stickx911
02-02-2009, 12:58 PM
February 2009 Tank of the Month - AKopley
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/TOPFTS.jpg
Introduction
Thank you for selecting my reef as TOTM. I feel greatly honored and proud that my tank has reached this echelon. Like many people in this club I kept freshwater tanks as a kid but it was a trip to the Georgia Aquarium and the internet browsing that ensued that opened my eyes to the world of salt water aquaria.
.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan3.jpg
I was a sophomore in college at the time, living in Charleston, SC in what can only be described as an animal house type setting. I began my research on reefcentral.com (http://reefcentral.com/) (I had not discovered the lovely ARC yet). I spent a few months just asking questions...the most important part of reefing. Once I had saved up enough money and felt I was ready, I dove right in with 90 RR system.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/3x3center.jpg http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/3x3right.jpg
Overview
This tank has a long history leading up to where it is now. It was first purchased by my roommate in college. He and I set the Aquapod up in his room then added about 30 lbs of Fiji LR, a few damsels, and a few corals. This is how the tank remained for a year. When it was time to move and pass the party pad down to the next generation, I decided (due to a couple of sabotage attempts) that I would not be setting up the 90 in my new place. I grabbed the select pieces of LR I wanted from it and sold the rest of the livestock. I bought the Aquapod from my roommate and began my first nano tank.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/bottom.jpg
System Profile
The tank is an Aquapod 24 gallon. The total water volume is 29 gallons. The display is 24 gallons. The sump houses the remaining 5 gallons. The sump also contains a remote DSB and chaeto. The tank dimensions are 19.8x17x22.
I have a Maxi 1200 return pump, Koralia 1, Sunpod 150 watt HQI phoenix 14k, two heaters (just in case for the winter time).
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/top.jpg
More Details
My photo period is currently 9 hours from 12:30 - 9:30.
I have a HOB fuge and a Coralife SS 65 HOB skimmer (if you clean this thing every few days it skims like a champ!). Water temperature is maintained with two jebo cheapo heaters.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan9.jpg
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan12.jpg
Livestock
Coral-My corals include GSP, xenia, assorted zoanthids, assorted hammer corals, assorted shrooms, Kenya tree, green finger leather, scroll coral, assorted button polyps, candy canes, ehh I know I'm forgetting some…
Fish -6 My fish include a line wrasse and a pair of percs.
Other Inverts- Besides corals I have peppermint shrimp, a large bubble tip anemone, three sexy shrimp, a large serpent star, and miscellaneous clean up crew.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/closeup1.jpg
Feeding and Additives
I feed the fish with flake food. For the corals I feed DT's, cyclopeeze, brine, and mysis. I feed the fish quite often for a reef tank. Since there are only 3 of them I try to give them a small amount of food in the morning and at night. Sometimes I skip days, especially if I am in need of a water change. I try to dose a cap full of DT's every night and I spot feed a blend of cycops, mysis, and brine about once a week. There is no set schedule I just go with what feels right.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan8.jpg
Maintenance
My daily routine includes scrubbing the glass and topping off evaporated water.
My weekly routine- nah. I try and change out around 5 gallons every two weeks. I normally don't do a water change until I start noticing excessive algae growth.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan14.jpg
Water Parameters
specific gravity 1.023-1.025
temperature 78.5-80.00
pH ha ha i dont really know 8.1?
alkalinity ?
nitrate ?
magnesium ?
calcium ?
I don't measure anything unless something looks wrong...in which case I still don’t typically measure, I just do a waterchange. I may be lucky but I have never had an issue with bad water. I use RO/DI and do a water change at the first sight of excessive algae on the glass. This has kept my tank healthy for the past 3 years. I don't dose anything and it seems that when I did try and correct my pH it caused more harm than good. To each his own I suppose.
Final Thoughts
What is your key to success/ what have you learned? Let the corals grow. Keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible. It is your job to build a stable environment not to migrate the corals at your whim.
What are your future plans for the tank? I recently cut back a bunch of my corals and have been letting what remained fill in the gaps. I am likely to do this again within the year.
What is the worst and best thing you have ever bought/added/done to your tank?
The best thing I did was buy the HQI light. The stock pc's don’t hold a candle to that thing. The worst thing I ever added to my tank was a lemonpeel angel. Nipped on everything and ended up having to pull out all my rock to catch her.
Describe any disasters you have had. This tank has been disaster free. My 90 gallon, on the other hand, was a different story. On two separate occasions someone with extreme disdain towards either me or my reef decided to blast my heater. I assume it was someone whose parents did not love them as a child.
What would you have done differently? I would not recommend having a reef tank in a college party house.
Thoughts on coral fads I have never bought into them but I would love to capitalize on them.
Advice for beginners/Words of wisdom Take things slow. "Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank" READ READ READ READ READ and READ some more.
Tips and Tricks It took a long time for me to use superglue on frags but now that I have, I don't wake up to corals floating around the tank or laying on the bottom.
What other tanks do you have? No other tanks...yet
Acknowledgments Thank you to everyone on ARC who has helped me out and who has hooked me up with frags: Budsreef, Basscyn, Curator, Raisingtwo, Rarefish, Wayb, and whoever I may not remember. Thank you!
A special thanks is owed to ARC's own Flipturn88, though I discovered her tank on RC it became my inspiration.
For the entire album of pictures, Click Here http://s590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/ (http://s590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT MONTHS THEME!
