swannyson7
Moderator/Acro Aficianado
Excellence Award
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REEF SPOTLIGHT - August 2011
The Reef Aquarium of:
Mark Mikina aka "M&M"
Introduction
My name is Mark Mikina aka M&M. Thank you choosing my tank as Reef Spotlight of the month. When I set up this system I wanted to have simple, affordable, yet beautiful tank. It has been exactly one year to date, and this tank exceeded my expectations.
Who was responsible for getting you into the hobby?
When I first saw a saltwater tank, I always knew that one day I will have one.
How long have you been doing this?
As long as I remember we always had a fish tank in our house (freshwater). Two years ago I finally made jump to saltwater. This is my 3rd tank (started small with a 20 gal, then a 65 gal, and then my current tank).
Who or what in the hobby most influences/inspires you?
Looking at beautiful tanks of other people always inspires me to do better. I also love to come home after a day of work and relax in front of my aquarium.
What are your future plans for improvement/upgrade of the tank?
Right now I am looking into LED lighting, but I have no immediate plans to upgrade anything else.
Final Thoughts?
This is a great and rewarding hobby. It allows me to pursue my passion for fish & corals and I got to meet great people and create new friendships. Keep things simple and be patient, but don't be afraid to try new things.
System Profile
Display tank: Oceanic Tech 120 gal. starphire glass (front) 48x24x24
Glass or Acrylic: Glass
Stand: Oceanic Tech stand
Sump: Three chamber sump 36x16x16
Protein Skimmer: Vertex IN-180 upgraded with BB3000 pump
Carbon/phosphate filtration: BRS dual reactor with GAC,TLF 550 reactor with 750 ml of Biopellets
Return Pump: Eheim 1262
Water circulation: Two Vortech MP40ES
Lighting: Tek Light T5 8x54W (ATI & KZ bulbs)
Calcium/alkalinity/magnesium dosing: 2 part from BRS via BRS dosing pumps
Auto top-off: Aqualifter pump on digital timer
Heating/cooling: Azoo 4 unit cooling fan, no heater needed.
System control: Reef Keeper Lite by Digital Aquatics
Water Circulation and Flow Summary and Objectives
I knew this is going to be SPS tank, so I needed a good amount of flow. Two MP40ES set to Reef Crest mode on opposite sides of tank do a great job. Also setting rockwork away from back wall, allows water to circulate very nicely.
Water Parameters:
* Temp: 77 (winter),80 (summer)
* pH: 7.9-8.1
* Specific gravity: 1.026
* NO3: undetectable (Salifert)
* Ca: 420-440 ppm
* Alk: 7-8 dKH
* Mg: 1350 ppm
* PO4: undetectable (Hannah Checker)
* Ammonia and nitrites: undetectable
Lighting Summary and Objectives:
My objective was to keep light demanding SPS, have more control of color, and to keep the heat down.
Photoperiod:
10:00 AM: Blue Bulbs ON
1:00 PM Daylight Bulbs ON
7:00 PM Daylight Bulbs OFF
10:00 PM Blue Bulbs OFF
Filtration and Water Quality Summary and Objectives:
Having SPS that demand excellent water quality and also a large population of fish, I have an oversized skimmer, large quantity of Biopellets (I believe in bacteria removing NO3 and PO4), some LR in the sump, and a reactor with GAC. I try to do 10% water change every other week.
Tank Inhabitants—Fish:
Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurus)
Tomini Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)
Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
Blacktop Basslett (Gramma melacara)
Randall's Goby (Amblyeleotris randalli)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis)
Yellowtail Damsel (Chrysiptera parasema)
Vanderbilt's Chromis (Chromis vanderbuilti)
Scissortail Chromis (Neopomacentrus bankieri)
Starki Damsel (Chrysiptera starcki)
Pair of Oscellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Five Blue Head Damsels (Chromis limbaughi)
Tank Inhabitants— Other Invertebrates
Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
A Few Acro Crabs
Deresa Clam (Tridacna derasa)
Tank Inhabitants— Corals:
Tank is primarily stocked with SPS including various Acropora, Montipora, & Pocillopora. There is also some LPS including Acanthastrea, Blastomussa, Bubble Coral, Lobophyllia, & Duncan
Fish and Coral Feeding:I feed my fish 2-3 times daily, mostly frozen formulas, but occasionally live blackworms and pellets. I also feed sheets of algae for tangs. Since the biopellets do such a good job of stripping my water of nutrients, my corals looked pale at one time I dose CoralAmino and Lugol's daily. Since then, colors have improved dramatically.
