Randy’s Tank Guiding Principles
The tank itself is actually my old 120 gallon oceanic, 4’ x 2’ x 2’, that has been sitting the garage since 2016. Same for the stand and canopy that have been sitting in the basement. Hopefully, they have aged gracefully and will still function as expected, even if they have many old battle scars.
There are several important guiding principles for this system:
1. It is intended to mostly mimic a very shallow reef. That mainly impacts the lighting, which will be far less blue than most reef tanks, and will try to mimic the intense sunlight spectrum of shallow water, which also includes some UV. A prominent tank creature is intended to be an H. magnifica anemone, which can handle very high intensity sunlight. My wife and I also prefer the look of a sunny day in the tropics, as opposed to the cold blue of a deep dive. I found that my first reef tank looked best when lit by direct sunlight at those times of the year when it could be. That’s the look I’m aiming for.
2. The organisms will generally be mixed, including host anemones, SPS and other hard corals, soft corals, and even macroalgae in the display. That mix brings its own challenges that I hope we can overcome together. The lighting choice also has a big impact on which organisms will look and thrive the best.
3. The tank is in our living room, and thus needs to be as quiet as possible. That drives some equipment and design choices. Sump is in the basement, a floor down, which again has some challenges but also big advantages.
4. The tank needs to be largely self-sufficient for significant periods of time since I am not always there. That need drives some equipment choices, such as backup power, auto feeders, a security camera, and possibly devices that can tell me over the internet if they are working.
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