REEF OF THE MONTH - September 2023: Oly's Incredible Acro Reef!

[Olys_Tank]

More like 18months here lol

I saw and still see extremly well thriving acropora tanks with T5 fixtures where the bulbs have run an undefined / unknown amount of years

 

[The Opinionated Reefer]

Yeah they do last a lot longer than the manufactures would have you believe especially if your not growing fancy sps.

 

[RIC13]

Are you spending the time to remove snails from your sand bed each time you exchange it? It seems like that would take a looooong time.

 

[Olys_Tank]

Are you spending the time to remove snails from your sand bed each time you exchange it? It seems like that would take a looooong time.

haha that's a thing... no idea how many hours I already spent on it and no idea how many snails didn't make it anyway

 

[SixlineRyan]

No there is no UV running in the system (no space for another pipe and installation and heat producer ) And no, there are no bacteria products dosed, as there are no symptoms showing the need for it. Whenever I have the possibility to buy fresh Live rock, I do it and that's the moment when the system gets it's refreshing bacterial "support"

Beautiful tank, and really good thread full of info!

Question for you is, are you adding the fresh live rock to your existing tank or do you just mean starting a new tank with fresh live rock?

 

[Olys_Tank]

Beautiful tank, and really good thread full of info!

Question for you is, are you adding the fresh live rock to your existing tank or do you just mean starting a new tank with fresh live rock?

Thanks a lot

Either I add fresh live rock unregularly or I replace (rescape) parts of the existing scape with it

 

[StripeCore]

R2R Username: @Olys_Tank
Tank Thread: My Reef Tank 2019

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Introduction:

Hello, Reef2Reef! I've been in the hobby for around 28 years. It all started when my mother decided to get her children some pets. As some family members suffered from asthma, we couldn't keep any animals with hair or fur, so she decided to buy a freshwater tank. Each family member took care of a seperate fish species. After a few years of success, we had 10 different fish and water plant breeding tanks in the cellar. I started my first reef tank at the age of 14 after catching some animals on our holiday trip to the west coast of Ireland. Even in my high school years, I was the person responsible for the school's reef tank, spending hours of discussion about that topic with the biology and chemistry teachers as well as the local reef aquarium store manager. With that knowledge base, after all these years, it was always my personal goal to keep an acropora-dominated reef tank like the one that I have right now. The help of Claude Schuhmacher, CEO of Fauna Marin, who has shared his vast knowledge provided for the rest of the foundation of this reef.

System Profile:

• Glass or Acrylic: Low iron glass
• Stand: Steel
• Sump: Royal Exclusiv Dreambox
• Grow-out tank: First section of the Dreambox
• Protein skimmer: Royal Exclusiv Bubble King double Cone 200 with external Red Dragon 3 speedy
• Carbon/phosphate filtration: Fauna Marin Multi Filter 1.5 liter
• Return pump: Eheim 5000 compact on
• Water circulation: Dual Maxspect Gyre 350
• Lighting (display): ATI Hybrid 8 x 80w T5 & 4 x 75w LED
• Lighting (grow-out): ATI Hybrid 4 x 24w T5 & 1 x 75w LED
• Calcium/alkalinity/magnesium dosing equipment: Fauna Marin Balling Light dosed by D-D H2Ocean P4 Pro
• Auto top-off: Tunze Osmolator
• Heating/cooling: heating: Schego. cooling: Fan

Water Circulation and Flow Summary and Objectives: For flow, I'm using two Maxspect Gyre 350s, alternately 20 seconds 100% / 0%. This produces a turbulent wave like flow going from one side to the other of the tank, moving through the scape from top down.

Water Parameters:

• Temp: 77 F
• pH: 7.8 - 8.3
• Specific gravity: 1.0235 (35 PSU)
• NO3: 1-3
• Ca: 430
• Alk: 6.8 - 7.3
• Mg: 1250-1350
• PO4: 0.04 - 0-08

What salt mix do you use?

I use Fauna Marin Professional Sea Salt because it provides the best and consistent salt quality.

What kind of rock did you start with?

I started with Fiji Pukani Rocks, but changed to 100% Indonesian Live rocks after 2 years.

What is your substrate? CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade

Calcium/Alkalinity/Magnesium Summary and Objectives: I try to keep every element at a low range, but day and night stability is more important to me than chasing a specific number.

What and how do you dose for the big 3 (alk/cal/mag)? Fauna Marin Balling Light - mag dosing weekly or after I get the ICP results, alk 24 times a day, ¾ during light period, calcium dosing 12 times during light period.

Are you dosing anything else for your reef health (carbon dosing, aminos, etc.)? I'm also dosing Fauna Marin Bacto Energy, Min S, Coral Vitality.

Lighting Photoperiod

• Display tank: 10:30-21:30
• Grow-out tank: 10:30-21:30

What is your export strategy? I do a weekly water change, exchange of the sandbed once a year, and carbon dosing. The strategy also is to feed a high quality fish food source that doesn't accumulate nutrients in the tank at the end.

What is your maintenance routine?

