TANK OF THE MOMENT (JUNE 04)
DANIEL GAN'S (DANANO) REEF TANK
Wow!! It’s truly an honour to have my 30 gallon “bonsai” reef chosen as SRC’s first Tank of The Moment! Thanks, SRC!
How It All Began
I have been involved with aquariums for the past 25 years, and, like many others in this hobby, I started with a freshwater tank.
My marine system started from a 10 gallon acrylic tank which I brought back home with me from the US after spending almost 9 years there. Back then, I kept mainly fish, mushrooms, some hardy leather corals and zoanthids corals.
The 10g nano tank back in July ‘03
In August 2002, I decided to setup my 10 gallon nano reef tank again and have not looked back since! Simulating an ocean environment in the living room was a challenge in itself and even more so with a nano tank! Aside from about 10kg of quality live rock, I originally kept mostly mushrooms, LPS and soft corals. After some enhancements to the setup, including the addition of a refugium, thermoelectric (Ice Probe) chiller, chemical filtration and 165 watts of PL lighting, SPS corals began to invade the upper half of my nano reef.
It wasn’t long before I was “hooked on SPS” and forced to upgrade to a larger tank. The 'seeds' for my current 30 gallon were planted in March 2003 and by August, all the corals and live rock from the 10 gallon were transferred to this tank. I created a deep sand bed (DSB) and added cured premium live rock. Other improvements included a change to T5 lighting, a bigger chiller and a spray-injection protein skimmer. The Only thing missing was a calcium reactor, which meant a daily manual dosing regimen, which I diligently followed. Now, besides a few clams, mushrooms and LPS coral in the lower third of the tank, my tank is is almost completely covered with SPS corals!
One of my favorites… acropora valida?
Aquarium Profile
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30 gallon tank with DIY hang-on overflow
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Tank dimensions are 24" x 18" x 18"
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15 gallon sump with refugium
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Solid IKEA pine wood table/stand
Assorted SPS corals.
Filtration and water circulation
A 15 gallon sump sits to the left of the tank. One Eheim 1250 external pump (1,200 ltr/hr) draws water from the sump, passes the water through a1/3 HP Teco RA640 chiller before ultimately returning it to the tank. Another Eheim 1250 serves purely as a return pump. I run both pumps externally so as to not introduce unnecessary heat into the system. A Maxijet 1200 drives water into an in-sump AquaC Urchin protein skimmer.
I use about 30kg of premium Fiji and Vanuatu live rock for biofiltraton. Approximately 30kg of grade 0 and 1 sand form the biological bed, a semi-Deep Sand Bed, starting out at 4 inches at the rear sloping down to 3 inches in front. Chemical filtration consisting of Rowaphos, Contraphos Konzentrat, and Reefez Carbon-Plus in filter bags in a hang-on filter helps with keeping the water crystal clear and free of phosphates, silicates and yellowing compounds.
Circulation
In addition to the two Eheims and a hang-on filter, I run two Eden214 rotating power heads for increased circulation. The combined flow rate of almost 4000 liters per hour translates to a turnover of about 35 times, keeping the SPS corals happy!
More SPS corals…
Calcium & Alkalinity Supplementation
Aside from intense lighting, excellent water parameters and strong circulation, I believe the key to good growth is maintaining Calcium and Alkalinity levels. I don't run a CR but I dose Reef Builder and Reef Advantage Calcium daily. I premix and dose a heaping teaspoon of Advantage Calcium daily when I get home from work. And later in the evening, I mix a full teaspoon of Reef Builder in 1 liter of water and pour it into a high flow area in the sump after the lights go out. This serves to top-up the water that evaporates during the day as well. A setup any larger would most certainly warrant the use of a Calcium Reactor.
