Nick's 360 Gallons Reef Tank with Angels

[xaflatoonx]

How much of a water change do you do weekly? Are you running UV? Dustin

I would like to know the same as well.

I am setting up a 280 gallon - and trying to figure out how much should change water on a weekly basis.
Also - have not bought a UV yet - but i plan to upgrade that in a year or so.

 

[luis carreiro]

Also, Nick can you tell us at what stage/age your tank was at before you added the angels and in what order. I do agree with you that having more mature/multiple SPS colonies can minimize the dangers of adding angels as opposed to adding them to a newer tank with frags or small/few SPS colonies. Would very much, some day, like to have a tank similar to yours with mostly SPS and angels

 

[Kmsutows]

Maybe you need more angels to keep them in check. ;Hilarious

Would you believe I actually thought of that and came very close to doing it lol. Only didnt because someone mentioned the chance they'd show the others to do the same! I have a goldflake that used to pick at the coral but doesnt seem to anymore but completely ignores the flames surprisingly

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Wonderful tank, wonderful fish, wonderful photography. I just have one question. Have you ever considered... a butterflyfish? (insert dun dun dun)

 

[RayMejia2016]

More greatness coming.

The kid is sleeping so I have some time to work on pictures.

You can see the trio of Regal angelfish

Dude love ur Angels. It is amazing. They all look so healthy. I’d like my next tank to house a few more Angels. I currently have one flame and I love him.

 

[Gablami]

Thank you for sharing your insights so readily. Since you have acanthurus tangs, I’m hoping you can share your thoughts on quarantine, etc, especially in regards to all your beautiful (expensive) fish.

And congrats on the new baby. I had two under two until recently, and it is just starting to get better.

 

[Kmsutows]

Thank you for sharing your insights so readily. Since you have acanthurus tangs, I’m hoping you can share your thoughts on quarantine, etc, especially in regards to all your beautiful (expensive) fish.

And congrats on the new baby. I had two under two until recently, and it is just starting to get better.

On this note... did you quarantine your acanthurus tangs? I had an ich outbreak when I brought my hippo tang when started my tank in 2015... after I bought a UV and swear by it. I have since added an Achilles tang who after a month got a few spots and I turned the UV back on and they went away... since then I added a mustard tang and powder blue and so far so good. UV seems to be a no brainer!

 

[this is me]

Wonderful tank, wonderful fish, wonderful photography. I just have one question. Have you ever considered... a butterflyfish? (insert dun dun dun)

Thanks! I have thought about a trio of Declivis but never pulled the trigger.

 

[this is me]

How much of a water change do you do weekly? Are you running UV? Dustin

I use regular Instant Ocean and buy those 200gallons boxes. Each of the 200gallons box contains 4x45gallons bags. I fill up my water to 45gallons mark and dump one bag in and mix it for a few days before I do the weekly water change.
I go through 12 boxes of salt a year and just buy them all at once when there's a sale on IO for $35 a box or so.

I run a Pentair 80W HO UV sterilizer with an Eheim 1260 with a ball valve 3/4 way 24/7.

 

[this is me]

Thank you for sharing your insights so readily. Since you have acanthurus tangs, I’m hoping you can share your thoughts on quarantine, etc, especially in regards to all your beautiful (expensive) fish.

And congrats on the new baby. I had two under two until recently, and it is just starting to get better.

Thanks!
I haven't quarantined my fish and I'm not the best person to talk about quarantine with. I've tried it and I did not like the result and I don't think I have the resource to do it right. Quarantine a tang in a 20gallons is borderline torture to me. What's more important to me is the following.
-Buy from a good source
-Use your best judgement if you should put that new fish into the tank.
-Get it to feed and feed it good
-Run UV sterilizer to avoid outbreak. I've wiped out my fish before with an ick magnet fish(guess which fish it was lol) and that prompt me to be more careful and I bought the UV sterilizer.

 

[this is me]

Also, Nick can you tell us at what stage/age your tank was at before you added the angels and in what order. I do agree with you that having more mature/multiple SPS colonies can minimize the dangers of adding angels as opposed to adding them to a newer tank with frags or small/few SPS colonies. Would very much, some day, like to have a tank similar to yours with mostly SPS and angels

Hi Luis,
This tank is a transfer from my 200gallons and it was already housing a trio of regal angelfish. In that tank, I think I waited about a year for the 1” frags to go into pretty good size colony. After the transfer, I then added a pair of Interrupta, after that was the blue line from a local member, then the flame angel which the Interrupta took a while to stop chasing it. In June, I added the 2” emperor angelfish.
I’m all done with frags. The only frag I’m interested in growing is this one.
Acropora Ethanis

 

[luis carreiro]

Love the picture. They will change your life. I have two girls, both in college. Best frags I ever had.

