stickx911
05-11-2009, 12:33 PM
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd223/sailfish88/TOTM%20Dave/fulltanklrdeogood.jpg
The ARC's own TOTM committee is proud announce this month's TOTM: Dave (Acroholic)
Introduction
A bit about you as the hobbyist:
I am a married father of one child. My family lives in Sandy Springs. My wife and I relocated to Atlanta back in 1991 from the Cincinnati, Ohio area. My occupational background includes insurance, nursing, and small business ownership. My educational background includes a BBA in Marketing and a Degree in Nursing. I am a Licensed Registered Nurse in the State of Georgia, and have used my Licensure in the business end of medicine, rather than hands on patient care.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Birnestmontibada.jpg
How did you get started:
I have been keeping fish since the mid 1970s. I got my first tank was when I was 12 years old, a 10 gallon, under-gravel filter, freshwater community setup. I kept these types until I started in high school, then I kept Piranhas for a couple years, then kept a 55 gallon FW fish only setup off and on during college with Oscars during my college years. I never really specialized in any type of fish, but kept a wide variety of freshwater species at one time or another, community types to predatory types. I would say that the best skills I developed in this time in fish keeping was a knowledge of how to keep fish alive through proper tank maintenance techniques, knowledge of freshwater aquarium chemistry, knowing how invaluable regular water changes are, and realizing how important it is to research a species you wish to keep so you can care for it properly.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Multiplespsnice.jpg
After college I got into the more expensive, specialized type freshwater fish: Discus in particular. I started keeping them in the 1980s. I had them spawn, lay eggs and produce babies. This was a rather hard thing to do with Discus then, because they were considered one of the most delicate FW species at the time. It was about this time I set up my first saltwater tank. It was a 29 gallon fish only with an under gravel filter and HOB filter. Pretty primitive set up at the time. My first reef tank was in the mid 1990s, a small one, 20 gallon. I moved up to an Oceanic 58 Reef Ready, and wrote and article about it and was published in FAMA magazine in 1996. Then I got out of reefs because of the time requirements of Nursing School and started keeping high tech FW planted tanks, which I still have one to this day. I have also imported and sold Discus through the internet.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Palysbas.jpg
My return to reef keeping started in 2008 when I joined the Atlanta Reef Club and set up my first reef, an Oceanic 120 Tech Series which quickly was taken down, sold, and my current 210 gallon tank reef pictured here was set up. I was amazed at the advances in reef equipment and knowledge that had taken place since 1996. Reefs seemed much easier to keep than they did back in the day, so I thought I’d give it another shot.
What or who were/are your influences and inspirations:
Some of my earliest FW aquarium information came from Magazines like Tropical Fish Hobbyist, published by authors like Herbert R. Axelrod. In my Discus keeping days pioneers like Jack Wattley, Bernd Degen, and Eduard Schmidt-Focke helped newbies like myself keep Discus. And most of my current inspiration and information for the reef hobby comes from individuals connected to the Atlanta Reef Club, the ARC Website, and other internet websites like Reef Central.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Topmiddlesps.jpg
How do you feel about your tank being picked for ToTM:
I am very honored my 210 gallon reef was picked as TOTM. I find it fascinating to be able to have something this beautiful in my basement, especially with 99% of the corals being captive propagated. All my corals started out as small frags of other corals that started out as frags. Many of my corals are multi-generational fragments of other colonies going back many years.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Tort.jpg
Overview
History of the tank:
My 210 gallon tank was set up in July of 2008. I originally had a 120 gallon Oceanic Tech Series 120 set up for 3 months, but realized I would want something larger, so while my original corals were still small, I bought the 210 from Cappuccino Bay shortly before they went out of business.
How the tank got to where it is today:
There are two main keys to this tank’s success: proper equipment and regular maintenance.
When I bought my equipment I used the one rule I learned early in fish keeping: buy cheap and you buy twice. I bought good quality reef equipment. Not necessarily the most expensive, but equipment that does the job for the required task. Good equipment is actually less expensive in the long run, in my experience, because it lasts longer than cheap stuff, which breaks and has to be replaced with even more money.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Rics.jpg
The tank has gotten to where it is today thru regular attention to the required parameters of a reef tank: regular water changes, regular testing of calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, specific gravity, and the recording of these findings to detect any trends in the water chemistry. The goal of any reef maintenance routine should be small regular periods of time given to keep the water chemistry stable, not large periods of catch up maintenance because the Reefer was to lazy to do what they should. Do the latter and you can have those devastating tank crashes you read about regularly where most of the corals and fish basically die because of owner neglect. Test regularly, make chemistry corrections when needed, and do regular water changes and you are much less likely to have that happen.
