120g SPS display 300g system

[nitro]

Corals are amazing, you got the touch my friend.

 

[Ed Reefer]

Congratulations on a most successful and beautiful aquarium. I am a newbie to Reef2Reef, but not to the world of aquariums. I recently purchased a 120 gallon aquarium and have been researching and accumulating equipment over the past year. I am about 6 weeks away from adding water. I have had fish only saltwater aquariums in the past, but am taking the next logical step next to be a full reef tank.

I marvel at your ability not only to have a successful tank, but also to maintain it with such a large population of fish. I like your "courage" to add the angels, as I have not read anywhere that such a feat would be successful in a 120 gallon environment.

I would greatly appreciate your strategy in populating your aquarium. What did you start with, how many and why certain choices were made. Also, what special considerations do you undertake to keep it a healthy environment for so many.

Thanks. I look forward to following your aquarium in the future. Once again, just a terrific aquarium and thanks for sharing it with all of us.

 

[usernam invalid]

Corals are amazing, you got the touch my friend.

Thank you

Congratulations on a most successful and beautiful aquarium. I am a newbie to Reef2Reef, but not to the world of aquariums. I recently purchased a 120 gallon aquarium and have been researching and accumulating equipment over the past year. I am about 6 weeks away from adding water. I have had fish only saltwater aquariums in the past, but am taking the next logical step next to be a full reef tank.

I marvel at your ability not only to have a successful tank, but also to maintain it with such a large population of fish. I like your "courage" to add the angels, as I have not read anywhere that such a feat would be successful in a 120 gallon environment.

I would greatly appreciate your strategy in populating your aquarium. What did you start with, how many and why certain choices were made. Also, what special considerations do you undertake to keep it a healthy environment for so many.

Thanks. I look forward to following your aquarium in the future. Once again, just a terrific aquarium and thanks for sharing it with all of us.

Thank you for the very kind words and congrats on the new tank. The 120 makes for a perfect size reef tank. Just like Goldilocks said not to big not to small just right.

My display is plumbed into the rest of my system that is around 400ish total gallons now. It consists of (3) frag tanks a large refugium and (2) sumps. So I'm able to handle a much larger bio load than a typical 120 w/ sump.
I have had the Angels since they were tiny juveniles and now are getting pretty large for this tank. The plan was always to re-home them into a larger tank once they outgrew this one. I wouldn't recommend anyone try to keep Angels in a reef tank. They are known coral nippers. I consider myself lucky that mine so far haven't nipped any of my SPS. They will eat any kind of LPS that mistakingly finds its way into the display.

When I was stocking the display I had know real set plan. Most of the fish in there I've had for a few years from my previous tanks. I'm lucky to have a handful of good LFS all within a short drive so when choosing new livestock I can see it in person and make sure it appears healthy and eating.

In all my tanks I try to have a good variety of fish that serve a purpose Tangs, Rabbit fish, and wrasses. Having a good variety in your clean up crew is always helpful. I have countless number of snails in all the tanks. Handful of hermit crabs, conches and urchins.

Hope I answered your questions feel free to ask if you have anymore.

 

[kevlow]

I have not read your entire thread but will do so when possible.

Could you share your dosing schedule? Are you on a program/brand schedule or on your own custom trace element regime?

I try to review your whole thread but start getting too excited. Got to back off.

Good Show!

 

[usernam invalid]

I have not read your entire thread but will do so when possible.

Could you share your dosing schedule? Are you on a program/brand schedule or on your own custom trace element regime?

I try to review your whole thread but start getting too excited. Got to back off.

Good Show!

Thank you [emoji106]
Only trace element I'm currently dosing is iron for the macro algae. Not following any programs or brands. I have tried a few in the past and never noticed a difference so to me it was just a waste of money. I know some people have had great success following certain programs it just not for me.
I rely on heavy nutrient import and export to achieve best colors possible by feeding the fish a lot and dosing KNo3 to maintain No3 around 2ppm. Export is achieved by all the macro algae, a lot of ceramic media in the sump, an amazing skimmer IMO and filter socks changed every 3-4 days.

 

[usernam invalid]

Recently rescaped section frags are settling in nicely.

 

[usernam invalid]

FTS

Shh Acros are sleeping

Some actinic shots a lil too dark

Over weight YT

bop

 

[usernam invalid]

Some random top downs

My ultimate Efflo love this thing

 

[kevlow]

Some random top downs

My ultimate Efflo love this thing

Fabulous photos! That is incredible symmetry on that red coral in the first pic. That is not often seen that perfect.

 

[usernam invalid]

Fabulous photos! That is incredible symmetry on that red coral in the first pic. That is not often seen that perfect.

Thank you [emoji106]yea it's got a nice tight growth pattern on it so it's almost impossible to frag so I just let it grow. The color is actually pink with blue n green but color gets washed out a bit with the phone.

This is what it looked like about a year ago

 

[kevlow]

Thank you [emoji106]yea it's got a nice tight growth pattern on it so it's almost impossible to frag so I just let it grow. The color is actually pink with blue n green but color gets washed out a bit with the phone.

This is what it looked like about a year ago

Oh my. That is serious growth and color improvement.

 

[usernam invalid]

Took a few pics of the colonies under the radiums in my grow out tank

 

[usernam invalid]

Some quick top downs

This section of frags starting to settle in nicely

 

[usernam invalid]

Not much to update tank just chugging along. Dealing with a bit of cyano in the system now usually seems to pop up every spring and go away in a few weeks not taking any drastic measures to rid it.

Grow out tank that my colonies are in starting to get a bit cramped. Have plans in the making to overhaul the entire system over the summer.

Frag tank getting stuffed waiting for Reefapalooza in June

 

[kevlow]

Stunning. But this is what I expect when I view your thread.

Any updates on dosing or husbandry ?

 

[usernam invalid]

Stunning. But this is what I expect when I view your thread.

Any updates on dosing or husbandry ?

Thanks man [emoji106]
Everything still pretty much the same
For the last few months. Last thing that was added was a Kalk reactor to help with low PH issues caused by the calcium reactor.
I like to call them the kissing cousins

Only thing currently being dosed is KNo3 and Magnesium.

 

[revhtree]

So much awesome!

 

[usernam invalid]

So much awesome!

Thanks rev

 

[reef80]

Some random top downs

My ultimate Efflo love this thing

Love your efflo...is it aqua culture or Mari culture? I have a colony of wild efflo that the tips are turing blue and coloring up. I wish mine look that...

 

[usernam invalid]

Love your efflo...is it aqua culture or Mari culture? I have a colony of wild efflo that the tips are turing blue and coloring up. I wish mine look that...

Thank you
It was sold to me as a frag of "ultimate Efflo" a few years back at a swap.
The maricultured, aquacultured, wild collected debate has always gave me a chuckle. At what point does a coral become aquacultured? Obviously freshly collected wild or maricultured pieces aren't aquacultured but how long does it have to be in your system before it's aquacultered? 6 months 2 years? If I cut a frag off a wild piece and encrusts the plug is it now considered aquacultured?