Dec ‘03 – Apr ‘04 growth sequence
Lighting
I started with 4 x T5s tubes. With the addition of more light demanding corals, I gradually upped the lighting to 6 x T5 tubes. The bulb combination now consists of all ATI Aquablue Special T5s for maximum intensity and a balanced spectrum for growth and colour. After using T5s for almost 9 months, I must say that I am very pleased with the results in terms of coral growth and colour. One of the keys to getting good results with T5s, I believe, is to keep your SPS corals no more than 12 to 15 inches from the light source. With a 4" DSB, everything in my tank is within 15" from the T5s, even the clams on the sandbed.
I have considered using metal halides but in our tropical climate, heat is truly a major issue. Notwithstanding that I could upgrade the chiller, I figured that T5s would work just as well with a shallow tank. In fact, my plans for a new 4ft (100 gallon) setup will incorporate 9x T5 tubes illuminating a tank that’s barely 22 inches tall.
Photoperiod
The main tank is on a 11 hour photoperiod, from 12:30pm to 11:30pm. The refugium is on a 14 hour reverse photoperiod, from 10:30pm to 12:30pm. The macroalgae in the refugium helps with nutrient export.
Maintenance & Husbandry
I perform a 10 percent water change every 3 to 4 weeks using Tropic Marin salt. The skimmer collection cup is cleaned bi-weekly. In addition, the front of the tank is cleaned every other day using a pair of algae-cleaning magnets. I trim the macroalgae in the refugium once a month. Monthly tests are conducted with Salifert Ca and Red Sea dKH kits. With the tank now relatively mature and stable, other tests are performed on rare occasions. The last I tested, Nitrate, Nitrite and Phosphate levels were undetectable.
Top view of the front half of the tank
Pastel-coloured staghorn corals
Feeding
The fish get newly hatched BBS every other day. Cyclop-eze, frozen mysis and Formula 1 or 2 make up the rest of their diet. For the corals, clams and inverts, I feed Liquid Life Bioplankton and Coralplankton on alternate days.
Water Parameters
§ Calcium: ~400 ppm
§ Alkalinity: ~8-9 dKH
§ Specific Gravity: ~1.025
§ pH: 7.9 - 8.3
§ Temperature: 26-28° C
§ Nitrate: undetectable
§ Nitrite: undetectable
§ Phosphate: undetectable
Inhabitants
§ SPS: Over 30 species, including various acropora, montipora, millepora, seriatopora, stylopora, pocillopora, porites, & blue ridge corals.
§ LPS: torch, frogspawn, blastomussa, candy cane, merulina, open brain
§ Clams: tridacna maxima, crocea and derasa
§ Fish: orchid dottyback, mandarin goby, sunburst anthias, bicolor blenny, yellow canary wrasse, green chromis, yellow tail chromis
§ Inverterbrates: emerald crab, hermit crabs, cleaner shrimps, fromia starfish, coco worm, Christmas tree worms, assorted snails
§ Softies: star polyps, clove polyps, assorted zoanthids, assorted mushrooms
Acknowledgements
I would not have made it this far without the support and understanding from my loving wife. She has even accompanied me to two midnight LFS “rave” parties. In fact, on one occasion, she picked out, with her trained and discerning eye, the purple acropora humilis that now sits smack in the middle of the tank. We enjoy our small piece of the ocean in the living room together and never seem to get bored staring into it, always amazed and discovering something new each time!
I would also like to express my gratitude to the ‘SRC old-timers’ here, who are always ready and willing to share their experiences and impart their knowledge. Robe, thanks for introducing me to this closely knit reefing community and the world of SPS corals and clams over a year ago. And Conrad (AT), for sharing your passion and unfailing commitment to SRC and the reefkeeping hobby. Morgan, Tanzy, Rumor, Maxima and others, for your encouragement and guidance. It’s the continuous challenges plus learning and sharing of experiences that makes this hobby and passion of ours so enjoyable and addictive!
Lastly, I’d just like to thank the SRC sponsors for bringing in all the goodies!
Please feel free to comment or ask any questions about my tank in the TOTM forum on SRC here!
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