I strongly believe that consistency and stability in the water chemistry of a reef tank is the single largest factor in the tank being successful.
Specifics of the tank:
My 210 gallon reef has primarily SPS corals, the population composed of acroporas, millieporas, and montiporas. There are also some zoanthids, palythoas, ricordea, a couple softies and a couple LPS corals as well. Tank is open top with clear mesh guards to prevent jumpers.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/RedPlanettopdown.jpg
Other tanks you may have:
I have two other reef tanks connected to the same sump that the 210 reef is, a 100 gallon chalice tank and a 35 gallon acan/anemone tank. I also maintain a 265 gallon freshwater high tech planted tank, and a 240 gallon freshwater species tank.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/skimmer.jpg
System Profile
System water volume:
My reef system has a net total water volume of 300 gallons, including the sump and the two other tanks plumbed into it.
Display tank volume:
The tank is an AGA Reef Ready 210 gallon with dual overflows. The stand is an AGA Modern Series Stand in black oak.
Tank dimensions:
Tank is 72” L x 24” W x 29.5” H.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/sump.jpg
Sump volume:
The sump is a My Reef Creations Reef Sump (36” L x 18” W x 18” H) with built in refugium. Refugium is a rolling Cheato type.
Equipment list such as pumps, lighting, cooling/heating, and misc:
Lighting- Three CoralVue LumenBright Mini Pendants, three 400 watt CoralVue Dimmable electronic ballasts, and three 400 watt single ended Helios 400 watt 20 K bulbs. Photoperiod is 8 hours a day.
Filtration and water movement:
Sump return pump: Pan World 50pxx 1279 GPH. Return pump feeds refugium, GFO reactor, and Calcium Reactor.
Protein Skimmer: Reeflo Orca 200 recirculating skimmer with upgraded pinwheel and collection cup.
Calcium Reactor: GEO 618 with Milwaukee Instruments SMS 122 controller, JBJ CO2 regulator/solenoid, 5 LB. CO2 bottle.
Nilsen Stirrer: My Reef Creations Nilsen Stirrer
Denitrator: H&S 150 Sulfur Denitrator
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/topright.jpg
Phosphate reactor: TLF Phosban reactor running GFO
Auto Top Off: Tunze Osmolator running thru the Nilsen stirrer, with the Nilsen and Osmolator powered by an American Marine pH controller set to turn power off to the Osmolator and Nilsen if tank pH goes above 8.5.
Cooling/heating: Oceanic ¼ HP chiller and single 500 watt titanium heating element, controlled by chiller.
In tank water movement: four Tunze 6105 pumps controlled by Tunze 7095 controller: total movement about 12,000 GPH
RO Unit: Melev’s Reef 100GPD RODI unit.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/leftsidetopsps.jpg
Livestock
Corals:
I have 90-100 species of LE SPS corals, really too many to list, some examples are Tyree Purple Monster, Tyree Pink Lemonade, Tyree $500 Efflo, Tyree Soli, Tyree Bali Tricolor, Tyree IceFire Echinata, Tyree Sunset Montipora, Tyree Montipora Setosa, ORA Red Planet Tabling Acro, ORA Pearlberry, ORA Tricolor Valida, ORA Purple Plasma, ORA Hawkins Blue Echinata, ORA German Green w/Blue Polyps, Montipora Equituberculata, Dr. Mac’s Reverse Sunset Montipora, Forest Fire Montipora, Appleberry Montipora, Tubs Pink Jade, ATL Pink Lemonade, Greg Hiller’s Aqua Delight, Aquamarine Jewel, Montipora Orenji, Aquarium City Red Milli, Palmer’s Blue Milli, Myagi Tort, Cali Tort, Oregon Tort, Tyree Green Polyp Toadstool.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/topdownsunset.jpg
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/pinklemonade.jpg
Others: I have about 70 multi-color ricordea in the tank on the bottom, and many different zoantihids and palythoas, some LE and some not.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/pinkgreenbad.jpg
Fish:
Goldflake Angel, Coral Beauty Angel, Red Sea Purple Tang, Sailfin Tang, Naso Tang, Kole Tang, ORA Striped Blennies, a six fish Hawaiian Flame Wrasse Harem with Supermale, Lubbock’s Wrasse, Percula Clown, Green Chromis, and Royal Gramma.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/blenny.jpghttp://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/flame2300x180.jpg
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/Goldflakeok33x227.jpghttp://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/Sailfin300x205.jpg
Other inverts: the usual snails and hermits, two Fire Shrimp, 4 Sally Lightfoots.
