Adee's Reef

[Adee]

...so here goes, a brief overview of my 2500L (total volume) system.

Basically been running for about a year now and up until a month ago, was only powered by sunlight.

The main display is a 2m x 1m x .67 (H), the nursery tank is 2m x 1.2m x .25 (H).

For Bio filtration:

• about 500kg's of Kenyan live rock
• macro algae (have Chaeto, fern caulepra and grape caulepra)
• 80% almost complete, when done the algae scrubber will mearsure aprox 1.2m x 1m
• MicrobeLift Special Blend (Bacteria Source)

Mechanical filtration:

• 2x, Reef Octo Bubble Blaster 5000's Extreme skimmers
• Waterboy dual cannister filter (Waterboy MaxiZorb Charcoal)
• Phosban 150 fluidized filter using 500ml Brightwells Phosphate (resin) remover

Carbon dosing:
Vodka, Vinegar, Sugar mix (6ml a day & still ramping up)

Additives:

• 20 drops daily of Zeovit's High Concentrated Amino's
• 6 drops daily of Lugols Iodine
• Every 3rd day or so a large teaspoon of Brightwells Potassium (powder form)
• Large Reef Octo CARX unit holding Ca and Mg media
• Reef Octo 140 Kalk Stirrer

Lighting:

Reef Inmates SPS 400w light unit

• 3x Reeftek 10 000K, 400w
• 4x 39w Reeftek Actinics
• 4x 39w Geisman Actinics

Nursery tank is only lit by sunlight

Parameters:

• Ca 400ppm
• Mg 1300ppm
• Alk 7.5 dKH
• Phos 0.02

Waterchanges:
These are done weekly roughly 120L but will ramp up to 200L once I fix up my mixing tank (cracked)
I use Aqua-Medic and SeaChem salts, which I try and alternate.

Flow:
A mix of Tunze's and Seios, the more the better.

Feeding:
Feed quite a bit and regularly. I have an autofeeder that dishes out Ocean Nutrition pellets about 6 times a day. In the evening its 4 cubes consisting of a mix of mysis and krill. Every second day, a 3/4 sheet of nori for the tangs.

I'm probably my own worst critic when it comes to judging the look of my tank. Hence I always see it as a work in progress and will be that for the next 10 years. Doing things that will help evolve the tank to hopefully look a wee bit better, this is what keeps me active in this wonderful and rewarding hobby.

[Adee]

Well, SIMS has been nagging me to put a pic update

[SIMS]

LOL now I see how useless I am...your frags look nothing like those corals

[Al4Fish]

Stunning!

... Every second day, a 3/4 sheet of nori for the tangs.
...

I can't seem to get my tang and angels to eat the Nori - using stuff I got from Woolworths. Do they eat it in one go or does it hang for them to nibble on? Mine sits on the clip untouched until it eventually begins to disintegrate. They do love the spirulina tablets though.

[SIMS]

Yeah my tangs also do not touch Nori - although there is plenty of greens in the system to keep them happy.

[phat]

wow awesome adee !!

[spaceboy]

Adee dude, stunning. I need a frag of that stylo

[Tremayn]

awesome .. do you test for iodine and potassium or do you just gooi? lol ..

[spaceboy]

I'm yet to find a decent potassium kit in south africa. I got the red sea kit- the new range, hoping for the best. Unfortunately three attempts and I still can't see the colour change

[Aslam Abraham]

I'm yet to find a decent potassium kit in south africa. I got the red sea kit- the new range, hoping for the best. Unfortunately three attempts and I still can't see the colour change

I think Elos does a potassium test.

[fly*]

Amazing tank, those sticks are coloring up nicely Adee or is that just my imagination?

[Tremayn]

what potassium is good to use? the brightwells powder? I need some to colour up my monti

[Adee]

Hi guys, thanks for the nice comments .

The colouration is mostly due to me adding lights as well as me getting my phosphates levels down to 0.02ppm, the last time I checked.

I was away on holiday for a week and my keeper (brother-in-law) managed to hold the fort for me while I was away. Needless to say, my CARX ran out of gas (again!) and the Alk level had dropped to 4.5 dKH. Those pics would have looked different should things have really gone south.

About the Woolies Nori, I feed my tangs the exact same stuff. I reckon fish learn from each other, you only really need one fish to start munching on the stuff and the rest will follow, even my chromis all take a bite of the scraps.

On the issue of the potassium doising part (using the Brightwells powder), here its best you do as I say and never do as I do...I just gooi, but keep a close eye if something looks amis. I know Nathan said he is bringing in tests kits for the potassium. I've added a small frag of a lime green monti, using this also as an indicator....still a drab brown color, from what i read shortages in potassium, results in this. Then again, this monti turned liked this the minute I had moved them to sunlight (possibly too much PAR).

The problem with pushing the envelope with coloration is that I just have to experiment until I find the recipe that gets it right. Simply put, I want top to bottom coloration. Dave, the stylo is something else man! It's sitting in a really crap location, needs to be infront of a powerhead. Also, I seem to have a problem now that my bigger colonys are loosing their footing and toppling over, its happened to a second one now....I hate having to re-scape

I bought 4 small clams yesterday, my 1st attempt at keeping clams. Got them also facing the sunny side, I'm sure they gonna love the sunlight.

[Wukkie]

I love this tank. It what makes me stay in the game.

[Adee]

I love this tank. It what makes me stay in the game.

thanks Dude.

[Dexter]

Great Tank Adee, those SPS seem to be loving the natural lighting. Quick question though, do you really think the supplemental lighting is required for winter, I mean I am sure the PAR levels are still higher from the sun than the Halides. Even in winter...

[spaceboy]

Well adee, if you have problems with the stylo, send it my way

[Sharkbait]

Adee looking good man

[Adee]

Great Tank Adee, those SPS seem to be loving the natural lighting. Quick question though, do you really think the supplemental lighting is required for winter, I mean I am sure the PAR levels are still higher from the sun than the Halides. Even in winter...

Thanks dude.

In terms of wanting more PAR, supplemental lighting is not really required, even in winter...I did a PAR reading about a few weeks back...was 350-450 where it was 750 - 850+ in summer. The MH and tubes though would give the SPS a constant blast of (about 8 hours) of light that is of a different spectrum than what the sun would offer. Most of the sps in my DT, I have same frags of them in the nursery tank(which only gets sunlight and much more of it than the DT) these frags ito coloration are nowhere near that of what is under the lighting hood in the DT. The colors in the DT are much better.

Well adee, if you have problems with the stylo, send it my way

Ja right .

Adee looking good man

Thanks dude.

[fly*]

Adee do you have a PAR meter?