Reason Tank Was Set-Up: I decided to go into reefing after viewing my Uncles beautiful reef. I wanted to start with a reasonable tank setup so if I wanted to bail out I could with minimal loses. I set up this tank as a first jump into the world of reefing. I would use this tank to learn what I needed about reefs and then upgrade at a later date.
Goals:
- To learn how to keep a reef (ie EVERYTHING)
- Demonstrate that I can handle and succeed and keeping reefs
- Prepare and learn as much as I can for a future larger tank
Initial Setup: Tank: 55 gallon all glass
Lighting: Nova T5 Extreme Pro (2 x 10k daylight, 2 x actinic)
Skimmer: CPR backpack skimmer
Fuge: CPR Aquafuge
Flow: 2 x Tunze Nano Stream 1 x Krollia 4
Major Upgrades: The only major upgrade I made was on lighting, I wanted to try to keep SPS (which I have been successful with)
Nova T5 Extreme Pro ------------> Current Sun pod 2 x 150w MH (I run 14K bulbs)
Corals Kept Successfully:
- Long Tentacle Plate Coral*** Heliofungia actiniformis
- Xenia Xenia sp.
- Purple Mushrooms Discosoma sp.
- Purple-white Mushrooms Discosoma sp.
- Leaf Coral Montipora Capricornis
- ----- (no common name) Montipora Setosa
- Torch Coral Euphyllia sp.
- Trumpet Coral Caulastera sp.
- ----- (no common name) Montipora Spogodas
- Blue Tort Acropora Tortuosa
- Green Milli Acropora millepora
- Pink Birdsnest Seriatopora hystrix
- Yellow Polyps Parazoanthus sp.
- Green Slimmer Acropora Yongei
- Green Zoas Zoanthus sp.
- Fire and Ice Zoas Zoanthus sp.
- Actinic glow Zoas (I call then that :) Zoanthus sp.
- Green Star Polyps*** Pachyclavularia sp.
- Sun Coral^^^ Tubastraea faulkneri
- Royal Gramma ``` Gramma loreto
- Tomato Clown ``` Amphiprion frenatus
- Tomini Tang Ctenochaetus tominiensis
- Devil Damsel Chromis xanthurus
Inverts Kept Successfully:
- Bubble Tip Anemones Entacmaea quadricolor
- Peppermint Shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni
- Bule Tuxedo Urchin Mespilia globulus
- Serpent Star Heterodon sp.
- Various Snails and crabs ------------
*** = lost in the big tank catastrophe
^^^ = killed by a stupid mistake, easily avoidable
``` = killed by ich
Things Kept Un-successfully:
- Sebae Anemone, got it bleached, did not know better.
- Pearly Headed Jawfish, was bullied and jumped
- Bangai Cardinal, came in sick, eaten by brittlestar
- When the Sebae anemone died, it spiked the ammonia killing several corals.
August 2007 (after initial setup)















Final Thoughts on System: This tank was practice, and when I started I didn't know what equipment I really should get, or where I should spend my money. The CPR aquafuge is really crummy and doesn't provide enough filtration to sustain much bioload. The Fuge is to small and the skimmer doesn't work. So I am essentially running a tank with no skimmer. I have to keep the bio-load low and the feedings small. The Current Sunpod is a really great fixture and I have been very happy with it! The Tunze nano streem pumps are o.k. I think next time I will just spend the extra money and get a vortech. All-in-all this tank has been a great learning experience and I am ready to take it to the next level and get a bigger tank.