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My
tank is a 180 gallon, all glass (72 long by 24 deep by 24 inches wide,
reef ready aquarium.It is my second salt-water aquarium. My first was a fish only
aquarium stocked with local fish of Baja, Mexico where I spent most of
my life in the sport fishing industry.Moving from San Diego to the East Coast was more than a bit of a
culture shock, but I knew having 180 gallons of tropical salt water in
my living room would definitely help me make the transition.This 180 is about five and a half years old and has provided
countless hours of beauty and entertainment for my whole family.
Philosophy/methodology
I can't say there is any
one methodology that is used in this system. Though I did start
the system knowing I wanted about a 6 inch DSB, 250 pounds of live
rock, and a very diverse community of inhabitants, I was not
trying to duplicate any one method.In the last 10 years of owning and being around salt water
aquariums, along with reading publications like Advanced
Aquarist’s, I have incorporated many different methodologies
into this reef tank.I
can’t say all have worked, but trial and error is a part of this
hobby.
Circulation
Circulation
for this tank is provided by an Iwaki 55 RLT for the return pump,
and a velocity T4 on my closed loop system.The closed loop system incorporates two ¾” Sea Swirls on
each end of the tank providing plenty of additional current.
Additional
equipment
To
keep the tank at the correct temperature, a Custom Sealife 1/3 hp
chiller is part of the closed loop system. I thought this might restrict
the flow too much, but it didn’t. I also have PinPoint monitors for PH
and salinity.
Lighting
I have an Aquaspacelite
that has been completely rebuilt and modified by Icecap, with
their ballasts. The fixture has three 250HQI electronic ballasts
burning 3 250HQI lamps, along with IceCaps single ballast burning
4 actinic 24w bulbs. The ballast is now remote, and the fixture
has a temperature sensitive fan that cools it. The MH’s are on a
10 hour light cycle and the actinics are on a 12 hour light cycle.
Filtration
The filtration for the tank is provided by an ETS 800 skimmer
driven by an Iwaki 55 RLT pump. The sump is 65 gal with 30 lbs of
live rock providing a place for copepods to breed.
Calcium&
Additives
I do not use a
calcium reactor on this tank.I'm
sure calcium reactor's work great, but I have never used one.I prefer to dose B-Ionic additives with a Spectra liter Meter.
I definitely use
plenty of these additives, and cost is a concern, but leaving the tank
for days at a time as I do for fishing trips, I would worry about using
a reactor.
Chemistry
My
Nitrite, Nitrate, orthphosphate levels, at the time I tested for
them were not detectable, I don’t test them any more -- this is
just me, this is not for everyone. I find just looking at the tank
tells me if something is a miss. I do test for Calcium and
Alkalinity once a week.
Feeding/regime
Feedings
take place once a day in the evening.I feed a combination of Mysis shrimp, Brine shrimp and
veggies, along with some flake food to the fish and invertebrates.The corals get fed every three days with a mixture of
frozen plankton .
Water
Parameters
Cal 420 ppm
ALK 8-10 dKH
Ph 8.0-8.2
S.G. 1.025
Temp 80-83
Maintenance
Maintenance on
this tank is very basic.I
do a 30 gallon water change every three weeks and test the water every
three days.I clean the
glass and scrape coralline as needed, usually every four to five days.Unfortunately, this tank is not situated in a location where
plumbing is accessible; therefore I have to do the water top off daily.When I leave the tank for a few days or a week I leave the
babysitter with plenty of R/O water.
Current
inhabitants
Many of the
inhabitants have been around for three to five years in this tank.The fish include a Yellow Tang, Chevron Tang, Sailfin Tang, and
Orange Shoulder Tang.I
should add that all of these tangs were added as juveniles and seem to
get along just fine.Other inhabitants include Chalk Bass, Six Line Wrasse, Square
Back Anthious, Marks Angel, Swallow Tail Angel, one Blue Reef Cromis,
and a school of Green Reef Cromids, 3 Skunk Clownfish and there rose
bubble anemone. There are also cleaner, peppermint and a very cool
harlequin shrimp.As far as
the SPS in the tank, I won’t list them, but there are more than 40.
The tank also has 5-10 LPS corals, 10-12 zooanthids and 5 types of Ricordia
spp.You might notice
other species in the photos, but for the purposes of this article I’ll
limit it to the above
How/where
I acquired my species
I am very fortunate to have a
fantastic salt water fish store in my town call Reef and Fin.My guess is that at least 90% of what you see in these
pictures came from this store.In addition to having an incredibly healthy stock and the
variety that I’m looking for, Chris Jessen, the store’s owner
has been a source of knowledge and guidance for me over the past
five years.The other
10% comes from trading with other reef keepers.
Anything else notable about the
tank
I don’t know if this is the most
notable thing about my tank, but I have not found the need for a
refugium.Not to take anything away from refugiums, but this tank has
tunicates, sponges, copepods and a wide variety of organisms
thriving throughout.
