On 01/08/2005 I started the setup of this aquarium. After going through a soft corals aquarium and another more mixed one, I decided that this time my aquarium would be mainly of SPS corals. My entire lighting has been changed and replaced by T5 light tubes (2 canopies 1.20 T5 ATI 4x56W + 2 canopies of 90 T5 ATI 4x36W). Until present this kind of lighting remains in my system, eventhough I’ve changed on a regular basis the light tubes (every 6 months), and I’m satisfied with this kind of lighting, both on the level of growth rate and coloration.

This system has 150 Kg of live rock and 10 cm of sand bed. The sand bed is a mix of several granulometries, being mainly CaribSea.

Tank Information

Tank:

• Length 210 cm x Width 60 cm x Height 60cm – 756L

Substrate:

• 60Kg Calcite (Aquatic Nature – CALCIALITH)
• 60kg Argalive (live aragonite Caribe Sea)
• 30kg Silica white sand
• 45kg Argamax (Caribe Sea aragonite)

Live Rock:

• 150 kg

Sump:

• DIY (1.10x45x40) 198L

Skimmers: (Both work alternatly)

• H&S 3×2001
• ATI Skimmer

Chiller:

• Model built by Fernando Ribeiro from Seahorse
• Deltec PF 601S (2500L) fed by a IWAKI KBR3X bellows pump of 180ml/minute. (Works 24 hours) having RowaLith C+

Kalkwasser Reactor:

• Deltec KM 500S fed by a Prominent DULCO flex (0216) peristaltic pump of 1,8l/hour. The Kalk reactor is connected to a Deltec Aquastat 1000 level buoy with a timer, which replenishes all the evaporated water only during the night period of my tank, between 08:00 and 16:00.

Lighting:

• 2 canopies 1.20 T5 ATI 4x56W + 2 canopies of 90 T5 ATI 4x36W

Internal Circulation:

• 2 Turbelle Stream 6000 + 2 Turbelle Stream 6100 (with multicontroler 7094 )

Return from the Sump to the aquarium:

• OR 6500 (Aqua Medic)

1 Grounding Probe

pH controler Aqua Medic connected to the calcium reactor and set to 6.20

Salt:

• Tropical Marin (Pro-Reef)
• Red Sea
• Aqua Medic
• Reef Cristal
• Ocean

I use several brands of salt which I sucessively use every time each bag finishes. I normaly perform weekly partial water changes of 125 liters.

Maintenance

Daily actions:

• Aminoacid (Korallen-Zucht) 6 drops
• Weekly additions:
• Reefbooster (Prodibio) 2 vials (I alternate the addition of this product with Oganics (Fauna Marin)

Fortnightly additions:

• Biodigest (Prodibio) 1 vial (1/1000L)
• It is rare for me to add Iodine to my system. Without that much regularity, I use sporadically Kent Iodine.

Feeding:

• Very varied: Artemia, white larvae, red larvae, minced shrimp, Cyclope Ezz, granulated, Freeze dried Algae (several), Zooplex (Kent), minced shellfish, fish, decapsulated artemia, etc.

Parameters

• Ca: 390 ppm
• Kh: 7 dKh
• Mg: 1280 ppm
• PO₄: 0 ppm
• NO₃: 0 ppm
• Salinity: 35%

Invertebrates

• 1 Enoplometopus occidentalis
• 8 Serpent stars (ophiuran)
• 60 Nassarium
• 1 Formia Sp.
• 6 Lysmata seticaudata
• 4 Lysmata debelius
• 4 Lysmata amboinensis
• 12 Hermits
• 5 Protula magnifica
• 4 Tridacna crocea
• 6 Tubo snail
• 1 Holothuria edulis
• 1 Strombus snail
• 4 Calcinus laevimanus

Fishes

I have at is time 15 fishes in my aquarium:

• 1 – Zebrassomas flavescens
• 1 – Euxiphipops navarchus
• 1 – Ctenochaetus strigosus
• 1 – Zebrasoma gemmatum
• 1 – Pseudanthias squampinnis
• 6 – Pseudanthias squampinnis
• 2 – Clowns (Black ocellaris)
• 1 – Paracirrhites forsteri
• 1 – Six Line

Corals

• 4- Pocillopora damicormis
• 2- Stylophora pistillata (Rose and Green)
• 1- Seriatopora hystrix
• 1- Euphyllia ancora
• 1- Euphyllia divisa
• 1- Acanthastrea lordhowensis
• 1- Blastomussa merletti
• 1- Catalaphyllia jardinei
• 3- Seriatopora caliedrum (1 Rose and 2 Greens)
• 1- Acropora echinata
• 1- Pavona cactus
• 1- Acropora efflorescens
• 1- Acropora humilis
• 1- Acropora lila
• 1- Montipora australiensis
• 3- Montipora incrustata sp.
• 3- Acropora hyacinthus
• 2- Ricordeas

Some growths after one and half year (approximately).

My name is Julio Macieira and I am the administrator of a marine aquariums forum in Portugal (www.reefforum.net) which has been serving me for several years to learn and share knowledge with Portuguese speaking aquarists.

I am very honored for the fact that Advanced Aquarist has chosen this time my aquarium.

I do not know how to speak in English, but with the help of a friend, I will try to answer you all, about any doubt that you may wish to place concerning my tank.

Thank you,

Julio Macieira

Editor’s Note: More photos can be found here on the author’s website. There’s also a thread on ReefForum.net to discuss this article for those interested.