ton posted about it as I remember 🤷*♂️.

07/17/2019, 07:48 AM	#6
reefgeezer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 2,621	The numbers have evolved. 0 is no longer the absolute target. The levels are still low and depend somewhat on what kind of corals are being collected. Personally, my SPS tank does best when I can see just barely positive N & P levels on my test kits (Hanna ULR Phosphate/Salifert Nitrate) while feeding the tank heavily. IMO, a lot of the problems encountered when maintaining low nutrients is the limitation of organic input or stripping of dissolved organics used to maintain those levels. I think the actual change in the hobby is that we've figured out how to maintain relatively low nutrient levels while not starving the system by limiting organic input. __________________ John, Current Tank Info: In-process, 90 Gallon SPS Reef

07/13/2019, 05:18 PM	#2
hegeh Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 223	Lol. I guess people read the good old threads. Good skimmer and high flow are still essential. But people have moved/accepting LED and i have not seen people debating T5xMHxLED for a while.. haha welcome back to reefing! Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

07/14/2019, 03:07 PM	#3
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Not a thing of the past but as you said, more in tune with SPS dominant regimes

07/17/2019, 07:12 AM	#5
paal Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Norway Posts: 368	LED/T5/MH debates are still going on. LEDs have come a long way the last 10 years, but if you truly want to provide the more challenging corals with the best light possible, a lot of people still swear by the old tech. ULNS is not really as "hot" as it used to be. I guess more efficient equipment over the years has lead to easier nutrient export for most reefers. Even to the point that many are now struggling with "too clean" systems: Dinoflagellates -threads are popping up like never before and it seems like people are talking just as much about dosing nutrients as they do about removing them.