60 Gal SPS & Zoo Reef

[Neptunian]

Intro

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At the beginning I imagined this tank to be a

BB - SPS only reef with 2 or 3 fish. But then

I got to reading other peeps threads and

their experiences with SPS only reefs.

 

My opinions changed and my knowledge grew

and after reading different subject matter

and technology about SPS, I made my decisions

about my Little Reef Tank. The work in progress begins here.

 

I had a local company called Phuture Lab

create my system. It's completely custom

made & customed fitted.

 

The real "pimp my reef" dream.

 

I wanted a larger tank but this is what I could

afford. Everything is really expensive here.

 

 

My 60 Gal SPS & Zoo Reef

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Dimensions:

28' X 20' X 24'

 

 

Lighting:

-Aquamedic Day T5's X 2

-Aquamedic Actinic T5's X 2

(will be fitting 150W MH soon then another 150W later)

 

 

Plumbing & Circulation:

-Boyu 3000G/h external Pump X 2 AKA "the beasts"

(1 for closed-loop run on full the other, for overflow

at a reduced rate, probably runs at about 2500G/h)

 

 

 

Extras:

-Aquamedic BioStar Skimmer (this thing is amazing!!, small but damn it works hard)

-Aquamedic KS1000 Kalk Reactor(Had for a week)

fed with an Aquamedic Niveaumat

from a freshwater supply (I don't use RO/DI).

-I use PhosGuard and Purigen(for a week now)

Before regular carbon and phosphate remover.

 

Supplements:

-Cape Coral Care: Multivitamin, Strontium & Molybdenum, Calcium Booster

-Seachem Iodide

-Kent Marine: Pro Buffer dKH, Tech M(magnesium)

 

 

-I do 10% waterchanges every Monday + and dose every Tuesday.

-Buffering Daily to raise KH to 11.

 

-PH: 8.3

-Calc: 380

-KH : 7

-Temp: 79 °F

 

-Eventually I'll add a Calcium Reactor(which is super expensive)

and a proper refugium.

 

Stock

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SPS

-Green Polyp Montipora Digitata's

-Lumo Green Hydnopora

-Cream/blue tip Millipora

-Purple Tip Acropora Valida

-Bright Green Acropora Gemmifera

-Blue tip "stag" Acropora

-Red Montipora Capricornis

-Pink Lip Montipora Delicatula

-Cream Montipora Capricornis

-Blue tip Acro Formosa

-Green Tricolor Millipora

-Red Tricolor Millipora

(some of these still need to color up)

 

LPS

-Bright Red Blastomusa

 

Other:

-Green Star Polyps

-Various Zoanthids

-Cream Green hairy giant shrooms

-Green/Blue Streak Shrooms

 

Fish:

-Scopaz Tang

-Hawian Black Algae Blenny

-Leopard Wrasse (meleagris)

-Cleaner Wrasse

-5X Yellow Tail Damsels

[Neptunian]

More Photos

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Some of my SPS that haven't been placed yet

 

My beloved Green/Blue Streak Shrooms

 

Cuz a Reef just isn't complete without them - ZooZ

 

My Psycho Psycho Blenny, crazy really he is. Unfortunately he's

fighting off ick at the moment. Pray for him

 

The Scopaz had it bad at first, now he's totally clear. I had a mimic tang, they did not like eachother. They both got whitespot and the mimic died a week after introduction.

 

FTS Time:

[Derby Reefer]

Nice Tank. It is a really great setup. So if I understood correctly you plan on having 2x150w MH in the future. That would be wicked. Great good. Can't wait to see it get filled up with some SPS and Clams

[ADough]

That is going to be one beautiful tank once it is a little more established.

[sea man dan]

you need some monti caps!

[Neptunian]

Thanks guys.

 

you need some monti caps!

 

I got 2 monti caps in there, but they're super small frags at moment.

I love caps! I'll be getting some birds nest frags and blue stags soon too.

 

I'll get clams after the MH's get installed.

[proraptor2]

I also love monti caps! I have a arge colony of green, a medium colony of red, a small colony of orange, a large frag of dark gree/brown with purple rim, and a small frag of purple and I want more!

