Mark's Reef Tank

Below is a description of Mark's wonderful 75 gallon reef tank.

I think Carlos said it best when he described his tank as, "This tank has a little bit of everyone in it." My tank would not have developed into what it is, if it wasn't for all the help from the Reef Central community. The system itself is only 5 months old, but most of the inhabitants have been in my care for about 3 years now. Most of them originated from my previous 38-gallon aquarium, which you can read about on my site. Overall, I have had reef tanks since 1995(starting with NO fluorescents and natural Florida live rock), and have kept marine fish aquariums since I was a child. A lot has changed since then.

Tank:
The tank is a 75-gallon All-Glass Aquarium that is reef-ready. The overflow is plumbed to a 20-gallon long aquarium, which acts as a sump. The sump is divided into two parts, a refugium and a partition for my skimmer and return pump.

Lighting:
I currently use 2 250 watt Iwasaki "DL" bulbs that are lit 8-11 hours on a timer. Duration depends on the season. I have also installed two 55-watt compact fluorescent Actinic bulbs, but I go back and forth about using them. Sometimes I like the 6500k look without extra blue, sometimes I like to add a little more blue.

Nutrient Export:
I have no idea how many pounds of live rock I have. I don't like to use a lot, because I like to keep the structure open to allow for better water circulation around the corals. Active fish, like my Zebrasoma appreciate the swimming space as well.

I also have a 3-4 inch deep sand bed that appears to have a good population of polychaetes and other detritivores. Additionally, I find the various species of Caulerpa in my sump to be excellent exporters of phosphates. To top it all off, I run an ETS Reef Devil 3 protein skimmer. I have mixed emotions about the skimmer. It seems rather finicky. I hope to replace it with a Euro-Reef in the near future. Water changes are done rather sporadically, when I feel motivated to do them.

Circulation:
I have 3 Maxijet 1200's on a Red Sea wave maker, which is set to random "reef-mode." The Mag 7 return pump adds additional circulation.

Calcium and Other Element replenishment:
A reactor built by Geo maintains Calcium and Alkalinity. It is the single chamber model, which suits my set-up very well. For media, I use CaribSea Geo-Marine crushed coral. I used to add Combisan, but the info presented by Dr. Shimek convinced me that the food I add for my fish will offer more than sufficient trace element replenishment (along with water changes).

Food:
Lots!! With the variety of nutrient export mechanisms, I discovered a need to feed lots. A powerful skimmer is great for this reason. Here's a breakdown of my food input:

Daily:
OSI Marine Flake and New Life Spectrum Marine pellets (I love this stuff).

Tri-weekly:
During the day I feed Frozen Ocean Nutrition Brine Shrimp or some Mysis Shrimp plus, then at night I add Rotifer-sized Golden Pearls and Tahitian Blend cryo-preserved phytoplankton.

Fish:
Fish: 1 Zebrasoma Xanthurum (5 months), 1 A. ocellaris (3 years), a mated pair of Pterapogon kauderni (3 years), and a very personable Cryptocentrus cinctus (3 years).

Stoney Corals:
Several Acroporas, one Seriatopora, two Pocilloporas, one Stylophora, several Montipora digitata's, 4 Montipora capricornis (or similar sp.), one Turbinaria reniformis, one Caulastrea furcata colony, one Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, two Fungia sp. ( one spawned 2 months ago), one Plerogyra sinuosa, one Symphyllia sp.

Soft Corals:
Several Sarcophyton specimens, 2 Gorgonia sp. (I love gorg's!), one Anthelia sp., one Sinularia sp., 2 Xenia sp., several Palythoa sp. , and a couple of mushrooms here and there.

Additional Cnidarians:
I have an Entacmaea quadricolor, that reproduces asexually on a regular basis. I usually give the offspring away to local reefkeepers. I have had the anemone for 3 years as well.

Other inverts:
Two Holothuria sp. Cucumbers, one Strombus gigas, 2 serpent stars, 4 peppermint shrimps, several blue leg hermits, and a variety of grazing snails including Astrea's and Stomatella's. There are also lots of sponge colonies and other filter feeding organisms.

I'm sure I missed a coral or two, but I think that's most of them.

For more information, check out my web site - Click Here. The coral and fish pictures are pretty outdated, but I usually keep my tank shots up to date. And thanks to Reef Central for giving me this honor.