Cameron Coe's
(Physh1) 20 Gallon Reef Tank
The "Concept" Behind The Setup
I have worked at local fish stores
since I was 14, and now that I am soon to be 23, I have
been involved with this hobby for quite a while. Despite
having years of keeping tanks under my belt, there came
a time when I really didn't care to keep one anymore. The
idea of working forty plus hours a week, and then coming
home each night to fiddle with my aquarium wasn't an attractive
endeavor. However, seeing all the new incredible critters
and corals coming into the store on a daily basis isn't
the best thing to see when trying to avoid setting up another
aquarium. The day soon came when I couldn't take it anymore
and I had to set one up. My main concerns were size and
cost; I wanted both to be small and not occupy all my spare
time.
So, with my gears grinding and my wallet near empty, I began
building a small reef system, what I have since learned
to call a nano-reef, which was skimmerless and relatively
self-supporting except for the occasional dosing of additives.
I intended to be able to keep SPS, LPS, softies, and clams.
For purely aesthetic purposes, the aquarium also needed
to have no visible pumps and equipment. I can say that this
system has been a total success, and I would like to share
with you the system, setup, and ideas behind the tank.
The Tank and Stand
The aquarium is a simple TruVu
acrylic 20 gallon aquarium, with no options other than a
black back. I wanted to keep this clean and simple. The
aquarium is sitting on a 30" black stand, made by Island,
which has a lip for the aquarium to sit in. I wanted to
have an overflow on this aquarium, and definitely didn't
care for an unreliable hang-on overflow or a huge corner
unit that takes up too much space. I installed a 6"
x 4" x 6" black homemade overflow box in the center
back wall of the tank. The box was glued to the inside of
the tank with silicone and allowed to dry. Then, I drilled
a 1 ½ inch hole through the back wall of the tank
and the overflow chamber to accept a 1 inch bulkhead fitting.
Sump Plumbing and Tank Circulation
The first stage of the plumbing
started with the homemade overflow and bulkhead setup mentioned
above. From there a three foot long pool style hose (1"
end fittings) connected the overflow to a simple 5 gallon
Rubbermaid sump. The only mechanical filtration is a micron
bag, which also serves as a bubble trap for the water draining
into the sump. It does a good job of containing the air
bubbles and also keeps big particulates from clogging the
pumps. I replace the micron filter bag approximately every
8 weeks. The sump also contains a Second Nature 100 watt
Acura heater and a Rio 2500 return pump. The return pump
is unrestricted and flows back to the aquarium through ¾"
vinyl hose. A Marineland return fitting (part# pr1401) safely
returns the water to the main tank. This supplies the ONLY
circulation for the aquarium. I have found no need to add
any additional circulation in the tank, as I have taken
the time to place the corals in areas where they receive
the required flow regime to prosper.
Lighting Description
I decided that lighting is the one item
where spending a goodly amount of money was definitely worth
the added expense. I feel pretty strongly about the importance
of proper lighting and have found that things like filtration
and circulation can vary from a simplistic to an elaborate
setup, yet still be successful. With lighting there is only
one really good way to come close to duplicating sunlight,
and that is with some form of metal halide lighting. Both
HQI and mogul base systems are available, and the HQI system
was compact enough to work on my tank. I chose to run a
150 watt 10,000K system made by AquaMedic, called the AquaStarLight.
I run the halide on a 6 hour photoperiod (4pm to 10pm).
This light hood contains just the metal halide with no actinic
supplement. The hood hangs from my ceiling, using the hanger
hardware supplied with the hood, and is suspended 10"
above the aquarium.
Evaporation Make-up System
One problem small tanks have is
evaporation. That was the first problem that I wanted to
avoid when I set up this system. So, I made my own float
switch, visible on the sump photos, that was hooked to a
Rio 800 pump. The Rio sits in a 5 gallon jug that pumps
the water into the overflow box in the tank. I did this
so the new freshwater would be well mixed, thereby avoiding
any un-necessary stress on the inhabitants from the new
water being placed into the system. The float switch is
sensitive to approximately 1/3 of an inch, so it keeps the
salinity from fluctuating too much. This tank goes through
about 4 gallons of makeup water in a week's time. Deionized
water, available from the local fish store where I work,
is used exclusively.
Maintenance
This tank receives very little maintenance.