[TankFabricator]

Nice tank! Why did you decide to go with a sand bed instead of bare bottom?

[sea man dan]

I think monti's are the best SPS coral out there. JMO

[Neptunian]

Nice tank! Why did you decide to go with a sand bed instead of bare bottom?

 

I went with sand because it just looks better IMO.

I knw the whole debate btw sand or BB. I've read tons of stuff about it. some say it's a clogger of detritus and others say it helps with the nutrient cycle for your SPS. But I do it mostly for the look plus my Leopard Wrasse would not survive without it.

 

I've just put in some more tangs: Another Mimic, a Broadband Sailfin, and a Sudo Kole. But they've all developed whitespot. My Kole Tang died yesterday. I think he was being harrassed by my damsels cuz he's much smaller than the other tangs.

 

My tangs had a day of fighting when I added all 3, but after that they were cool.

I just hope they make it. The only thing I can do is try and keep my Temp stable.

I need to save up for a chiller.

[nanospoof]

can't wait to see some pics of this tank after stuff has had a chance to grow out some.

[MJD]

Nice Setup.

It could use some more liverock. Such a big tank and so much emptiness. Put some LR higher up maybe another 30-40# will do.

 

Overall nice looking tank. and you might want to look into a UV sterylyzer ( yeah i know) to get rid of some ich.

 

MJD

[wwildcats04]

wow, the set up was really well designed it looks like its something out of a space ship (your sump etc.) Im excited to watch the progress of this and see how it unfolds...best of luck

[Neptunian]

Small update.

 

All the tangs I added died. My Blenny and a damsel during the whitespot onslaught..,

 

The Scopaz Tang, Leopard Wrasse, Cleaner Wrasse and 3 YellowTail Damsels.

Things are looking boring at the moment..,

 

I added a few more pieces of Live Rock and Re-Did the Aquascape, cuz it just looked crap. Moved my StagHorn lower, he actually prefers less intense light, his colors are starting to come back after the shock of the move around. Actually a lot of the SPS has losed some of their colors, while others have been strong..,

 

A pic of some new-ish SPS frags, two weeks old.., Green Stylo, Red Milli, blue/purple tort(just behind the purple tenius),and a lavender Milli.., there's more, just need to take more pics..,

 

Pic of Right side of tank, very blue pic..,stupid camera

 

 

FTS

 

Another shot

 

I'm gonna add more rock soon.

 

But first I need to replace my Pumps, one of which has packed up, the other will follow soon. Everyone I know that bought these..,their's have packep up too.

Replacing with the biggest Aquamedic Ocean Runners I can find.

I have two tiny powerheads circulating the surface.

 

I've bought a Watanabe Swallowtail Angel(Female)..,very rare so I don't want it to die.., ever!

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/angelfish...nabesangelfish/

 

and another Hawaiian Blenny, they're waiting at my LFS. I'm still waiting out the whitespot. None for 3 weeks now. Waiting another 3 then I'll add another fish.

I am definitely gonna get a UV.., but they're not full proof.

 

I have a friend who runs 2 massive UV's and a weird(don't know what the name is) advanced parasite chamber filter.., Can't really explain it.., but basically everytime he adds new fish.., and he has a huge reef.., he still gets whitespot outbreaks. The UV's just aren't enough..,

 

He adds the fish to a custom tank within the main tank.., so that the fish can get used to eachother and fight without hurting eachother.., bloody good idea..., then he lets them in after a week once they are eating well.., and even then - whitespot.., but at least it goes away.

 

My super peaceful dude - The Leopard Wrasse.., honestly the coolest fish I've ever owned.., he chows SPS parasites and sleeps in my sandbed.., Awesome!

 

I recommend them to anyone with a reef tank.., 10gal and up. I used to have him in my 10gal..,with a yellowtail damsel. Get one! You can even keep them in large groups, provided you get a male and several females.., I have a male. You must of course have a deep sandbed.., this is essential to their survival. Many LFS's don't have substrate in thier tanks.., and if you don't buy one when you see one.., he will almost definitely die.

 

@wwildcats04

I love the spaceship.., check the neon underglow - wicked:)

[MiNiReFeRx]

wow tank looks awsome hope everything works out well.

