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State:
Illinois
Country:
United States
Description:
43 Gallon Octagon with a 15 gallon homemade eco-system style refugium/sump (deep sand bed, chaeto, and live rock) and a algae waterfall style supplemental filter. I have had no skimmer on this system for well over a year and no longer have to do water changes. Nitrates and phosphates are 0 and seem to be staying there. My system has in-line UV (now rarely used), 150W 20K metal halide lighting, live rock straight from Fla. to my tank (no "curing"), rock is mounted on a PVC frame as the arrangement is vertical, 2 Koralin and 2 Maxi-jet power heads.
Advice:
Design your system around the creatures you want to keep and try to use nature for filtration as much as possible rather than mechanics. Either build an eco-system or you will give yourself a part time job every weekend.
I would not advise an octagon as a first reef tank as lighting and arrangement is very difficult.
Fish Kept:
2 Black Ocellaris Clownfish, Red Hawkfish, Coral Beauty Angelfish, and a Mandarin Dragonet.
Corals/Plants:
Some Acro's, Cup Coral, Blasto, Wellsophylia, lots of Trumpet Corals, Zoos, Xenia, Pectina, Frogspawn and Hammer Corals, lots of Muchrooms, Green Star Polyps, etc.
Tank Size:
43 gallons
About Yourself:
I run an appraisal business and have two tanks in my office, this one and a 150 fowler.
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