What's Your Opinion on Jaubert's Plenum Method?

pisces70

pisces70

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Feb 18, 2012
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Or what was your experience with it if you've tried it? I'm asking because we haven't kept a reef tank in about 6 years and things change. My own experience was that we actually had better luck with our 125g reef tank once we installed a plenum in the tank, it practically took care of itself with very little interference from us. We also used a Red Sea Berlin skimmer. We kept all types of corals with great success in that tank.

My husband would like to set up a smaller reef tank around 40-50 gallons and he plans to do a plenum again since it worked out so well for us before. His idea is to have two tanks side by side, one will be the main tank and one will have mainly rocks and marine plants for added filtration. I assume that both tanks will have the plenum. What do you think of this idea?
 
My first reef tank had a plenum setup. The tank wasn't very healthy but it didn't have so much to do with the plenum setup than it did with me not understanding the proper setup of a reef tank.

plenums aren't very popular nowadays. Through the years people moved from plenums to deep sand beds, and nowadays it seems DSBs are also becoming less and less popular, now being replaced with very shallow sand beds or bare bottom tanks. I think plenums can work if setup perfectly, but considering that the top sand layer should not be disturbed, it's hard to get the perfect setup. Same goes with DSB.

Personally I wouldn't use a plenum system on a tank, and would settle for other ways to reduce unwanted levels (chaeto in sump, good water quality, good skimmer, etc)
 
^Agreed! If you have a decent skimmer and/or a good size refugium (sounds like you will) or ATS, don't overstock, don't overfeed and are willing to do a water change, you should be good to go. I understand wanting to simplify but there are better ways to go about water quality IMO.
 
The only way I would consider either a DSB or a plenum would be if it were to be set up remotely, either discretely or incorporated into a sump. Unless the tank was a sand flat biotope of course.
 
Hi
I used a plenum on my first setup in 1972 mainly because that was the way it was done lol. I think for the average setup LR with skimmers either bare or shallow substate.IMO like trickle filters they become nitrate factories. If you're going with a "tandem" setup how about algae scrubbers?? Much depends on what you want to keep. Nothing replaces water changes IMO the more the better lol Good luck gary
 
Hi
So did you decide to go with this method?? Which way are you going to set it up?? Would save a bunch on the setup for sure!! gary
 
We're still not sure which way to go with it, my husband is reading a lot of books and taking notes. He's still in the process of making the tank stand, too, so it's nowhere near ready to set up yet, just researching for now.
Thanks for the help!
 
Hi
Be sure and tell us which method you choose . I noted there is still tons of info on the net. Everybody that I know personally as well as those in the fish shop are using live rock including me. So no way to compare. Good luck!! gary
 
garyfla said:
Hi
I used a plenum on my first setup in 1972 mainly because that was the way it was done lol. I think for the average setup LR with skimmers either bare or shallow substate.IMO like trickle filters they become nitrate factories. If you're going with a "tandem" setup how about algae scrubbers?? Much depends on what you want to keep. Nothing replaces water changes IMO the more the better lol Good luck gary
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A plenum in '72? If you mean an undergravel filter it's a completely different animal (bacteria actually) than a plenum. A plenum works on the principle of denitrification in hypoxic and anoxic areas of the substrate. Water doesn't actually pass through the substrate, but rather diffuses compounds to and from it. UG filters work on the same principles of nitrification as all other filters, which requires that the water passing through it be oxygen rich.
 
Hi
On the most basic level if you deepen the bed and no circulation under it you have a "jaubert" or as i always heard it called "Monaco" besides eventually UG will at least in part become a plenum. There are dozens of additions and tweeks to the system . That was the way i was told to setup the tank in 72 whaqtever you want to call it?? gary
 
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