Japanese style reef tank

[Takaki1980]

I cleaned the sump and refugium as the summer vacation ended.
The detritus had accumulated quite a bit, but most importantly, there were a lot of little white shells on it that were unsightly. I didn't have any citric acid in the house, so I rinsed them in water, but it didn't remove everything.I'll clean it up with citric acid next time. I also threw out two-thirds of the rifugium seaweed and started again.

Before cleaning

After cleaning

Cats, water plants and coral.and my daughter.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

WOW!! Following!!

Takaki gets my vote as the most beautiful aquascape and tank of all!

 

[Takaki1980]

Takaki gets my vote as the most beautiful aquascape and tank of all!

That's a huge compliment. I'm sure there are plenty of people on R2R who have more great tanks, but thanks!

 

[SkiCatTX]

I cleaned the sump and refugium as the summer vacation ended.
The detritus had accumulated quite a bit, but most importantly, there were a lot of little white shells on it that were unsightly. I didn't have any citric acid in the house, so I rinsed them in water, but it didn't remove everything.I'll clean it up with citric acid next time. I also threw out two-thirds of the rifugium seaweed and started again.

Before cleaning

After cleaning

Cats, water plants and coral.and my daughter.

All looking good!

 

[TDEcoral]

I can vouch for that. I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan for 3 years in the mid 90's and it is where I got my SCUBA license. I miss it so much!

I lived in Oki for more than 4 years while in the Navy (2009 - 14). It's an awesome place and I hope to go back sometime soon with my fiancée. I was already into reef tanks before being stationed there, so it was a dream come true to be able to spend so much of my free time snorkeling the reefs. Sunabe Seawall was one of my favorite places because it was close and there was a huge variety of corals. The Kerama Islands are beautiful too. My command sucked though and really put a damper on my experience in Oki. Towards the end of my enlistment I was ready to get the hell out of there.

 

[Takaki1980]

Video upload test.

 

[Takaki1980]

Video upload test.

Youtube videos are fine.But I couldn't get the embedded videos to work.

 

[nornicle]

It’s amazing to see such a thriving young tank, how did you get the information to set up your tank, is there a japanese forum or a local hobbyist/ store?

I ask this because you seem to have planned everything meticulously and have all the ‘key’ ingredients in place (eg a calcium reactor).

 

[Takaki1980]

It’s amazing to see such a thriving young tank, how did you get the information to set up your tank, is there a japanese forum or a local hobbyist/ store?

I ask this because you seem to have planned everything meticulously and have all the ‘key’ ingredients in place (eg a calcium reactor).

I researched the internet for information on reef tanks.Various senior reefers in Japan have written up their own great setups on their blogs.And there are some great HOWTO websites that provide information to beginners.

It took me about 6 months to gather the information and plan it carefully.I started out by learning about the different types of systems.The Berlin System, the Deep Sand Bed System, the Monaco Natural System, and of course the zeobit system, RedSea's reef care program（RPC）, and the bacterio-plankton system.
I then decided on the direction I wanted to go in (I went with the orthodox based RedSea RCP) and then I gathered the devices I needed or made my own.Since equipment is very expensive in Japan and I enjoy making my own, I decided to make my own equipment as much as I could.
For example, to make my own sump, I did a google image search and collected lots of pictures of redsea sump's and original sump's from American shops to figure out their construction and function.
For example, I didn't know about the existence of refugium and the structure of the sump to regulate the water level and keep it constant, so it was a very exciting experience with many discoveries and surprises.

I've always been a nature aquarium hobbyist, but I think reef tanks are an even deeper and exciting hobby.

 

[Daniel]

Just went through all 8 pages of this great build. Thanks for sharing your journey and providing such informative write-ups. It's inspirational to see the differences of reef-keeping in different countries ... but one thing doesn't change, and that's the avid enthusiast ... last video post was great!

 

[Takaki1980]

Just went through all 8 pages of this great build. Thanks for sharing your journey and providing such informative write-ups. It's inspirational to see the differences of reef-keeping in different countries ... but one thing doesn't change, and that's the avid enthusiast ... last video post was great!

Thanks for reading the many pages.I'll keep you posted on Japanese reef tank builds, so stay tuned!

 

[Minhdh]

This is what the inside of the aquarium stand looks like, with the HVAC ducts in the way on the right side.I made a plan to avoid the ducts.

very neat setup!

 

[forestsofkelp]

Thanks for the comment! The last catfish lived for 13 years!Long life! ;Cat

I don't know how to handle freshwater in R2R, but if allowed, I'd love to exchange ideas with a member who has a great reef tank.

In a nature aquarium, we divide the aquascape into foreground, mid-range, and backgrounds and plant aquatic plants that are appropriate for each characteristic.Even in a reef tank, the layout is based on the amount of light required by the coral, but there are some similarities. The method of planting plants in a specific section with narrowed down types is not often seen in coral tanks.It might be interesting to try it.

I would be more than happy to exchange ideas. As a nature aquarium fan I have long considered how to apply Mr Amano’s philosophies to reef tanks, which have much more broad colors, as well as bring the ideas of balance and rock structure into play.

