Our 400 Gallon In Wall Natural Sun-Lit Reef

[i cant think]

Losing my trusted companion Stella this past year I've been searching for a rescue Australian Shepherd for the last couple months. After having a few meetups where things just didn't work out, I finally found one that I can call my own.

I'd like to introduce Starla to the reef hobby, my new buddy!

Starla’s gorgeous! Australian Shepherds remind me a lot of a border collie (My favourite dogs after being around 2 for 13 years - unfortunately one passed back in 2022).

 

[jdpiii3]

Starla’s gorgeous! Australian Shepherds remind me a lot of a border collie (My favourite dogs after being around 2 for 13 years - unfortunately one passed back in 2022).

So very sorry for your loss, Australians and border Collies are awesome dogs This is the third Australian I've had.

 

[jdpiii3]

Happy 5th Birthday Starla! Lol! Look at those eyes!

 

[jdpiii3]

Get ready to be amazed by our brand new video showcasing the beauty of our natural sunlit Reef!

 

[Devisissy]

Where I live we only see the sun 3 months out of the whole year. All us women look great for our age, but we all are depressed. LOL! I love your reef so much! Thanks for the update.

 

[jdpiii3]

Where I live we only see the sun 3 months out of the whole year. All us women look great for our age, but we all are depressed. LOL! I love your reef so much! Thanks for the update.

Thanks so much, that sounds dreary, we had a weekend a few weeks ago where it rained Saturday and Sunday and I was going stir crazy.

 

[Patx]

This may be a question already asked.
do you have any other accent lights, T5 or led bar?

 

[i cant think]

Get ready to be amazed by our brand new video showcasing the beauty of our natural sunlit Reef!

That colony of hammer is a banger!

Would love to see a stock list of everything in the tank as it looks so full but not crowded which can be a hard thing to achieve, especially with the tangs.

 

[jdpiii3]

This may be a question already asked.
do you have any other accent lights, T5 or led bar?

yes during the system refresh I added a few Kessil A500X's to the system, they are used for evening viewing or on rainy stormy days.

 

[jdpiii3]

That colony of hammer is a banger!

Would love to see a stock list of everything in the tank as it looks so full but not crowded which can be a hard thing to achieve, especially with the tangs.

can you believe that was one head many years ago!
Here's my current list. Think I got them all. This was from a video credit roll.

Tank Inhabitants

Fish

Sohal Tang “Bo”

Gem Tang “Monroe”

Yellow Tang “Katy”

Sailfin Tang, Desjardini “Nina”

Blonde Naso Tang “Angelina”

Regal Tang “Dory”

White-Tailed Kole Tang “Bridget”

Blue Stripe Butterfly “Rory”

Swallowtail Angelfish Male “Sly”

Swallowtail Angelfish Female “Becky”

Flame Angel “Tigger”

One Spot Foxface “Todd”

Coral Beauty “Sara”

Flame Hawkfish “Rudy”

Diamond Watchman Goby “Bubba”

Mandarin Dragonet “Skittles”

Orange Back Fairy Wrasse “Tink”

Melanurus Fairy Wrasse “Taylor”

Twin Spot Wrasse “Jerk”

Six Line Wrasse “Zippy”

Ocellaris Clownfish “Nemo & Marlin”

Lyretail Anthias - 20

Bartlett's Anthias - 10

Talbot's Damselfish - 10

Yellowtail Damselfish - 10

Blue Damselfish -15

Bluegreen Chromis 15

Three Stripe Damselfish – 5





Your Host

Joseph Palermo



Our Natural Sun-Lit Reef

Established 2011​

 

[jdpiii3]

Greetings from Tampa Florida! Thought I'd put together a CliffsNotes post to catch some of the newcomers up.

About 13 years ago I had an idea that I wanted to build a reef tank where I was able to capitalize on the free sunshine of Florida. So, I began doing some research talking to hobbyists and owners and employees at aquarium stores around town. As you could imagine there wasn't a lot of info on people using natural sunlight on their tanks. Well, I wanted to try it anyway.

I'm using two 21-in SunDome's each one is the equivalent of about 1500 watts of metal halide lighting. Even with all that SunPower it doesn't add any heat to the surrounding area or tank.

The tank itself is 400 gallons 6 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft 1 in thick acrylic. Built on a custom stand that I built. I've had a few setbacks over the years many of you have been following me since the beginning. I'm not going to go into all of that right now.

For electronics and filtration, I still use filter socks I haven't had issue with them, so I haven't changed to a roller mat system yet, but I am looking at it. I have a My Reef Creations protein skimmer that's powered by a Reeflo hammerhead gold pump. Two Super Dart golds as circulation pumps. 2 MP '60s and a Gyre for constant water movement.

Lighting natural sunlight, during the refresh I did add a few Kessil A500X's to help with nighttime viewing and cloudy stormy days.

I have an Apex Neptune with Trident and bubble Magnus dosing system.

Recently I did a complete refresh of the acrylic panels to sand out all of the years of scratches and blemishes on the acrylic. Long tedious process but well worth it after seeing the results. Looks like brand new.

I am looking at a few new upgrades this year possibly adding UV and an ozone system.
Hope you enjoy, I'll answer questions as I can.

 

[Patx]

I remember when i start in 2013-2014
I found your post and i was like...

logistically impossible here.
but so perfect!

 

[jdpiii3]

I remember when i start in 2013-2014
I found your post and i was like...

logistically impossible here.
but so perfect!

Thanks for the years of support, it's been a rollercoaster of a ride over the last decade.

 

[jdpiii3]

 

[jdpiii3]

 

[jdpiii3]

Well that's something I've never noticed before, sunlight shining through an open door reflecting the shadows of the fish onto one of the walls in my house

 

[jdpiii3]

 

[jdpiii3]

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

Just.... WOW...

 

[ShoreReefer]

Greetings from Tampa Florida! Thought I'd put together a CliffsNotes post to catch some of the newcomers up.

About 13 years ago I had an idea that I wanted to build a reef tank where I was able to capitalize on the free sunshine of Florida. So, I began doing some research talking to hobbyists and owners and employees at aquarium stores around town. As you could imagine there wasn't a lot of info on people using natural sunlight on their tanks. Well, I wanted to try it anyway.

I'm using two 21-in SunDome's each one is the equivalent of about 1500 watts of metal halide lighting. Even with all that SunPower it doesn't add any heat to the surrounding area or tank.

The tank itself is 400 gallons 6 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft 1 in thick acrylic. Built on a custom stand that I built. I've had a few setbacks over the years many of you have been following me since the beginning. I'm not going to go into all of that right now.

For electronics and filtration, I still use filter socks I haven't had issue with them, so I haven't changed to a roller mat system yet, but I am looking at it. I have a My Reef Creations protein skimmer that's powered by a Reeflo hammerhead gold pump. Two Super Dart golds as circulation pumps. 2 MP '60s and a Gyre for constant water movement.

Lighting natural sunlight, during the refresh I did add a few Kessil A500X's to help with nighttime viewing and cloudy stormy days.

I have an Apex Neptune with Trident and bubble Magnus dosing system.

Recently I did a complete refresh of the acrylic panels to sand out all of the years of scratches and blemishes on the acrylic. Long tedious process but well worth it after seeing the results. Looks like brand new.

I am looking at a few new upgrades this year possibly adding UV and an ozone system.
Hope you enjoy, I'll answer questions as I can.

Incredible tank, I'm sure it's been asked before but I can't seem to remember the answer, what are your par reading at peak daylight?