Hello Wamas, my name is Srini (thakki) and I have been in the hobby since 2014. It all started when my daughter, on her 6th birthday, asked for a pet fish and I bought her a 20 gallon freshwater tank. It didn't take long for me to get into saltwater tanks, then into corals once I started digging into fish keeping more. By the end of 2014, I had a 70 gallon Bow Front saltwater tank...my first saltwater tank. After that we moved, started an 80 gallon shallow reef, then upgraded to a 6 foot long Cadlights, and then to my current setup.
I currently run a 100 gallon bare-bottom rimless Waterbox Reef tank which is 3 ft long, 2ft deep and 21 inches high. The sump has a volume of 27 gallons with a DIY partition for refugium. Its located in my basement with all the electrical equipment behind the wall in the utility room. I also have a 25 gallon frag tank plumbed to the display.
Water is returned to both the display and frag tank by Jabeo DCT 6000 pump. I have 2 MP40QWD's, one on each side running at 40% max switching between reefcrest and constant modes. I also have two Jabao PP15's in the back running at a max of 30% in master/slave W1 mode to push the detritus from the back.
People say that I have too much lighting, but I still think that I don't have enough coverage. I have two OR90 Blue bars on each side of the Atlantik and two AI Prime HD's for additional coverage. I am very satisfied with the lighting except that I wish there was more coverage.
I have a Bubble Magus Curve 7 Skimmer with CO2 scrubber intake for raising the pH. I started out with live Fiji rock and went bare bottom for maximum flow. I do use filter socks but not regularly.
I have a CA reactor for supplementing Alk, Calcium and Mg. I also run Carbon and GFO for phosphate control.
I have 14 fish altogether. I like my Flame angel the best and then the tangs.
I feed PE Mysis shrimp and LRS frozen food with garlic daily 2 times. I feed Reef Roids and Reef nutrition twice a week and dose Coral Amino every other day.
The biggest challenge has been to grow Acro's in my previous tank because of instability in maintaining water parameters. I used to dose 2 part and kalkwasser and one day the kalkwasser accidentally got over dosed by a friend who was looking after my tank and the entire tank crashed. I decided to go with CA reactor on my current tank and things have been pretty stable. Also, for this tank, I waited for 4 months for the cycle to complete before I started adding any coral. I still have issues with polyp extension, most of the Acros don't have that polyp extension I see in other tanks. I had a tang I got rid of which used to nip at my corals...things have been better ever since.
I believe that the biological filtration and stability is the key to the success of the reef tank dominated with Acropora. So, I strongly advise people to give their tank enough time to mature and don't rush into adding fish and corals right after cycle is complete.
Figure out the issue with polyp extension and looking forward to a new build 150 gallon SCA 4 ft long tank. Currently one month into the cycle, no intentions of adding anything anytime soon! Will let it run without lights for at least 6 months.
This hobby is all about patience, I have learned it the hard way that things don't happen overnight. Keep a regular maintenance schedule, automate as much as you can and share your secrets here at Wamas...its a great community to be part of.
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- Orphek Atlantik v4 - "color and growth" mode 12 hrs a day with 4 hr max at 70%
- AI Prime HD - 60% max intensity on BRS/WWC suggested spectrum
- Salinity: 1.026
- Temperature: 78 - 79°F
- Alkalinity: 8 dkH
- Calcium: 440 ppm
- Magnesium: 1400 ppm
- Phosphate: 0.08 ppm
- Nitrate: 4 ppm
- Display: WaterBox 100g setup
- Sump: 27g WaterBox Sump that came with the tank
- Skimmer: Bubble Magus Curve 7
- Lighting: Atlantik V4, Atlantik OR90 bars, AI Prime HD's
- Return Pump: Jabeo 6000 DCT
- Circulation: 2 Vortech MP40 WQD, 2 Jabeo PP-15's
- Reactors: Vertex Rx-C 6D Calcium Reactor with Reborn media and Mg supplement;TLF Phosban with Carbon and GFO media; BRS CO2 Scrubber
- Blue Tang
- Yellow Tang
- Flame Angel
- (4) Lyrentail Anthias (1 male, 3 females)
- Pair of Lightening Maroon Clowns
- Six Line Wrasse
- Royal Gramma
- TSA Princess Peach
- RMF Acid Trip Milli
- SC Orange Passion
- Blueberry Fields
- JF Psammacora
- Bubblegum Milli
- Dragon Soul Torch
- Red Planet
- Cali Tort
- Rainbow Pocci
- Margarita Snails
- Astrea Snails
- Emerald Crabs
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