 

[Okinawa_reefer]

Very beautiful tanks Takaki-san! I lived in Oki for 6 years and I am dying to get back there! As soon as the travel restrictions are lifted I plan to make a visit. I lived in Sunabe and I would visit Pet Box at least once a week. I remember visiting a coral farm near Naha, but I can't remember who owned it. I'll have to see if I can dig up some old photos of my visit there. I do remember he had a LOT clams that he was growing. Most of his farm was setup in a greenhouse.

Thanks for sharing your reefing journey. I'm definitely following along.

 

[Takaki1980]

I would be more than happy to exchange ideas. As a nature aquarium fan I have long considered how to apply Mr Amano’s philosophies to reef tanks, which have much more broad colors, as well as bring the ideas of balance and rock structure into play.

In the early days, when flowery layouts were still the norm, Amano created a landscape layout with a narrower selection of water plants.It might be interesting to make a layout of coral aquarium by narrowing down the kind of coral.
In addition, the balance of the Japanese garden's rock arrangements and the ideas of foreground, middle and background may be applied to coral tanks right away.
A star polyp meadow, for example, would be a nice touch.

 

[Takaki1980]

Very beautiful tanks Takaki-san! I lived in Oki for 6 years and I am dying to get back there! As soon as the travel restrictions are lifted I plan to make a visit. I lived in Sunabe and I would visit Pet Box at least once a week. I remember visiting a coral farm near Naha, but I can't remember who owned it. I'll have to see if I can dig up some old photos of my visit there. I do remember he had a LOT clams that he was growing. Most of his farm was setup in a greenhouse.

Thanks for sharing your reefing journey. I'm definitely following along.

Thanks for the comment.
My sister and her husband live in Okinawa.The ocean in Okinawa is truly amazing!
It's so amazing to see a coral garden just a few dives away!
I'm going to visit my sister and her husband in Okinawa when the travel restrictions are over!

 

[Silent]

Your build is amazing. I love how clean it is and that is why I must offer 1 very small critique. In the pic with the calcium reactor my eye is drawn to the fire hazard looking area on the top left.
Only because your wiring and everything is so clean is the reason I would even notice that. Really well done and I love the planted tank.

 

[Takaki1980]

Your build is amazing. I love how clean it is and that is why I must offer 1 very small critique. In the pic with the calcium reactor my eye is drawn to the fire hazard looking area on the top left.
Only because your wiring and everything is so clean is the reason I would even notice that. Really well done and I love the planted tank.

Thank you for your comments and suggestions and for taking a very good look at it.
I am currently running out of electrical outlets and am temporarily wired up.
I'm just going to install a dosing pump and cooler, so I'm hoping to sort out the new wiring when it arrives.
I'll be posting about that soon!

 

[forestsofkelp]

In the early days, when flowery layouts were still the norm, Amano created a landscape layout with a narrower selection of water plants.It might be interesting to make a layout of coral aquarium by narrowing down the kind of coral.
In addition, the balance of the Japanese garden's rock arrangements and the ideas of foreground, middle and background may be applied to coral tanks right away.
A star polyp meadow, for example, would be a nice touch.

I agree and I have seen several tanks that are xenia or hammer only, notably this one

I think the prior style of reef keeping (live rock, large tanks) was conducive to a collector mentality, but now with smaller tanks, dead rock/synthetic rock, rimless tanks etc, "Amano style" aquascaping is more possible. Another well known tank is this one

which personally really showed me what was possible with reef tank aquascaping. I think applying some of the freshwater techniques you mentioned, as well as Iwagumi techniques, could be really nice..my tank is about to be ordered and I am already trying to figure out how to apply these to reef.

Freshwater has a much more limited color palette, so its easy to avoid an overwhelming look. Its also easier to trim back plans and keep rocks clean.

I am also interested in adding sea grasses/kelp to the tank. Although reefs classically have no plants, many reefs I have seen do have seaweed in them...especially in the small outcroppings which are about the size of a home reef...and it could hide a coralline algae back wall.

 

[Takaki1980]

I agree and I have seen several tanks that are xenia or hammer only, notably this one

I think the prior style of reef keeping (live rock, large tanks) was conducive to a collector mentality, but now with smaller tanks, dead rock/synthetic rock, rimless tanks etc, "Amano style" aquascaping is more possible. Another well known tank is this one

which personally really showed me what was possible with reef tank aquascaping. I think applying some of the freshwater techniques you mentioned, as well as Iwagumi techniques, could be really nice..my tank is about to be ordered and I am already trying to figure out how to apply these to reef.

Freshwater has a much more limited color palette, so its easy to avoid an overwhelming look. Its also easier to trim back plans and keep rocks clean.

I am also interested in adding sea grasses/kelp to the tank. Although reefs classically have no plants, many reefs I have seen do have seaweed in them...especially in the small outcroppings which are about the size of a home reef...and it could hide a coralline algae back wall.

The winning entries for IAPLC 2020 were recently released.



I was amazed at all the great entries.However, many of the recent prize-winning works are diorama-like waterscapes... Unfortunately, the traditional Amano-style scapes have decreased.

The level of these works is very high and it is very difficult to imitate the diorama-like prize-winning works, but the style of incorporating perspective into the layout may be applicable to reef tanks as well.
I'm not a big fan of perspective scapes, though, as they are designed to be photographed with a camera.LOL!