MKLKT Reef Journal Mk.65/20

MKLKT · #1 05-11-2011, 04:47 AM

Hello all!

I'd like to think my tank deserves its own journal, so here it goes. I had previously gotten my learners lumps from a 20 gallon FOWLR tank a couple years ago and no longer have that setup (ex has it.) After being sans tank for a while I knew that I needed some salt again so I made a checklist of things I wanted in a setup (50-75 gal, drilled w/sump) and scoured craigslist for a few months waiting for the "one". (Wish I had known about Canreef back then!

)

I eventually got what I was looking for last summer and it's been running and growing happily ever since.

I primarily have soft corals now (tried a few LPS and they did well until I think the leathers went to chemical war and killed them.) There is one Flowerpot coral which is the lone holdout.

I run 4x39w T5s with KZ bulbs (Coral, Coral II, Fiji Purple and Blue+) and the sump has a small macro farm with red bubble algea, chaeto and a few other macros (and two happy flame scallops) on a DSB.

I run the lights 12hrs/day and the skimmer on only at night. I have 2x TLF150 reactors which were purchased recently as I felt the media bags were a waste. They've got rowaPhos and nitrate sponge in them and I have a couple small bags of ChemiPure as well.

I DON'T do water changes, I do monitor all the levels and adjust dosing and top-off accordingly. Every 4 months or so I might refresh 10% of the water with new mix, but it doesn't feel necessary. I keep the salt content at 35ppm and 78F. (I think it comes out to about 1.026SG)

My tank is fairly aggressive but there is a decent pecking order for all the fish and I've never had any problems other than getting bit by the Dominos when my arm is in the tank.

The current fish lineup is as follows:
1x Foxface Rabbitfish
1x Starry/Snowflake Blenny
1x Lemon Peel Dwarf Angel
1x Scooter Blenny
1x Golden Head Sleeper Goby
2x True Perc Clowns
2x Domino Damsels
2x Four Stripe Damsels
2x Talbots Damsels
1x Blue/Green Chromis

Non-coral Inverts:
1x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1x Peppermint Shrimp
1x Kuekenthal's Peppermint Shrimp
3x Flame Scallops
3x Feather Dusters
1x Longspine Urchin
1x Rock Boring Urchin
1x Brittle Star
1x Spider Conch
2x Multicolour Linckia Sea Stars
Snails 30+: Cerith, Turbo, Strawberry Tophat, Bumblebee, Nassarius
Hermits ~15 variety

Corals include a variety of almost all softies except for pulsing xenia and zoa/palys as they get consumed by the animals in my tank. My favourite coral is probably the large green polyp toadstool.

I'll put a video up sometime soon, everyone who comes by loves how active the tank is, and it being a mixed reef there is always something hilarious going on. (Conch jumping around with Strawberry Tophats on its back, etc.)

(Taken with my phone so they're not amazing.)
Full Tank Shot:

Love this guy, he likes to host my toadstool now.

Lemon Peel!

Conch vs. Snail vs. Snail vs. Scooter

Residents hanging out...

Closer shot, you can see the different GSPs, leathers, etc.

New toadstool, love the white polyps.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, if you want to know anything please ask and I shall tell!