The ARC's own TOTM committee is proud announce this month's TOTM: Dave (Acroholic)
Introduction
A bit about you as the hobbyist:
I am a married father of one child. My family lives in Sandy Springs. My wife and I relocated to Atlanta back in 1991 from the Cincinnati, Ohio area. My occupational background includes insurance, nursing, and small business ownership. My educational background includes a BBA in Marketing and a Degree in Nursing. I am a Licensed Registered Nurse in the State of Georgia, and have used my Licensure in the business end of medicine, rather than hands on patient care.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Birnestmontibada.jpg
How did you get started:
I have been keeping fish since the mid 1970s. I got my first tank was when I was 12 years old, a 10 gallon, under-gravel filter, freshwater community setup. I kept these types until I started in high school, then I kept Piranhas for a couple years, then kept a 55 gallon FW fish only setup off and on during college with Oscars during my college years. I never really specialized in any type of fish, but kept a wide variety of freshwater species at one time or another, community types to predatory types. I would say that the best skills I developed in this time in fish keeping was a knowledge of how to keep fish alive through proper tank maintenance techniques, knowledge of freshwater aquarium chemistry, knowing how invaluable regular water changes are, and realizing how important it is to research a species you wish to keep so you can care for it properly.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Multiplespsnice.jpg
After college I got into the more expensive, specialized type freshwater fish: Discus in particular. I started keeping them in the 1980s. I had them spawn, lay eggs and produce babies. This was a rather hard thing to do with Discus then, because they were considered one of the most delicate FW species at the time. It was about this time I set up my first saltwater tank. It was a 29 gallon fish only with an under gravel filter and HOB filter. Pretty primitive set up at the time. My first reef tank was in the mid 1990s, a small one, 20 gallon. I moved up to an Oceanic 58 Reef Ready, and wrote and article about it and was published in FAMA magazine in 1996. Then I got out of reefs because of the time requirements of Nursing School and started keeping high tech FW planted tanks, which I still have one to this day. I have also imported and sold Discus through the internet.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Palysbas.jpg
My return to reef keeping started in 2008 when I joined the Atlanta Reef Club and set up my first reef, an Oceanic 120 Tech Series which quickly was taken down, sold, and my current 210 gallon tank reef pictured here was set up. I was amazed at the advances in reef equipment and knowledge that had taken place since 1996. Reefs seemed much easier to keep than they did back in the day, so I thought I’d give it another shot.
What or who were/are your influences and inspirations:
Some of my earliest FW aquarium information came from Magazines like Tropical Fish Hobbyist, published by authors like Herbert R. Axelrod. In my Discus keeping days pioneers like Jack Wattley, Bernd Degen, and Eduard Schmidt-Focke helped newbies like myself keep Discus. And most of my current inspiration and information for the reef hobby comes from individuals connected to the Atlanta Reef Club, the ARC Website, and other internet websites like Reef Central.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Topmiddlesps.jpg
How do you feel about your tank being picked for ToTM:
I am very honored my 210 gallon reef was picked as TOTM. I find it fascinating to be able to have something this beautiful in my basement, especially with 99% of the corals being captive propagated. All my corals started out as small frags of other corals that started out as frags. Many of my corals are multi-generational fragments of other colonies going back many years.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Tort.jpg
Overview
History of the tank:
My 210 gallon tank was set up in July of 2008. I originally had a 120 gallon Oceanic Tech Series 120 set up for 3 months, but realized I would want something larger, so while my original corals were still small, I bought the 210 from Cappuccino Bay shortly before they went out of business.
How the tank got to where it is today:
There are two main keys to this tank’s success: proper equipment and regular maintenance.
When I bought my equipment I used the one rule I learned early in fish keeping: buy cheap and you buy twice. I bought good quality reef equipment. Not necessarily the most expensive, but equipment that does the job for the required task. Good equipment is actually less expensive in the long run, in my experience, because it lasts longer than cheap stuff, which breaks and has to be replaced with even more money.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/Rics.jpg
The tank has gotten to where it is today thru regular attention to the required parameters of a reef tank: regular water changes, regular testing of calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, specific gravity, and the recording of these findings to detect any trends in the water chemistry. The goal of any reef maintenance routine should be small regular periods of time given to keep the water chemistry stable, not large periods of catch up maintenance because the Reefer was to lazy to do what they should. Do the latter and you can have those devastating tank crashes you read about regularly where most of the corals and fish basically die because of owner neglect. Test regularly, make chemistry corrections when needed, and do regular water changes and you are much less likely to have that happen.
