Canreef December 2015 Featured Tank

Roskoreef's Tank

Congratulations to Roskoreef for being selected as Canreef Featured Tank for December 2015! (Thank you Alex for sharing your system details with us!) Please click on the thumbnails to view the pictures larger.

Introduction

What an honour to be the featured tank! After a short time I never would have thought my tank would be in the same realm as some other amazing featured tanks here on canreef. My journey into reef keeping all started a few years back when I discovered a small 3 gallon aquaponics garden. I thought the idea of using fish waste to grow plants and vegetables in a closed system was genius. Turned into a 20 gallon planted custom tank with a garden on top (with red wriggler worms to produce vermiculite!) and was actually really cool. The planted tank really started to interest me and I got a 30 gallon ada cube garden and had a planted tank for a while. By this time I'm fully hooked into the fish world and had always wanted to try saltwater, so the time came when my girlfriend and I bought a new home together. New home = new tank. New house had a bar in the basement and neither of us really had any use for a bar set up, so I re-enforced it into a tank stand and had concept build me my first salt tank.

Method:

I decided to go with the zeovit system as I wanted to eventually get into sps and had recently drooled over the amazing zeo tanks on the internet. I liked the concept and maintenance. I started out with a 3.0L vertex reactor but have recently upgraded to an Avast Marine Vibe auto zeo reactor, very happy about not having to break my back pumping the reactor underneath my frag tank. I use 2L of zeo stones for about 220 gallons total water volume. I use Carbon in a loose bag in my sump and a filter sock here and there. I'm still on the fence whether or not I like a filter sock. Certainly do not like cleaning it! Definitely trying to reduce maintenance time as I have a growing family.

Maintenance:

As little as possible, I run 4 gyres so the tank has very little detritus build up. I change a filter sock every few days and even that is getting old. I clean the skimmer cup once a week when I do water changes. I don't have a water change setup ATM, so I hand bomb all 20 gallons (about 10%) a week. I like to clean the glass at least every second day, if not every day as I can't stand looking through dirty glass. I spent all this time and effort to look at my tank, not take on a second job cleaning fish tanks.

Dosing and Feeding:

Daily feedings of frozen mysis and cyclopeeze or similar, about 3 cubes.I also feed marine pellets, algae pellets and algae flakes 3 times a day with an apex autofeeder.

Daily dose:

• 1.8ml zeostart
• 8 drops sponge power
• 8 ml k-balance
• 4 drops coral vitalizer

Bi-weekly:

• 10 drops zeobak
• 5 drops zeofood

Randomly:

• 12 ml Strontium
• 8 ml coral booster
• 8 drops amono acid

Current Tank and Equipment:

• Tank: 184 gallon 92"x21"x22" Starphire front, back and one end
• Sump: 38"x18"x16", 20 gallons water
• Frag tank: 40 gallon 12"x36"x20" -- run off of main system

Maxspect gyre 130 for flow

External overflow

Avast Marine Vibe Auto Zeovit reactor

Vertex rx-c 6d Calcium reactor - 3 chamber - last one filled with magnesium media

Bubble King Royal Exclusiv 300 external skimmer

Flow:

• Return Pump - Reef Octopus hy-12500
• Maxspect gyre 150 x 3
• Maxspect gyre 130

I have tried all types of configurations with the gyres, and so far I found the most even flow for the whole tank is when I have some vertical and some horizontal. I run the 2 verticals on opposite continuous flow and the 2 horizontals creating waves/random flow at the surface.

Lights:

• Radion xr30 pro 3rd gen
• Radion xr30 3rd gen
• Radion xr15 pro x 2
• Radion freshwater
• 39W T5HO X 4 - 4 Super blue
• MH 150w 14k
• MH 250w 14k

Parameters:

• Calcium: 430 ppm
• Alkalinity: 125-135 ppm, 7-7.5 DKH
• Magnesium: 1350 ppm
• Temp: 25 °C
• Salinity: 33.5 ppm
• Ph: 8.05 - 8.25
• Phosphate: 0, checked 7 months ago
• Ammonia: haven't checked since cycle

Credits:

I would like to thank canreef and all the members for their advise support and compliments throughout the last year. The advice I have got on canreef has saved my tank more than once from complete disaster. I must thank my supportive girlfriend for looking the other way when I come home with more fish and corals. Super stoked for this nomination, what a motivation to keep the reef pristine! Happy Reefing!