2016 Winter Featured Tank - "riceboy" !

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...160201_001.jpg

I have always been fascinated with fish, and have always kept a small 10-gallon community fish tank that was overloaded with different fish. It wasn't until I went to my local fish store, Gold’s Aquarium one day when they had started to carry saltwater fish and corals which spiked my interest. I remember going there all the time and talking to Albert (albert_dao on Canreef), and that’s when I got into the hobby.

I've been reef keeping for almost 10 years now. I started while I was in first year university. My first salt water tank was a 30-gallon tall running PC bulbs and no skimmer - just powerheads and a Fluval 401. All I kept were LPS and other easy corals, and of course the clownfish, damsels, and a Yellow Tang. It did great for the first year, then school took over and I was forced to shut it down. I took a 3-year hiatus until I finished school and started work. Once I had some money I started up the hobby again. I then started with a Neo Nano tank which is a 24 x 24 x 12” shallow tank. Everything did great and that was the first tank I ever had with a sump and skimmer. I soon out grew that and started to upgrade to my current tank which is an 82-gallon custom tank from Concept Aquariums. I was on the fence about upgrading, but bumped into Dave (from Concept Aquariums) at a local fish store and he pretty much convinced me to upgrade.



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THE TANK:

36 x 24 x 22” (82 gallons)
Three sides Starphire
Coast to Coast overflow
One-piece Starphire eurobrace
Built-in waveboxes on each side
Three 1" drains, two 3/4" returns



EQUIPMENT:

Controller - Apex unit with all the bells and whistles
Lighting - 36” ATI T5 + LED hybrid 8-bulb (stock programming & ATI Blue Plus bulbs)
Flow – Four EcoTech MP10wes
Return pump - Jebao 15000 (basement sump)
Protein skimmer- Canadian Skimmer Company CSC-250
Doser - Bubble Magus 3-pump with slave pump
Biopellets - Vertex reactor running biopellets
Carbon - Innovative Marine reactor, changed monthly
GFO - not used
Auto feeder – Eheim
Auto Top Off - Jebao ATO



REFUGIUM:

A 40-gallon frag tank that I turned into a refugium. It's in the basement along with my sump and water change center.
The refugium currently has about 40 lbs of live rock and Chaeto, sponges, and all that good stuff.



TANK PARAMETERS:

Calcium – 450 ppm (Hanna)
Alkalinity - 7.4 - 7.7 dKH (Hanna)
Magnesium - 1200 ppm
Phosphate - 0.04 ppm (Hanna)
Nitrate - not tested



LIVESTOCK:

12 Green Chromis
8 Blue Stripe Damsel
3 Black Ice Clownfish (captive bred)
1 Yellow Tang
1 Blue Tang
1 Foxface
1 Melanurus Wrasse
1 Copperband Butterflyfish
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Dragonface Pipefish

2 Cleaner Shrimp
4 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Coral Banded Shrimp


1 gold Maxima Clam
2 Blastos
1 large Tyree Green Polyp Toadstool
Lots of SPS



SPS OF INTEREST:

ORA Oregon Blue Tortuosa
ORA Pearlberry
ORA Strawberry Shortcake
Pink Lemonade
RR Diablo
RR Orange Passion
RR Wolverine
RR Pink Floyd




MAINTENANCE:

Waterchange once every 3-4 months
Refill dosing containers once every 2 weeks
Clean skimmer cup once every week
Feed fish thawed Mysis once every 3-4 days or whenever I remember
Refill biopellet reactor once every 6 months or whenever I remember
Change carbon monthly



SECRET TO SUCCESS:

Ever since I have automated my system I have had great success with my tank. With my heavy bioload I need to carbon dose. I have tried many things over the years including Zeovit, Prodibio, vodka dosing, biopellets, etc. I have chosen to stick with biopellets since it is super easy to maintain. I run dosers to keep calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium in check. I also dose potassium, Zeovit Reef Booster, Zeovit Pohl’s Xtra, and Zeovit Amino Acid through the doser as well.

I’m not like most conventional reefers (meaning I’m lazy lol), so I do a water change once every 3-4 months. I have even rigged up an automatic water change system - everything is gravity fed and I do a 30 gallon water change in 5 mins by opening 2 valves (one to drain the refugium tank, and one to refill the tank). Other than that, I clean the skimmer cup once a week and that’s it.


I think what hinders people from success is patience - always wanting quick results and easy fixes. In our hobby that is not the case. I try to keep my hands out of the tank as much as I can and tinker only when I have to (the corals usually tell me if I have to tinker) otherwise I just clean the glass, feed the fish, and enjoy!




MY ULTIMATE REEF TANK:

Ever since I saw the Floating Reef and Reef in the Sky tanks from Hong Kong online, it inspired me to do the bonsai look and to strive to get the colors they get. A minimal look and plenty of swimming room for the fish. If I could redo my tank I wish I could go bigger and do a 60 x 36 x 20” tank but sadly my girlfriend would disown me. Haha!




THANKS:

I would like to thank Canreef and the whole saltwater community for your support and vast amount of knowledge I have picked up over the years. Thanks and happy reefing!


PHOTOS:

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