20L Garden Reef

[Corsair]

The pellet/macro combo is thus far working very well at keeping up with a very heavy stock load. Even with all those fish, my nitrates are rarely detectable. I suspect my "max capacity" will be determined by behavior issues, not by waste processing ability.

Unusual or not, it's a nice way to go. The macro growth is moderate, and largely controlled growth-wise by tank inhabitants. The skimmer is running, but rarely produces any skimmate. It's mainly a glorified aerator, and a back-up mode of filtration in the event of a spike in nutrients. Most of the macro has been doing well, and showing consistent growth. Xenia, on the other hand, dies a slow wasting death in these waters. Just not competitive enough. I haven't experimented with fertilizers yet, but that's likely my next step.

Before the pellets, the tank usually hovered at 20ppm in nitrates. I added the reactor at the same time as the sump to reduce nutrients, make the system less sensitive to w/c frequency, and to produce food. I've discontinued using phytoplankton, and the filter feeders are none the worse for wear. I would imagine in time, larger zooplankton, and other critters will fill in the food chain with the constant supply of fresh bacteria to consume. Hard to confirm or deny that suspicion though.