The Reef Aquarium of:
Mark Mikina aka "M&M"
Introduction
My name is Mark Mikina aka M&M. Thank you choosing my tank as Reef Spotlight of the month. When I set up this system I wanted to have simple, affordable, yet beautiful tank. It has been exactly one year to date, and this tank exceeded my expectations.
Who was responsible for getting you into the hobby?
When I first saw a saltwater tank, I always knew that one day I will have one.
How long have you been doing this?
As long as I remember we always had a fish tank in our house (freshwater). Two years ago I finally made jump to saltwater. This is my 3rd tank (started small with a 20 gal, then a 65 gal, and then my current tank).
Who or what in the hobby most influences/inspires you?
Looking at beautiful tanks of other people always inspires me to do better. I also love to come home after a day of work and relax in front of my aquarium.
What are your future plans for improvement/upgrade of the tank?
Right now I am looking into LED lighting, but I have no immediate plans to upgrade anything else.
Final Thoughts?
This is a great and rewarding hobby. It allows me to pursue my passion for fish & corals and I got to meet great people and create new friendships. Keep things simple and be patient, but don't be afraid to try new things.
System Profile
Display tank: Oceanic Tech 120 gal. starphire glass (front) 48x24x24
Glass or Acrylic: Glass
Stand: Oceanic Tech stand
Sump: Three chamber sump 36x16x16
Protein Skimmer: Vertex IN-180 upgraded with BB3000 pump
Carbon/phosphate filtration: BRS dual reactor with GAC,TLF 550 reactor with 750 ml of Biopellets
Return Pump: Eheim 1262
Water circulation: Two Vortech MP40ES
Lighting: Tek Light T5 8x54W (ATI & KZ bulbs)
Calcium/alkalinity/magnesium dosing: 2 part from BRS via BRS dosing pumps
Auto top-off: Aqualifter pump on digital timer
Heating/cooling: Azoo 4 unit cooling fan, no heater needed.
System control: Reef Keeper Lite by Digital Aquatics
Water Circulation and Flow Summary and Objectives
I knew this is going to be SPS tank, so I needed a good amount of flow. Two MP40ES set to Reef Crest mode on opposite sides of tank do a great job. Also setting rockwork away from back wall, allows water to circulate very nicely.
Water Parameters:
* Temp: 77 (winter),80 (summer)
* pH: 7.9-8.1
* Specific gravity: 1.026
* NO3: undetectable (Salifert)
* Ca: 420-440 ppm
* Alk: 7-8 dKH
* Mg: 1350 ppm
* PO4: undetectable (Hannah Checker)
* Ammonia and nitrites: undetectable
Lighting Summary and Objectives:
My objective was to keep light demanding SPS, have more control of color, and to keep the heat down.
Photoperiod:
10:00 AM: Blue Bulbs ON
1:00 PM Daylight Bulbs ON
7:00 PM Daylight Bulbs OFF
10:00 PM Blue Bulbs OFF
Filtration and Water Quality Summary and Objectives:
Having SPS that demand excellent water quality and also a large population of fish, I have an oversized skimmer, large quantity of Biopellets (I believe in bacteria removing NO3 and PO4), some LR in the sump, and a reactor with GAC. I try to do 10% water change every other week.
Tank Inhabitants—Fish:
Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurus)
Tomini Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)
Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
Blacktop Basslett (Gramma melacara)
Randall's Goby (Amblyeleotris randalli)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis)
Yellowtail Damsel (Chrysiptera parasema)
Vanderbilt's Chromis (Chromis vanderbuilti)
Scissortail Chromis (Neopomacentrus bankieri)
Starki Damsel (Chrysiptera starcki)
Pair of Oscellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Five Blue Head Damsels (Chromis limbaughi)
Tank Inhabitants— Other Invertebrates
Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
A Few Acro Crabs
Deresa Clam (Tridacna derasa)
Tank Inhabitants— Corals:
Tank is primarily stocked with SPS including various Acropora, Montipora, & Pocillopora. There is also some LPS including Acanthastrea, Blastomussa, Bubble Coral, Lobophyllia, & Duncan
Fish and Coral Feeding:I feed my fish 2-3 times daily, mostly frozen formulas, but occasionally live blackworms and pellets. I also feed sheets of algae for tangs. Since the biopellets do such a good job of stripping my water of nutrients, my corals looked pale at one time I dose CoralAmino and Lugol's daily. Since then, colors have improved dramatically.
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