Amanda and Todd's 150gal

[Intricateart]

Our 150g over a 55g refugium.

We started our 75g about 3 years ago.It was basically a nice brackish tank with locally collected inhabitants.

Then we got the itch for a full on reef. We got a used 150g (was a snake cage) and resealed it. Then we built a tall stand that would house our 55g refugium. We framed the stand so you can see the whole fuge like a display tank.

We collected about 300lbs of live rock here in Florida,and enough live sand to make a deep sand bed in each tank. The fuge is filled with local turtle grass that helps with water quality.

Equipment: Mag-7 powering a DIY skimmer, Mag-9 return pump, 14,000k metal halide, 40w actinic, 5 20w bulbs over fuge.

Livestock: Six line wrass, Pygmy Angel, Pair Clowns, Yellow watchman goby, clown goby
Mixed Zoas and Palys, Pulsing Xenia, 8 tentacle polyps, Condy anemone

 

[Intricateart]

Amanda and Todd's 150g

Some pics of the stars:

6 line wrass inspecting coral

8 tentacle polyps

Purple ricordia

Our pair of clowns

Blue buttons

 

[rock_lobster]

Very nice setup!

 

[Intricateart]

All DIY. All natural. And built on a budget. Gets better everyday.

 

[revhtree]

Looking good!

 

[DaveMorris]

Do you run into any issues collecting locally? Here in San Diego everything is protected. Of course it is colder water here too, but still we can not just go out and collect specimens. I love the display of the refugium like that. So many of them just get tucked away in the stand.

 

[Flameback Pair]

Subscribed.

 

[Intricateart]

We haven't run into any problems that we could identify. I've spoken to rangers while collecting, to cops, and I've even run into the owners of one of the LFS out there doing the very same thing LOL.

 

[Intricateart]

 

[Intricateart]

 

[Flameback Pair]

Looks like your clowns are hosted by your condy. I didn't know they would do that.

 

[Intricateart]

Don't count on it happening. We got it after our sebae mysteriously died. They had a strong bond with it and seemed so lost, and there was nothing available locally, so we figured it wouldn't hurt to try. They definitely decided they were going to host it consciously, not instinctively- at first they would only touch the foot and then they stated suckling on the tips of the tentacles. Now they treat it like their natural home, but it took time. I think they fact that they had already developed a strong affinity to nems with long tentacles was the motivation.

 

[Pappy]

Looks great love the display fuge!

 

[Intricateart]

Thanks! Makes for a great hospital or time out tank too because we still get to see the fish.