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Cultivated Reef
  • Christopher Marks

    Congratulations to PodRod for being selected for our February Reef Profile! Her 34 gallon nano reef is a gorgeous and highly diverse ecosystem. Below she has written a profile of her aquarium's progress over the past year, and shares her experiences in the hobby. Check it out and share your comments and questions in PodRod's featured reef profile thread.

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    Wow, I don't even know what to say at being selected as the February TOTM. I've never considered my tank worthy of this category but, regardless, I'm happy to share some of my experiences. My tank was set up on December 1, 2007. This is my fourth tank so I used past experiences as an attempt to "get it right this time."

    Tank Specs

    Display: 20"x20"x20" 34g Solana
    Lighting: Current USA Sunpod HQI MH 250w with Phoenix bulb, compact fluorescent lamp fixture with 9W 50/50 bulb for refugium.
    Filtration: Tunze Nano Doc Protein Skimmer - 9002
    Circulation: VorTech Propeller Pump - MP40W
    Heater: Stealth Heater 100w
    Cooling: Azoo Cooling Fans
    Dosing & Top-off: Tunze Osmolator, SpectraPure Litermeter III with one external pump.
    Equipment: AquaController Jr, Neptune PH Probe for ACJR

    Routine Maintenance

    I travel frequently so it's important that my tank be as automated as possible. My automatic top-off container holds a week's worth of water, and the Litermeter III doses my two-part solutions. Each week I perform a four gallon water change and replenish my ATO water and two-part solutions as needed. During my water change I check salinity, Ca, and Alk, and clean prefilters. Mg is checked on a monthly basis and adjusted as needed. I perform a quarterly cleaning of equipment to remove any calcium buildup using a vinegar solution. During the quarterly clean I also replace the ChemaPur and Purigen filter media. I feed each day by rotating frozen mysis shrimp, frozen Formula Two with Cyclopeeze, and Prime Reef flakes.

    Fish

    • Coral Beauty - 1
    • True Percula - 2
    • Orchid Dottyback - 1

    Inverts

    • Fire Shrimp
    • Porcelain Crab
    • Assortment of zebra and scarlet reef hermit crabs
    • Assortment of cerith, trochus, nassarius, nerite, and stomatella snails
    • Clams - 3 Crocea and 1 Maxima
    • Recent explosion of baby snails, micro brittle stars, keyhole limpets and chitons

    Corals

    • Acropora - five varieties
    • Pink Birds Nest
    • Chalice (echino)
    • Pink Pocillopora
    • GARF Bonsai
    • Pink Millipora
    • Sunrise Monti
    • Bruddah's Original Superman Monti
    • Rainbow Monti

    • Orange Monti Setosa
    • Purple Monti Cap
    • Orange Monti Cap
    • Blueberry Polyped Monti Cap
    • Stylophora - Green
    • Oregon Tort
    • Cali Tort
    • Smurf blue-tipped green Tort
    • Toadstools - 2 varieties
    • Various Zoas/Palys

    Changes

    My tank started as a mixture of SPS and LPS, but has slowly evolved to predominately a SPS tank. I replaced the stock skimmer and positioned it in the second chamber. I now use the first chamber as a refugium for chaeto. I also ditched the ATO bottles and use the Tunze osmolator to regulate the ATO. I removed the back wall and middle shelf of the stand to allow better air flow for the external ballast and room to accommodate the ATO water container.

    Disasters

    Yep, I've had a few. My biggest disaster was accidentally using fresh water for a water change. This had no negative impact on any of my corals, but I lost all my clams due to the salinity drop. I also tried to remove a large mushroom that was attached to my live rock. The mushroom polluted the water column and I lost several zoanthid colonies, including all my Tubb's Blues. I've also flooded my floor twice while performing a water change when the water back siphoned through the ATO water line.

    Regrets

    I regret adding mushrooms and GSP to my tank - they are impossible to remove and spread too quickly.

