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I would like to thank WAMAS and its members for the invaluable support and information I have received while building my tank. My interest in reefkeeping has been a work in progress for decades. I attribute my success to all the terrific knowledge and technology that is available today.
My system is a 75 gallon “Elos 100” rimless aquarium. It is set up in our living room so that all can admire.
In addition to the stock return pump which comes with the system, two MP40s provide in-tank water movement. The MP40s have extra long cables to the Apex battery backup, located in the basement closet underneath the tank.
The tank is lit with 2 Radion Gen 3 fixtures, which is a testament to LEDs. I use the Ecotechlive profile for high coral growth. The lights are on 12 hours a day at 90 percent during the peak. I’m happy with these, but I’d still like to upgrade to the pros in the future.
For filtration the system relies on a Stenner pump for SWR, which replaces about a ½ gallon of pre-made Reef Crystals a day. I attribute the system’s stability to this, and to using two part additives. I also use carbon which I replace as recommended.
I use BRS products to maintain alkalinity and calcium via individual dosers connected to the APEX. I do not add anything else but might down the road if it is simple and the coral growth requires it. In my experience relying on too many additives can be dicey in terms of maintaining a stable system.
I try to keep a low bioload in preference for SPS. I have a few tangs, a flame hawk, an ORA file fish, a pygmy angel, and a Bangain Cardinal. Over the year I have gone through lots of trial and error and I have learned to keep it simple and manageable.
I feed marine pellets twice a day and it seems to work.
Lots of lessons learned and lots of lessons gained from the forums. First and foremost I cooked the Pukani rock by placing it in trash cans full of diluted bleach. As I recall, I left the rock in there for days and repeated the process to leach the phosphate out. The jury is mixed on using this rock but I have found pretty good success by maintaining a robust amount of hermits, snails, and mithrax crabs. I might remove the hermits as they are a nuisance to the acan.
I would like to plumb in a grow out tank as I prune and maintain the SPS.
You have heard it before but patience is perhaps the best advice. I took it extremely slow. I over dipped the pukani rock in an effort to minimize phosphates and overtested to ensure the right parameters. Simplicity is also a good guiding principle. While my system is state of the art it is a simple, easy to run setup.
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- Salinity: 1.026
- Temperature: 77
- Alkalinity: 8
- Calcium: 420
- Phosphate: 0
- Nitrate: 0
- Display: Elos 100 (75g)
- Return: Stenner SWR
- Ciculation: Two MP-40s
- Lighting: Two Radion Gen3s
- Skimmer: RO Space Saver 150
- Controller: Apex
- ATO: Spectrapure
- Flame hawk
- Several tangs
- Bangaii cardnialfish
- Pygmy angelfish
- ORA filefish
- Mostly SPS corals
- Acans and zoas
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