Mixed reef equal to or greater than 120g
Posting instructions to follow shortly. So be prepared!
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/TOPFTS.jpg
Introduction
Thank you for selecting my reef as TOTM. I feel greatly honored and proud that my tank has reached this echelon. Like many people in this club I kept freshwater tanks as a kid but it was a trip to the Georgia Aquarium and the internet browsing that ensued that opened my eyes to the world of salt water aquaria.
.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan3.jpg
I was a sophomore in college at the time, living in Charleston, SC in what can only be described as an animal house type setting. I began my research on reefcentral.com (http://reefcentral.com/) (I had not discovered the lovely ARC yet). I spent a few months just asking questions...the most important part of reefing. Once I had saved up enough money and felt I was ready, I dove right in with 90 RR system.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/3x3center.jpg http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/3x3right.jpg
Overview
This tank has a long history leading up to where it is now. It was first purchased by my roommate in college. He and I set the Aquapod up in his room then added about 30 lbs of Fiji LR, a few damsels, and a few corals. This is how the tank remained for a year. When it was time to move and pass the party pad down to the next generation, I decided (due to a couple of sabotage attempts) that I would not be setting up the 90 in my new place. I grabbed the select pieces of LR I wanted from it and sold the rest of the livestock. I bought the Aquapod from my roommate and began my first nano tank.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/bottom.jpg
System Profile
The tank is an Aquapod 24 gallon. The total water volume is 29 gallons. The display is 24 gallons. The sump houses the remaining 5 gallons. The sump also contains a remote DSB and chaeto. The tank dimensions are 19.8x17x22.
I have a Maxi 1200 return pump, Koralia 1, Sunpod 150 watt HQI phoenix 14k, two heaters (just in case for the winter time).
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/top.jpg
More Details
My photo period is currently 9 hours from 12:30 - 9:30.
I have a HOB fuge and a Coralife SS 65 HOB skimmer (if you clean this thing every few days it skims like a champ!). Water temperature is maintained with two jebo cheapo heaters.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan9.jpg
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan12.jpg
Livestock
Coral-My corals include GSP, xenia, assorted zoanthids, assorted hammer corals, assorted shrooms, Kenya tree, green finger leather, scroll coral, assorted button polyps, candy canes, ehh I know I'm forgetting some…
Fish -6 My fish include a line wrasse and a pair of percs.
Other Inverts- Besides corals I have peppermint shrimp, a large bubble tip anemone, three sexy shrimp, a large serpent star, and miscellaneous clean up crew.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/closeup1.jpg
Feeding and Additives
I feed the fish with flake food. For the corals I feed DT's, cyclopeeze, brine, and mysis. I feed the fish quite often for a reef tank. Since there are only 3 of them I try to give them a small amount of food in the morning and at night. Sometimes I skip days, especially if I am in need of a water change. I try to dose a cap full of DT's every night and I spot feed a blend of cycops, mysis, and brine about once a week. There is no set schedule I just go with what feels right.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan8.jpg
Maintenance
My daily routine includes scrubbing the glass and topping off evaporated water.
My weekly routine- nah. I try and change out around 5 gallons every two weeks. I normally don't do a water change until I start noticing excessive algae growth.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/jan14.jpg
Water Parameters
specific gravity 1.023-1.025
temperature 78.5-80.00
pH ha ha i dont really know 8.1?
alkalinity ?
nitrate ?
magnesium ?
calcium ?
I don't measure anything unless something looks wrong...in which case I still don’t typically measure, I just do a waterchange. I may be lucky but I have never had an issue with bad water. I use RO/DI and do a water change at the first sight of excessive algae on the glass. This has kept my tank healthy for the past 3 years. I don't dose anything and it seems that when I did try and correct my pH it caused more harm than good. To each his own I suppose.
Final Thoughts
What is your key to success/ what have you learned? Let the corals grow. Keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible. It is your job to build a stable environment not to migrate the corals at your whim.
What are your future plans for the tank? I recently cut back a bunch of my corals and have been letting what remained fill in the gaps. I am likely to do this again within the year.
What is the worst and best thing you have ever bought/added/done to your tank?
The best thing I did was buy the HQI light. The stock pc's don’t hold a candle to that thing. The worst thing I ever added to my tank was a lemonpeel angel. Nipped on everything and ended up having to pull out all my rock to catch her.
Describe any disasters you have had. This tank has been disaster free. My 90 gallon, on the other hand, was a different story. On two separate occasions someone with extreme disdain towards either me or my reef decided to blast my heater. I assume it was someone whose parents did not love them as a child.
What would you have done differently? I would not recommend having a reef tank in a college party house.
Thoughts on coral fads I have never bought into them but I would love to capitalize on them.
Advice for beginners/Words of wisdom Take things slow. "Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank" READ READ READ READ READ and READ some more.
Tips and Tricks It took a long time for me to use superglue on frags but now that I have, I don't wake up to corals floating around the tank or laying on the bottom.
What other tanks do you have? No other tanks...yet
Acknowledgments Thank you to everyone on ARC who has helped me out and who has hooked me up with frags: Budsreef, Basscyn, Curator, Raisingtwo, Rarefish, Wayb, and whoever I may not remember. Thank you!
A special thanks is owed to ARC's own Flipturn88, though I discovered her tank on RC it became my inspiration.
For the entire album of pictures, Click Here http://s590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/ (http://s590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT MONTHS THEME!
Mixed reef equal to or greater than 120g
Posting instructions to follow shortly. So be prepared!