- Joined
- Oct 3, 2016
- Messages
- 203
- Reaction score
- 91
Hello Reef2Reef community! My current saltwater aquarium has been up since September 9, 2016. Prior to going all out for new and large reef tank setup I kept a converted old freshwater 55g aqueon which I drilled and paired with a secondhand sump. About 8 years ago I inherited a trio of goldfish with a 10g aquarium, as the goldfish grew I bought them the 55g tank. The care of the goldfish brought my attention to saltwater so when the goldfish passed I made the switch.
Tank manufactured by Crystal Dynamics Aquarium - 72"x24”x24” custom 3 sides low iron Starphire .5” glass eurobraced, 18” reef savvy overflow - $2000
Lights - 2 Kessil AP700 lighting panels - $1800
Return - Vectra L1 Ecotech Marine w/ 3 outlet manifold and ReefLink - $550
Flow - 2 VorTech MP40wQD QuietDrive Propeller Pumps EcoTech Marine - $750
Heater - 250W Eheim JAGER Aquarium Heater - $30
Skimmer- Skimz Oval SV223 DC Internal Protein Skimmer - $500
Reactors - BRS GFO & Carbon Reactor – Dual & PhosBan Reactor 550 - Two Little Fishies (running biopellets) - $80
Dosing - Red Sea NO3O4-X 9ml daily, kalkwasser via ATO
ATO - Tunze Osmolator 3155 w/ 10g aqueon tank as reservoir, filled weekly - $200
Sand - Special Grade Arag-Alive! Live Reef Sand (6 - 20pound bags) - $234
Rock - Fiji Branch (100 pounds) - $380
Filter Media - 2 Plates MarinePure Ceramic Biomedia $68, 1 sock of marineland ceramic media, 1 sock of bioballs, 1 sock of biohome media
Filter Socks - Felt Filter Sock with Plastic Ring 4” x 14” changed every couple days
Sump - DiY Glass tank 50”lx15.5”wx17”h (water level at 12”) plus 10g refugium (separate tank)
I try to do 25-30 gallon water changes weekly. I use HW-Marinemix Reefer Salt Mix with RODI filtered water.
Parameters as tested 3/26/2017:
Specific Gravity - 1.026
Ph - 8.4
Temperature - 78
Alkalinity - 12.2 dKH
Calcium - 480-500
Mag - don’t test
N03 - 0
P04 - 0.05
I have started a youtube channel as well https://www.youtube.com/user/joshuatization to track progress.
Livestock history:
9/14/16: 1st fish - Niger Triggerfish purchased from LFS (added with ATM Colony = dead fish)
10/1/16: 2nd batch of fish - 5 Firefish (2 went missing immediately, a 3rd later on, 2 still live today)
Also, added a Pajama Cardinal fish and 2 Ocellaris Clownfish from the old tank which was running on life support.
10/8/16: inverts added - 7 Astrea snails and 2 Emerald crabs
10/13/16: introduced an Algae Blenny bought from my LFS
10/18/16: made my first purchase from liveaquaria.com - Rose Bulb Anemone, 4 Lyretail Anthias, 12 Trochus snails, 4 Carberryi Anthias and a Fighting Conch
11/2/16: 2nd purchase from liveaquaria.com - Blue Tang, Purple Tang, Powder Brown Tang (quarantined before introduced to the display)
2/10/17: 3rd purchase from liveaquaria.com - Copperband Butterflyfish, Linckia Sea Star (I did not plan ahead to quarantine and introduce the new fish appropriately and put the Copperband into the display; he was fatally injured by the Powder Brown Tang)
Along the way various inverts moved in: Blood Red Fire Shrimp, Peppermint Shrimp, Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, numerous Astrea/Trochus/Nassarius snails, Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs, Blue Leg Hermit Crabs, Emerald Crabs and a Giant Feather Duster most recently delivered from liveaquaria.com.
Corals:
ORA - Marshall Island Lantana Coral
ORA - Australian Delicate Acropora Coral
Neon Polyp True Undata - Aquacultured CCGC
Button Coral, Parascolymia, Orange (Tonga)
Elegance Coral, Pink/Purple Tip (Australia)
Green Pachyseris Coral - Aquacultured
ORA - Marshall Island Hammer Coral
Mushroom Polyp - Umbrella
Mushroom Polyp - Ricordea Green
Mushroom Polyp - Rainbow Ricordea
Torch Coral - Green Jade
Bonape Birdsnest Acro
Paly - Metallic Green
Brain Coral - Multi Red Flower Lobo
Brain Coral Green
Vivid's Neon Green Spaghetti Leather Coral
Red Monti Cap
Green Psammocora
Superman Monti
Purple Branching Stylo
Highlights Acro
Titan Palys
Sunkist Palys
CITR Red Dragon Frag
DTW Gecko Acro Frag
Shawn Bennet Yellow Tort Frag
Neon Green Polyp Toadstool
Vendors used for live animals: 3 LFS, liveaquaria.com, saltwaterfish.com, myreeftoyours.com, algaebarn.com, aquariumdepot.com
Vendors used for dry goods: Bulkreefsupply.com, marinedepot.com, amazon.com, myaquariumbox.com
Thank you for checking out my aquarium