Hi, my name is Jon. I’m 35 and have had a lifelong fascination with fish and aquatic life. I've kept freshwater tanks off and on most of my life. But in 2017 it turned into a full blown compulsive obsession with reef tanks! I did months of research before even getting a tank. When my wife and I bought a townhouse, it was finally possible to set up a bigger tank. The finished basement had a perfect nook for the tank.
The current system includes a SCA 120 gallon 48x24x24” tank, sump, and stand. I eventually built a new canopy for better light mounting height and to accommodate T5 retrofit. Dry pukani rock (cured) used for aquascape, held together with epoxy. Water went in the tank October 9, 2017.
For water movement, I have 2 Neptune WAV, icecap gyre 4K, Tunze 6095, random flow generators on returns. As corals grow, it’s been getting harder to get sufficient flow everywhere without directly blasting some colonies.
For lighting I use 48” Reefbreeders photon v2, 4 bulb T5 retrofit, orphek blue plus bar. Bulb selection is 3 blue plus 1 coral plus. 350-400 par along the top of rocks.
For filtration I use a SCA sump with Clarisea 5K filter roller and Reef Octopus 150int classic skimmer. In the past I ran a refugium, but it was such a mess and macro just never grew well. I took it offline about 6 months ago. My nutrients are a bit higher now, but the tank actually seems to really like the increase.
I use BRS hybrid balling method. BRS Soda Ash & Calcium Chloride, Tropic Marin Part C, Tropic Marin trace A&K. Currently dosing almost 300ml of alk and cal daily. Dosing is controlled by the trident, which has been working great.
I have 11 fish total, including 2 tangs and a foxface. 90% sps, mostly old school classics which have vibrant color that really stands out under any spectrum, and grow well! Of course I like the “higher” end acros too. I also have some euphyllia, acans, and zoas strategically placed in lower light areas.
Primary diet is DIY frozen food. My recipe consists of clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, fish (usually cod or flounder), nori, freeze dried rotifers, spirulina powder, paracoccus powder, vitachem. Auto feeder also feeds reef nutrition pellets once a day. And herbivores get nori a couple times a week. I don’t normally directly feed the corals, but I do occasionally use red sea AB+.
The first year was ROUGH. Amphidinium dinos and weird hair algae. It took months to get the tank back on track. Raising nutrients, microbacter7/ microbacter clean, reduced white light, removing detritus, and frequent siphoning of dino and algae finally got rid of it.
At some point I will likely upgrade to radions. I am also going to try carbon dosing to lower nutrients just a bit, target of Po4 0.08 No3 10.
Research and patience pays off. Approach problems with an understanding of the biological processes that caused them. Feel free to reach out with any questions, and you can follow my tank on instagram @boxed_reef
Thank you WAMAS! And a big thank you to my wife for tolerating my obsession.
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- 11:00-13:00: LED ramp and 2x T5s
- 13:00-16:00: LED and 4x T5s
- 16:00-19:00: LED and 2x T5s
- 19:00-23:00: LED ramp down
- Salinity: 1.026
- Temperature: 78 - 79°F
- Alkalinity: 7.8dkH
- Calcium: 410ppm
- Magnesium: 1390ppm
- Phosphate: 0.10 - 0.15ppm
- Nitrate: 15 - 20ppm
- Display: SCA 120g tank
- Sump: SCA Sump
- Skimmer: Reef Octopus Classic 150INT
- Lighting: 48" Feefbreeders Photon v2, 4 bulb T5 retrofit, Orphek Blue Plus Bar
- Return Pump: Eheim 1262
- Circulation: 2x Neptune WAV, Icecap Gyre 4K, Tunze 6095
- Controller & Dosing: Apex, Trident, DOS
- Other: CO2 Scrubber, Clarisea 5K Filter Roller, Tunze ATO
- Yellow Tang
- Kole Tang
- Magnificent Foxface
- Pair of Clowns
- Melanurus Wrasse
- Royal Gramma
- Starry Blenny
- Mandarin
- Diamond Goby
- Green Chromis
- Blood Red Fire Shrimp
- Trochus Snails
- Astrea Snails
- Nassarius Snaiils
- Bumblebee Snails
- A few Blue Leg Hermits
- Walt Disney
- ASD Rainbow Millipora
- RR Firecracker
- Bill Murray
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Bonsai
- Red Planet
- Pink Lemonade
- Mr. Pacman
- Bubblegum Millipora
- Vivid's Rainbow Delight
- Blue Stags
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