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Hello everyone,
My name is Quang DO, I’m a reefer from Vietnam. My initial start in reefing was in 2011, and then I decided to come back to this hobby in 2022. I set up my tank in January 2023, so it is 19 months old now.
My favorite part of reefing is actually the research about Acropora, mostly about their food to accelerate growth and coloring as well as some about the limits of a healthy acropora under tank conditions. My second favorite part of reefing is working with the equipment such as testing return pumps and a wave pump (I have an article in the R2R about my passion for return pumps).
I have tortured my tank (intentionally or unintentionally) with most types of diseases and pests including dino, cyano bacteria, AEFW (unwanted) red bug, black bug, white bug, aiptasia, green hair algae, bubble algae, and bryopsis algae. My tank doesn't suffers from most of them now and has experienced an increase in the water quality and coral health. Now the tank is living peacefully with aiptasia and bubble algae (even though don’t want them, it actually helps to nutrient export.)
System Profile:
Figure: electric wires and RO Di + fresh saltwater tank
Water Circulation and Flow Summary and Objectives:
My strategy is basic: make the circulation water around 10-20 times of the system volume (in real life, not by manufacturer's number), no roller filter nor filter bag, detritus out by a good skimmer and bacteria.
Water Parameters:
What salt mix do you use?
Fauna Marin, because I change the water 4 times a day, so the water needs to be stable, and should not have sedimentation for a long time in the canister.
What kind of rock did you start with?
A combination of dry rock and live rock from the seashore in my country.
What is your substrate?
ATI sand
Calcium/Alkalinity/Magnesium Summary and Objectives:
I tried to keep the Ca/ ALK/MG stable.
What and how do you dose for the big 3 (alk/cal/mag)?
Calcium reactor with Two Little Fishies Reborn, CaribSea Arm, Korallen Zutch zeomag to support ca, alk, mg and a little trace in daylight
Kalkwasser reactor to keep the PH stable but add also a bit of Ca, Alk, dosing the whole day
Dosing system to add Fauna Marin Balling 1-2-3 along with the trace 1-2-3 to support the lack of supplementing the Calcium reactor.
Are you dosing anything else for your reef health (carbon dosing, aminos, etc.)?
Figure: electric system and dosing system
Lighting Summary and Objectives
The tank is lit up mostly by the sunlight from the window. At the top rock, the lighting system added 450-500 PAR but the sun added 200-650 PAR more, so a total 650-1100 PAR from 8:00- to 12:00.
Photoperiod:
Figure: When in full white and full sun.
Figure: When sunlight only
Filtration and Water Quality Summary and Objectives:
My tank has normal water chemistry elements as normal tank, BUT, the Phosphate (0.5), Potassium (490) and iodine (0.4) is heavily high to compare to any other system, but i’m still happy with no problem.
What is your export strategy?
Tank Inhabitants - Fish:
SPS tank:
SPS:
The named aquaculture SPS:
Mushroom:
Other Invertebrates:
Fish:
2-8 times a day by dry food (Hikari and Ocean Nutrition), once time a weed add a seaweed
Corals:
Everyday: Reef Roid, Red sea AB+, Fauna Marin Vitality
Every other day: Zeo food, Pohl Xtra, Polyp booster, Polyp Lab Acid and mixture of Oyster, clam, shrimp, salmon, nori and sugar.
Any stocking regrets?
The Black Onyx Crab, it follows the base of wild coral introduced in my tank, now it’s huge and starts to eat some acropora tips.
Rainbow millepora from a local reefer: I forgot to quarantine it, then dozen of planarians fly in my tank.
Any fish, invert, or coral you will NEVER keep?
Anacropora, expensive in here but easy to break, grow too fast to compete with other corals. Some big tang fishes, my tank is quite small for them.
What do you love most about the hobby?
Doing the research, experiments with corals (mostly acropora) and have fun with the machine gears.
How long have you been doing this?
From 2011 to 2014 same success with T5HO and sunlight, then back in 2022 to now
Who was responsible for getting you into the hobby?
My younger brother started before me 2 years ago.
Who or what in the hobby most influences/inspires you?
The Italian Club who discovered the Pappone/Blu Coral method.
If you could have any tank, what size would it be and why?
1800x1000x600mm tank and 2500x1000x400mm sump, i want do more experiment with the natural filtration.
