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Introduction It came as a rewarding surprise and honour for my tank to be selected as Tank of the Month. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to share about my reefing process with fellow reefers. My interest for fishes started about six years ago during the Luohan fad. Back then, I had a simple 4-feet by 1½ -feet by 2-feet tank which I kept for around 1+ year. During
that period, I made frequent trips to various fish shops and it
was then I started noticing marine fishes and corals. I was deeply
attracted by the vibrant colours of the tank. However it seems like
a far-fetched idea to start one due to the complexity and financial
costs involved. However through researching, my interest grew and
in 2003, I finally started a 2-feet by 1½-feet by 1½-feet
with just a hang-on skimmer, filter and a normal lighting.
At
that time it wasn't an easy decision as I had to juggle studies
and work commitments. However my passion for reefing kept me going
and after keeping the tank for 3½ years, I finally upgraded
to my present 2-feet cube tank.
Tank Information Tank
dimensions: 65cm by 60cm by 60cm with external overflow Circulation As my tank is mainly dominated by LPS, therefore I feel that the flow cannot be too strong or direct. However as most reefers are aware, good water circulation is vital to a healthy marine tank. Therefore my main water circulation is from my sump to my tank using a Atman 5,000l/h return pump spilt off with a T-joint to two hydro-flo.
Filtration My filtration system is kept to the minimal. I am using a reliable Deltec APF 600 skimmer which forms the main component of my filtration system. Filter wool is used to trap big particles at the outlet of the overflow. Additional filtration like PO4 and carbon removal media are used as well. Skimz Fluidized Reactor (FR 150) with SORB-4 media helps to remove PO4 while Rowa Carbon is placed in a filter bag inside the sump.
Supplements As I do not have a Calcium Reactor (CR), I rely on manual dose of Seachem / Reef Complete Calcium. The other types of supplements used are as follows:
CORALIFE / Strontium Plus - To help coralline algae growth Lightings As most of my corals are LPS which do not require intensive lightings like SPS, therefore I have chosen T5 HO for my tank setup. My light set is a 6-tube retrofit. As I like my tank to have a tinge of blue and for the corals to fluoresce, hence the following are used:
Temperature The temperature of my tank is kept between 26 - 27 Degree Celsius using Hailea - HC300A (1/4hp). In the event that the chiller breaks down, an external controller will come into use as a backup measure. The external controller is set at 29 Degree Celsius so that when the water temperature reaches 29 Degree Celsius, the lights will be off and the fan will start running.
Maintainence
Change of Water - Approximately 10 gallons weekly using Marine
Environment salt with DI water. I would consider this as an important
routine necessary to replenish any lost elements, to avoid any overdose
and overfeeding. Water parameters Salinity
1.025 Feeding Corals / Fish food is prepared using a mixture of the following ingredients:
This entire mixture is being fed twice a week in very small amount. In addition, MEGA ONE / Marine pellets is fed to the fishes twice a day. Livestock A reef tank is incomplete without fishes. However as 80% of my tank is filled with corals, therefore I cap the number of fishes low to reduce bioload. At the same time, the fishes have to be reef-safe.
Invertebrates They are great additions to a tank due to their unique behaviours which also make them interesting for observation.
Corals They add colours and life to a tank. Some of my corals are survivors from a tank mishap and have since recovered with noticeable growth. Though there are a few which are still slow in growth. As my tank is small, it is a challenge to position them within a limited compound. This also requires an understanding of the different nature and aggressiveness of each coral. Zoanthids
Concluding Remarks I am grateful and honoured for my tank to be selected as Tank of the Month. I am still in the learning process of maintaining and growing my young tank. It has been a great challenge, right from the setting of my tank to growing it to its present stage. The vast amount of discipline and time commitment needed, are driven by the passion and joy of seeing my corals and fishes grow healthily. Though it hasn't been all smooth-going due to the various tank mishaps I encountered, but over time, I have learned from my mistakes and gained much needed knowledge from this forum, as well as magazines and books, which kept me going. Special thanks to Absolute Reef Online, a place where I gained most of my reefing knowledge from. And thanks to all reefers who have shared their valuable experience, especially those who have helped me a great deal along the way. I deeply appreciate the friendships we have cultivated through our visits to fish shops, discussions, etc. in this forum. Last but not least, I would like to thank my girlfriend for her support and encouragement. |
Absolute Tank of the Month (May/Jun) 2008