- Location
- GARDEN CITY
Many of you asked were is my tank thread ? So here we go Ill do my best.
Back in 2008 started what I have been waiting for a long time and that is a salt water reef. I always loved reefs but knew nothing about how to keep it and or maintain so I turned to a close friend of mine who in my opinion is a marine biologist even though he says that he is not. First thing he said to me is to have patience cause this hobby requires a lot of it. [he know I have very little] We ordered the tank to our specifications so it fit the space in my room. I by now had read every book I could find about corals, fish and going on every forum. I am still learning till today by reading what other reefers do cause as we all know the technology keeps changing and there are a lot more things available to the hobby today than there was in 2008.
My tank consits of:
Custom Glass tank built by Acrylic Glass Exhibits in Texas. It has a PVC bottom. The size is 60 long 30 tall 24 deep and viewable from three sides. I did not want power heads and its very hard to have enough flow only from one end so we decided to do a closed loop drilling the bottom and push water up with a wave maker by ocean motions. The top has an acrylic euro brace all around with glass doors routered in the acrylic. My stand was built local in Mineola by my iron guy. My sump is a standard reef ready sump made by oceanic, it holds about 50 Gal all together but we set it up that it holds 25 so if I ever loose electricity it wont overflow.All cabinetry was built custom by a wood shop in glen cove to fit the stand and space joining with my office cabinetry. [was not easy]
Equipment:
Reeflo Dart for my closed loop circulation.
Reeflo Marlin for my chiller circulation.
Custom built chiller by Trade wind chillers to sit outdoors.
45 watt UV sterilizer
Vertex calcium reactor
CO2 tank with Aqua medic Valve and solenoid
Vertex reactor for Rowa
PM Kalkwasser reactor
Bubble King skimmer
Eheim in sump pump for the above reactors.
7" sock holder for overflow in sump.
GHL controller
PM custom acrylic box for probes built to my specifications.
GHL 4 - doser
60 gal mixing tank for water changes
Blue line aqua pump for mixing and pumping to tank.
5 stage reverse osmoses set up.
Media and Additives:
Calcium and alkalinity are dosed via calcium reactor [alkalinity tested every day]
Magnesium dosed by doser
Strontium dosed by doser
Tropic marine Trace A dosed by doser
Tropic marine Trace K dosed by doser
Manually I dose a number of zeovit products:
Sponge power
pottasium iodide
Amino acid
Bag for carbon and leave it in sump [replaced once a month]
Rowa Phose in the reactor [relpace approx every 5 weeks]
Bag for De nitrate and also leave in sump [replace half every 2 months]
Tropic Marine pro salt
My kalwasser is mixed and dosed by my GHL
Tank Maintenance:
Clean glass once a week.
35 gal water change every week
Clean any shells from dead snails
Vacium detritus from sump every month
Change sock once a week
Clean skimmer once a week
Check all levels once a month:
Levels kept at
Phospates-0.05
Nitrate-0.25
Pottasium-380
Magnesium-1350
Strontium-0.95
Calcium-450
Alkalinity-8.5
Iodine-0.9
Testers: Hannah and Salifert
Check alkalinity daily
Lights:
Two 400 w Radiums with electrocnic ballasts.
4- 48" T 5s by Aqua medic
4- BLUE 9" Reef brite leds fixtures
Led Moon lights
T5s come on at 10 A.M. to 10 P.M
First metal halide come on at 12 P.M. and turns off at 5 P.M.
Second comes on at 1 P.M. nd turns off at 6 P.M.