Favorite fish?
Powder Blue Tang
Favorite coral?
Acropora
Favorite invert?
Shrimp
Have you faced any major challenges with this particular tank, and if so, how did you overcome?
I have Cyano bacteria then Dino then Cyano at 3rd month that make some corals died, then the AEFW, red bug, black bug, white bug, hydros bloom. So the first 6 months were not agreeable to me.
Anyway, it’s fun that I have thousands of Aiptasia but they’re living peacefully in the sump and overflow as a nutrient export in my tank.
Corals.
What are your future plans for improvement/upgrade of the tank?
None, I prefer the challenge of keeping the tank as long as possible. I want to pass the old tank syndrome like any experienced reefers, not like some new rich guy that just buys then throws away after 1-2 years.
Any special tips for success or advice you'd like to share with other reefers?
No, every tank system has its different features. You cannot apply one to the other to achieve the same success. Like in my tank, people said that if you keep phosphate over 0.1, iodine over 0.16 then acropora will die, but my tank has phosphate at 0.5, iodine at 0,4 and I'm still happy with it.
Final Thoughts:
I just like to do research and experiment by myself to discover the world of colorful corals. Then this hobby pulls me so far to enjoy the process.
My name is Quang DO, I’m a reefer from Vietnam. My initial start in reefing was in 2011, and then I decided to come back to this hobby in 2022. I set up my tank in January 2023, so it is 19 months old now.
My favorite part of reefing is actually the research about Acropora, mostly about their food to accelerate growth and coloring as well as some about the limits of a healthy acropora under tank conditions. My second favorite part of reefing is working with the equipment such as testing return pumps and a wave pump (I have an article in the R2R about my passion for return pumps).
I have tortured my tank (intentionally or unintentionally) with most types of diseases and pests including dino, cyano bacteria, AEFW (unwanted) red bug, black bug, white bug, aiptasia, green hair algae, bubble algae, and bryopsis algae. My tank doesn't suffers from most of them now and has experienced an increase in the water quality and coral health. Now the tank is living peacefully with aiptasia and bubble algae (even though don’t want them, it actually helps to nutrient export.)
System Profile:
- Display tank: 2 tanks in same system, one SPS has 1200x650x600mm, LPS has 540x540x500mm
- Glass or Acrylic: SPS tank: tempered glass, LPS is ultra clear glass
- Stand: inox 304, 3500x800x960mm from 5 parts joined.
- Sump: 900x420x420mm
- Grow-out tank:
- Protein skimmer: Reef Octopus Regal EXT 200
- Carbon/phosphate filtration: no
- Return pump: SPS+ chiller: Abyzz A200/ Zoox Poseidon Titanium 15000l/h; LPS + skimmer feeder: Zoox Poseidon 15000l/h
- Water circulation: SPS tank: 3 Zoox Leviathan 5000l/h, 3 MP40, 1 Octo pulse 4; LPS tank: 1 MP10, 1 vastocean
- Lighting (display): SPS tank: 3 XR15 pro G5, 1 Xr30 Pro G6, 6 T5HO (2 Ati blue plus, 2 Wavepoint coral star, 2 Wavepoint blue 460), 2 Illumagic LED bar, sunlight from the East window; LPS tank: 2 Zoox Acro Booster with sunlight from the window.
- Lighting (grow-out):
- Lighting (refugium): 2 Maxspect sump,
- Calcium/alkalinity/magnesium dosing equipment: Reef Octopus CR200 calcium reactor and Kalkwasser reactor, Kamoer X2S + F4
- Auto top-off: No
- Heating/cooling: Chiller 12.000BTU and 2 Eheim Jaeger 250w + 2 JBL 300w heater
- System control: Apex A2 + 2 EB832
- Any other details: Fauna Marin automatic Zeolite reactor, auto cleaner cup, CO2 scrubber, UV: Aqua ultraviolet 25w
- Filtration media: Zoox, Maxspect and 20 kg of live rock added to the sump after 3 months got a headache from the new dead rock tank and bacter 7.
Figure: electric wires and RO Di + fresh saltwater tank
Water Circulation and Flow Summary and Objectives:
My strategy is basic: make the circulation water around 10-20 times of the system volume (in real life, not by manufacturer's number), no roller filter nor filter bag, detritus out by a good skimmer and bacteria.
