Mixed Reef
Orlando, FL
Introduction
I have had a saltwater aquarium for 20 years and a reef aquarium for the last 10. My current aquarium is a mixed reef with an focus on SPS.
Background
With my current tank I started from the ground up tanking what I have learned and building upon it. I spent months designing the stand so that everything would have its place and it would all fit under the stand. I wanted the tank to be as little work as possible.
The tank
One thing I knew I did not want to deal with was another acrylic tank, mostly do to the pain it is to clean and the small opening at the top. I liked the clean lines of rimless tanks so that is what I went with.
The sump
I made the sump out of an old 20 gallon aquarium with overflow filter socks so the would be easy to change.
ATO tank
I had a custom ATO tank made to hold as much water as the space allows. This tank is filled by a pump that can be placed in a bucket and will run as long as the bucket has water and the ATO tank is not full, this is done via float switches. I also added mid way float switches in the ATO tank so that I can be e-mailed when the tank is low. There are also float switches to detect when the tank is empty so the sump pump can be tuned off so it will not run dry.
The tank
One thing I knew I did not want to deal with was another acrylic tank, mostly do to the pain it is to clean and the small opening at the top. I liked the clean lines of rimless tanks so that is what I went with.
The sump
I made the sump out of an old 20 gallon aquarium with overflow filter socks so the would be easy to change.
ATO tank
I had a custom ATO tank made to hold as much water as the space allows. This tank is filled by a pump that can be placed in a bucket and will run as long as the bucket has water and the ATO tank is not full, this is done via float switches. I also added mid way float switches in the ATO tank so that I can be e-mailed when the tank is low. There are also float switches to detect when the tank is empty so the sump pump can be tuned off so it will not run dry.
Videos See all Videos
Lighting
Maxspect Razor 160w 10,000k
I have been messing with my light profile some, here is my current one.
Lighting Profile
08:00 A 0% B 0%
11:00 A 5% B 10%
17:30 A 0% B 100%
20:00 A 95% B 100%
21:00 A 95% B 100%
23:30 A 0% B 0%
I have been messing with my light profile some, here is my current one.
Lighting Profile
08:00 A 0% B 0%
11:00 A 5% B 10%
17:30 A 0% B 100%
20:00 A 95% B 100%
21:00 A 95% B 100%
23:30 A 0% B 0%
Nitrate
Alkalinity
Magnesium
Calcium
Phosphate
Temperature
pH
Salinity
TDS
Ammonia
Nitrite
8 Fish
78 Corals
Tyree Aequituberculata
Montipora aequituberculata
X-Factor Montipora foliosa
Montipora foliosa
65 Invertebrate
Blue Haliclona sponge
Blue Haliclona sp
Harlequin Serpent Star
Ophioderma sp
Equipment
Aquarium
Deep Sea Aquatics Rimless 65 Gallon
Controller
Lighting
Media
Bulk Reef Supply Carbon and GFO Mix
Powerhead
Reactor
DIY CO2 Absorbent Reactor
Skimmer
Sump
DIY 20 Gallon Sump
On average you perform a 9.9% water change every 26 days.
0% total water change in December.