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I would like to thank WAMAS for the honor of being selected for December Tank of the Month. I appreciate being part of such an active reefing community where there is such a great network of reefers with so many experiences. My name is Greg and I have been in the hobby for almost 9 years and have kept fresh water tanks for decades prior. This is my 3rd and largest mixed tank. I started with a 29 gallon biocube and very quickly wanted to go bigger. With each tank, I try to push my skills and learning to try new things. I have tried to make this a true-mixed reef with a variety of corals, fish and inverts.
My current system is a 120 gallon Reef-Ready AGA Tank-48”X24”X24” (with dual corner overflows) and 30” stand with a DIY canopy about 15”. The sump is a 40 breeder DIY into 4 chambers. I plumbed the tank with dual herbie overflows and split the return over the back of the tank. The tank height is just right for viewing in the living room from my favorite chair and I comfortably reach into the tank for maintenance.
Return pump-Current USA 6010 DC pump and wave makers are Jebao OW-40’s on each side in alternating wave mode.
For lighting, I run 2 Reefbreeders Superlux 165W lights and 2 LET T5-retrofit 36 inch (2 bulb) fixtures that I run Blue plus/coral plus and purple plus/blue plus. These sit approximately 14 inch above the tank and run 45% blue and 35% whites. I have used LED’s only on my prior tanks. I am very happy with this current LED/T5 hybrid setup in terms of color and spectrum and the overall distribution while still having some shimmer.
For mechanical filtration, I have a 4 chamber DIY sump that incorporates filter cups with polyfill/floss that is changed about twice weekly. For nutrient export- I use a Reef Octopus Elite 200 skimmer and a refugium with chaeto and ulva algae that I harvest/remove weekly. The tank has about 100 pound of live rock and a 1-1.5 inch sand bed.
I dose BRS 2-part using a Bubble Magus BM-T01 dosing pump and kalkwasser separately. My routine includes regular feeding of my fish and 15% water changes every 7-14 days to keep everything in order. I keep my salinity at 1.026/ 35 ppt, calcium around 450ppm, Alk around 8.2 dKh, and magnesium 1300-1350 ppm. I don’t routinely test for nitrate or phosphate.
I keep this as a truly mixed tank and have been trying to push my limits of a more fully stocked and wider range of livestock. Inverts include a skunk cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, emerald crabs, Hawaiian feather duster, my first clam- a derasa, and a tiger-tail sea cucumber. I have found that I really enjoy the movement in this reef tank and this has led to more softies and LPS including elegance corals, torches, and alveoporas for LPS and sinularia, nepthea, a long-tentacle toadstool, a pineapple tree coral, clove polyps and a gorgonian for softies.
My feeding routine is a once daily mix of NLS pellets, a mix of flake foods and some fish frenzy frozen. I feed nori on a clip 1-2 times weekly. I feed reef roids broadcast 1-2 times monthly.
I had a pretty bad outbreak of bubble algae in my first year. This led to trying a solution in a bottle—Vibrant. I got the bubble algae under control but wiped out nutrients, lost a couple of acros and lost color in many of my corals that took months to come back. I would caution against quick fixes and chemical solutions- even after researching and using a lower than recommended dose. I struggle to enjoy the tank as a whole and not focus on the little thing that is off.
I plan on adding a frag tank in the future so I can lose the frag racks in the tank.
I feel like I am still learning. The things I keep reminding myself are to go slow, keep up with the routine water changes/cleaning and take time to enjoy your tank.
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- LEDs Blue Channel (45%) - 11 Hour Cycle
- LEDs Second Channel (35%) - 10 Hour Cycle
- T5s - 8 Hour Cycle
- Salinity: 1.026/35 ppt
- Temperature: 77 - 78°F
- Alkalinity: 8.2 dkH
- Calcium: 450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1325 ppm
- Phosphate: don’t routinely test
- Nitrate: don’t routinely test
- Display: 120g AGA aquarium
- Sump: 40g DIY sump
- Skimmer: Reef Octopus Elite 200
- Lighting: LED/T5 Hybrid--(2) Reefbreeders Superlux and 36" T5 LET Retrofit kit (4 bulb)
- Return Pump: Current USA 6010 DC
- Circulation: 2 Jebao OW-40's
- Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
- Yellow-eyed Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus)
- McCosker Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus mccoskeri)
- Red Headed Solon Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis)
- Tricolor/Lubbocks Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus lubbocki)
- (2) Ocellaris Clowns (Amphiprion ocellaris)
- Spotted Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)
- Orange Spot Goby (Amblyeleotris guttata)
- Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
- Blue-green Chromis (Chromis sp.)
- Green Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus)
- Long-nosed Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus)
- Azure Damsel (Chrysiptera hemicyanea)
- Copp's Blue Milli
- Oregon Tort
- Hawkins Echinata
- Red Planet
- Pink Stylophora
- Tubbs Stellata Montipora
- Yellow-tip Elegance Coral
- Space Invader Pectinia
- Long-tentacle Alveopora
- Blastomussas
- No-name torches
- Pink Gorgonian
- Clove Polyps
- Neon Green Sinularia
- Tyree Long-tentacle Toadstool Leather
- Derasa Clam
- Hawaiian Feather Duster
- (2) Tiger Conch
- Skink Cleaner Shrimp
- Peppermint Shrimp
- Candy Cane Pistol Shrimp
- (3) Emerald Crabs
- Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber
- Various Snails
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