 

[Gablami]

Thanks!
I haven't quarantined my fish and I'm not the best person to talk about quarantine with. I've tried it and I did not like the result and I don't think I have the resource to do it right. Quarantine a tang in a 20gallons is borderline torture to me. What's more important to me is the following.
-Buy from a good source
-Use your best judgement if you should put that new fish into the tank.
-Get it to feed and feed it good
-Run UV sterilizer to avoid outbreak. I've wiped out my fish before with an ick magnet fish(guess which fish it was lol) and that prompt me to be more careful and I bought the UV sterilizer.

Yes I can see how having a large tank with large fish is a different situation when it comes to ich and other parasites. A lot of larger systems are setup for UV. I’ll have to plan for that in the build. Catching and holding all those fish is not a realistic option if you happen to get an outbreak.

 

[ReefParadox]

Sorry for the late reply. I haven't been logged in and check this thread unless I get quoted or PMed.

For sand, I've been using the CaribSea Aragonite Special Reef Grade Sand since my last two tank large display tanks and a variety of Caribsea sand in the past.
https://caribsea.com/aquarium/
For display tank, I don't like the sand to be too fine, ie. Oolite sand. The flow required for SPS will endlessly blow the Oolite around. Sand in the display tank is mainly for sand dwelling critters like leopard wrasse I like to keep. Therefore, I don't need it to be deep. My sandbed is ~2" in the display.
Be careful with sand that are too large. They're more likely to get coralline on and it'll look dirty in no time. I always see tank with large crushed corals have pink/green coralline covered the substrate.
My recommendation for sand in display is Special Grade Reef sand at 1.0 - 2.0mm grain size for SPS dominant followed by AragaMax Select at 0.5 - 1.5mm grain size for mix reef with minimal SPS.
I would use the Oolite and Aragamax Sugar-Sized at 0.25 - 1.0mm grain size for deep sandbed in the fuge with minimum flow.
If you want the sand to clear up quicker(and maybe cycle quicker??), they have them soaked in ocean water in the bag. But it costs about twice as much. I've used the wet bags in my smaller tanks but I didn't want to pay for it in the larger tank so I went with the dry stuff. Been too long to remember if there's any difference in cycling time. But to me, a newly set up tank will go into the "ready to give up" algae phase regardless until it gets cleared up with or without your intervention. I have not found a way to set up a new tank or a tank transfer with new rocks without algae showing up a month or two later on the rocks and last about 2-3 months. Most people will feel like giving up including myself but you just have to tell yourself it's just a phase.

 

[ReefParadox]

Hey Nick,
Thanks for the detailed info on the sand bed and fuge, and for all the new pics, just beautiful as always. I too have a juvenile emperor angel I bought about 5 or 6 months ago approx 2-3 inches. He's already pushing 5 inches and is transitioning. He eats right out of my fingers along with the tangs and copperband(who has turned into a little pig!). Like you my acans are gone except for 2 small remnants that dont dare get puffy. I have learned tho that he doesnt bother my blastomussa's at all so I'm starting a garden of them instead. My mille's are no longer woolly either, but the anticipation of seeing him (or her) in his full adult colors gracefully gliding thru the tank grunting at anyone who dares cross his path is so much worth the trade off ;Happy. I'm really close to ordering my new tank and can only hope I can get it to look half as beautiful as yours. Please keep posting more eye candy for us!

 

[ReefParadox]

And thanks vetteguy for the tip on the aragamilk!

 

[this is me]

Making some fish food.
The seafood market I go to didn’t have the cherrystone and I ran out of the main food for the fish. I bought these topneck clams instead. I prefer the larger cherry stone because it’s amount to more clams and therefore cost less. It’s the most cost effective and most nutritious for the large amount of fish.
These are really good to eat.

After I shuck the clams, I put it through a strainer to clean it up a bit. Otherwise, your tank turns cloudy when you feed.

Some Ninja action

Doesn’t take much to get good consistency.

Zip locked and in freezer. I layed a piece of cardboard so that it can be flat.

 

[reeksreef]

Beautiful tank, something I dream to have. planning on getting a 360ish soon. 96x30x27. currently running 90 with 20 gallon frag tank.

 

[this is me]

Beautiful tank, something I dream to have. planning on getting a 360ish soon. 96x30x27. currently running 90 with 20 gallon frag tank.

If you can stretch that 30" to 36", you will thank me later.

 

[SPR1968]

Fish always follow me around.

Beautiful pictures, stunning!

May I ask what are your basic camera settings for the fish, to avoid blurring with movement. I just can’t get a decent shot of the Flame Angel he doesn’t stop still! Lol