[NaughtyCashew]

Nice tank. Cant wait till it matures!

 

You can improve the quality of your photos (less blue) by using a free product like Picasa to adust the white balance. It's super easy!

[Neptunian]

quick update. been a while.

 

Not much has changed.

I got rid of the damsels and the Scopas Tang(too aggressive).

 

So I've bought a bunch a new fish. This time stocking slowly.

First new addition is this awesome Lamarck's Angelfish. The

Best and safest of Angels for reef tank:

 

 

It's part of the Genicanthus family, along with all the other swallowtail angels.

 

He's been swimming around in the LFS for 5weeks. Now he's in a much bigger environment.

 

There's somemore additions, like an Orange Sea Star(Echinaster sp.) from Indo. A neon goby(aka the gill cleaner) to add to my parasite and bacteria cleaup crew.

Very cool fish. And a Blood Red Fire Shrimp - who chooses to just hang inside a cave all the time.

 

I have a small conch who arrived from no where. My SPS are coloring up a bit. I will post pics when they r looking better. Got a red slime algae problem and a detritus build up from the lack of flow last month. But I've sorted that out for now. Still waiting for a new pump for my CL.

 

Future additions are another Swallowtail, Yellow Longnose Butterfly, shoal of green chromis and maybe a yellow tang/mimic tang.

 

The Swallowtail and Longnose are already paid for, I'll be putting them in a month apart from eachother.

 

Macros:

 

[Cam barr]

nice blasto

[Reef Casa]

Looks like a sack of potatoes

[Dallassask]

Im kind of disturbed that your buying fish when you tank is infested with ich, you should always qt first and if they do come down with ich qt them and treat with copper it always works! If A fish dies from ich in your tank its already released new tomites into the sand and in a few days they will become waterborn again and attach to other fish, there is no way that ich just ''goes away'' the fact of the matter is that if you do nothing about it all your fish will die and if you keep adding fish it will always be in your tank and you will never be able to keep anything alive.

 

Im not trying to be a jerk or anything but thats the truth and either you stop what your doing and take the appropriate meassures or your gonna have nothing but dead animals, and im sure you dont wanna do that, nobody does, just trying to help you succeed.

[MJD]

awesome macros!!

 

much better scape.

 

 

MJD

[Neptunian]

@Dallassask

 

What you say is true. And I don't think ure a jerk at all You have pointed out something I shoulda done in the first place with all the new fish I got.

Basically what I've done is let my friend and owner of the LFS, from whom I get all my stock from, quaratine the fish for me over 5weeks and I've monitered him closely over those weeks also making sure he feeds normaly, and is unstressed in his environment. All my new inhabs of the future are receiving the same copper treatments.

 

I've spent a lot on the previous fish that died, although thats not the point. I neglected to look after these animals and thats the worst part about for me, and I feel aweful. Hopefully this is the same for all hobbyist when they lose a fish or coral. Don't buy it unless you intend on looking after it. Sure you can buy a damaged or sick fish, but I am completely to blame.

 

The earlier editions did develop serious ick, I did have a problem on my hands. But what I realized was that I ignored the cardinal rule - Stock Slowly! I thought I could blame it on the aggression of the other fish. No.

 

And because of that I developed peeks in ammonia and a disruption in the nitrogen cycle-consequently stressing the new guys, all the others remained fine, but the new guys didn't last, that was a bad move on my part - agreed.

 

The fact is no matter what I do in my reef tank, I will always have ick around. The only way to prevent this is to quarantine. In addition -when I introduced him, I payed careful attention to adjusting salinity/slow PH change and water temperature as I do with all new additions. He is very chilled out and unstressed at the moment. I waited 6 1/2 weeks after all traces of ick had disappeared before adding him and got rid of the aggro tang and lowered the fish load by removing the damsels(as small as they are).

 

Thanks for hi-lighting the importance of quarantining and copper treatment.

I hope others have learned from my terrible mistake. I will be far more careful

in the future.

[Neptunian]

My Orange Star

 

Hydnophora

 

Blue/Purple Tenius

 

One of my snails, don't know what species this is though.