The deepwaterhorizon reef
Active Member
Named after the deep water horizon environmental catastrophe, my reef will (hopefully) be a mixed reef, leaning lps and sps over softies, with live and dry rock. For all of those Atlanta reefers I am also on ARC!
I have yet to determine my stockings list though I am almost certain that it will include a yellow tang, flame angelfish, and a pair of mated clowns. My plan is to do a fish cycle since I have live rock, with the clowns going in first. I have a few questions about the rest of my stocking plans though: Can I mix dwarf angels / pair or mate them and how should I best go about making a school of anthias fish.
As for my aquascape this is my current progress (not glued):
The inspiration for the scape comes from @akaimal. The idea is that the Tonga provides both habitat for fish and space to mount corals. The two back islands (shown in individual pictures above) are my main cause for concern. They are very steep and I am worried about both how they look and the habitat that they provide. I plan on having an anemone and I want a plating Monti in the back right corner as well as a Zoa garden along the left panel. The difficulty is in achieving enough height (1/2 to 2/3) for the back islands in relation to the rest of the islands which are meant to be lower in order to create a slope. Due to the width of the back, especially the overflow box, this means that height must be gained rapidly, leading to steep slopes which are difficult to mount corals on. It also means that the islands go right up to the walls of the tank. I know that I will change one of the lower islands from an arch to a cave in order to create more habitat but beyond that I am not sure what to do with the further back islands.
Forgot to mention: I will most likely have 15-30 pounds of live rock. There is also more rock not pictured, especially Tonga which needs to be connected to my islands which currently aren't glued.
For clarity my primary concern is with the steepness of the back tow islands and whether I can have a plating Monti, anemone, zoa garden, and enough habitat for my fish while still being aesthetically pleasing.
Tank details:
It is a waterbox 150.4 (four feet long).
Lights are Orphek natura (won one in a giveaway!)
Powerheads are an ecotech mp40 and two maxspect jump gyre's with the mp40 being mounted on the right panel and the two gyres on the back since the left panel is the most visible one when you first walk into the house.
I plan to replace the filter socks with a filter roller (most likely Red Sea). I will also have a refugium, a skimmer (most likely Reef Octopus 150 SSS), and a 25 watt Aqua Ultraviolet UV sterilizer.
My return pump is a Sicce SDC 7.0 and my UV sterilizer will run off of a separate Sicce SDC 6.0.
My heater is a BRS titanium 600 watt and my ATO is a Tunze Osmolator.
I have questions about cryptic zones for filtration: how should I best go about setting one up or if I should at all and what are people's experiences with them.
I would also like to know what everyone thinks about using a carbon reactor to raise alkalinity to increase coral growth.
Other tank details:
I will most likely use Hanna checks for PH, Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium. I've heard mixed opinions about Hanna checkers so I would like to know what everyone thinks about these. As for the other parameters I will use test kits from Nyos or Salifert.
The floor is reinforced with a wooden beam on top of two metal supports which rest on concrete pads.
My mixing station uses two brutes, one for RODI and one for saltwater and a pump. There is a tap for RODI and Saltwater and a pump to transfer RODI water into the saltwater Brute. It was built with much help from my father and I mostly planned out the equipment / what was needed.
I have yet to determine my stockings list though I am almost certain that it will include a yellow tang, flame angelfish, and a pair of mated clowns. My plan is to do a fish cycle since I have live rock, with the clowns going in first. I have a few questions about the rest of my stocking plans though: Can I mix dwarf angels / pair or mate them and how should I best go about making a school of anthias fish.
As for my aquascape this is my current progress (not glued):
The inspiration for the scape comes from @akaimal. The idea is that the Tonga provides both habitat for fish and space to mount corals. The two back islands (shown in individual pictures above) are my main cause for concern. They are very steep and I am worried about both how they look and the habitat that they provide. I plan on having an anemone and I want a plating Monti in the back right corner as well as a Zoa garden along the left panel. The difficulty is in achieving enough height (1/2 to 2/3) for the back islands in relation to the rest of the islands which are meant to be lower in order to create a slope. Due to the width of the back, especially the overflow box, this means that height must be gained rapidly, leading to steep slopes which are difficult to mount corals on. It also means that the islands go right up to the walls of the tank. I know that I will change one of the lower islands from an arch to a cave in order to create more habitat but beyond that I am not sure what to do with the further back islands.
Forgot to mention: I will most likely have 15-30 pounds of live rock. There is also more rock not pictured, especially Tonga which needs to be connected to my islands which currently aren't glued.
For clarity my primary concern is with the steepness of the back tow islands and whether I can have a plating Monti, anemone, zoa garden, and enough habitat for my fish while still being aesthetically pleasing.
Tank details:
It is a waterbox 150.4 (four feet long).
Lights are Orphek natura (won one in a giveaway!)
Powerheads are an ecotech mp40 and two maxspect jump gyre's with the mp40 being mounted on the right panel and the two gyres on the back since the left panel is the most visible one when you first walk into the house.
I plan to replace the filter socks with a filter roller (most likely Red Sea). I will also have a refugium, a skimmer (most likely Reef Octopus 150 SSS), and a 25 watt Aqua Ultraviolet UV sterilizer.
My return pump is a Sicce SDC 7.0 and my UV sterilizer will run off of a separate Sicce SDC 6.0.
My heater is a BRS titanium 600 watt and my ATO is a Tunze Osmolator.
I have questions about cryptic zones for filtration: how should I best go about setting one up or if I should at all and what are people's experiences with them.
I would also like to know what everyone thinks about using a carbon reactor to raise alkalinity to increase coral growth.
Other tank details:
I will most likely use Hanna checks for PH, Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium. I've heard mixed opinions about Hanna checkers so I would like to know what everyone thinks about these. As for the other parameters I will use test kits from Nyos or Salifert.
The floor is reinforced with a wooden beam on top of two metal supports which rest on concrete pads.
My mixing station uses two brutes, one for RODI and one for saltwater and a pump. There is a tap for RODI and Saltwater and a pump to transfer RODI water into the saltwater Brute. It was built with much help from my father and I mostly planned out the equipment / what was needed.
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