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As mentioned earlier, the tank was set up as cheap as I could go
without compromising quality. The canopy was custom made to provide
a 4" clearing between the MH bulb and the water surface. If
I were to do it again, I would increase this by another 2"
that way you won't splash the bulb when adding new specimens. A
6500K bulb powered by an IceCap ballast was used to light the tank
for 8 hours. Actinic lighting was provided by a single normal output
bulb for 12 hours.
Filtration was provided by 3" of CaribSea
sands and about 60# of live rocks. I also grew caulerpa in the bottom
of the tank for additional nitrate removal. Keeping it trim was
a little of a hassle even with a yellow tang in the tank. For protein
skimming, I used a Berlin Skimmer by Red Sea. I highly recommend
this skimmer with it's only drawback being that it's a real pain
in the ass to clean. As for water changes, I try to do about 5 gallons
once a month.
Water circulation in the tank was provided
by the return line and a penquin powerhead. Because of the dept
of the tank, an additional powerhead to circulate closer to the
bottom of the tank would've been useful. A 200 watt heater was used
in the trash can sump to stabilize the temperature at 80 degrees
when the MH light was out. Even without a fan in the canopy, the
temperature never went higher than 80 degrees.
For mineral replenishment, I used Combisan
once a week. I also supplement this with Kent Marine Iodione on
a daily basis and Kent Marine Strontium / Molybdenum weekly. For
calcium, I try various products but none really kept the calcium
level high enough. I settled on using a Sea Chem product.
As far as livestock, I had really good luck
with this tank. The tube anemone, the crocea, and the leopard wrass
were the only things that did not thrive in the tank. At the time,
I did not realize that the tube anemone was a cold water specimen
and the wrass only wanted live food. As for the clam, it became
an expensive meal for a stow-away bristle worm. Even without the
worm, I suspect the clam would've been difficult to maintain anyway
since I could barely keep the calcium level at 300 ppm. The percula
really took to his anemone, as can be seen in the pictures below.
He would take pieces of food and try to feed the anemone.
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