All lights are controlled by GHL controller
Levels:
PH is checked by GHL probe and its held at 8.2 during day with lights on and it drops at night to 8.00
Salinity is also checked by GHL probe and kept at 1.025
Temperature is also checked by GHL probe at its kept at 77 to 77.5 with MH on
Redox is also checked by GHL probe at its always around 250 to 350
Livestock:
Fish:
Pair of tail spot Blenny
Dracula goby with pistol shrimp
Pair of yellow clown goby
Blotched Anthia
Hutchie Anthia [pair]
Sunburst Anthia
Maroon gold clown [pair]
Radiant wrasse [male]
Earlie wrasse [1 male and two females]
Ramboid wrasse [male]
Flame wrasse [male]
Johnson wrasse [1 pair]
Bells wrasse [male]
Femininus wrasse [female]
Leopord wrasse
Purple tang
Black longnose tang
Hippo tang
Gem Tang
Flame angel
Jaculator angel
Three long spine cardinals
Cleaning Crew approx 200 of mixed snails
Corals:
The list is to long to write but ill write some from an approx of 140 corals:
SPS:
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
PEARLBERRY
VALIDA
RED PLANET
HAWKINS ECHINATA
PONAPE BIRDSNEST
SUNSET MONTI
RAINBOW MONTI
PINK MILLIPORA
RED TABLE ACROPORA [HYACINTHUS]
STAGHORN ACROPORA [HOEKSEMAI]
BRANCHING ACROPORA [GOMEZI]
RED DRAGON [ACROPORA CARDVUS]
RED CAPRICORNIS
GREEN CAPPRICORNIS WITH PURPLE RIM
GREEN SLIMER
GARF BONSAI
ACROPORA HORRIDA
RED STAGHORN
RASBERRY LIMEADE ACRO
ORIGAN TORT
RED SETOSA
PINK LEMONADE
GRANULOSA ACROPORA
PAVONA MALDIVENSIS
RED AND GREEN BRANCHING CESPITULARIA
PINK STYLOPHORA
LPS / SOFT CORALS:
GREEN FROGSPAWN
GREEN HAMMER
NEON CANDY CANE
BRANCHING PURPLE TIP TORCH FROGSPAWN
BLEEDING APPLE SCOLY
WATER MELLON CHALICE
BUBBLE GUM CHALICE
SPRUNG STUNNER CHALICE
ZOES
ACANS
ORANGE AND GREEN BRAIN [LOBOPHYLIA HEMPRICHII]
RED WITH GREEN OPEN BRAIN [TRACHYPHILLIA RADIATA]
AUSSIE RED MEAT CORAL
The tank was set up originally for LPS and Softies so as time went on I got tired of looking at things that felt like they take forever to grow I started changing to SPS which meant need more flow. Thats when I added two Tunze 6105 and two Vortech MP40 in addition to my main in loop pump. [still feel not enough flow] I learned a lot during the building of this tank and one thing is important to say is, it is an expensive hobby but it could be more expensive if you dont do things right from the begining. I changed few things as time went on and one thing I add to this is water temperature is one very important part to the hobby. I started by buying a chiller that fit below my tank in my room that all it did was circulate its own hot air and wirked 24/7 [nevermind the noise] so needed to do something about it. Thats when i had trade wind chillers build me a chiller that sits outside my house [they told we have never done this so they were little skeptical about it] It was not easy plumbing it when everything was furnished and finished but as they say if there is a will there is a way.The chiller is about 40' away from the tank. I read about a lot of reefers complaining about cyano bacteria, hair algea etc. thank god I never had an issue [im not saying im a specialist] if I can add this about that is I believe a lot of it have to do with water temperatures staying steady.
I am sure there will be questions about this thread cause I missed something but tried my best doing it. Ill start posting some pictures from my early stages.
Thank You for Reading
Back in 2008 started what I have been waiting for a long time and that is a salt water reef. I always loved reefs but knew nothing about how to keep it and or maintain so I turned to a close friend of mine who in my opinion is a marine biologist even though he says that he is not. First thing he said to me is to have patience cause this hobby requires a lot of it. [he know I have very little] We ordered the tank to our specifications so it fit the space in my room. I by now had read every book I could find about corals, fish and going on every forum. I am still learning till today by reading what other reefers do cause as we all know the technology keeps changing and there are a lot more things available to the hobby today than there was in 2008.
My tank consits of:
Custom Glass tank built by Acrylic Glass Exhibits in Texas. It has a PVC bottom. The size is 60 long 30 tall 24 deep and viewable from three sides. I did not want power heads and its very hard to have enough flow only from one end so we decided to do a closed loop drilling the bottom and push water up with a wave maker by ocean motions. The top has an acrylic euro brace all around with glass doors routered in the acrylic. My stand was built local in Mineola by my iron guy. My sump is a standard reef ready sump made by oceanic, it holds about 50 Gal all together but we set it up that it holds 25 so if I ever loose electricity it wont overflow.All cabinetry was built custom by a wood shop in glen cove to fit the stand and space joining with my office cabinetry. [was not easy]
Equipment:
Reeflo Dart for my closed loop circulation.
Reeflo Marlin for my chiller circulation.
Custom built chiller by Trade wind chillers to sit outdoors.
45 watt UV sterilizer
Vertex calcium reactor
CO2 tank with Aqua medic Valve and solenoid
Vertex reactor for Rowa
PM Kalkwasser reactor
Bubble King skimmer
Eheim in sump pump for the above reactors.
7" sock holder for overflow in sump.
GHL controller
PM custom acrylic box for probes built to my specifications.
GHL 4 - doser
60 gal mixing tank for water changes
Blue line aqua pump for mixing and pumping to tank.
5 stage reverse osmoses set up.
Media and Additives:
Calcium and alkalinity are dosed via calcium reactor [alkalinity tested every day]
Magnesium dosed by doser
Strontium dosed by doser
Tropic marine Trace A dosed by doser
Tropic marine Trace K dosed by doser
Manually I dose a number of zeovit products:
Sponge power
pottasium iodide
Amino acid
Bag for carbon and leave it in sump [replaced once a month]
Rowa Phose in the reactor [relpace approx every 5 weeks]
Bag for De nitrate and also leave in sump [replace half every 2 months]
Tropic Marine pro salt
My kalwasser is mixed and dosed by my GHL
Tank Maintenance:
Clean glass once a week.
