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WAMAS Tank of the Month


I started in the saltwater hobby in 2009 with a 54G corner tank. Foolishly or luckily, I purchased an established tank with live rock and a handful of fish. I love the motion of soft corals and appreciate how forgiving they are, so I started with ricordea, leathers, and mushrooms. I quickly filled the tank to capacity with fish and corals, so I started a second, 90 gallon tank. It ended up being double the work and no additional enjoyment and my then soon to be wife liked the idea of consolidating to a 180. In 2011 I upgraded to my current 180. I moved my 4 year old tank to my current new house in May 2015.

My tank is a standard 180 set up in my basement. It’s a mixed reef with about 20 fish and inverts. Corals are predominantly softies (leathers, zoanthids, GSP, and Vargas xenia), with some LPS (hammer, Duncan, trumpet, and frogspawn), and a couple SPS montis on the back glass.

The return is a Mag 12. I use 4 Hydor Koralia Evolution 1400 and a Maxijet 1200 for in-tank circulation.

I have a Current Nova Extreme Pro T5 fixture with 12 39W ATI bulbs, and love it! LEDs sound attractive, but the current livestock loves the T5.

I upgraded my DIY sump to a Trigger Systems Emerald 39 when we moved in 2015. I run an Avast Marine skimmer. I also use an Avast Spyglass Reactor with Purigen, and a couple bags of of Chemi-pure Elite.

My additives are Tech M, Two Little Fish C-Balance, and Lugols Iodine.

My favorite fish are my swissguard basslet, midas blenny, and anthia trio.

I feed frozen cyclops and mysis, and New Life Spectrum pellets.

I once had a bad outbreak of green hair algae. The Tech-M helped by the derecho (meaning power outage) wiped the issue due to no lighting for 3 days!

I’d love to change my flow. I’d either like to get 2 gyre 230s, 2 wav, or 2 ecotechs. I’d also like to add a pair of Watanabei angels to complete the tank.

I love the soft corals because they grow fast, add lots of color, and move in the flow. They enable me to have a low maintenance tank that my family can enjoy.


  • Display: 180g
  • Sump: Trigger Systems Sump
  • Skimmer: Avast Marine
  • Lighting: Current Nova 39Wx12
  • Return: Mag 12
  • Circulation: 4 Koralia Evol. 1400; MJ 1200
  • Controller: Apex Pro
  • ATO: Tunze

  • Salinity 1.024
  • Temperature 78.9-79.6 deg

  • LED moon lights 24/7
  • Weekday:
  • Blue T5 1530–2330
  • Full T5 1630–2230
  • Weekend:
  • Blue T5 0930–2330
  • Full T5 1030–2230

  • Pair of clownfish
  • Pair of Bangaii cardinals
  • Three Carberryi anthias
  • Three zebra bar fish
  • Swiss guard basslett
  • Orange-back wrasse
  • Flame angel
  • Yellow tang
  • Mandarin
  • Clown goby
  • Yellow midas benny
  • Red flasher wrasse
  • Orchid dottyback
  • Orange spotted goby
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