Why revision 1? I had this reef up and running for about 3 years back before 9-11. When the construction industry tanked (please excuse the pun) shortly thereafter, so did my paycheck. I shut everything down and have been staring at an empty tank since, hoping to get it going again. Towards the end of 2017 I decided it was time. Same tank, pretty much everything else new.
Tank:
o Custom built 48” x 36” x 31” rectangular glass tank with European bracing (roughly 220 gallons) built in.
o Sump: 100 gallon Rubbermaid horse trough (running volume +/- 50 gallons)
o Total system water volume estimated at +/- 260 gallons
Pumps:
o Return: Current USA Eflux 3170 gph w/controller thru (2) 1” sea swirls
o Supplemental circulation: (2) Current USA 2100 gph and (1) 1050 gph Wave pumps also controlled/set to pulse. (1) Nero 5 set to constant 100% volume
Other equipment:
o Finnex HC-810 controller w/800 watt titanium element
o Pinpoint pH monitor
o Neptune ATK w/optical level sensor in 30 gallon reservoir
o 6 stage RO/DI (Particulate/Carbon block/RO membrane/(3) stage DI resins Cation, Anion, Mixed bed to polish.
o 60 gallon filtered water holding tank
o 60 gallon saltwater mixing tank
o Homemade Neilson Reactor w/Liter Meter 3 dosing pump
Filtration:
o Skimmer: Vertex Alpha 250
o Filter socks on return changed out every 2-3 days.
o Biological filtration: +/- 200lbs mix of cured, mature live rock and Caribsea Liferock. 1” sand in main tank. Marinepure 8”x8”x1” blocks (6) in the sump. Recently added Turbo Aquatics L-4 Algae scrubber to the system (not yet fully matured).
Lighting:
o (3) Kessil AP700 LED light fixtures hanging 14” above the water surface running at 50% intensity at peak.
Parameters:
o 77-78 degrees F
o Specific Gravity 1.025
o KH: 8.1-8.3
o Calcium: 450
o pH: 8.1-8.2
o Salt mix: Tropic Marin/Classic Meersalz
-Water changes: 30 gallons every 2 weeks
o Additives:
-Tropic Marin All-For-Reef at 50 ml daily
-Kalkwasser at 2 gallons saturated weekly
Livestock
o Fishes: 12
o Corals: SPS dominant with some LPS. Some mushrooms and zoanthids.
o Inverts: 1 cleaner shrimp
I have just started placing SPS corals into my tank in the last six months. Started with a Pocillopora damicornis and a Stylophora pistillata, these were my canaries. When they were obviously healthy and growing I added several varieties of Montipora. I’ve now added +/- 10 varieties of Acropora, most of which have produced new growth and are doing well, as well as a variety of other sps species.
I had a massive clean up crew when I first got things going but I’ve reduced the number of snails to maybe a couple of dozen (mostly nassarius) and removed all hermit crabs.
I've purchased and am in the process of setting up an Apex Jr. controller and DOS pumps to perform 3 gallon per day automatic water changes.
In the near future I will be purchasing and installing an Aquarium Engineering Automated Calcium Reactor and a KH Guardian monitor/controller to automate alkalinity, calcium, magnesium and trace element supplementation.
And finally:
I recently (about 2 months ago) added a 30 gallon cube to this system. Plumbed into the same sump, utilizing the same filtration. The single occupant is a 4 1/2” purple Rhinopias frondosa (weedy scorpionfish). He’s fed strictly live food every other day (mollies/platties/glass shrimp).Nitrates in the system elevated slightly when first added but are back to negligible margins again.
Tank:
o Custom built 48” x 36” x 31” rectangular glass tank with European bracing (roughly 220 gallons) built in.
o Sump: 100 gallon Rubbermaid horse trough (running volume +/- 50 gallons)
o Total system water volume estimated at +/- 260 gallons
Pumps:
o Return: Current USA Eflux 3170 gph w/controller thru (2) 1” sea swirls
o Supplemental circulation: (2) Current USA 2100 gph and (1) 1050 gph Wave pumps also controlled/set to pulse. (1) Nero 5 set to constant 100% volume
Other equipment:
o Finnex HC-810 controller w/800 watt titanium element
o Pinpoint pH monitor
o Neptune ATK w/optical level sensor in 30 gallon reservoir
o 6 stage RO/DI (Particulate/Carbon block/RO membrane/(3) stage DI resins Cation, Anion, Mixed bed to polish.
o 60 gallon filtered water holding tank
o 60 gallon saltwater mixing tank
o Homemade Neilson Reactor w/Liter Meter 3 dosing pump
Filtration:
o Skimmer: Vertex Alpha 250
o Filter socks on return changed out every 2-3 days.
o Biological filtration: +/- 200lbs mix of cured, mature live rock and Caribsea Liferock. 1” sand in main tank. Marinepure 8”x8”x1” blocks (6) in the sump. Recently added Turbo Aquatics L-4 Algae scrubber to the system (not yet fully matured).
Lighting:
o (3) Kessil AP700 LED light fixtures hanging 14” above the water surface running at 50% intensity at peak.
Parameters:
o 77-78 degrees F
o Specific Gravity 1.025
o KH: 8.1-8.3
o Calcium: 450
o pH: 8.1-8.2
o Salt mix: Tropic Marin/Classic Meersalz
-Water changes: 30 gallons every 2 weeks
o Additives:
-Tropic Marin All-For-Reef at 50 ml daily
-Kalkwasser at 2 gallons saturated weekly
Livestock
o Fishes: 12
o Corals: SPS dominant with some LPS. Some mushrooms and zoanthids.
o Inverts: 1 cleaner shrimp
I have just started placing SPS corals into my tank in the last six months. Started with a Pocillopora damicornis and a Stylophora pistillata, these were my canaries. When they were obviously healthy and growing I added several varieties of Montipora. I’ve now added +/- 10 varieties of Acropora, most of which have produced new growth and are doing well, as well as a variety of other sps species.
I had a massive clean up crew when I first got things going but I’ve reduced the number of snails to maybe a couple of dozen (mostly nassarius) and removed all hermit crabs.
I've purchased and am in the process of setting up an Apex Jr. controller and DOS pumps to perform 3 gallon per day automatic water changes.
In the near future I will be purchasing and installing an Aquarium Engineering Automated Calcium Reactor and a KH Guardian monitor/controller to automate alkalinity, calcium, magnesium and trace element supplementation.
And finally:
I recently (about 2 months ago) added a 30 gallon cube to this system. Plumbed into the same sump, utilizing the same filtration. The single occupant is a 4 1/2” purple Rhinopias frondosa (weedy scorpionfish). He’s fed strictly live food every other day (mollies/platties/glass shrimp).Nitrates in the system elevated slightly when first added but are back to negligible margins again.
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