165 Reef Wall

I've used cheap Viparspectra lights and used equipment from my service company to create my home tank. Once a year I trim the coral and do a charity auction with my friend at Reklaw Reef.

Aquarium Profile and Equipment

What type of saltwater aquarium is this?: SPS Dominated

Total Water Volume: 165

When did you start this tank?: Apr 1, 2017

What is your aquarium made of?: Glass

Aquarium Length (inches): 36

Aquarium Width (inches): 24

Aquarium Height (inches): 33

Aquarium Overflow/Drain: Drain Style (durso, herbie, etc)

Aquarium Sump: YES

Sump Water Volume: 30

Aquarium Stand: Oak plywood

Aquarium Controller: NO

Protein Skimmer: YES

Protein Skimmer Make and Model: Reef Octopus AC

Aquarium Reactors

Algae

Return Pump: Sicce submersible

What types of equipment are you using for water flow and circulation?

Wavemaker

Water Flow and Circulation Equipment List: 1 Ecotech MP60

Aquarium Lighting

Lighting Equipment List: Viparspectra 165 watt x 2 running 100% blue 20% white

Lighting PAR and Goals: I've never measured PAR. I try to crank the light as high as possible without bleaching coral

Dosing Equipment

Calcium
Alkalinity
Magnesium

Dosing Equipment Detail: Soda ash for Alk. Aquaforest dry mix for calcium and various dry magnesium mixes.

Auto Top Off or ATO: NO

Aquarium Heating and Cooling

I am using a heater or heaters
I am using a chiller

Water Temperature: 77

Heating and Cooling Equipment Detail: The closed canopy traps heat and requires the chiller to run in the summer. The 1/4hp chiller is in the cabinet and vented by 2 computer fans. The eheim heater will run in the winter

Frag Tank Details: When I prep frags for the auction, I pull the Chaeto out of the sump and put in eggcrate to heal frags

Additional Equipment Detail: Aqua UV sterilizer 57 watt is turned on for 6 months if I add new fish.

Aquarium Water Chemistry and Parameters

pH Level: 8.3

Specific Gravity: 1.026

Nitrate or NO3: I haven't tested in years

Calcium: 400

Alkalinity: 9.5

Magnesium: 1400

Salt Brand: Reef Crystals. It has been very reliable for me.

Trace Element Dosing: Red Sea Trace Colors once a week. Flouride and Tropic Marin Zinc block elements every day.

Water Chemistry Detail: I mix up a 5 gallon bucket of saturated kalkwasser once a week. I really like ESV brand. I them add 15ml of Tropic marin bacto balance to the mix. This is added via a cheap BRS low- flow doser running continuously. It raises pH, adds calcium/ alkalinity, carbon dosing, and top off. Since it is running at max speed continuously, it also eliminates the chance of overdosing kalkwasser or bacterial food. I run RO water through the line every month or so to clean it.

Aquarium Natural and Mechanical Filtration

Substrate: Sand

Substrate Level: Shallow

Live Rock Type: Live rock is old Fiji and Vanuatu pieces from early days in the hobby. It is stacked in a slanted wall that allows the fish to swim in the front lit part of the tank or behind in the shadows. I have noticed that providing many hiding places decreases aggression compared to more open tanks that I service.

Nutrient Export

Refugium

Water Changes: YES

Water Change Details: 45 gallons every two weeks. I have a float valve set on a water tank in my garage to stop at 45 gallons. I dump a 50 gallon bag of Reef Crystals in and the external pump mixes and then sends it to my tank.

Nutrient Export Details: Bacto balance carbon dosing with skimmer export. Chaeto and Caulerpa refugium in sump.

Additional Maintenance Details: There is a small powerhead/ sponge filter to pick up floating particles

Aquarium Tank Inhabitants (fish, coral, invert etc.)

Fish List

Anthias
Blenny
Clownfish
Dartfish
Dragonet
Foxface
Goby
Surgeonfish Tang
Wrasse

Total Fish: Gold lined Rabbitfish, Naso Tang, Bristletooth Tang, Scopas Tang, True Percula Clownfish, Dispar Anthias, Watchman gobies, another Goby I forgot the name of, Purple firefish, royal gramma, bicolor blenny, leopard wrasses, Tamarin wrasse

Coral List

SPS Coral
LPS Coral

Total Corals: 50

Invert List

Crabs
Starfish
Shrimp
Snails
Urchin

Total Inverts: 50

Livestock Detail: I like asterina Starfish. They are great algae eaters and I rarely keep zooanthids, so I've never had an issue. There is also small Nassarius snails and Trochus snails that reproduce in the tank

Livestock Quarantine

Fish

Favorite Fish: Dispar Anthias

Favorite Coral: Acropora

Favorite Invert: Urchins. The workhorses that make my life easy

Never Livestock: Palythoa. I have been to urgent care twice because of exposure at work. They are aggressive growers and eventually have to be dealt with.

Aquarium Nutrition (fish, coral, invert etc. feeding)

Fish Feeding Frequency: Multiple Daily Feedings

Coral Feeding Frequency: Other

Fish and Coral Feeding

Flake
Pellet
Frozen

What brands of foods are you feeding?: TDO is an amazing pellet and a must have for me. Calanus is great for the Anthias. Everything else is a mix of different brands and types. I feed Reef Roids occasionally

Auto Feeder: YES

Additional Aquarium Information

What do you think are the keys to your success in reefing?: Consistent maintenance and constant stability is paramount. Scientists are starting to quantify why it's important for coral health and the micro