Zionas
5000 Club Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2020
- Messages
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Hey everyone, at the sincere request of @revhtree, I have decided to make a thread in this section of the forum to keep you guys updated on the progress of my first ever reef tank, and one that I hope to have for a long time to come. It will be a custom-made 183-gallon tank that I plan to do a 50/50 split of softies and LPS corals.
Starting a tank in a developing country (China) will be quite the challenge, and I’m currently on the second floor of an apartment. Unfortunately, due to the virus situation, I am unable to go back home and it’s taking an emotional toll on me because I’m unable to start my tank right now.
This has been a dream of mine since I was a kid (7 or 8), and I’ll be turning 24 next month. I’m really looking forward to it, if only this darn virus situation would clear up ASAP. I’d like to thank all of you for the support you’ve given me till now, and I’m very grateful to be part of a vibrant, flourishing community dedicated to the hobby.
It is my sincere wish that this hobby will only continue to grow and thrive (just like our tanks, lol), that many exciting developments await us in the future. We are the vanguard when it comes to educating more people about the beauty of marine life, and I hope we’ll have important roles to play in preserving the sea and coral reefs for future generations to understand and appreciate.
This will be my first tank ever, and it’s all a bit daunting, but I do really hope that my fishies and my corals all get to live their full lifespans. I’ll really need all the luck I can get on my side.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to start my tank (finally), but I’ll definitely keep you guys posted!
So far, in terms of fish, I have decided (in order of Introduction):
x1 Yellow Watchman Goby + Candy Pistol Shrimp
x2 Ocellaris Clownfish- Captive Bred
x1 Marine Betta
x1 Royal Gramma
x6 Pajama Cardinals (2 trips to LFS, 1 trio at a time)
x2 Long Fin Bannerfish (Heniochus) (introduce together)
x1 One Spot Foxface
x1 Flame Hawkfish + x1 Long Nose Hawkfish (introduce together)
x1 Flame Angelfish
x1 Yellow Tang + x1 Twin Spot Hogfish (introduce together)
Soft Corals being considered:
-Actinodiscus Mushroom
-Rhodactis Mushroom
-Ricordea Mushroom
-Finger Leather
-Cabbage Leather
-Devil’s Hand Leather
-Toadstool Leather
-Pulsing Xenia (in the corner you go)
-Green Star Polyps (in the corner you go)
-Button Polyps
-Colt Coral (Cladiella spp.)
-Chili Coral (Nephtea spp.)
LPS Corals being considered:
-Duncans
-Bubble Coral
-Torch Coral
-Hammer Coral
-Frogspawn Coral
-Acans
-Trumpet Coral
-Favites Brain
-Candy Cane Brain
-Lobophyllia Brain
-Disk Coral
-Blastomussa Brain
(Will my tank be able to have ALL of these corals?)
Inverts: TBD
Notes:
1. I was really keen on adding a Yellow Eye Kole along with my Yellow Tang, but due to the coronavirus and ongoing trade war (ah, politics is always a joy!), availability may well be a problem. The decision to get a pair of Bannerfish is partially out of consideration when it comes to availability. Sad I may well have to settle for a dynamic duo instead of a trio when it comes to my fish CuC.
2. I love the Genicanthus angelfish, and I have seriously considered a pair of Watanabei’s or Spotbreast or Bellus, or even a single Lamarck’s, but then again, availability.
3. For frozen foods, I’ll have nothing more than a small dorm fridge. Bummer.
4. I really hope the global situation improves!
5. I’m really surprised that so many medications aren’t available in Canada. This I know from the posts by some of the Canadian reefers here. I was in Vancouver (Richmond) for many years (grew up there) but the cost of living became unsustainable and the place is quite boring lol.
I’m looking forward to posting more updates!
My tank’s dimensions:
Length- 72” (1.8m)
Width- 28” (0.7m)
Height- 22” (0.55m)
For a total of 183.07 US gallons.
Material- Glass.
Most expensive piece of equipment will be a Bubble King Eco Max 250 protein skimmer lol. Heard they can be used for tanks up to 400 gallons, so should be awesome. I was very keen on investing in a high quality protein skimmer mostly out of consideration for the large, active fish I’ll be adding, or even for breaking down waste and nutrients in general.
I’ll be running a 100W UV sterilizer from the beginning.
Optimal water parameters:
Salinity 1.025-1.026
Water temperature 78-80F (25.5-26.6 C)
pH 8.20-8.30
Alkalinity 10.0-11.0 dKH
Ammonia Undetectable
Nitrites Undetectable
Nitrates 5-10ppm (a bit, mostly for the softies)
PO4 (phosphates) ~0.13ppm (below 1.0ppm)
Mg (Magnesium) ~1300ppm (1150ppm-1350ppm will be my acceptable range)
Sr (Strontium) 8.10-10.0ppm (4.0-10.0ppm will be my acceptable range)
I (Iodine) 0.06ppm (0.04-0.10ppm will be my acceptable range)
Ca (Calcium) 380.0-420.0ppm (350-450ppm will be my acceptable range)
References:
-Actual coral reef water parameters, at least according to Live Aquaria lol.
Daily Lighting Cycle: 11AM-11PM (12 hours)
11AM: Lights on
11AM-1PM: Ramp up
1PM-9PM: Full intensity
9PM-11PM: Ramp down
11PM: Lights off
Feeding Schedule: 3-4 bites for each fish whether frozen, flake, or pellet food:
11:30AM: First feeding.