I strongly believe that consistency and stability in the water chemistry of a reef tank is the single largest factor in the tank being successful.
Specifics of the tank:
My 210 gallon reef has primarily SPS corals, the population composed of acroporas, millieporas, and montiporas. There are also some zoanthids, palythoas, ricordea, a couple softies and a couple LPS corals as well. Tank is open top with clear mesh guards to prevent jumpers.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/RedPlanettopdown.jpg
Other tanks you may have:
I have two other reef tanks connected to the same sump that the 210 reef is, a 100 gallon chalice tank and a 35 gallon acan/anemone tank. I also maintain a 265 gallon freshwater high tech planted tank, and a 240 gallon freshwater species tank.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/skimmer.jpg
System Profile
System water volume:
My reef system has a net total water volume of 300 gallons, including the sump and the two other tanks plumbed into it.
Display tank volume:
The tank is an AGA Reef Ready 210 gallon with dual overflows. The stand is an AGA Modern Series Stand in black oak.
Tank dimensions:
Tank is 72” L x 24” W x 29.5” H.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/sump.jpg
Sump volume:
The sump is a My Reef Creations Reef Sump (36” L x 18” W x 18” H) with built in refugium. Refugium is a rolling Cheato type.
Equipment list such as pumps, lighting, cooling/heating, and misc:
Lighting- Three CoralVue LumenBright Mini Pendants, three 400 watt CoralVue Dimmable electronic ballasts, and three 400 watt single ended Helios 400 watt 20 K bulbs. Photoperiod is 8 hours a day.
Filtration and water movement:
Sump return pump: Pan World 50pxx 1279 GPH. Return pump feeds refugium, GFO reactor, and Calcium Reactor.
Protein Skimmer: Reeflo Orca 200 recirculating skimmer with upgraded pinwheel and collection cup.
Calcium Reactor: GEO 618 with Milwaukee Instruments SMS 122 controller, JBJ CO2 regulator/solenoid, 5 LB. CO2 bottle.
Nilsen Stirrer: My Reef Creations Nilsen Stirrer
Denitrator: H&S 150 Sulfur Denitrator
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/topright.jpg
Phosphate reactor: TLF Phosban reactor running GFO
Auto Top Off: Tunze Osmolator running thru the Nilsen stirrer, with the Nilsen and Osmolator powered by an American Marine pH controller set to turn power off to the Osmolator and Nilsen if tank pH goes above 8.5.
Cooling/heating: Oceanic ¼ HP chiller and single 500 watt titanium heating element, controlled by chiller.
In tank water movement: four Tunze 6105 pumps controlled by Tunze 7095 controller: total movement about 12,000 GPH
RO Unit: Melev’s Reef 100GPD RODI unit.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/leftsidetopsps.jpg
Livestock
Corals:
I have 90-100 species of LE SPS corals, really too many to list, some examples are Tyree Purple Monster, Tyree Pink Lemonade, Tyree $500 Efflo, Tyree Soli, Tyree Bali Tricolor, Tyree IceFire Echinata, Tyree Sunset Montipora, Tyree Montipora Setosa, ORA Red Planet Tabling Acro, ORA Pearlberry, ORA Tricolor Valida, ORA Purple Plasma, ORA Hawkins Blue Echinata, ORA German Green w/Blue Polyps, Montipora Equituberculata, Dr. Mac’s Reverse Sunset Montipora, Forest Fire Montipora, Appleberry Montipora, Tubs Pink Jade, ATL Pink Lemonade, Greg Hiller’s Aqua Delight, Aquamarine Jewel, Montipora Orenji, Aquarium City Red Milli, Palmer’s Blue Milli, Myagi Tort, Cali Tort, Oregon Tort, Tyree Green Polyp Toadstool.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/topdownsunset.jpg
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/pinklemonade.jpg
Others: I have about 70 multi-color ricordea in the tank on the bottom, and many different zoantihids and palythoas, some LE and some not.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/redo/pinkgreenbad.jpg
Fish:
Goldflake Angel, Coral Beauty Angel, Red Sea Purple Tang, Sailfin Tang, Naso Tang, Kole Tang, ORA Striped Blennies, a six fish Hawaiian Flame Wrasse Harem with Supermale, Lubbock’s Wrasse, Percula Clown, Green Chromis, and Royal Gramma.
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/blenny.jpghttp://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/flame2300x180.jpg
http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/Goldflakeok33x227.jpghttp://i590.photobucket.com/albums/ss345/stickx911/may%20totm/Sailfin300x205.jpg
Other inverts: the usual snails and hermits, two Fire Shrimp, 4 Sally Lightfoots.