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melev

Melev's 280g reef - 5.5 years and counting

Rating: 5 votes, 5.00 average.
29 Comments
by
melev
, 01-01-2010 at 01:53 AM (18893 Views)
Summary
  • 280g Starfire glass Reef-ready tank
  • 150g sump and refugium built by me
  • Euroreef CS12-2 protein skimmer with two Eheim 1262 pumps
  • Lifereef Calcium Reactor with a flaky Milwaukee pH controller
  • Aqua Controller III to control lighting, heat, and log some parameters, available on the web and my iPhone (AquaNotes App).
  • 55g water changed every two months.
  • 100gpd RO/DI used for top offs and to make more saltwater. My tank evaporates about 5g per day.
  • Kent Sea Salt or Red Sea Pro, as I always have both on hand
  • For cooling, I have a 8000 BTU window A/C unit set to keep the fish room at a comfortable 74-76F, which keeps the tank between 79-81F daily during the hotter months of the year.
  • The return pump is a Little Giant
  • A Sequence Dart pump runs to a manifold that feeds water to many areas, include the Angled tank in my foyer and the Suncoral species tank.
  • 3 Vortech pumps create the flow in my tank, and are connected to IceCap battery backups.
  • A 6250w generator protects my system from power failures, which occur two or three times a year.
  • 14g quarantine tank for all new arrivals

Here are some of the water test results I've performed this year:


Nitrates have been controlled with Vodka dosing, which I've been doing for about 17 months. Currently, I dose 15ml daily.
Phosphates are controlled with Blue Life's Phosphate Control. When they measure >.25ppm, I'll add 150 drops late at night to avoid having fish swimming actively through the flocculant. By morning the water is crystal clear.

Here's a peek into my fishroom.


And here's a view of the livingroom the tank is in.


Feedings
  • I feed three times a day. Each "morning", 1/2 sheet of nori is quickly consumed.
  • During the afternoon/evening, some pellet food (AquaThrive by Reef Nutrition) is tossed in for the fish to chase and devour.
  • Every night around 9:15, thawed Mini Mysis and Cyclop-eeze is fed to the suncorals and then the remainder (or majority) goes in the reef.


Lighting
  • 250w 10,000K - 400w 20,000K - 250w 10,000K in Lumenbright Reflectors
  • VHO Actinics span the tank as well.



I love my iPhone's AC3 application, and use it all the time to check on the tank.


Spring - 2009

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Updated 01-03-2010 at 10:09 PM by melev

Categories
‎ Tank - Full Summary

Comments

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
  1. Midnight's Avatar
    maybe marc should come set up my tank
  2. melev's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Lukinrats
    Marc,

    Don't know how I have missed it previously, but I just noticed the two valves that are coming out of the back of your tank, about middle way up. They don't seem to go anywhere, so what are they there for?
    Those were drilled for a closed loop application, but because they are so low in the back, I don't trust them at all. Since the tank was set up, the valves have never been opened (nor have they leaked, thank goodness). I've thought of various ideas to use them, but nothing worth pursuing. If they leaked, all my SPS would be exposed and likely perish.

    Quote Originally Posted by Midnight
    maybe marc should come set up my tank
    That's no fun. Part of the joy is designing it yourself and watching it grow and evolve.
  3. Hat39406's Avatar
    All I can say is WOW! Very nice!!!
  4. Gkarshens's Avatar
    I bet that Toadstool would almost be too heavy to lift out of the tank now.
  5. Jkohuts's Avatar
    this tank blows my mind i want a mp 40 so bad i cant believe you have 3 anyone looking to sell one? hahahha
  6. Tumbleweed's Avatar
    Marc, I am going to start dosing VSV in my tank I was reading your Vodka dosing article and see that you drip your vodka in through what looks like an IV dripper. I made one of my own using baby medicine syringe air line tubing and a irrigation drip system shut off valve. The problem I am having is that once it runs dry if I add more fluid to the syringe it will not drip until I fully open the valve let the fluid run out and then close it up until it starts to drip. Do you have this problem or have an ideas on how to correct it?
  7. melev's Avatar
    That sounds like a gravity issue, which has to overcome a vapor lock. Mine works for days at a time, then I have to fiddle with it slightly to get it going again. You might try a gentle tug / bounce of the drip tubing to see if it overcomes it before you make any adjustments to the drip rate.
  8. DETANE's Avatar
    Mark I wanted to ask you if you have had any trouble growing SPS in your tank? Also whats the best salt mix you would recommend for an 90% SPS tank?
  9. melev's Avatar
    I've been growing SPS in my mixed-reef tanks for years. I enjoy their structure & color, but their growth is slower than if the tank was SPS only. The big leather definitely affected their growth.

    Salt brands of all types have worked well for SPS lovers. I've used Kent and Red Sea for years, but with my new tank I'm starting off with Sybon.
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