ZE Reef

240g total volume Red Sea Reefer 3XL 900 I started this tank around mid February of 2024, live rock and some livestock are coming from a previous tank that had a leak, so I had a jumpstart at the very beginning.

Aquarium Profile and Equipment

What type of saltwater aquarium is this?: Mixed Reef

Total Water Volume: 240

When did you start this tank?: Feb 12, 2024

What is your aquarium made of?: Glass

Aquarium Length (inches): 79

Aquarium Width (inches): 25.6

Aquarium Height (inches): 25.6

Aquarium Overflow/Drain: Internal Overflow

Aquarium Sump: YES

Sump Water Volume: 48

Aquarium Stand: Heavy duty plywood cabinet with quick release cabinet door hinges

Aquarium Controller: YES

Aquarium Controller Make and Model: Neptune Apex A3 Pro System
1 EB832, 3 EB8, LDK, WXM
Neptune Trident

Protein Skimmer: YES

Protein Skimmer Make and Model: Octo Regal 150S

Aquarium Reactors

Biopellet

Return Pump: Sicce Syncra SDC 9.0 set at 50%

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

Powerhead
Wavemaker

Water Flow and Circulation Equipment List: 4 Ecotech Vortech MP40
2 Red Sea Reefwave 45
3 Tunze Turbelle Nanostream for flow in the sump

Aquarium Lighting

Lighting Equipment List: 5 Red Sea Reefled 160S
1 Red Sea Reefled 90 for sump extension frag tank
1 AI Prime for extra light in the sump extension frag tank

Lighting PAR and Goals: Average of 200 PAR at the sand bed
200-300 PAR at the middle
300-350 Par at the top of the rocks

I am very pleased at the PAR levels I have now because the SPS are growing and the rest of the corals seem to be happy so I'm not changing anything yet.

Dosing Equipment

Calcium
Alkalinity
Magnesium
Other

Dosing Equipment Detail: I have 3 Neptune DOS to dose AFR and individual dosing for Alk, Cal, and Mag. I use all the other available dosing heads for Red Sea AB+ and sometimes Acro-power. I also have a Red Sea Reefdose 4 to exclusively dose Red Sea Trace Colors.

Auto Top Off or ATO: YES

Aquarium Heating and Cooling

I am using a heater or heaters

Water Temperature: 79

Heating and Cooling Equipment Detail: 2x 500w IM Helio heaters
2x 300w BRS Titanium heaters controlled by an Inkbird and plugged into an EB8 for redundancy

Additional Equipment Detail: Avast Marine Works Mutiny Ozone Reactor 2.1with air scrubber and silencer upgrade
Octo BR1000SS Biopellet Reactor
Aqua Ultraviolet Classic UV 57w
Red Sea ReefATO+
Red Sea Reefmat 1200
XP Aqua RO/DI Flood Guardian
10g Custom-made Acrylic RODI water reservoir
5-stage RO/DI water filtration system with Aquatic Life Smart Buddie Booster Pump
Hanna Instruments Marine Master for testing

Aquarium Water Chemistry and Parameters

pH Level: 8.15

Specific Gravity: 1.025

Nitrate or NO3: 15-20ppm

Phosphate or PO4: 0.05

Calcium: 400

Alkalinity: 9.2

Magnesium: 1400

Salt Brand: Red Sea

Trace Element Dosing: Red Sea Trace Colors ABCD
AFR

Water Chemistry Detail: I will try going into Reef Moonshiners method in the near future for more accurate trace dosing

Aquarium Natural and Mechanical Filtration

Substrate: Sand

Substrate Level: Shallow

Live Rock: 120

Live Rock Type: I have a varied mix of rock types in my system but mostly Reefsaver and AF rocks, also have some dried Fiji rocks that were mixed into the scape

Nutrient Export

Protein Skimmer
Filter Roller

Water Changes: NO

Water Change Details: I only change the water when nitrates and phosphates are too high for my liking, I usually do 30%

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

Fish List

Angelfish
Anthias
Blenny
Cardinalfish
Chromis
Clownfish
Damselfish
Foxface
Goby
Surgeonfish Tang
Wrasse
Other Predatory

Total Fish: 25

Coral List

SPS Coral
LPS Coral
Zoanthids
Soft Coral
Mushroom Coral

Total Corals: 120

Invert List

Crabs
Shrimp
Snails
Clams
Urchin

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

Fish Feeding Frequency: Multiple Daily Feedings

Coral Feeding Frequency: Once weekly

Fish and Coral Feeding

Pellet
Frozen
Algae Strips

Auto Feeder: Trips Only

Additional Aquarium Information

What do you think are the keys to your success in reefing?: Patience and consistency are the two things that I always remind myself off whenever I bump into any problem with my tank. Patience as in do not rush anything, introduce something slowly and correcting something may take time so don't expect quick results. Then there's consistency, everything has to be topped off, tests should be a routine and there should be scheduled maintenance tasks. Being consistent will lead to more stability, more expected outcomes versus unexpected and lastly there'd be less room for unforeseen circumstances if everything was done consistently from the start.