- Location
- Great Neck
Thank you for sharing those stunning pictures!
64Ivy's 500g SPS Dominant Reeftank
- Thread starter 64Ivy
- Start date
- Location
- Bay Area California
Thanks for answering my q's. I'm thinking a coffee table book with accompanying DVD. At the moment the tank I mentioned is still empty. How old is the longest lived inhabitant of that reef?
- Location
- Staten Island
Your tank is beautiful. The Idaho Grape is unbelievable, almost looks fake. You have inspired me to revisit my own tanks to take a serious look at the randomization of flow. Thank you for sharing.
- Location
- South Huntington
beautiful pictures. those colonies must be enormous.
First of all I'd like to thank everyone for the very kind words. I WILL, some day soon, finally be finished redoing my website where you can sift through tons more reef shots, taken both before and after the crash. Lots of maintenance and husbandry stuff too.
It's an encrusting type of Montipora. Can't recall the name though as it came as a freebie with an order I made some time ago.
Sadly, I had a devastating crash back in '07 which took out several huge 'SPS' colonies than were then 8-10 years old. But a few 'LPS' and corallimorpharians did survive including a Palyothoa colony I received when I first set up the tank . It is currently a little over 15 years old. My oldest fish right now is my Purple Tang; about 12.
It's an encrusting type of Montipora. Can't recall the name though as it came as a freebie with an order I made some time ago.
Sadly, I had a devastating crash back in '07 which took out several huge 'SPS' colonies than were then 8-10 years old. But a few 'LPS' and corallimorpharians did survive including a Palyothoa colony I received when I first set up the tank . It is currently a little over 15 years old. My oldest fish right now is my Purple Tang; about 12.
Don't know how I missed these two:
Yes, about 40-60 lbs of established Marco Rock. I'll also use it to break up and mount frags.
Taken Directly from my upcoming website:
HUSBANDRY TIMELINE
(Note that this is an idealized timeline. I do NOT perform everything on this list exactly at its designated time but I DO come pretty close. A system this big is not for those who either already have or desire any semblance of a life.)
AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE :
Observe the tanks for pleasure.
TWO-THREE TIMES A DAY:
Observe the tanks for problems.
Sight check the equipment. Listen for unusual sounds.
Feed the fish.
Clean the feeding net.
ONCE A DAY:
Clean the skimmer cup.
EVERY 2-3 DAYS:
Change out and wash a new set of
filter socks for the sump.
Test for Alkalinity, Calcium, MG,and
Phosphates (only if something seems amiss. Otherwise, I
may only do this every couple weeks.).
Clean viewing glass with the magnets.
Feed the corals.
WEEKLY:
Charge Kalk Doser (2 cups ESV).
Clean overflow screens.
Vinegar clean light shields of salt creep.
Clean tank tops of salt creep.
Blow out detritus from tanks? bottom and behind rock work
with Python and sump pump. On the LPS tank, I use a
small diatom filter for this (sans powder, of course).
Scrape away any coralline from back and sides of tanks.
Water change (125g or approx 20% of 650g system).
Prepare new water. Salt to tank levels. Add any supplements
to match tank level.
Recharge Ozonizer dessicant.
Frag if necessary.
Order new supplies if needed.
BI-WEEKLY:
Change both GFO and GAC reactor medias.
MONTHLY:
Vinegar bathe Tunzes and MP-10s on LPS tank.
Calibrate pH and ORP monitors and refractometer.
Clean Standpipes (...only if the ballgame I'm listening
to at the time is really good).
EVERY 6 WEEKS OR SO:
Test Run Generator. ('You DO have a generator, don't you?')
QUARTERLY:
Clean & recharge calcium reactor.
Add aragonite to biodenitrator.
Perform a complete battery of water parameter tests.
BI-ANNUALY:
Thoroughly clean Tunzes and MP-10s.
Heavy tank fragging.
Change sterilizer bulbs.
EVERY 8 MONTHS:
Replace Halides Bulbs and T-5s
ANNUALY:
Clean or change out main water pumps with back-ups.
Completely clean out and renew biodenitrator.
AS NEEDED:
Change out Spectrapure RO/DI cartridges (Normally,
every 200g or so. Sometimes, I?ll let things ride for
two mixing tank fill ups [250g], but the last 50g will usually
read a TDS of 1ppm. That?s as high as I?ll tolerate. By
the way, the TDS of my raw incoming tap [well] water is
211 ppm).
Scratch removal (interior & exterior).
Replace UV bulbs in Sterilizer..
Replace probes.
Acknowledge family.
Other than that, the tank practically runs itself!
Yes, about 40-60 lbs of established Marco Rock. I'll also use it to break up and mount frags.
