Kevin Pockell's (kevinpo) Reef Aquarium

Introduction and Background:

I started keeping freshwater fish as a child, and raised African cichlids and Discus as a young adult in the mid-'70's. I would see the beautiful saltwater fish at the local fish stores and think that someday I would give it a try. I bought a 100-gallon tank in 1977 and told myself I would set it up only for saltwater. I kept it through several moves, hauling it in and out of several homes before finally setting it up in 1985. After nearly 20 years and several more tanks I must admit, I'm definitely hooked for life

I don't believe there is any one right way to assemble a reef tank. I have been successful with several methods. The tank featured here has been running since June of 2001 and has dimensions of 96"x 44"x 33.5" with a volume of 557 gallons. A sump/refugium holds an additional 95 gallons. The majority of my corals have come from other hobbyists, starting as small 1-3" frags. It's my belief that captive propagation is the future of the coral collection hobby.

System Design:

The system was designed to be as maintenance-free as possible because I would typically travel for roughly three weeks each month. The tank was originally designed to be a room divider viewable from both sides, but due to problems with removing the wall it was placed in the corner. That is why the two overflow towers are located in the center rather than on the back wall. The overflows are 3.5" square (inside dimension). They were supposed to be 4" to accommodate a 2" bulkhead but due to a manufacturer's error I had to use 1.5" bulkheads. This resulted in the water level running quite high. In retrospect a closed loop system would have been a great feature. I can always add that on my next tank when I upgrade.

Aquascaping:

I have about 800 lbs. of live rock placed in the center of the tank resulting in a double-sided reef. There are several locations where large fish can swim through the rockwork. I believe this design has helped reduce aggression between the fish as it allows them to be out of sight of each other. It also provides twice the grazing space and unobstructed flow behind the rocks.

Equipment:

I made the stand from 2 x 4's, 4 x 4's, deck screws, and galvanized brackets purchased at the local Home Depot. The reason I chose this method is that it allows me to completely disassemble and move the stand. Since it needed to be very sturdy, it became too heavy and bulky to move in one piece.

• The pump on the left (above) is a Dolphin Aqua Sea 4500. It is the main circulation device. It feeds four 3/4" Sea Swirls and can deliver 3600 GPH @ 5' head.

• The next pump to the right is an Iwaki MD55RLT to power the Gemini ETSS 800 skimmer.

• The pump on the far right (barely noticeable between the skimmer and right side of the sump) is an Iwaki MD100RLT, which returns water from the sump through the end of the tank at the water's surface to provide surface gas exchange. It delivers 2000 GPH @ 4' head.






• This is the Korallin C3002 calcium reactor (above left). My system's calcium level runs 380-420 ppm. I would recommend using a reactor to anyone keeping a large amount of SPS corals. I added a second chamber built by Geo because the single chamber could not keep up with the demand for calcium. Additionally, I run a kalkwasser reactor (seen on the right).






• This is the new sump/refugium (above) that I installed on 8-24-02. It has a 112 gallon capacity, measures 40" x 36" x 19" and is lit by two 110 watt VHO 50/50 bulbs. It was custom-made by Barr Aquatics.






• The skimmer (above) is a Barr Aquatic SK4200 powered by an Iwaki MD100RLT (I run both skimmers simultaneously). The other picture is a Barr Aquatic kalk reactor that treats my 12-14 gal a day of RO/DI make-up water.

• The lighting consists of five 400-watt metal halide bulbs, three Ushio 10,000K and two Radium 20,000K bulbs driven by PFO brand HQI type ballasts. For the dawn/dusk effect there are eight 95 watt and two 160 watt URI VHO actinic bulbs driven by IceCap and URI electronic ballasts. So I have 1080 watts of actinics and 2000 watts of halides for 3080 total watts. The 10,000K halide bulbs are placed on the outsides and one in the center with the 20,000K's positioned in between. The halides are on for nine hours. The 160-watt actinic bulbs run for 14 hours and the 95-watt actinics run for 12 hours.

Husbandry & Maintenance:

I change 150 gallons of water every 3-4 weeks using RO/DI water. Some of the challenges as the tank has aged have been:

• Keeping the corals from overgrowing and fighting with each other (see below).

• Providing enough flow as the corals grow and begin to block and change the flow patterns.

• Keeping algae at manageable levels.

• Keeping up with coralline algae removal on the front and end panels.

Feeding:

I make a chopped preparation that I keep in an old Cool Whip container stored in the freezer that consists of:

• Formula 1 frozen cubes

• Raw shrimp (41-50 count size)

• Dried seaweed

• Freeze-dried plankton

• Crushed garlic

The first four ingredients are of equal proportions with one-teaspoon of garlic added to them.

Water Chemistry/Water Parameters:

Supplements/Additives:

For the first 18 months I did not have to add anything but as the calcium consuming corals grew large I began to dose calcium chloride and buffer.

Filtration:

I use protein skimming and live plants in the refugium for filtration. I also run ozone and carbon.

Inhabitants:

The Mandarinfish, Anthias, Chromis, Clownfish, and Triggers have all spawned. No attempts were made to collect the eggs or raise the fry.

Growth Sequence September 2001 October 2002 June 2003 October 2004

Growth Sequence November 2001 January 2002 May 2003

Acknowledgements:

I want to thank Reef Central and the people there who have helped and inspired me over the years. What a wonderful resource for the beginner or experienced hobbyists.

Thank you very much,
Kevin

Feel free to comment or ask questions about my tank in the Tank of the Month thread on Reef Central.