Canreef Tank of the Month

jkhchris' 65 Gallon Reef

I would like to thank Canreef for choosing my tank for TOTM and that I am very honored to post it here. My reef addiction started about 2 and a half years ago with a Ten gallon and about 6 months later I started this 65 gallon. My addiction has progressed from Softies to LPS and now SPS . I have always liked fish so I keep too many of those as well. I enjoy the sense of pride that I get by creating this tank and maintaining it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The System:

I have a 36x24x18 standard Allglass Tank with a single corner overflow. It sits on a standard stand. I have two Hamilton Reefstar pendants lighting the tank. One is a 400w and the other is a 250w, both are Hamilton 14000K bulbs. I have about one hundred pounds of live rock and about forty pounds of live sand. There are three power heads creating flow a 1500 Seio , 1100 Rio with a Hydor water deflector and a Hydor Koralia 4. I have a small closed loop run by a Poseidon PS2 .

I just run metal halides so I run the Hamilton Reefstar over the sump from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM and the two Hamilton Reefstars on the display tank from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM. I have them staggered to cut down on some heat issues I have with this system.

The sump is an Ecosystem Refugium that holds about 15 gallons of water. I have removed all macro algaes and sand I had in there to use it as a grow out tank instead. I have a Hamilton Reefstar 250w XM 10000K lighting the grow out tank. I use a DIY Maxi Jet 1200 running about 1600GPH for flow. I run two Phosban Reactors, one with Fauna Marin Ultra Lithe Media and the other with Carbon. I have a Coral life 120 Skimmer and a Via Aqua ACRO-cal Calcium Reactor, which I started using about two weeks ago. There is a Milwaukee PH controller for the Calcium Reactor and a 5 Pound CO2 bottle with a Milwaukee regulator. I run a Current USA Prime ?horse chiller which is fed by a Mag 7 and returns into my display tank.

Tank Chemistry:

Specific Gravity: 1.025 Alkalinity: 8-9 DKH Calcium: 400 PPM

PH : 8.3 Temp: 78-80 F Mag: 1450 PPM Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 0

Phosphate: undetectable

I run the Fauna Marin UltraLith system on my tank. I have a Phosban Reactor that I run the Lith media in. I have to shake it two times a week to dislodge the sediments that collect around the media. I dose 0.25 ML UltraMin S, 0.50 ML UltraBak and use one drop of the Bio every evening just after lights out. I use Kent Turbo Calcium to dose calcium, Salifert KH + PH to up my Alkalinity and Seachem Magnesium.

Feeding:

I feed the Tank about four times a week. I feed Formula One Marine Pallets Some frozen maybe once a week consisting of Cyclop-eeze and mysis shrimp. I feed a sheet of Ocean Nutrition green marine algae a week. I do weekly water changes of RODI water and use Instant Ocean salt. I was doing fifteen gallons a week but have recently cut it down to five gallons. I have a DIY top off which is gravity fed that consists of a three gallon plastic tank with a hole drilled low on the side with hose running to a Kent float valve in my sump. The tank loses through evaporation about 5 gallons of RODI water a week.

Inhabitants:

Fish:

Regal Tang, Wetmorella Wrasse, Starry Blenny, Three Pajama Cardinals, Sixline Wrasse, Scopas Tang, Two Glass Cardinals, Green Chromis, Banded Goby, Pixy Hawkfish, Yellow Assessor, Five or so Neon Eviota Gobies

Corals:

SPS: Acropora gomezi, A.granulosa, A.valida, A.insignis, A. nobilus, A.bifurcata, four colors of A. millipora, Seriatopora, Stylophora, five different Montipora capricornis, four colors Montipora digitata, two colors Pocillipora

LPS:

Two colors Acanthastrea sp., Frogspawn

Corallimorphs:

Various colors Ricordia florida and Ricordia yuma, various colors of mushrooms that have just grown off the live rock.

Polyps:

Star polyps, Zoanthus sp., Clavularia sp., Palythoa sp.

Clams:

Squamosa, Crocea, two Derasa, three Maxima

Invertebrates:

cleaner shrimp, two banded serpent stars, a pink and green sea cucumber, three peppermint shrimp, three brittle stars, Debelius reef lobster, various snails

Next Setup:

I will be setting up a slightly bigger tank in the near future. I was thinking of getting a custom made tank 60 x 20 x 18 to fit in an area in my dining room. I have most of what I need with my set up right now but will have to buy a better skimmer and build a stand for it to sit on. All the plumbing will be contained in the stand because of issues with space in the condo. I like the idea of a shallow SPS tank. I will try to do a tank build thread when I get this project started.

I really enjoy this hobby with all its glory and misfortune. I look forward to learning more from fellow reefers and the forums of Canreef. I hope you enjoyed my little piece of the ocean. I would like to thank Canreef again for choosing my tank for the January FTOTM . I would like to thank all the LFS in the Lower Mainland for their quality selection of corals, fish and products, especially the team at Ocean Aquatics for all the knowledge that I have gotten off them and there ability to help a fellow reefer out . I would like to thank my wife for her patience and appreciation she has toward this hobby.

Happy reefing to all and the best of luck in the New Year.

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