The tank stays amazingly clear of any algae and may receive
a wipe of the glass once every 2-3 months. A 5 gallon water
change is done on a monthly basis. I use de-ionized water
with Coralife salt for the water changes. The micron bag
in the sump used for a bubble trap is changed or cleaned
every 2 months. The Rio 2500 return pump is pulled out and
cleaned every 3-4 months.
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Calcium addition
is weekly. |
|
Alkalinity addition
is done twice weekly. |
|
Magnesium addition
is done once every 2 weeks. |
|
Lugols Iodine
addition is one drop weekly. |
|
DT's Phytoplankton
is added 2-3 times weekly (one full cap per dose). |
|
Reef Solution
addition is done weekly (one full cap per dose). |
|
The fish are fed
twice weekly. |
|
Additives, Dosing, and Feedings
It is hard to find a good mix of chemicals
that is both simple to add and effective at the same time.
For the necessary calcium and alkalinity dosing, I use Seachem
Reef Advantage Calcium and Reef Builder. Seachems' Reef
Advantage Magnesium is used to keep my calcium and alkalinity
levels stable. I use Kent Lugols' Solution for an Iodine
supplement and Ecosystem Aquarium Reef Solution for the
other minor and major elements. DT's Phytoplankton is added
to the aquarium for the corals and clams to feed on; I have
noticed a greater ability to keep SPS and clams with its
frequent addition. The mushrooms and soft corals also have
gotten so much larger, that I have begun to fragment many
of them.
The fish are fed OSI marine flake
food and an occasional feeding of live brine shrimp (cleaned
first).
Tank Chemistry
|
Salinity = 1.025 |
|
Temperature
= 76º F - 78º F |
|
Ammonia (Tetra
test) = undetectable |
|
Nitrite (Tetra
test) = undetectable |
|
Nitrate (Tetra
test and Salifert) = 10ppm |
|
Alkalinity (Tetra
test and Salifert) = 12dkh |
|
Calcium (Salifert)
= 425-450 |
|
Magnesium (Salifert)
= 1500ppm |
|
Fish:
|
Sunrise Dottyback
|
|
Yellow Belly Damsel |
|
Blue Spot Jawfish |
Critters:
|
Black Band Serpent
Star |
|
3 Emerald Crabs |
|
15 Astrea
Snails |
|
2 Tiger Tail Cucumbers |
|
2 Porcelain Crabs |
|
1 Orange/Red Striped
Hermit Crab |
SPS Corals:
|
1 Green Slimer
|
|
1 Blue Staghorn |
|
2 Encrusting Green
Montipora |
LPS Corals:
|
2 Green Frogspawn |
|
1 Pink Fungia |
|
2 Blastomussa
Wellsi (1 red w/ teal and 1 green w/ red center) |
|
1 Green Brain
(Trachyphyllia Geoffroyi) |
|
1 Red Blastomussa
Merleti |
|
1 White Caulastrea |
Softies:
|
2 Devil's Hands |
|
2 Finger Leathers
(currently fragmenting) |
|
1 Colt Coral (currently
fragmenting) |
Polyps:
|
1 White Clove
Rock |
|
1 Green Star Polyp
Rock |
|
1 Green Button
Polyp Rock |
Mushrooms:
|
3 Green Tonga
Mushroom Rocks |
|
1 Red Mushroom
Rock |
|
1 Rusty Ricordea |
|
1 Purple Mushroom
Rock |
Clams:
|
5 Tridacna
Maximas in the following colors: |
|
2 Blue and Gold |
|
1 Gold |
|
1 Black |
|
1 Solid Blue |
Assorted Invertebrates:
|
3 Coco Worms (2
red and 1 white) |
|
3 Feather Dusters |
|
Conclusion
I hope I have helped show that
tanks may be small and very successful without much work.
As of right now I cannot see myself adding anything else,
as there is no room. Actually, as far as I am concerned
the tank is perfect for me, and I will let it grow. This
tank is only 16 months old. I can only wish my luck continues.
I have found that with the proper selection of inhabitants
a tank can live off itself, to a point, without lots of
outside "interference." Clams are a great natural
water filter, and I believe that they have made my filterless
system a success, especially when it comes to nitrate reduction
and control. I hope you have enjoyed my tank and feel free
to stop by the Tank of the Month forum for any further explanations
or discussions.
If there are questions, I will do my
best to answer them in the forum
for the online magazine.
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