Canreef Tank of the Month

EmilyB's 230 Gallon Reef

What would YOU call this tank? Awhile ago it would have been classified as a FOWLR - Fish Only With Live Rock (the classic captive reef having no predators). What’s in between that and your own ideas of making it more natural?

I have some fun being creative with this one because I happen to love butterflyfish.

System:

The tank is a custom built Eurobraced 230g with a 70g sump, Starphire glass and three sides viewable. It was set up in November 2003 as an upgrade from a 155g. The flow has been a challenge because of the three sided setup, and the fact that we didn’t really want a canopy because of the heat, not that we had a clue how to build one anyway.

The skimmer is a Euro-reef CS12-1 external which has been the most difficult Euro we have had to tweak. The insump models are pretty much plug in play. It took awhile but eventually we got it where we wanted it. On our previous tank we ran a Euroreef CS8-1 but felt it would be too small for the larger tank.

We run a Calcium Reactor built by a local reefer and fortunately for us, that has been really plug and play. What can I say? I love it! It keeps the calcium levels at a smooth and steady 420ppm.

Closer shot of the tank.

The tank currently runs two Little Giant 4MDQX-SC pumps. One is turned off because we find the siphoning from one end gives more overall circulation. For now a Hagen 802 is the only thing moving the water back from the far end. Overall there seems to be a lot of water movement.

Check out a movie of the tank in action here

The tank in March 2005, lit by AB 10000K bulbs

Earlier this year, I decided to change the tank because it just looked too stuffed up to me and the fish had no place to swim. As well, the SPS guilt made me think I was doing something wrong as the fish kept most of the SPS polyps closed (or eaten). However, the SPS growth was always pretty good and I suspect I will be adding more back as time goes on, now that my polyp fetish has worn off. All my SPS geek friends just cringe....

Tank Chemistry:

Specific Gravity: 1.025 Alkalinity: 9 dkH Calcium: 420 ppm Nitrates: 5-10 ppm

Temperature: 80 F Magnesium: 1320 ppm

I don’t measure my nitrates because they are high and that freaks me, however I know it's because of the high fish load, and the amount I must feed. Okay okay, I measured the nitrates, they’re running at around 5-10 before a waterchange. I think all the clams are helping.

Lighting and Photoperiod:

Lights are 3 x 250w 14000K DE Phoenix bulbs and 4 x 24W PC actinics in a stripped out Aquaspacelight, now running PFO ballasts after the others in the fixture burned up. The photoperiod is cut back in the summer as there is a lot of ambient light in the room. The lights are on for 10 hours during the summer and 11 hours during the winter with the actinics on ½ hr before and ½ hr after the main lights.

Heat is not an issue in this tank as it is in the basement and the windows are shaded by the deck above.

Feeding and Maintenance:

I like to feed a variety of foods, including nori, spirulina flake, formula 2, spirulina and shrimp pellets (in moderation) and PE mysis. I put Kent Garlic Xtreme and Kent Zoe on frozen food.

I think I’ve run carbon once or twice and never seen any result from it so I only use it if I feel there is a water problem. Water changes are about 40g every two weeks using Kent salt. I use RO and DI when I have it around. I usually use RO/DI and try to get the medical grade DI as nothing is too good for my tank

Tank Inhabitants:

Maroon clowns (pair) 2002. We bought the female and later paired her slowly. They host in an unknown number of BTAs at one end of the tank.

Mandarins (pair) 2002. These guys are the first to eat from the tongs. Mouse is a bold mandarin and gets right in there at feeding time. They have no trouble chasing down mysis with their turned down mouths, it just takes a little body work. Of course they have lots to choose from. It took a while to find Spouse for Mouse. We got two Louses before finding Ms. Mouse. Its hard to see the fin or it can be chewed off.

Yellow Tang 1999. Spiffy. What more can I say? I put Spiffy on the bankers desk . She thought Spiffy was awesome and gave me money. ;) Spiffy had black ich when I got her and was very skinny. Now she is fat and sassy. She was very shy until Moo arrived on the scene. All new caves are hers for the first few minutes, then Moo is allowed in.

Chevron Tang 2005. Chevy2 has the mentality of Homer Simpson and is a tank wall kisser.

Moorish Idol 2003.

Moo shakes her head at me to be fed. She is like a dog in a tank, she watches us constantly and is on whatever side of the tank we are on. We re-aquascaped as the caves weren’t quite big enough for her and she lost her streamer fin. Its growing back now. She loves swim thrus and seems to be able to rule without a blade...

Pakistani Butterfly 2004. Apu was maybe 1.5” when I brought him home from J&L. He loves to chase the cleaning magnet and he is quite fun to play with. He won’t eat flake ever and is disgusted when I feed it. He is the most visible nibbler but never too intent in one area.. They nibble more to make me feed them I’m sure. I only see him really at the front on the GSPs but he is starting to eat aiptasia alongside the golden butterfly. I put rocks in there from the other tank.. The butterflies are all crazy about nori.

Red Sea Golden Butterfly 2003. Butters is a true aiptasia eater and the most well behaved butterflyfish. She got popeye in one eye that never went away. We went so far as to consult local vets but no one felt they had the expertise. I talked to a few knowledgeable people and we tried two unsuccessful attempts to "pop" the bubble, problem being you can't see the bubble when the fish is out of the water. She is a very hardy fish. We won't put her through it again, beccause she seems healthy and happy. She gets cleaned by the scarlet shrimp and no one else. The cleaners do the ordinary laundry.

Black Back Butterfly 2001. Spike gets stoned on xenia – she loves the stuff! Spike slurps down xenia like I slurp down spaghetti and then cruises at top speed horizontally across the tank a few times like she's on the greatest high. Spike can go anywhere, she has lived with the trigger and she survived a really bad tank crash. She is tough as nails and knows her name

Invertebrates:

Black Cucumber, Diadema Urchin (brown stripey variety), 3 Cleaner shrimp, 2 Scarlet shrimp, 1 Peppermint shrimp, Tuxedo urchin, 2 teardrop Maxima clams, 4 Maxima clams, 1 Squamosa clam, 1 Crocea clam, various Acro crabs, sand sifting starfish

Corals:

Tan/Greenish Birdsnest (Seratiopora sp.), Pectinia, Brown/Pink Catspaw with resident crab (Stylophora sp), Green Acropora with resident crabs, Blue Ridge Coral (Helipora coerulea), Blue Encrusting Montipora, Orange Ricordea yuma, Pavona, Brown green centered Ricordea yuma, Pink rim cap (M. capricornis), Assorted M. digitata (green, pink, brown) , munched green star polyps, various munched zoanthids, and a small plate factory (Fungia sp.)

There you have it. I know it isn’t an SPS lover’s tank, but I hope you have had some enjoyment from it anyway. All thanks go to my bud, Christy, for without her I wouldn’t have been able to do this. I have learned so much more about my tank and why I love it so much by doing this. Enjoy.

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