swannyson7
Moderator/Acro Aficianado
Excellence Award
Reef Of The Month
Photo of the Month
CTARS Member
Moderator Emeritus
REEF SPOTLIGHT - November 2012
The Reef Aquarium of:
Marvin Dela Paz aka "MarvinsReef"
You can also check out Marvin's tank build here on R2R:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/23993-marvinsreef-110g-clownfish-anemone-tank.html
Introduction
I would like to thank Reef2Reef (R2R) and its community for nominating my tank to be the Reef Spotlight for this month. I have been part of this community since Day 1. I still remember the day I got invited to participate in a "thermos swap" for some of the hardcore Z's and P's collectors many years ago. Looking back those days makes me really proud of what R2R has become and it's been a privilege to watch revhtree (Rev) transform R2R to one of the best and biggest reef sites on the net. I enjoy meeting new friends here, learning as much as I can about reefing, and helping others when I can. Throughout my years of reefing, I’ve set up different tanks and have gone through many transformations. I was introduced in the reefing world by my younger brother (Mabisyo). He used to work at a LFS in the late 90’s early 00’s. Our first tank was a 29g salt water tank. At first, I only supported him financially but didn't care much about the hobby. I thought it was neat to have some nice looking fishes to look at. I was always amazed at his dedication to continually check tank parameters, do water changes, etc... I thought he was crazy to spend all this time to have tank. Little did I know that years later, I would become an avid “reefer.” Little by little I got involved by assisting my brother with water changes and I would ask him questions every now and then. A few years had gone by and my bro decided that he wanted to go back to the Philippines to go to school. This opened the avenue for me to get hooked on the hobby. Before he left, he taught me as much as he could and I tried my best to learn as much as I could, both online and hands on. That's pretty much how I got started in the hobby.
Fast forward to my current tank... in 2006, we moved to a house and I had a perfect excuse to upgrade to a bigger tank. I sold off most of my corals and fishes and started new. The current tank is a 110g, purchased from a local that was leaving the hobby. I would like to thank Poseidon and JuniorMC8704 for helping me pick up the tank and pretty much install everything for me. I'm not much of a DIY guy so I needed some help. The tank has gone through several transformations over the past few years. Now that I look back, I realize that I tend to change the theme every year. I guess I get bored a lot once I fill up the tank with the new theme... Haha. The progression shots show pictures of the tank during each of the different themes. My current theme is a clownfish & anemone tank. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea and have been reading about the topic on and off for a few years. I finally decided to try it out when I found a local breeder that could supply me with some nice Picasso's and Platinums (Thanks BriGuy31+). I was also fortunate to find someone local that has been propagating RBTA's for almost 10 years. I started transforming the tank last November, adding a few wild BTAs purchased from the LFS. In December, I was finally able to bring the 4-5 month old Picasso's and Platinums home. This current set up has given me the most joy thus far, especially because I'm able to share it with my family. My two boys have their favorites and they always look for them when they are around the tank. My wife even thinks it's cool to have a "Nemo" tank. LoL.
Let me throw out some warnings for those that are tempted to try a clownfish/anemone tank. First and foremost, do your research about setting up a clownfish/anemone tank. Read and ask questions to those that have had success in the hobby. But then again, there's no guarantee that it will work for your tank. The best thing you can do is just be prepared for whatever happens. So far, in this journey, I would say that the precautions I've taken have made my transition work. I have successfully added, in three separate occasions, newcomers to the tank. The established and dominant clowns do give the newcomers a hard time at first. I believe that they are letting them know who rules the tank and the anemones. Currently, I have about 20 clowns and over a dozen BTA's. Half of the clowns patrol the BTA's and the other half swim out in the open (less dominant) during the day. At night, all the clowns find a spot in the nems. It's been an amazing journey so far watching the clowns develop from very young juveniles. Hopefully, one day, I’ll have a dominant pair that consistently spawns with some juvis hanging around, just like in the wild.
System Profile
Display tank: 110 gallons (48" x 24" x 22").
Glass or Acrylic:Glass.
Stand: Custom made by previous owner.
Sump:36" x 18" x 12" tank with baffles.
Protein Skimmer: Reef Octopus SRO 2000-INT
Carbon/phosphate filtration: GFO in a Phosban reaction & Carbon in a bag.. soon to be in a reactor too.
Return Pump: Mag 9.5
Water circulation: Vortech MP40 in Reef Crest mode almost full blast.
Lighting: Aquactinics Contellation 7 bulb fixture.
Calcium/alkalinity/magnesium dosing: No dosing, replenished by water changes.
Auto top-off: Tunze Osmolator.
RO/DI: Water is purchased from Water To Go (12 stage system)
Heating/cooling: Ebo Jager 250w heater.
System control: Aqua Controller Jr.
Lighting Photoperiod
2:30 PM: (2) Blue+ ON
4:00 PM: (2) Blue+ & (1) Fiji Purple ON
7:00 PM: (1) Aquablue Special & (1) Blue+ ON
10:00 PM: (1) Aquablue Special & (1) Blue+ OFF
11:00 PM: (2) Blue+ & (1) Fiji Purple OFF
12:30 AM: (2) Blue+ (1) Aquablue Special & (1) Blue+ OFF
Bulb Combo (front to back)
ATI Blue +
ATI Blue +
ATI Blue +
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue +
ATI Blue Special
ATI Blue +
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