The Iwagumi Reef

[yano]

Hello community!
I want to introduce my aquarium: The Iwagumi Reef
The tank is a cube (36x36x20inch) = 100 gallons.
Aquascaping with minimalist style, inspired in Iwagumi style used by Takashi Amano in his fresh water aquariums.
Lighting: Sfiligoi Stealth 12 x 39w.
Skimmer: MiniBK 180.
Water movement: 2 Vortech MP40w.

This is a current video with any images of the initial assembly:



The tank is running since December 09...Below I summarize the evolution of the aquarium during this first months:

October 09: Live rock cooking during 2 months.



December 09: Testing the aquascaping:



The tank ready to start!



The fists inhabitants:





February 09: My trochus babys!



Today I,ve 78 minitrochus with a size of 0,5-1cm.



I hope you enjoy....in the coming days I will put more current photos!

[CJ 1098]

Very Nice Tank!

[yano]

Thanks, CJ 1098!

[zaheda]

Going to look great once fully stocked.

[nikesb]

really nice, props for the aquascape!

[eniram78]

nice can't wait to see more of it

[Lyfey]

AWESOME!

About the baby trochus, did you breed them purposely or did they spawn naturally? If naturally how many trochus did you start out with and where there any hermit crabs in your tank also? I prefer trochus and I have 10-15 in my 75 gallon that I want to have babies, I just recently took out 05 hermits and put them into my refugium and I will put all hermits in the refugium for refuge of the snails in the DT.

Beautiful start of a reef! Can you show us your sump pictures?

-Chris

[klepto]

Yessss! Looking very nice Yano.
I love the dimensions. And especially your minimalist scape. Aesthetically it looks very powerful. What are you planning on stocking?
Baby trochus!! chea! I love this species of snail. They are easily one of my favorite janitors.

[yano]

Originally Posted by Lyfey

AWESOME!

About the baby trochus, did you breed them purposely or did they spawn naturally? If naturally how many trochus did you start out with and where there any hermit crabs in your tank also? I prefer trochus and I have 10-15 in my 75 gallon that I want to have babies, I just recently took out 05 hermits and put them into my refugium and I will put all hermits in the refugium for refuge of the snails in the DT.

Beautiful start of a reef! Can you show us your sump pictures?

-Chris

Trochus spawn naturally, I saw a trochus spawn a few days after starting the new tank, (before I saw them spawn several times in my old tank but never got to see babies). I had 8-9 adult trochus, and many hermith crabs too, (25-30) but it´s small paguristes cadenati and clibanarius tricolor. They are absolutely safe for snails, even with babies.
I will put you photos of the sump in another message.

[yano]

Sump and equipment photos,...empty (12/09):



Return pump and pipes:



1. Evaporation filling pipe.
2. Return pipe.
3. Overflow pipe.
4. water changes pipe.

And all equipment runnig actually:

[yano]

Originally Posted by klepto

Yessss! Looking very nice Yano.
I love the dimensions. And especially your minimalist scape. Aesthetically it looks very powerful. What are you planning on stocking?
Baby trochus!! chea! I love this species of snail. They are easily one of my favorite janitors.

Thanks, klepto!

I,ve 3 fishes medium-big size, P. Hepatus (7 years old with me), Z. Flavescens (5 years old with me):



and a tiny C. Acanthops:



Others fishes are tiny gobies, (I will post more photos of them) and many tiny crabs and shrimps.
I want buy a little C. Loriculus and P. Diacanthus and many others tiny gobies (trimmas, etc) to highlight the effect of landscape minituarizacion typical in the Iwagumi style.

[SCManc]

how many pounds of live rock you used?
And the thickness of the sand bottom?

P.S.
This will be my next tank !

[yano]

Originally Posted by SCManc

how many pounds of live rock you used?
And the thickness of the sand bottom?

P.S.
This will be my next tank !

I,ve used 28 pounds of live rock in the tank and sand bottom is 1/2 inch thickness. I´m using zeovit method, but the system had problems for biological instability when I exchanged zeolites, so I added 22 pounds over in sump.
This is really the current state of sump:

[yano]

This is my current collection of small gobies:

- A pair of Gobiosoma Puncticulatus. (1 inch long)



- A pair of Gobiosoma Randalli ORA. (1 inch long)



- A Pair of Gobiosoma Evelynae ORA. (1 inch long)



- A pair of Gobiosoma Oceanops ORA. (1 inch long)....sorry, no photo.

- My favorites: a pair of Diademichtys Lineatus. (1 adult 1,5 inch long, and a young with 1/2 inch long only)





- A Stonogobiops Nematodes ( 1,5 inch long) with Alpheus Randalli simbiotic (2/3 inch long):





- A Priolepsis Nocturna. (1 inch long)



-And the latest addition: A pair of tiny Priolepsis ¿semidoliata? (1/2 inch long)

[SCManc]

Originally Posted by yano

I,ve used 28 pounds of live rock in the tank and sand bottom is 1/2 inch thickness. I´m using zeovit method, but the system had problems for biological instability when I exchanged zeolites, so I added 22 pounds over in sump.
This is really the current state of sump:
.
.

mmmh, 50 pounds are very few, well, very well .

But, the change df zeolite do it full, not replace only half each time?

[ziyaadb]

Fantastic!

[allsps40]

Looks really cool. I like all the small gobies.

[yano]

Originally Posted by SCManc

mmmh, 50 pounds are very few, well, very well .

But, the change df zeolite do it full, not replace only half each time?

I replace 60% aprox. but before adding more live rock in the sump, sand cyano appeared to me whenever changed the zeolites.

[yano]

My clams and sea stars:

- T. Crocea (2,5 inch)



- T. Maxima blue (2 inch)



- T. Maxima "Leopard" (1,5 inch)



- T. Maxima (1 inch)



- Fromia Monilis (2 inch)





- Linckia Laevingata (2 inch)



- Echinaster sp. (2 inch)



The next day....crabs and shrimps!

[klepto]

Awesome goby and star collections! I like your portrait style images.

I should have been more clear when I was asking about livestock... I was thinking of corals. I didn't think that you had such an extensive collection of inverts and fishes!

[ooja3k]

Woah...

[austin93]

Great looking tank. I have been checking out your tank on the other forum too. Very natural and interesting to look at. Good job.

[yano]

Originally Posted by austin93

Great looking tank. I have been checking out your tank on the other forum too. Very natural and interesting to look at. Good job.

Thanks Austin, all details about complet tank evolution here:
http://www.todomarino.com/forum/show...e-Iwagumi-Reef

[yano]

Originally Posted by klepto

Awesome goby and star collections! I like your portrait style images.

I should have been more clear when I was asking about livestock... I was thinking of corals. I didn't think that you had such an extensive collection of inverts and fishes!

I try to recreate a shallow water reef lagoon in which corals dominate this biotope typical: Styloporas, Pocilloporas, Acroporas humilis and gemmiferas.
Also trying to recreate a miniature landscape, I have an island that attempt to recreate some of the more calm and deep lagoon, the species here are gorgonian, brain coral, Turbinaria, etc.
Next day, crabs and shrimps....and corals!

[SDguy]

Lovely tank!! I think you are going to need to feed those starfish though...I see nothing for them to eat.