Taken Directly from my upcoming website:
HUSBANDRY TIMELINE
(Note that this is an idealized timeline. I do NOT perform everything on this list exactly at its designated time but I DO come pretty close. A system this big is not for those who either already have or desire any semblance of a life.)
AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE :
Observe the tanks for pleasure.
TWO-THREE TIMES A DAY:
Observe the tanks for problems.
Sight check the equipment. Listen for unusual sounds.
Feed the fish.
Clean the feeding net.
ONCE A DAY:
Clean the skimmer cup.
EVERY 2-3 DAYS:
Change out and wash a new set of
filter socks for the sump.
Test for Alkalinity, Calcium, MG,and
Phosphates (only if something seems amiss. Otherwise, I
may only do this every couple weeks.).
Clean viewing glass with the magnets.
Feed the corals.
WEEKLY:
Charge Kalk Doser (2 cups ESV).
Clean overflow screens.
Vinegar clean light shields of salt creep.
Clean tank tops of salt creep.
Blow out detritus from tanks? bottom and behind rock work
with Python and sump pump. On the LPS tank, I use a
small diatom filter for this (sans powder, of course).
Scrape away any coralline from back and sides of tanks.
Water change (125g or approx 20% of 650g system).
Prepare new water. Salt to tank levels. Add any supplements
to match tank level.
Recharge Ozonizer dessicant.
Frag if necessary.
Order new supplies if needed.
BI-WEEKLY:
Change both GFO and GAC reactor medias.
MONTHLY:
Vinegar bathe Tunzes and MP-10s on LPS tank.
Calibrate pH and ORP monitors and refractometer.
Clean Standpipes (...only if the ballgame I'm listening
to at the time is really good).
EVERY 6 WEEKS OR SO:
Test Run Generator. ('You DO have a generator, don't you?')
QUARTERLY:
Clean & recharge calcium reactor.
Add aragonite to biodenitrator.
Perform a complete battery of water parameter tests.
BI-ANNUALY:
Thoroughly clean Tunzes and MP-10s.
Heavy tank fragging.
Change sterilizer bulbs.
EVERY 8 MONTHS:
Replace Halides Bulbs and T-5s
ANNUALY:
Clean or change out main water pumps with back-ups.
Completely clean out and renew biodenitrator.
AS NEEDED:
Change out Spectrapure RO/DI cartridges (Normally,
every 200g or so. Sometimes, I?ll let things ride for
two mixing tank fill ups [250g], but the last 50g will usually
read a TDS of 1ppm. That?s as high as I?ll tolerate. By
the way, the TDS of my raw incoming tap [well] water is
211 ppm).
Scratch removal (interior & exterior).
Replace UV bulbs in Sterilizer..
Replace probes.
Acknowledge family.
Other than that, the tank practically runs itself!
- Location
- Franklin Square, NY
thanks for sharing your husbandry with us..... all of us who have been reefing for a few years do many of those things in some form or another...so for all the newbies...do you want to keep a successful reef consider doing these things as fun and not work because when I first set up mine twenty years ago I told myself the day this becomes work is the day I take it down.......sorry to hi-jack, but this hobby is really growing fast and it's good info for people to see how much time, dedication, and of course $ goes into keeping a beautiful reef such as yours.
- Location
- Albany, NY
Nice Job
Really nice job on the tank and sump room. Would love to see some more pics of your sump room and filtration since those are helping me to think more about my 180 build which is temporarily halted while i do basement wall repairs to support the weight above.
Really nice job on the tank and sump room. Would love to see some more pics of your sump room and filtration since those are helping me to think more about my 180 build which is temporarily halted while i do basement wall repairs to support the weight above.
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
WOW after reading your husbandry schedule im hitting my pumps hard tomorrow.going to turkey baste behind my rocks and definatly going to be putting a 250 dollar charge on a generator..and if i ever say im upgrading someone punch me in my face LOL...everyone who i know that keeps SPS wants there tanks to look like yours.so glad you showed us your husbantry.im am going to write these tips all down
- Location
- Gonubie South Africa
Ag no man that is completely insane, flip I wish you great success for this reef for the next 15 years.
I hope you can wait until I get back home for the plumbing pics. I do not have many with me and most of THOSE need to be reshot because a few things have changed since my last set. Give me another month or so.
- Location
- Albany, NY
Waiting
Can definitely wait. Am working on basement wall under the tank, making repairs to the stone walls and reinforcing the floor. The basement room is going to become my sump room and can only hope I can attain something close to yours for organization and appearance. It almost looks like a lab room. Great tank too. Safe travels.
John
Can definitely wait. Am working on basement wall under the tank, making repairs to the stone walls and reinforcing the floor. The basement room is going to become my sump room and can only hope I can attain something close to yours for organization and appearance. It almost looks like a lab room. Great tank too. Safe travels.
John
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