November 2001 Reef Tank of the Month

RichK's Reef Tank

Look at this awesome Center View of RichK's reef

My name is Rich Knecht. I reside in Valley Forge, PA. I have been keeping reef tanks since 1991. I started with a 75G fish only setup, which was shortly converted to a reef. I used VHO lamps on this tank because I mainly liked soft corals and LPS such as elegance coral. When that tank became too crowded, I decided to upgrade to a larger system. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I do the tank.

The tank is a standard 125G AGA Reef Ready. It was set up in February 1995. It replaced a packed 5 year old 75G tank. When I first set up the tank, plenums were the new thing, so I decided to give it a try. It has been almost 6 trouble-free years and the tank is doing great. I also use a beckett modified custom ETSS skimmer powered by an Iwaki 70RLT pump. There has never been any mechanical or chemical filtration (ie: carbon) used. In the stand is a custom 30G AGA sump that houses the heaters and probes for the Octopus 2000 controller. The sump is baffled to prevent bubbles from entering the display. Temperature is maintained at 81 degrees. Ph ranges from 7.9 in the morning to 8.2 in the evening.

Flow within the tank is provided by a Mak4 return pump (1190gph) and 2 Gemini pumps(960gph) by Aquarium Products. The geminis are controlled by a Sandpoint Wave3XR wavemaker.

Lighting the reef are 3 400W Iwasaki 6500K MH bulbs, and 2 160W URI VHO actinic bulbs. The MH are on for 10 hours daily, while the VHOs are on for 13 hours. Standard MH ballasts are used. An Icecap 660 powers the VHOs. This combination has provided excellent coloration and growth of the SPS corals within the tank.

Rare Montipora Confusa

Calcium and alkalinity are maintained by a K2R calcium reactor and a DIY second chamber. I use a Milwaulkee ph monitor to keep track of the effluent ph. Carib-Sea's ARM media is used exclusively. It takes 16 pounds of media to fill both chambers. Alkalinity is maintained at 4.5meq/l and calcium is around 420.

Evaporation is handled by a Reef Filler pump. This pump is self priming and easily set to the evaporation rate of the tank. All replacement water is RO/DI.

Right side of reef

As you can see, the tank is primarily a SPS reef. Over 55 types of SPS corals are contained within it. All but 3 colonies were acquired by trading or purchasing frags from fellow hobbyists. Some corals have been in the tank since I set it up.

Corals include, but are not limited to, the following:

Acropora:
A.Millepora (blue, pink, yellow and teal), A.Micropthalma, A.Aspera, A.Humulus (blue, green), A.Nana, A.Loripes, A.Valida,
A.Vermiculata, A.Tenuis, A.Kirstayae, A.Gemifera, A.Youngei, A.Bushyensis, A.Tortuosa (3 types), and A.Cerialis.

Montipora:
M.Digitata (green, purple, purple/green polyps), M.Capricornis (orange, brown w/blue edge,yellow),
M.Confusa, M.Aquituberculata, M.Danae, and M.Efflorescens.

Various:
Seriatopora Hystrix (pink), Porites Cylindrica( yellow), Porites Lichen (yellow), Porites Rus, Astreopora,
Hydnophora excesa, Oxypora, Pocillopora Damicornis, and a family of Gonipora Pendulus (pictured below).

Gonipora Pendulus	Gonipora bud dropping off
Gonipora bud (3 days old)	Gonipora bud at 3 years

In the sequence above, you will see my 8 year old gonipora pushing off a bud. It has budded numerous times, the oldest being about 3 1/2 years old. I do nothing special to keep this coral looking good. No direct feedings, etc. The only thing that is apparent is that it seems to expand larger at a temp of 81 degrees. In the future, I hope to sell a few of these buds to select hobbyists.

Porites Lichen	Blue Acropora Millepora

Reefs are home to many fish in nature, and my tank is no exception. I keep a Marine Betta, Desjardini Tang, Yellow Tang, Flame Angel, Asfur Angel, 1 Green Chromis, Flame Wrasse, Scott's Wrasse, Melanurus Wrasse, and a Watchman Goby. I also keep some Nassarius snails and
Tiger Trochus. A brown serpent star and Blue Linkia star round out the critter population.

I think my secret to success with this reef is due to patience and careful planning. I try to keep my hands out of the water. I am not the type of person who is constantly rearranging the tank. Once corals are placed, they need time to adjust to the lighting, current, and other conditions. Careful planning and layout will save time in the end.

For more information about RichK's awesome tank check out his website or send him an email.