Pics of my 280 gallon reef

[Andy]

Hello everyone.

Just thought I'd post a few pics of my reef. I'm lighting it with 3 400 watt radiums and 2 VHO actinics.

Andy

http://reefmania.homestead.com/FullFeb8.JPG

http://reefmania.homestead.com/FullFeb8a.JPG

http://reefmania.homestead.com/FullFeb8b.JPG

[Jason McK]

Stellar Thats a very nice tank. Could you tell use your specs. ie. hardware, flow, water parameters?

Thanks
Jason

[Aquattro]

Looks great. How about soe macro shots and tank details!!

[Andy]

Thanks guys. Here are some specs.

280 gallon InterAmerican eurobraced tank, 70 gallon sump, 3 400 watt radiums (son agro 430 watt HPS ballasts), 2 VHO actinics on Ice Cap ballasts, TS/24 Tunze Turbelle Stream Kit, Precision Marine calcium reactor, My Reef Creations MR-3 skimmer, 1/2 hp Pacific Coast chiller, DIY kalkwasser reactor, Reef Filler dosing pump, 2 Gen-X Mak 4 return pumps, 60 gpd Spectrapure RO/DI unit, SPS dominated, some LPS, softies and clams, light fish load.

As for tank parameters, I rarely check but my pH varies bewteen 8.1 and 8.4, ORP hangs in around 380-425, calcium usually around 400 ppm and alkalinity at 10-12 dKH, temp between 78-80 F.

Here are some coral shots.

http://reefmania.homestead.com/Loripes.JPG

http://reefmania.homestead.com/loripe_04_01_04t.JPG

http://reefmania.homestead.com/Blue_shrooms.JPG

http://reefmania.homestead.com/RedOpenBrain.JPG

http://reefmania.homestead.com/Merulina.JPG

http://reefmania.homestead.com/Blue_Acro2.JPG

[whaase]

:eek: Wow.... amazing!

Walter

[LostMind]

Nice NIce Nice!

Do you ship frags? :P

[Andy]

Thanks LostMind. I haven't shipped frags but I do sell them locally in Ontario.

[sumpfinfishe]

That's one ell of a reef there Andy :exclaim:
Great setup and love those colors :cool:
Too bad you live so far away, we could use some of those frags here on the West Coast :mrgreen:

That's an amazing reef, you should be very proud indeed.

[kris]

WoW Andy great tank, thanks for sharring.


Kris

[robbyville]

Beautiful!

How long have you had the system running? Did you purchase most of those colonies as a whole or as smaller pieces?

I would love to see some early pics, give me something to shoot for!

[Andy]

Thanks so much guys. The tank has been up for just over 2 years. I purchased most of my sps at Superior Reef Aquatics in northern Ontario. Most were purchased as small colonies. I have purchased frags from Saltwater Connection as well. They have grown quickly. Here is a pic shortly after I set the tank up. Some of the corals came out of my previous 125 gallon system. As you can see, I didn't have too many sps back then. See if you can recognize any of the sps from 2 years ago.

http://reefmania.homestead.com/files/2805.jpg

http://reefmania.homestead.com/files/left1.jpg

[wayner]

Very Very Nice Andy!

[Delphinus]

Sweet indeed. Wow that is a tall reef structure!

[UnderWorldAquatics]

Another example of a beautiful, stunning display that is over the dreaded 24".... or is that 20"???
Awsome tank Andy!!!
I really like the variety!, I rarely see such diversity in reefs, its a sight for sore eyes....
I like sps, lps, and all the others, but I like them most when they are all together! :mrgreen:

[Acro]

Andy, Very nice job :) Looks great. If you've fragged corals that near the top and placed them on the substrate have you noticed a color change in them? What I'm wondering is can you clearly tell the corals retain better color closer to the light?

Keep up the good work,
Jamie

[BCOrchidGuy]

Amazing

[Andy]

Thanks guys. Jamie. I have noticed a significant colour change between the acro frags at the bottom of the tank vs their counterpart up in the water column. Except the opposite has happened to what I expected. The frags on the substrate appear to be getting lighter as if they are expelling xooanthelae (sp?). Any ideas.

[Acro]

Andy, Are these new frags? How long have they been placed on the bottom for? Any comparision pics?

[Andy]

Hi Jamie

These frags have been mounted for about a month. They have been on the bottom right from the get go and have shown great growth but a shift in colour. I'll see if I can dig up some pics.