35 gal water change every week
Clean any shells from dead snails
Vacium detritus from sump every month
Change sock once a week
Clean skimmer once a week
Check all levels once a month:
Levels kept at
Phospates-0.05
Nitrate-0.25
Pottasium-380
Magnesium-1350
Strontium-0.95
Calcium-450
Alkalinity-8.5
Iodine-0.9
Testers: Hannah and Salifert
Check alkalinity daily
Lights:
Two 400 w Radiums with electrocnic ballasts.
4- 48" T 5s by Aqua medic
4- BLUE 9" Reef brite leds fixtures
Led Moon lights
T5s come on at 10 A.M. to 10 P.M
First metal halide come on at 12 P.M. and turns off at 5 P.M.
Second comes on at 1 P.M. nd turns off at 6 P.M.
All lights are controlled by GHL controller
Levels:
PH is checked by GHL probe and its held at 8.2 during day with lights on and it drops at night to 8.00
Salinity is also checked by GHL probe and kept at 1.025
Temperature is also checked by GHL probe at its kept at 77 to 77.5 with MH on
Redox is also checked by GHL probe at its always around 250 to 350
Livestock:
Fish:
Pair of tail spot Blenny
Dracula goby with pistol shrimp
Pair of yellow clown goby
Blotched Anthia
Hutchie Anthia [pair]
Sunburst Anthia
Maroon gold clown [pair]
Radiant wrasse [male]
Earlie wrasse [1 male and two females]
Ramboid wrasse [male]
Flame wrasse [male]
Johnson wrasse [1 pair]
Bells wrasse [male]
Femininus wrasse [female]
Leopord wrasse
Purple tang
Black longnose tang
Hippo tang
Gem Tang
Flame angel
Jaculator angel
Three long spine cardinals
Cleaning Crew approx 200 of mixed snails
Corals:
The list is to long to write but ill write some from an approx of 140 corals:
SPS:
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
PEARLBERRY
VALIDA
RED PLANET
HAWKINS ECHINATA
PONAPE BIRDSNEST
SUNSET MONTI
RAINBOW MONTI
PINK MILLIPORA
RED TABLE ACROPORA [HYACINTHUS]
STAGHORN ACROPORA [HOEKSEMAI]
BRANCHING ACROPORA [GOMEZI]
RED DRAGON [ACROPORA CARDVUS]
RED CAPRICORNIS
GREEN CAPPRICORNIS WITH PURPLE RIM
GREEN SLIMER
GARF BONSAI
ACROPORA HORRIDA
RED STAGHORN
RASBERRY LIMEADE ACRO
ORIGAN TORT
RED SETOSA
PINK LEMONADE
GRANULOSA ACROPORA
PAVONA MALDIVENSIS
RED AND GREEN BRANCHING CESPITULARIA
PINK STYLOPHORA
LPS / SOFT CORALS:
GREEN FROGSPAWN
GREEN HAMMER
NEON CANDY CANE
BRANCHING PURPLE TIP TORCH FROGSPAWN
BLEEDING APPLE SCOLY
WATER MELLON CHALICE
BUBBLE GUM CHALICE
SPRUNG STUNNER CHALICE
ZOES
ACANS
ORANGE AND GREEN BRAIN [LOBOPHYLIA HEMPRICHII]
RED WITH GREEN OPEN BRAIN [TRACHYPHILLIA RADIATA]
AUSSIE RED MEAT CORAL
The tank was set up originally for LPS and Softies so as time went on I got tired of looking at things that felt like they take forever to grow I started changing to SPS which meant need more flow. Thats when I added two Tunze 6105 and two Vortech MP40 in addition to my main in loop pump. [still feel not enough flow] I learned a lot during the building of this tank and one thing is important to say is, it is an expensive hobby but it could be more expensive if you dont do things right from the begining. I changed few things as time went on and one thing I add to this is water temperature is one very important part to the hobby. I started by buying a chiller that fit below my tank in my room that all it did was circulate its own hot air and wirked 24/7 [nevermind the noise] so needed to do something about it. Thats when i had trade wind chillers build me a chiller that sits outside my house [they told we have never done this so they were little skeptical about it] It was not easy plumbing it when everything was furnished and finished but as they say if there is a will there is a way.The chiller is about 40' away from the tank. I read about a lot of reefers complaining about cyano bacteria, hair algea etc. thank god I never had an issue [im not saying im a specialist] if I can add this about that is I believe a lot of it have to do with water temperatures staying steady.
I am sure there will be questions about this thread cause I missed something but tried my best doing it. Ill start posting some pictures from my early stages.
Thank You for Reading
It seems to work extremely well for you 