5:30PM: Second feeding.
Water Change Schedule:
20% bi-weekly (36 gallons per change), RO water only.
Starting a tank in a developing country (China) will be quite the challenge, and I’m currently on the second floor of an apartment. Unfortunately, due to the virus situation, I am unable to go back home and it’s taking an emotional toll on me because I’m unable to start my tank right now.
This has been a dream of mine since I was a kid (7 or 8), and I’ll be turning 24 next month. I’m really looking forward to it, if only this darn virus situation would clear up ASAP. I’d like to thank all of you for the support you’ve given me till now, and I’m very grateful to be part of a vibrant, flourishing community dedicated to the hobby.
It is my sincere wish that this hobby will only continue to grow and thrive (just like our tanks, lol), that many exciting developments await us in the future. We are the vanguard when it comes to educating more people about the beauty of marine life, and I hope we’ll have important roles to play in preserving the sea and coral reefs for future generations to understand and appreciate.
This will be my first tank ever, and it’s all a bit daunting, but I do really hope that my fishies and my corals all get to live their full lifespans. I’ll really need all the luck I can get on my side.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to start my tank (finally), but I’ll definitely keep you guys posted!
So far, in terms of fish, I have decided (in order of Introduction):
x1 Yellow Watchman Goby + Candy Pistol Shrimp
x2 Ocellaris Clownfish- Captive Bred
x1 Marine Betta
x1 Royal Gramma
x6 Pajama Cardinals (2 trips to LFS, 1 trio at a time)
x2 Long Fin Bannerfish (Heniochus) (introduce together)
x1 One Spot Foxface
x1 Flame Hawkfish + x1 Long Nose Hawkfish (introduce together)
x1 Flame Angelfish
x1 Yellow Tang + x1 Twin Spot Hogfish (introduce together)
Soft Corals being considered:
-Actinodiscus Mushroom
-Rhodactis Mushroom
-Ricordea Mushroom
-Finger Leather
-Cabbage Leather
-Devil’s Hand Leather
-Toadstool Leather
-Pulsing Xenia (in the corner you go)
-Green Star Polyps (in the corner you go)
-Button Polyps
-Colt Coral (Cladiella spp.)
-Chili Coral (Nephtea spp.)
LPS Corals being considered:
-Duncans
-Bubble Coral
-Torch Coral
-Hammer Coral
-Frogspawn Coral
-Acans
-Trumpet Coral
-Favites Brain
-Candy Cane Brain
-Lobophyllia Brain
-Disk Coral
-Blastomussa Brain
(Will my tank be able to have ALL of these corals?)
Inverts: TBD
Notes:
1. I was really keen on adding a Yellow Eye Kole along with my Yellow Tang, but due to the coronavirus and ongoing trade war (ah, politics is always a joy!), availability may well be a problem. The decision to get a pair of Bannerfish is partially out of consideration when it comes to availability. Sad I may well have to settle for a dynamic duo instead of a trio when it comes to my fish CuC.
2. I love the Genicanthus angelfish, and I have seriously considered a pair of Watanabei’s or Spotbreast or Bellus, or even a single Lamarck’s, but then again, availability.
3. For frozen foods, I’ll have nothing more than a small dorm fridge. Bummer.
4. I really hope the global situation improves!
5. I’m really surprised that so many medications aren’t available in Canada. This I know from the posts by some of the Canadian reefers here. I was in Vancouver (Richmond) for many years (grew up there) but the cost of living became unsustainable and the place is quite boring lol.
I’m looking forward to posting more updates!
My tank’s dimensions:
Length- 72” (1.8m)
Width- 28” (0.7m)
Height- 22” (0.55m)
For a total of 183.07 US gallons.
Material- Glass.
Most expensive piece of equipment will be a Bubble King Eco Max 250 protein skimmer lol. Heard they can be used for tanks up to 400 gallons, so should be awesome. I was very keen on investing in a high quality protein skimmer mostly out of consideration for the large, active fish I’ll be adding, or even for breaking down waste and nutrients in general.
I’ll be running a 100W UV sterilizer from the beginning.
Optimal water parameters:
Salinity 1.025-1.026
Water temperature 78-80F (25.5-26.6 C)
pH 8.20-8.30
Alkalinity 10.0-11.0 dKH
Ammonia Undetectable
Nitrites Undetectable
Nitrates 5-10ppm (a bit, mostly for the softies)
PO4 (phosphates) ~0.13ppm (below 1.0ppm)
Mg (Magnesium) ~1300ppm (1150ppm-1350ppm will be my acceptable range)
Sr (Strontium) 8.10-10.0ppm (4.0-10.0ppm will be my acceptable range)
I (Iodine) 0.06ppm (0.04-0.10ppm will be my acceptable range)
Ca (Calcium) 380.0-420.0ppm (350-450ppm will be my acceptable range)
References:
-Actual coral reef water parameters, at least according to Live Aquaria lol.
Daily Lighting Cycle: 11AM-11PM (12 hours)
11AM: Lights on
11AM-1PM: Ramp up
1PM-9PM: Full intensity
9PM-11PM: Ramp down
11PM: Lights off
Feeding Schedule: 3-4 bites for each fish whether frozen, flake, or pellet food:
11:30AM: First feeding.
5:30PM: Second feeding.
Water Change Schedule:
20% bi-weekly (36 gallons per change), RO water only.
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