Water Parameters:
- Temp: 75F (24C in winter), 78.8 F (26 C) in summer
- pH: 7.3 to 7.5 (night-day)
- Specific gravity: 1.026 to 1.027 sg
- NO3: 5-10
- Ca: 460
- Alk: 10-11
- Mg: 1300-1450
- PO4: 0.1-0.5
- Ammonia and nitrites: I didn't measure it.
- Potassium: 498 (ICP)
- Iodine: 0.46 (ICP)
What salt mix do you use?
Fauna Marin, because I change the water 4 times a day, so the water needs to be stable, and should not have sedimentation for a long time in the canister.
What kind of rock did you start with?
A combination of dry rock and live rock from the seashore in my country.
What is your substrate?
ATI sand
Calcium/Alkalinity/Magnesium Summary and Objectives:
I tried to keep the Ca/ ALK/MG stable.
What and how do you dose for the big 3 (alk/cal/mag)?
Calcium reactor with Two Little Fishies Reborn, CaribSea Arm, Korallen Zutch zeomag to support ca, alk, mg and a little trace in daylight
Kalkwasser reactor to keep the PH stable but add also a bit of Ca, Alk, dosing the whole day
Dosing system to add Fauna Marin Balling 1-2-3 along with the trace 1-2-3 to support the lack of supplementing the Calcium reactor.
Are you dosing anything else for your reef health (carbon dosing, aminos, etc.)?
- Molybdenium, Vanadium, Zinc (Fauna Marin): 2 times per week
- Iodine (Two Little Fishes and Fauna Marin): every day 0.5ml
- Floride (Fauna Marin) : everyday 0.5ml
- Potassium + Boron (Red Sea trace colour B / Two Little Fishes): every day 8-12ml
- Fauna Marin Vitality: 5 drops per day
- Korallen Zucht:
- Zeo Food: 8 drops per 2 days
- Flatworm stop: 5ml everyday
- Pohl Xtra: 5ml everyday
- Red Sea AB+: 20-40ml everyday
- Polyp Lab:
- Polyb Booster: 3ml every other day
- Acid: 5 drops every other day
- Reef Roid: 1/2 tsp everyday
- Handmade mixture of Oysters + Clams + shrimp + salmon nori + sugar: 20ml every other day
Lighting Summary and Objectives
The tank is lit up mostly by the sunlight from the window. At the top rock, the lighting system added 450-500 PAR but the sun added 200-650 PAR more, so a total 650-1100 PAR from 8:00- to 12:00.
Photoperiod:
- Display tank: 7:00 ramp up, 18:00 ramp down follow the sun light period.
- Refugium: 17:00 to 9:00
Figure: When in full white and full sun.
Figure: When sunlight only
Filtration and Water Quality Summary and Objectives:
My tank has normal water chemistry elements as normal tank, BUT, the Phosphate (0.5), Potassium (490) and iodine (0.4) is heavily high to compare to any other system, but i’m still happy with no problem.
What is your export strategy?
- No filter sock/ roller, only chaetomorpha, Aiptasia, bacteria, zeolite reactor and a good skimmer do all the job (yes to need a good return pump to circulate it too)
- Aiptasia is the funny key that I have a thousand in the overflows of two tanks and sump but zero in the main tank. So, I’m happy to use them as nutrient export too
- Water change: 10-20l/day so total 100% per month to compensate for the trace absorbed by my fast-growing corals.
- Daily: automatic water change by Kamoer SWC, 4 times a day, total 10-20l/day
- Weekly: add water in fresh saltwater canister
- Monthly: Changing Zeolite media, cleaning powerheads, adding dosing materials
- Other: 6-9 months changing T5HO bulbs and cleaning LED fixture and Return pump,
Tank Inhabitants - Fish:
SPS tank:
- Powder blue tang
- Dispar Anthias
- Pastel green wrasse x3
- Six line wrasse
- Blue Chromis x14
- Blue Hippo tang
- Flame Angelfish
- Majestic Angel
- Algae Blenny
- Clown fish
- Marble Wrasse
- Six line Wrasse
- Yellow Watchman Goby
- etc.
