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* * * February 2012 TOTM - Frogeye * * *
It gives me great pleasure to announce this months February 2012 TOTM goes to FROGEYE with his stunning Vision 450 system!
Introduction
I would firstly like to thank The Salty Box for feeling my tank was worthy of Tank Of The Month. It is a great achievement for me and makes all the hard work worth while and rewarding.
Way back in 1984 a good friend of mine introduced me to marines. I had kept tropicals for about two years prior to this, but when he took me to the nearest lfs to see the marines, I fell hook, line and sinker for them. Way back then it was difficult enough to keep fish, let alone corals, in fact keeping corals was unheard of and it was an achievement to keep an anemone.
I kept a fish only tank in a sumped system for about four years, had a break of about another four years and started another sumped system which I kept for another five years. There was then a gap until 2008 when I decided to take a trip to the local lfs supplying marines.
I got a great surprise when I went in that day to see corals on sale so opted to buy a D-D Nano. Well that was the start of it, I had to go bigger after about 6 months and went for a Juwel 260 Bow front tank and HOB refugium. Admittedly I had some teething problems with both tanks, but persevered and started to get great results.
Just as I was getting into the hobby, I was invited to stay with family in Australia, but it came with a price... I had to sell up. Well I went to Oz and had a ball. Took a dive on the Great Barrier Reef, visited Sea World and got the bug back again and vowed to start up again when I got home. So after being home for about three weeks, I got a second hand Percula 90 and realized very quickly I wanted more.
As like loads of other reefers I checked out all the sites and one tank hit me right where it counted and gave me all the inspiration I needed to get stuck in. It was on .
That was it, that’s what I wanted. So from that day to this I’m still striving to get those results. So for some of you who think I have too many corals, please understand there is a method to my madness. My plan is to keep the nicest and healthiest corals and pass on the others over a period of time with the object of ending up with something like Krysztof’s.
The Tank
Juwel 450 Bow Front
Dimensions - 1500mm x 610mm x 640mm (L x D x H)
Black background
Right hand side weir
3’ sump
Volume after displacement is around 420l
Lighting
I started off using an Arcadia 2x250w MH and 2 x 39w Actinic tube light fitment but found the heat hard to control so decided to go the LED route. The Reef Beam LED’s were fantastic, but I found that sps struggled anywhere below 8” of the waterline, so decided to go to T5’s.
After much research I opted for the ATI Powermodule Dimmbar 8x54w. I went for the Dimmbar and GHL Profilux so I could have full control of all the lighting. My logic was telling me that in nature the sun rises and sets slowly and the idea of a sudden lights on lights off scenario didn’t seem right, so now I can slowly increase and decrease light intensity.
Circulation
I had a Koralia 8 and Koralia 6 Powerhead with a Vortech MP40W ES, but recently decided that the Koralia 8 & 6 were too much from one direction and created a lot of sand displacement and some corals didn’t like it. I then introduced 1 Koralia 3 along the bottom at the back of the tank to help with any dead areas, 2 x Koralia 4000 and 2 x Koralia 4’s with the idea that plenty of flow was still maintained but from different sources pointing in different directions to create a less direct flow.
Filtration
Approximately 60kg of live rock
I use a Deltec APF600 skimmer fed by an eheim compact 5000 which feed a reactor containing NP bio-pellets. The 5000 is T’d off to also feed a reactor containing P04x4
1st chamber - Filter sock
2nd chamber - Deltec skimmer, reactor with NP-Biopellets and Eheim compact 5000 pump.I use a bag of Rowacarbon wedged between 2nd and 3rd compartments to polish the water just before return to the main tank
3rd chamber - Eheim 1260 Return pump, GHL PH & Temp probes.
Heating and cooling
I use an ATC 300 Temperature control unit to control 300w and 200w heaters and a basic 10” home fan over the summer months. Thankfully I don’t have any heat issues as the ATI Powermodule fans help in keeping temperatures low.
Supplementation
I use a GHL standalone dosing system for the Balling light system of adding calcium, magnesium and sodium bicarbonate and the Fauna Marin range of iodine, heavy metals and strontium. I dose Amino acids about once a fortnight.
Maintenance
Weekly I do a 50l water change when I also clean the skimmer cup. I mix the calcium, magnesium and sodium bicarbonate mixes as and when I need them. Every 3-5 days I clean the filter sock.
I change carbon every 4 weeks and P04x4 when I see phosphates rise. I have only just started using P04x4 as I’ve noticed Krysztof uses it, and if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me, plus It has apparently four times the absorbancy capacity of others and it can be recuperated up to 5 times.
Problems Encountered
Well you name it I’ve had it, but thankfully not on a large scale. At the start I found out to my cost not to add calcium or magnesium supplements directly into the display tank. I lost a few frogspawn, hammerheads and gonipora that way. In this particular setup I had an infestation of red flatworms but after a lengthy siphoning job and the introduction on a sixline wrasse, the problem was solved. The main problems I have had has been algae which was totally my fault due to over feeding and lack of research into the use of the “Blue Bottles’. It has came apparent to me that the “KISS” saying is very apt in keeping marines. Keep It Simple Stupid.
Fish
Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Neon Dottyback
2 x wild common clowns
2 x Yellow Tail Blue Damsels
Bartletts Anthia
Pink Anthias
3 x Green Chromis
Sixline Wrasse
Spotted Blennie
Jade File Fish
Invertebrates and Critters
Maxima Clam
2 x Cleaner Shrimps
1 x Blood Shrimp
Turbo Snails
Red Leg Hermits
Parameters
Salt - D-D H20
Temp - 26
Salinity- 1.026
Calcium (Salifert) - 420
Magnesium (Salifert) - 1360
Alkalinity (Fauna Marin) - 8
PO4 (Hanna) - 0.02
Nitrate - Don’t measure
Nitrite - Don’t measure
Ammonia - Don’t measure
Equipment List
From top to bottom
ATI 8x54 Powermodule Dimmbar
2 x Koralia 4000
2 x Koralia 4
1 x Koralia 3
1 x Juwel 1000 pump
1 x Vortech MP40w ES
1 x 200w heater
1 x 300w heater
Deltec APF Skimmer
GHL Profilux 2 with 6 Plug Bar, temp and PH monitor
ATC 300 Temp Control
Eheim 1260 Return Pump
Eheim compact 5000
Cleartides reactors for NP Bio-pellets and Po4x4
Acknowledgements
At the start I mentioned a good friend of mine introducing me to marines in approx 1985. Maurice sadly died on 1st July last year after a short illness and he is sadly missed. Maurice was a friend I could rely on and trust. When I was disillusioned by the hobby, he brought my spirits up and spurred me on. We travelled the country far and wide to see tanks and shops and his sense of humor was second to none. Maurice has left a gap, but his spirit is still around and kicks me in to gear from time to time.
There are a few forums which we all know about and each are great in their own way, so I would like to thank the forums for firstly being there as the advice you can get, the inspiration you can get and support you can get you can’t put a price on it.
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