MUCHO REEF'S Reef Aquarium

Introduction:

I want to take a moment to thank Reef Central for this opportunity to share something that I truly enjoy doing with a sincere passion. I no longer consider reef keeping a hobby, for me, it has become a way of life. In 1994, after viewing so many beautiful specimens at my local fish store, I decided to sell my 29-gallon and my 55-gallon fresh water tanks and purchased a larger tank in preparation for my first reef keeping experience. Not wanting to rely solely on my own knowledge of marine life, which was nothing, I began talking with everyone I could possibly find locally on reef keeping techniques. Some informed me that it was very difficult, yet on the contrary, many others stated how easy it was. With that in mind, I took the plunge. I purchased several books and I began to read everything I could for the next month. After many years, trials and many errors, I have found what truly works for me. My approach to reef keeping is somewhat different than most, not better, just different. I hope you enjoy viewing my zoanthid and mushroom reef as much as I enjoy maintaining it.

Lighting/Photoperiod:

This lighting scheme affords the system a good balance of mixed color. No doubt the zoanthids would spread like wild fire with metal halides, which I’m upgrading to with the new 180 gallon setup in September, but the growth would get out of hand and the maintenance would increase substantially. With the above configuration, and the stronger blue spectrum than a normal actinic bulb, the growth is slow enough to prune only when necessary to maintain the natural ambiance of the ocean floor that I've tried to reproduce. The bulbs are replaced every nine months. For the purposes of photograpy, an extra power compact lighting fixture was added.

Feeding:

The corals are fed twice per week, an evening feeding and a morning feeding. At 11 PM on Wednesday evenings, a mix of frozen Cyclop-Eez and ESV's Spray Dried Marine Phyto Plankton are added to the left, center and right side of the tank in the direct flow of the power heads. On Sunday afternoon at 2 PM this process is repeated. I've noticed some of my zoanthids actively feeding in the middle of the night, which is why I do an evening feeding long after the lights are off. Also, every other week, the tank is fed one of three live foods: Artemia, Mysis shrimp or some phytoplankton, which I get from local growers.

For the fish, a light rotation feeding of various and assorted flake food is added once per week. In between these occasional feedings the fish live off of what can be scavenged off the live rock and sand bed.

Filtration:

I have used a basic live rock filtration for this system from its inception. You're going to laugh at the next two components, but again, no two reefs are the same and this has always worked for me. They were left over from my fresh water days. I don't believe in overskimming a reef tank full of softies, so this is what has worked for me for the past nine years or so. On the top right rear of my tank, I run a 400 Skilter with no inserts for supplemental surface water movement. I have an Elite air pump connected to a wooden airstone to run the skimmer. I run the skimmer for a full week, every other week. The low bioload doesn't require it to run constantly in this system. On the upper left side of the tank I have an Aquaclear 300 with a carbon insert that is run continuously for both water clarity and surface water movement. Both are turned off for two hours when I feed the reef or the fish.

Maintenance:

A five gallon water change is performed every other week. Red Sea salt is premixed with reverse osmosis water and aerated overnight. The glass is cleaned every morning before I go to work. Okay, stop laughing, I know it doesn't need it but I do it anyway. I use this brief moment to inspect everything in the system and to see that everything is living and doing okay. All powerheads and working components are cleaned every four months. The carbon insert is changed once per month as well. Water tests are performed every Saturday morning with Salifert test kits.

I try to divide my time equally between reef keeping and my zoanthid propagation tank. What a joy it is to watch them reproduce time and time again. Some have even found their way into my main system.

Other Components:

A Natural Wave wavemaker is used with three MaxiJet 1200 powerheads on a 30 second cycle. One blows right to left, the other blows left to right, and one is hidden in the very back/middle of the tank that shoots a nice current off the front of the glass which billows out onto both sides of the tank. I have inconspicuously hidden them to maintain the natural appearance of my perception of a living reef. This configuration allows for water movement to just about every part of the reef.

Crazy Things I Do:

Every other Wednesday, I allow the tank to remain completely dark for the entire day. The room stays dark as well. Why? Because I believe it replicates those stormy or overcast days which they are accustomed to in their natural environment. On the following day, the photoperiod returns to normal and all of the mushrooms seem to expand like crazy for a few days after. I don’t know why.

The uptake of iodine is so great in this system, it allows me to add one drop per day and still maintain a safe level of iodine on a continual basis, and I would not recommend doing this without a very reliable test kit.

Potential Reefkeepers:

If you have ever considered a relaxing hobby that will draw you in like the vortex of a tornado, you should seriously consider this hobby. The biggest mistake you can make is to rush out without any forethought or planning and purchase everything you see on the shelf. No two systems are alike. Keeping this in mind, do some research at your local reef store, on-line, and the bookstore etc. It will save you an awful lot of time, money and potential devastation. There is one common denominator among every reefkeeper I know: PATIENCE.

Inhabitants:

Thank You:

To the staff and all of the individuals who make Reef Central what it is today; thank you once again for this humbling experience and allowing me to share that which I love and enjoy doing so much. It was nothing more than luck and dedication that has brought me this far.

As a single man (hint, hint), I have to settle for just loving my reef tank and nurturing her with TLC. If the bottom falls out and I loose all that I own, it won't be hard to spot me in a crowd. I'll be the guy pushing a shopping cart with a reef tank on top and a prop tank on the bottom.

How lucky we are to have the privilege to maintain our own ecosystem filled with God's creatures from the deep.

Safe reefing everyone…

The Zoo Guru

"Reefkeepers are some of the nicest people I have ever met."

Feel free to comment or ask questions about my tank in the forum for the online magazine.