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Reef Pumpkin Carver
My name is Steve Weast and I want to thank R2R for this aquarium spotlight opportunity. I have been in and out of the saltwater aquarium hobby since the late 70’s when I started my first 55-gallon saltwater fish-only tank with just an under-gravel filter and crushed coral. During the 80’s, I was all about the new Mini-Reef craze with a 150-gal reef with lots of Caulerpa…as was the trend back then. With the 90’s came another break from the hobby. However, most long-time reef keepers will know me from my 850-gal tank that I had during the 2000’s that went by the name Oregonreef. During that time, I also had a smaller 400-gal system from which I explored the niche reef hobby offshoot of Coldwater reef keeping. A video of that 55 F system and its inhabitants that I personally collected in the waters off Puget Sound in Washington State can still be seen on my YouTube channel. In 2012, I decided to take another break from the hobby and was tankless until December of 2020. My old 850-gallon system was long gone…. but the old 400-gal Coldwater system was just sitting empty and idle awaiting my return to the hobby. Upon deciding to return to the hobby, I thought about what direction that I wanted to go this time. I decided to return to my roots of tropical mixed reef keeping. My old 400-gal Coldwater system was designed and built to accommodate Coldwater reef keeping; therefore, it had to be modified to return to tropical reef keeping. I would just need to add lights since all the inhabitants of Puget Sound were non-photosynthetic….and of course I had to add a heater. Past that though…the system was ‘just add water’ and jump back into the hobby.
Tank Specifications
Tank dimensions:
Constructed from 1-inch-thick acrylic with inside dimensions of 78” length x 36” wide x 30” tall This yields an internal volume of 360 gallons.
Sump dimensions:
Also 1-inch-thick acrylic (to prevent sweating when it was used as a Coldwater system) 72” length x 24” width x 24” tall or 177 gallons.
Total system volume:
It took 400 gallons to completely fill the system to an operational point including all the rock and appropriate water levels.
Location:
This system was originally designed to be a Coldwater experimental system in my garage and not really a polished indoor display. Therefore, the current system is also located in my garage…and still not a terribly polished display. One day, I will finish the lower cabinetry.
Stand
Since I am a homebuilder in real life, my construction skills involving framing, plumbing and electrical are extensive. I built the stand using dimensional framing lumber to accommodate the system. It is supported on a garage door that is steel reinforced 12” thick concrete.
Equipment
Chiller - 1Hp Teco Chiller
Heater - 1000-watt inline AquaLogic
Return pump - a single 3500 gal/hr. Flowstar AC pump from the cold system
Filter Roller - Red Sea 1200-liter roller
Skimmer - Royal Exclusive Bubble King 250
Deluxe UV Light - 114 Watts of Aqua UV sterilization
Ozone - 100 mg/hr. ozone delivered through the skimmer CaRx Deltec CRTT 1500
Controller - Apex Kalkwasser Aquamaxx 250 Kalk reactor
Lighting
I utilize several different types of lights on this system because different lights do different things well. The Orpheks provide a general pleasing overall light while the Kessils and Radions provide intense spot lighting over specific areas that need high light accenting. In total, below are listed all the lights currently in use. The lights are mounted on two swing arms that can be rotated to allow access to every inch of the tank. There is no portion of the tank that I cannot reach by hand just by swinging each assembly out of the way. 2 Orphek Icons 1 Orphek Mini 1 Radion XR30 Gen 5 1 Radion XR16 Gen 6 1 Kessil x500p 1 Kessil x360p 4 24” Orphek light bars (UV and Blue Plus) 2 EcoTech Versa dosing pump
Circulation
Flow generation is unique in this system. I detest seeing any powerheads, plumbing, wires, or even return nozzles in a display. My seeing any of this visual pollution is like seeing a zit on the Mona Lisa and I take quite a bit of effort to eliminate their being viewable from any viewing angles within the display. This tank is built like a typical peninsula system where the overflow is on one end of the display. In this configuration, two awkward alcoves are leftover on either side of the overflow box. I utilize these spaces to create hidden flow. The front wall of the overflow box extends all the way across the end of the tank. This creates two sealed boxes instead of two alcoves. At the bottom of each box, I installed removable and accessible large intake screens. Near the surface of each box, there is a 2-inch hole where the L2’s exhaust volute protrudes. I am basically using an L2 return pump as a powerhead. The rock work was then created in front of that end wall. Several large holes were created in the rock work…where one of those holes line up with the L2’s exhaust. This completely conceals the flow generation. All you see is water motion with its source being completely invisible. The flow from the two circulation pumps (each at 3000 gals/hr.) are on the Mobius app of Reef Crest to create a variable flow within the tank. The L2 exhaust nozzles are pointed towards the surface where they create a top to bottom gyre flow rather than the typical left to right gyre flow that most peninsula tanks employ. The flow is a laminar flow of variable speeds but when the pumps sync up on high, a whirlpool is created on the far side of the display. Each pump is readily accessible from the top lid on each chamber as well as is the large intake screens. This configuration also provides the perfect spot to have the return nozzles to terminate from the sump. The return flow from the sump terminates into each of the two circulation boxes and then the L2 pumps deliver the water into the tank. The return nozzles are also placed above water line in each box so that when the return pump is off, there is little back siphoning of water back into the sump. This configuration has really exceeded expectations in providing perfect flow for a mixed reef that…is accessible, is completely protected from harming any livestock and…most importantly…is completely invisible. It also doesn’t need any plumbing or holes drilled in the bottom of that tank…like for a closed loop. There are only two bulkheads in the entire system (and none in the sump). Both bulkheads are inside the overflow….one for the drain (2”) …and one for the return (1”). Therefore, it is impossible to have a catastrophic tank leak from a burst pipe fitting or bulkhead.
