My first Reef Tank, build and grow...
by
, 01-12-2011 at 06:05 PM (4091 Views)
Tank: 70 Gallon Oceanic tank
Sump: 20 Gallon Long
Lighting: One 250w Metal Halide, Four 39w Actinic T5HO bulbs
Filtration: DIY Built Algae Turf Scrubber
Pumps: Mag 3 Return Pump,
Maxijet 900 w/ MJ Mod Kit for circulation
Maxijet 1200 for additional water flow on Algae Turf Scrubber
Controller: Neptune Systems Apex Controller
Maintenance Schedule: 5 month and counting - no water changes. Dose Alk, Ca, Mg, Strontium and iodide. Top off with Tap! Clean algae turf screen every seven days!
(disclaimer - my tap tests as low as 20 tds)
Goal: Run a beautiful reef tank that has an extremely low maintenance schedule and break every myth and rule in the reef trade...
Tank History: This tank was given to me about 5 months ago, from an x-reefer who lost his entire to a vacation accident involving their cleaning lady, her son and a whole can of flake food. (I will say no more) It was in his garage for months until it was offered to me by his wife six or seven months later.
My History: I had been keeping aquariums for over 5 years now. Started as a fresh water community tank and grew from there. It then morphed into a planted tank, and then started breeding kribensis, to raising discus... I was then offered this tank setup. I sold all my old live stock and took the dive into saltwater reef keeping.
The tank was cleaned with distilled vinegar and elbow grease.
Fresh water and razor blades
Soaking in vinegar
Taped hopes in the overflow, which allowed me to clean the overflow. Filled with vinegar, cleaned out the overflow.
Cleaned Tank
The tank came with dry rock that needed to be cycled.
Dry rock day one
One month later
My algae scrubber build (at this time, there was just rock cycling in the tank) Later upgraded to the 20 gallon long sump.
Received Light
Added sand and some additional rock, I moved to a new house at this time. (its never fun to move a tank...)
Sump Upgrade, scrubber growing great
Skip ahead... here is what I have in the tank
Fish - Yellow Tail, Ocellaris, CI Flame Angel, Blenny, Mandarin, Sixline
Corals - Sea Fan, GSP, Valentine polyps, Orange polyps, Green polyps, Orange Ricordea, montipora, OCA Tricolor Valida Staghorn, Birds Nest, Duncan, Flower Rock Anemone.
Cleanup - Flame Shrimp, Nassarius snails, Turbo Astrea snails, Halloween, Red leg and a Blue leg hermits.
SO WHAT DOES MY TANK LOOK LIKE WITH ALL THESE RULES BROKEN? NO SKIMMER, NO RO/DI, TAP WATER, NO WATER CHANGES!?
YOU TELL ME...
<--lost to a rock fall accident