How many of you use a plenum?

[weez1959]

How many of you use a plenum and is it really that different than not having one?
When I was setting up my new tank I was telling Steve (my coral vendor) about it and he asked if I had one and I said no, he just looked at me and said hmmm. So it got me thinking, should I have put one in or not? Pros and cons would be interesting...

[Reefland]

They are outdated, not necessary and can lead to problems long term (as reported by many hobbyist).

[kwchopz]

I agree. I believe the sand bed depth of the plenum to be the actual cause of nitrate reduction not the plenum itself.

[kwchopz]

I forgot to add though.LOL. I have a plenum. if you do it right. Whats it going to hurt?

[Ninong]

When I was setting up my new tank I was telling Steve (my coral vendor) about it and he asked if I had one and I said no, he just looked at me and said hmmm.

Was it an approving hmmm or a disapproving hmmm?

So it got me thinking, should I have put one in or not? Pros and cons would be interesting...

This topic has been discussed to death on this board and others. There are several articles written on this topic.

The bottom line is that plenums have not been proven to have any advantages over deep sandbeds without the plenum. Plenums can be risky if not set up properly but this can be said about any aquarium husbandry method. You can screw up just about anything if you're not careful.

[weez1959]

Was it an approving hmmm or a disapproving hmmm?

Disapproving hmmm, but he didn't make a huge deal out of it. But it got me to thinking anyway.

Not to mention I just bought an issue of "Marine Fish & Reef USA (2007 annual edition) and there was an article written by J.Charles Delbeek, M.Sc.,
Plenums: A Path Toward Thriving Tanks. It was interesting but I wasn't going to tear up my tank and put one in

Mainly I was nosey about how many had them and how many didn't.

[Ninong]

Disapproving hmmm, but he didn't make a huge deal out of it. But it got me to thinking anyway.

The plenum system was invented by Dr. Jean Jaubert of the University of Nice and the Monaco Aquarium back in the 1980's.

Not to mention I just bought an issue of "Marine Fish & Reef USA (2007 annual edition) and there was an article written by J.Charles Delbeek, M.Sc.,
Plenums: A Path Toward Thriving Tanks. It was interesting but I wasn't going to tear up my tank and put one in

I believe Charles Delbeek and his co-authoring partner, Julian Sprung, are somewhat favorably inclined to what they perceive as the benefits of plenums. In their 1994 first volume of The Reef Aquarium they discussed it and actually expressed some reservations, but Sprung has since written some articles expressing a favorable opinion of plenums. Or, at the very least, he did not say that they were a complete waste of time.

I sold all of my reefkeeping books a couple of years ago, but I remember Delbeek and Sprung including a photograph of a Jaubert-style tank (plenum) at the Monaco Aquarium that had very yellowish looking water. (That could have been cleared up with carbon in no time at all.) Anyway, they described Jaubert's method but questioned his claims, if I remember correctly. However, they (at least Sprung) have since written more favorably on this topic and Sprung himself has maintained a very small plenum-based reef tank that is pictured on the front cover of one of their books.

The bottom line is that there are some folks who like plenums and others who think they don't add anything and can be difficult to set up properly.

P.S. -- It is difficult to compare results from the Monaco Aquarium with home reef tanks because most of the Monaco Aquarium's tanks are "open to the sea" in that they pump in water from the Mediterranean and filter it before using it for daily water changes. At least, I think most of it is filtered. Don't quote me on that in case they're actually using unfiltered seawater for some exhibits. The Monterey Aquarium in Monterey, California uses unfiltered natural seawater from Monterey Bay every night for their largest exhibit. I believe it's filtered during the day but not filtered at night. I would have to look that up on their site and I'm not in the mood right now.

[scubadude]

They are outdated, not necessary and can lead to problems long term (as reported by many hobbyist).

DITTO! LOL wow talk about bringing up memories....My first reef tank I did a plenum and it was a nitrate factory.

[Papa Doug]

I was just in the city at the lfs I deal with. The owner has a 7ft. tanl, thats close to 300g. Not at the shop but his home tank. I have not seen it for a year or so, but it was very nice looking when I last did.

He did say, its doing just fine. Its now at the 10yr. mark with a plenum.

[Minh Nguyen]

I don't use plenum. Read this study here:
Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Feature Article: An Experimental Comparison of Sandbed and Plenum-Based Systems. Part 1: Controlled lab dosing experiments

[Elmo18]

I don't use a plenum, but employ the sand-bed approach.

Best,
Ilham