    Advice To New Reefers

    • Never underestimate the power of a check valve.
    • Listen to the advice of others who have been in the hobby longer - but make your own decisions.
    • Remember that no two tanks are alike and what works for one may not work for others.
    • Find someone who is at the same stage in their tank's progress as you. Sharing experiences is part of the fun.
    • Find someone local to trade with if possible. There is nothing more rewarding than fragging your own corals and sharing their growth with others.
    • Never buy corals without researching their requirements. Know in advance what your tank will support and stay within that category.
    • Invest in 10" forceps, a turkey baster, LED flashlight with red lens, magnifying glass and microfiber cloths - they will quickly become your favorite tools of the trade.
    • Most importantly, go slow and enjoy each stage of the tank's progress. It's a journey, not a destination.

    Acknowledgements

    Special thanks to Nano-Reef.com for providing a forum to share experiences, help others along the way, and make new friends. I would not be in this hobby if it weren't for NR. It's the people and support on NR that keep the hobby exciting and allow me to continue learning and growing along the way.

     

    @PodRod

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    Congradulations. This tank is beautiful and that is a really nice write up. Thanks for sharing your reefing adventures with us.

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    Awesome tank! Very deserving of TOTM. I was wondering i was looking at you progress pictures, a noticed you moved you clams around a little. I was wondering how you got your clams to stay where you placed them with out them falling over? I have sps tank and was wanting to add some clams. Thanks and great tank makes me want to move from a 150w to 250w.....

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    Awesome tank! Very deserving of TOTM. I was wondering i was looking at you progress pictures, a noticed you moved you clams around a little. I was wondering how you got your clams to stay where you placed them with out them falling over? I have sps tank and was wanting to add some clams. Thanks and great tank makes me want to move from a 150w to 250w.....

     

    Thanks so much! I have moved the clams around but I've never had a problem with them staying. As long as they have a good surface with proper flow and light then they will attached themselves rather quickly. I have one now that I would like to move but he is tightly attached and unwilling to go anywhere. I just got lucky with the others and when I noticed them shifting around I quickly moved them before they reattached.

     

    I noticed you're in KY - I may be relocating to the Northern KY/Cincinnati area soon with my job. I know nothing about the area so I would welcome opinions on areas to live and areas to stay away from.

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    Comgrat on the recognition of TOTM!!! it is really impressive. I also got a Solana and hopefully it could be like yours someday. I love your clams. I have a Crocea and a Derasa and lost a Maxima a few weeks ago. I plan to get a few more added to my collection but running out of rooms:-( If you have time can you check out my thread (http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=182130&st=0&p=2062968entry2062968) and any advice is greatly apreciated. thanks pham

     

     

     

     

    http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;#entry2062968

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    Can you tell me how you have your chamber systems set up? Are you using #1 as a refugium and how are you lighting it? Do you use any chemical media?

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    Yes please! More information about how you've set up your back chambers and the ATO/dosing systems! We are just setting up a new solana, and I was looking for help on this and found your tank. What a great inspiration! If you have time, I'd really appreciate information on how the mechanics work!

     

    Thanks so much!

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    Thanks so much for all the compliments! I apologize that I've not been available but I've been out of town and just got back home today. As for the rear chambers I have the heater and chaeto in the first chamber. I had a Picotope that was not being used so I simply used velcro to secure the Picotope light to the back of chamber one and set it up on the ACJR to run opposite of my MH light. It's working great and the chaeto is really starting to grow. I also have the Litermeter set up to feed the CA and ALK into chamber one as well.

     

    In chamber two I have Purigen and ChemaPur at the bottom and the Tunze skimmer at the top. Chamber three contains the return pump, temp sensor, PH probe and the ATO sensor.

     

    I removed the back wall of the stand to allow for air flow for the external ballast and the massive amounts of cords. The ACJR block is actually located in the drawer. The ballast, ATO water container, two power strips, ACJR display, ATO display and the Litermeter III are all located inside the cabinet. I removed the cabinet shelf to allow room for everything.

     

    This is definitely not the preferred setup but I don't want any clutter outside my cabinet. I regret that I did not make a custom cabinet with more room internally and I would highly recommend that for anyone starting out. The cabinet is sturdy - just doesn't offer much in the way of storage space.

     

    I'm playing catch-up since I've been out of town all week but I hope I addressed all the outstanding questions. I also returned a lot of PMs today as well. I appreciate all the compliments and interest in my tank. Part of the fun in this hobby is sharing experiences with others. I've received a lot of attention lately due to the TOTM feature and I'm really having a blast helping others and sharing my ups and downs. This has rejuvenated my interest in the hobby and now I want a bigger tank!

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