Aquascaping
Aquascaping is a subject near and dear to my heart. So many peninsula tanks these days seem to have the same aquascaping…basically, a row of low standing rocks placed down the middle of the display with all the corals then placed on top. I wanted to do something different with this display and decided to go more vertical in the aquascaping rather than horizontal. I’m not sure where the adage that the rock structure should be less than 1/3 of the display’s total height came from, but that just seems unimaginative and limiting. The rock structure for me is an integral part of the display. Of course, there are those folks who value the individual corals more than the overall look. In that case, the low rock structure can be ne and functional. However, for me, the overall display aesthetics are more important than any individual coral. As a result, you will never see a soldier row of frags, clams or any livestock just sitting on the sand. For me, this just degrades the overall display look. If I want to add something…it usually means that something must be removed to keep a visually pleasing open space proportion. I believe that open areas are integral to the overall display…not only for aesthetics but for flow. The freestanding vertical rock formations have really created different microenvironments within the display. On each individual pillar, you have areas of extremely high light, high flow… and other areas of low light and low flow…plus everything in between. This type of aquascaping has really created the ability to successfully maintain corals with very different flow and light requirements in a very small area. Each freestanding Bommie allows the fish to swim in and around the reef…never having to stop and turn around. These structures also allow for the free movement of water throughout the display while allowing easy accessibility to keep the acrylic panels free of algae and detritus. The actual rock structure is made up of three types of rock. Dry plate rock was used to create the rock panel in front of the flow generation. Rock from my Coldwater system was used as a base structure. Since this native rock from the Puget Sound is basalt and extremely dense and heavy…basically like giant bowling balls….it makes for a stable base to build upon. And finally, live Florida rock was used to enhance the visible areas. Like using different lights for different needs, I used different rocks for different purposes. The substrate is 100% Florida live sand.
Water Parameters
Temperature 76F-77F Salinity 1.0264s.g. varied through a precision hydrometer
Alkalinity 8.0 dkh PO4 .08-.10ppm NO3 5-10ppm
Calcium 450ppm
Magnesium 1400ppm
Potassium 420ppm pH 8.3-8.5 never falls lower than 8.3
Filtration/ Maintenance/Feeding
Filtration is really rather simple compared to some systems these days. Water flows down through the overflow at around 2000 gal/hr. The first stop is the liter roller…with a fleece size of about 200-microns. From there, it flows into the second chamber where it goes through the skimmer. The skimmer then sends its processed water into the last chamber via a 10-micron liter sock. From the third chamber, the water is pumped back up to the display tank via the circulation boxes. Within that third chamber, some water is diverted through the UV sterilizer and through a sulfur reactor that maintains a low nitrate level within the system. That’s it. Regular maintenance is also fairly simple. I water test about twice a week. I water change 25% once a month. For a water change, I just turn off my return pump and empty out the sump. When I say empty, I really mean empty since I wipe it dry as if it were new with each water change. The water change is 100-gallons. My preferred salt is ESV since it mixes so fast and clean with similar parameters as my display. I also change the post skimmer 10-micron liter sock once a week and I wipe the acrylic panels about twice a week. I frequently stir the sand and use a small powerhead to blow off detritus from corals and rocks too. That’s about it for regular maintenance. Of course, there are also biannual chores like pump cleaning and fixture cleaning. Feeding is done twice a day. The morning meal is usual a mixture of flake food and pellets. Everyone, except the Copperband Butterfly enjoys both flake and pellet foods. The evening meal is a mixture of frozen foods like Mysis shrimp, Scallop or a mixture of pulverized fresh fish like from LRS. Several sheets of Nori are also provided daily. For the corals, I usually add a teaspoon of various sized coral foods like Reef Roids or the various sized coral foods from Captive8 twice a week. The carpet anemones are fed whole scallop once a week.
