Introduction
Driving by JL Aquatics on Lougheed Highway always reminded me of my visits to the old Coquitlam location 15 years ago. It also brought back fond memories of when I had my first marine tank, so it wasn't surprising that events led me to start the hobby again two years ago. But if someone were to have told me that I would be writing out a narrative for TOTM on my tank, I would never have believed them. Like most things, I am never satisfied with my tank and look for ways to improve it; so it was extremely flattering my tank was considered. It makes me a little uncomfortable because previous TOTMs are so well executed, and I fail to believe that my tank can even compare to those. But here I am, I am honoured, and here is my story...
Background
It was 1999 when I went to King Ed Pets to buy equipment to set up a fresh water tank. I wandered off into the marine section while browsing the store and was in awe of the bright and vibrant marine fish. I was hooked, and there my first marine tank was born.
My tank was a modest 30 gallon fish only tank, that sat on my desk. It had the most basic of set ups, with just a canister filter and the infamous Seaclone skimmer. I kept a small powder blue tang, Hippo, cleaner wrasse and a scooter blenny. It always amazed me how they would swim along the tank as if following me around the room. I was surprised at how much I loved my fish. It wasn't long before the size of the tank didn't satisfy me so I upgraded. At the time, I didn't have much real estate in my bedroom so a 60 gallon acrylic tank was all I could expand to. For this tank, I built my own sump because sumps were fairly expensive and the options at the time weren't compatible for my needs. Thankfully it was relatively easy to build. My tanks were very simple, but I was proud to have them. It was unfortunate that not long after I set up the second tank, my life got in the way and I had to give up the hobby.
Current Tank
Fast forward to 2012, and my friend set up a small fresh water tank. Seeing this brought back the excitement I had with my first tanks so I decided to continue with the hobby. And so it began with the 40 gallon Osaka that I bought with a small discount at SuperPets in Richmond. It was the first time I kept SPS, used a doser, biopellet reactor, and a controller – all the fancy gadgets that weren't available when I first started this hobby. Being able to research equipment online and seeing the variety of livestock, siphoned much money. It was only a matter of time when I ran out of room in the tank. In addition to the lack of space in the display tank, the sump area of the 40 gallon was also too small. It was extremely frustrating navigating my way in there. There were many times when I thought I would crack the sump or break my skimmer. Since the lack of space also limited equipment options, it was time for a change.
Once I opted for a 120 gallon tank, I eagerly went to work on setting it up and built my own wood stand from scratch. The next year and a half of this tank's life was full of ups and downs. I went through multiple changes in equipment and dosing regimes, trying to figure out the best combination that would best suit my tank. For example, I ran a full zeovit system at first, but could never get the nitrates to go down, so I went back to using biopellets from my initial tank. When the biopellet reactor pump failed it nearly caused a tank crash, so I decided to go back to the full zeovit again, assuming it was the safer option. Ultimately, all the trials and tribulations led to what my tank is today.
My assumption is that the next step on a reefer's journey is to start a frag tank. It became apparent to me this was necessary for me when my display tank was covered with frag racks like many of us hoarders. It was a done deal when I finally received permission from my girlfriend to set it up. Thanks to Dave and Denny at Concepts Aquariums for designing and building the tank. I have to commend the customer service I received from them.
You can buy all kinds of magic potions and concoctions, but I found the most important ingredient is an adequate amount of fish poop. To be honest, fish poop is gold.
Display Tank Livestock:
- 3 x Masked Swallow Tail Angel Fish
- Bellus Angel
- Lineatus Wrasse (super male)
- Naoko Wrasse
- Labouti Wrasse
- Yellow Coris Wrasse
- Melanurus Wrasse
- Red Velvet Wrasse
- Achilles Tang
- Yellow Tang
- Chevron Tang
- Blue Tile Fish
- 4 x Anthias Barletts
- Lyretail Anthias
- Lawnmower Blenny
- Black Ice Clown
What keeps me a reefer is also one of the exciting aspects of this hobby, which is collecting new pieces of corals. Even the cheap and ugly looking corals are exciting because you never know what they could turn into. This is why I was upset when Frag-a-lot closed down because it was always exciting to receive my brown corals. They also didn't send you what you ordered, so it was always a mystery box of potential from them.
System Stats
Display Tank:
| Main tank: | 48x24x24, 120 gallon |
| Sump: | 36x16x18 |
Equipment
Display Tank:
| Skimmer | Bubble King Mini 180 |
| Lighting | ATI 8 bulb hybrid |
| Flow | 2 x Vortech MP40, 1 x Jebao WP40 |
| Return Pump | Eheim 1262 |
| RO/DI | Vertex 100 gpd |
| Controller | Apex Standard |
| ATO | Tunze |
| Temperature control | 300W titanium heater |
| Carbon | TBD |
| Reactor | Avast Marine Vibe |
| Chiller | JBJ 1/4hp |
| Doser | Vertex Libra |
Frag Tank:
| Skimmer | Cadlight PL50 |
| Lighting | ATI 8 bulb sunpower |
| Flow | 2 x Vortech MP10, 2 x Jebao WP10 |
| Return Pump | Eheim Compact |
| ATO | Tunze |
Parameters
| Calcium: | 410-430 ppm |
| Alkalinity: | 8 dkh |
| Magnesium: | 1400 ppm |
| Salinity: | 1.026 |
| Temperature: | 77-82 °F |
| Nitrate: | 0.5 ppm / Salifert |
| Phosphate: | 0 - 0.030 ppm / Phosphorous Checker |
Natural Methodology
Reefing is enjoyable to me because I like to see all the elements of the tank come together. It's not just dosing, lighting, and temperature, it's also an art. I can be technical, but also be artistic and creative. I enjoy the individuality and expression of it all. I have such an appreciation for fellow reefers because I understand the time and effort required to construct their tanks. It amazes me how reefers take time off work and travel far distances to trade and buy corals just for the hobby. We all have put, what some my call unreasonable, efforts into getting that one frag to add to our collection. Every tank says something about the reefer that created it, and we should all value the amount of attention that was invested.
I honestly don't think that I do anything different that any other reefer would. My regime is pretty straightforward. However, if I were to pass anything that I've learned from the past two years, it's that I've come to believe that chasing numbers is not necessary. But to be clear, you do need to test, though those numbers just give you a rough idea of the stability and state of your tank. Instead, I found it beneficial just looking at my tank and observing how my corals responded to changes so modifications could be made accordingly. So far I've been lucky that it's working. I am also a believer in heavy feeding and removing waste in a timely manner. In terms of water changes, I do that every two weeks.
Acknowledgments
I am thankful for Canreef, as it has provided me with a constant support system and wealth of information. The moderators are very active on the boards and the members are always helpful in answering questions. I'd like to send a special thank you to the vendors for taking my money. Jokes aside, vendors like JL Aquatics, GoReef, Oceanic Corals, and Big Show have consistently provided me with exceptional customer service and were always there to give great advice. I am also grateful for the fellow reefers I have met along the way. Special shout out to Thomas, Rich, Jess, Dave, Ryan, Nick, Nicole, Chris, Peter, Jeff, John, Ben, the funky haired girl at the front desk of J&L, Katie, Dave, and Ray. Last but not least, thanks to the folks behind Canreef, for publishing my piece on the forum.
I tried to keep the write up brief, as to not bog everyone down with my boring details. But if anyone has any questions, please feel free to PM me and I'll try my best to answer.