SPS:
The named aquaculture SPS:
- RR Olympus
- Oregon Tort
- JF Frankie’s Kryptonite
- Montipora Beach Bum
- Pink Millepora
- Orange Millepora
- Acropora Bifaria
- Acropora Microclados (shortcake and yellow microlados)
- Acropora Divaricata
- Acropora Muricata
- Acropora Yongei
- Acropora Lokani
- Acropora Donei
- Acropora Latistella
- Acropora Convexa
- Acropora Hyacinthus
- Acropora Aspera
- Acropora Cervicornis
- Pink Stylophora Pistillata
- Purple Stylophora Subseriata
- Montipora capricornis : purple, red, green and neon green
- Sunset Montipora
- Montipora porites
- Montipora Cactus
- Montipora Confusa
- Pink Birdsnest coral (Seriatora hystrix)
- Fire Walker - Cyphastrea
- Red and green Favia
- 24k - Leptoseris
- 24k - Lyptophillon
- Midas Psammocora
- Rainbow Pectinia
- Candy Cane
- Duncan
- Australian Scolymia
- Elegance Coral
- Neon green torch - Euphyllia
- Clove
- Neon Pineapple Tree coral
- Toastool
Mushroom:
- Tequila Sunrise
- Orange and Green Ricordea
- Yellow Ricordea
- Red Discosoma
- Pink Discosoma
- Orange and green Rhodatic
- Half Red Half yellow
- Orange carpet Rhodactis Mushroom
- Daisy Cutter
- Captain America
- Rasta
- Rasta cousin
- Sunny D
- Grandis
- Green Grandis
- etc.
Other Invertebrates:
- Peppermint shrimp x 10
- Tridacna Clam x2
- Emerald crab
- Black Onyx crab
- etc.
Fish:
2-8 times a day by dry food (Hikari and Ocean Nutrition), once time a weed add a seaweed
Corals:
Everyday: Reef Roid, Red sea AB+, Fauna Marin Vitality
Every other day: Zeo food, Pohl Xtra, Polyp booster, Polyp Lab Acid and mixture of Oyster, clam, shrimp, salmon, nori and sugar.
Any stocking regrets?
The Black Onyx Crab, it follows the base of wild coral introduced in my tank, now it’s huge and starts to eat some acropora tips.
Rainbow millepora from a local reefer: I forgot to quarantine it, then dozen of planarians fly in my tank.
Any fish, invert, or coral you will NEVER keep?
Anacropora, expensive in here but easy to break, grow too fast to compete with other corals. Some big tang fishes, my tank is quite small for them.
What do you love most about the hobby?
Doing the research, experiments with corals (mostly acropora) and have fun with the machine gears.
How long have you been doing this?
From 2011 to 2014 same success with T5HO and sunlight, then back in 2022 to now
Who was responsible for getting you into the hobby?
My younger brother started before me 2 years ago.
Who or what in the hobby most influences/inspires you?
The Italian Club who discovered the Pappone/Blu Coral method.
If you could have any tank, what size would it be and why?
1800x1000x600mm tank and 2500x1000x400mm sump, i want do more experiment with the natural filtration.
Favorite fish?
Powder Blue Tang
Favorite coral?
Acropora
Favorite invert?
Shrimp
Have you faced any major challenges with this particular tank, and if so, how did you overcome?
I have Cyano bacteria then Dino then Cyano at 3rd month that make some corals died, then the AEFW, red bug, black bug, white bug, hydros bloom. So the first 6 months were not agreeable to me.
Anyway, it’s fun that I have thousands of Aiptasia but they’re living peacefully in the sump and overflow as a nutrient export in my tank.
What's the best thing you ever bought for your tank?Corals.
What are your future plans for improvement/upgrade of the tank?
None, I prefer the challenge of keeping the tank as long as possible. I want to pass the old tank syndrome like any experienced reefers, not like some new rich guy that just buys then throws away after 1-2 years.
Any special tips for success or advice you'd like to share with other reefers?
No, every tank system has its different features. You cannot apply one to the other to achieve the same success. Like in my tank, people said that if you keep phosphate over 0.1, iodine over 0.16 then acropora will die, but my tank has phosphate at 0.5, iodine at 0,4 and I'm still happy with it.
Final Thoughts:
I just like to do research and experiment by myself to discover the world of colorful corals. Then this hobby pulls me so far to enjoy the process.