Additives
Once again, my additive regiment is simple compared to many systems these days. For Alkalinity and Calcium, I employ both the addition of Kalkwasser and a Calcium reactor. The Top-o water is delivered through a Kalkwasser reactor nightly. Currently, I’m adding 15,000 ml/night. This really helps to keep my pH from falling below 8.3 each night. The remaining Alkalinity and Calcium needs are provided through the Deltec CRTT 1500 reactor. There is a side note here on this reactor, this is a fantastic reactor which only has one variable…how much effluent do you want? It maintains a saturated CO2 level within its chamber and provides effluent that’s over 60 dkh. This, however, comes with a price…residual CO2 that depresses the tank’s pH. I have had the most success in dealing with this by creating a separate chamber in my sump. The only water that enters this area is from the reactor. As a little bit of effluent enters this chamber, a little bit spills out into the rest of the sump. In this area, is a large air stone that maintains a huge number of bubbles to o-gas the residual CO2. After creating this o-gassing chamber, I realized an immediate .08 bump in my low and high pH values. The dwell time is so long in this chamber…unlike through a skimmer…that a good amount of CO2 is driven o. Of course, the next stop for this effluent is through the skimmer section, so, it gets some more o-gassing there too. One more thing to add here. As mentioned, this system is my garage. I also have a garage exhaust fan that exchanges the garage’s air every 20 minutes with fresh air. The replacement air comes via a vent on the opposite side of the garage that accesses the under the house crawlspace. The replacement air is modified from the under the house ground temperature. Even when it is freezing or below outside, the coldest that my garage has ever gotten is 50 F… and even on the hottest days over 100 F, the garage has never gotten above 75 F. This constant modified ambient air also helps with maintaining a high pH. I’m kind of on the fence when it comes to trace element additions. I have had success in years past with no trace element additions. On the other hand, it might help. This is an emerging science within the hobby. I currently mix my own trace element recipe based upon several Oceanmo ICP-MS reports. It’s a mixture starting with Captive8’s M&T mixture with some Fluorine, Manganese, Vanadium and Iron added. This is added daily via a Versa dosing pump. I submit an ICP test about every 2-3 months to check the levels. So far, the results are pretty much within specifications with nothing really high or low. I’m still not convinced that this is required, but the time and treasure requirements to do this is just too low for me not to do it. Trace element additions is the only additive that I employ. I don’t add anything else like aminos.
Stock List
Fish:
Achilles Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Yellow Tank Blue Tang
Purple Tang
Emperor Angel
Regal Angel
Chaoti Wrasse
Black Wrasse
Leopard Wrasse
Ornate Wrasse
Yellow tail Damsel
Copperband Butterfly
Sargassum Trigger
Huma Trigger
Blue Eyed Cardinal
Royal Gramma
Long nose hawkfish
Percula Clown Fish
Cleaner Wrasse
Anemone:
Magnifica Anemone
Gigantea Anemone
Haddoni Anemone
Rock Flower Anemones
Coral:
Acropora sp.
Anacropora sp.
Montipora sp.
Zooanthids
Lobophyllia
Scolymia
Micromussa sp.
Chalice sp.
Trachyplyllia
Goniopora
Bubble Coral
Ricordia sp.
Yuma Mushroom sp.
Gorgonia sp.
Alveopora sp.
In Memoriam
When I was 10-years old back in 1973, I was snorkeling off Ka’anapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii and first experienced a Moorish Idol. It was this fish that lit my spark for keeping a saltwater tank. When I started up this recent reef, the first fish that I added was a Morrish Idol. I wanted him to have “The first in the tank rights” and maybe not be bothered by any future additions… at least that was my thought. This really worked out well. He was a model citizen and never bothered…or was bothered… by any future additions. He never ate or even nipped at any corals either. He was a fantastic eater who loved his Nori and hand fed scallop. Unfortunately, after four years, he passed. He was doing really well as usual as of a couple weeks of this writing. He then suddenly stopped eating. There were no external signs of disease. My theory is that he developed an internal blockage or possible internal parasite that he could not pass. He lasted about two weeks before he passed. I miss him dearly. He can be seen in the recent Sep 2024 video on my YouTube channel of this tank. RIP Moorish Idol.