• Daily: Fish feeding and dose Coral Vitality
• Weekly: Water change, glass cleaning, and skimmer cleaning
• Other: Once a year, I change the sandbed, cook the upper parts of the sandbed to keep it white when needed

Tank Inhabitants—Fish: (Please List)

1. Amphiprion ocellaris
2. Zebrasoma flavescens
3. Naso elegans
4. Chromis viridis
5. Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
6. Zoramia leptacantha
7. Helichoeres chrysus
8. Koumansetta hectori
9. Acreichthys tomentosus

Other Invertebrates:

1. Several species of snails
2. Strombus luhuanus
3. Tridacna maxima
4. Archaster angulatus
5. Clypeaster sp.
6. Nardoa galatheae
7. Neopetrolisthes maculatus
8. Several shrimps
9. Christmas tree coral with several Spirobranchus giganteus

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Tank Inhabitants— Corals:

• SPS : Mainly Acropora, a few Montipora, Anacropora, Seriatopora, Stylophora, Pocillopora
• LPS : Catalaphyllia jardinei, Pavona maldivensis, Duncanopsammia axifuga, several Euphyllia glabrescens, several Acanthastrea and Alveopora sp.
• There are some Discosoma and and a Fiji

Fish and Coral Feeding: The fish are fed 4 times a day by the automatic feeder filled with a mix of high quality dry food pellets from Fauna Marin. In the evening they get a Fauna Marin Green seaweed flake as well as frozen Mysis and Fish Eggs from Ocean Nutrition.

How did you decide what to keep in your tank?

After 28 years of experience in the hobby, I always wanted to keep an Acropora dominated reef tank. Most fish I chose do a job, only the clown fish were bought for their color and behavior.

Any stocking regrets? None

Any fish, invert, or coral you will NEVER keep? Sharks

What do you love most about the hobby? I love the aspect of learning a lot in chemistry, biology, food quality, IT, electricity, effects of color combinations etc.

How long have you been doing this? 28 years

Who was responsible for getting you into the hobby? My mother got me into the hobby.

Who or what in the hobby most influences/inspires you? The research and publications of the company Fauna Marin as well as the endless knowledge and wisdom of everything in that hobby shared by the FM manager Claude Schuhmacher.

If you could have any tank, what size would it be and why? That’s hard to imagine, as I would always end up not having enough space.

Favorite fish? Naso elegans

Favorite coral? Acropora Cytherea (yellow color varieties)

Favorite invert? Neopetrolisthes maculatus

How do you typically get over setbacks? The thought of having the possibility to probably get some space free for new animals that I couldn’t buy yet is one positive motivator.

Have you faced any major challenges with this particular tank, and if so, how did you overcome?

The rescape a few years ago, changing 100% of the rocks to live rock, was challenging. This was especially true regarding the turbulence in water quality, especially stability. I overcame that only by measuring, adjusting, and more frequent ICP testings.

What's the best thing you ever bought for your tank? The Fauna Marin Balling Light System

Any special tips for success or advice you'd like to share with other reefers?

Concentrate on the use of products of only a few brands, and when it comes to supplements and food, just one brand. I think the main success of my tank is due to the use of only Fauna Marin products. Only frozen fish food is another brand. Furthermore in my opinion, the quality of fish food that is fed in huge amounts in our tanks is absolutely underestimated. As I know the studies that Fauna Marin did on that subject, I use only their dry and liquid fish food.

Final Thoughts?

Over the last few years I started to join social media platforms like instagram with my account olys_tank especially to help other reefers with knowledge improvement in reef tank biology and chemistry. There seems to be a huge need for ICP interpretation, and in my opinion, a huge amount of misinformation and confusion in online forums and discussion groups. I love to share my experiences and learn day by day from experts. I couldn’t imagine a more fascinating, complex and interesting hobby where there's always more to discover and new challenges to tackle.

Reef2Reef would like to thank @Olys_Tank for the honor of featuring his reef tank. If you would like to follow @Olys_Tank on Instagram, be sure to check his page at Olys_Tank.

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Great colorful pictures

 

[Olys_Tank]

Great colorful pictures

Thanks

 

[SixlineRyan]

Thanks a lot

Either I add fresh live rock unregularly or I replace (rescape) parts of the existing scape with it

Gotcha, is this part of your philosophy of changing out the sand too or just something that comes along with rescaping? Also can you tell me what this coral is?

 

[Olys_Tank]

Gotcha, is this part of your philosophy of changing out the sand too or just something that comes along with rescaping? Also can you tell me what this coral is?

No, changing the sandbed has nothing to do with the rescaping directly; but also yes, it is the same philosophy regarding the thought of renewing the biology by giving it new surface (without old phosphate deposits) to settle on. It keeps the system young and prevents from the old tank syndrom.

The coral on the sandbed is an elegance coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei pink tips)

 

[SixlineRyan]

No, changing the sandbed has nothing to do with the rescaping directly; but also yes, it is the same philosophy regarding the thought of renewing the biology by giving it new surface (without old phosphate deposits) to settle on. It keeps the system young and prevents from the old tank syndrom.

The coral on the sandbed is an elegance coral (Catalaphyllia jardinei pink tips)

I see; thanks so much for the information!

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

Wow. I mean, just, like, wow. Beautiful. Thank you.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

Sorry if you already mentioned and I missed it, but what are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[shakacuz]

Sorry if you already mentioned and I missed it, but what are the dimensions of the tank?

70" x 24" x 20" i believe

 

[Olys_Tank]

Sorry if you already mentioned and I missed it, but what are the dimensions of the tank?

yes, as @shakacuz said, 70x24x20 (people always think it is at least double the amount of water but it's just a 130 gallon tank)

 

[WhyMe?]

Beautiful with the ATI T5 Hybrids. Regarding changing sand, the CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade sand is "dead" sand and gets colonized by the other 2/3 "live" sand in your tank?

 

[Olys_Tank]

Beautiful with the ATI T5 Hybrids. Regarding changing sand, the CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade sand is "dead" sand and gets colonized by the other 2/3 "live" sand in your tank?

yes that's the way it works

 

[Olys_Tank]

After 3 month of dosing with that Bolus method, it's so cool to see that it just works so well. What surprises me the most, is that what they call "Table Top Effect" (I think it was that wording?). The Alkalinity level is on a line for so many hours.
Of course the coral look amazing, the colours became stronger, LPS polyp expansion has never been better before and all that stuff just happens as described in the methods papers... but men, that Table Top is fascinating.