Featured Member – Make It Small-Sized
By: Elmo18
Tank Size:
18″L x 18″W x 21″H outer dimensions ~roughly 27 gallons when filled. Sump/refugium is a food-safe grade bin holding about 10 gallons.
Lighting:
1x 250 watt MH –XM 10k SE bulb run on ARO Electronic Ballast
3x 28 watt PC 03 actinics run on 3x ARO Nano Ballasts
Metal halide comes on at 12:00 pm, turns off at 6:00 pm. Two side PCs come on at 10:00 am, the middle PC comes on at 11:00 am; two side PCs turn off at 9:00 pm and the middle PC turns off at 10:00 pm.
Filtration:
All filtration are either biological or chemical. I employ a Deep-Sand Bed (DSB) starting with about 4″ of fine aragonite sand. I chose to use Southdown sand for this. Roughly about 40lbs of Premium Fiji rock help with natural filtration. I soak carbon in my sump/refugium continuously (24/7) and replace it every two weeks.
Circulation:
For the return back from the sump to the display tank, I use a MAG7 plumbed via PVC. I also employ a closed loop via an Iwaki MDRLXT20 pump. The intake for the closed loop is through a 1″ bulkhead, and outputs via 2 x ¾” bulkheads. This gives roughly a 24-27x total turnover rate.
Pair of Amphiprion sandaracinos (Orange-skunk clowns)
The tank is setup with a concentration on small-polyp stony corals. Ido have a few corralimorphs and a couple long-polyp stony corals, so
I do call it a mix-garden tank. Here are some corals that I have in my tank:
Acropora sp.
Montipora sp. (digitate and scrolling/plating forms)
Discosoma sp.
Fungia sp.
Echinophyllia sp.
Briareum sp. (green variety of star polyps)
Current Water Parameters:
Specific Gravity = 1.0255
Temperature = 79-81 degrees Fahrenheit
Alkalinity = 10 dkh
Calcium = 400 ppm
Nitrate = 0
Phosphate = 0
Magnesium = 1250 ppm
PH = 8.0 – 8.2
Mainenance Routine:
Five gallons of water is changed weekly with aerated saltwater mixed overnight
Kalkwasser is used for calcium and alkalinity via topoff water
Liquid calcium and Baking Soda is used if calcium or alkalinity are imbalanced
Fish are fed twice a day
Carbon changed out every two weeks; replaced with ½ cup new carbon
Chaetomorpha sp. and Caulerpa sp. algaes are pruned as needed
Favorite Fish, Coral and Invert:
My favorite coral in my tank is the plating Orange/Red Montipora sp. This coral originates from Rocky in Florida. I love the strikingly bright coloration and its fast growth rate.
My favorite fish(es) are my mated pair of Premnas biaculeatus. They originate from Jeff’s Exotic Fish via mail-order about four years ago. They are perhaps the most important inhabitants of the tank.
My favorite invert is my Lysmata amboinensis, or my Skunk cleaner shrimp. The shrimp originates from Saltwaterfish.com about three years ago. It is fun to watch it scavenge when I bring food, and when it cleans my hands.
What Major Transitions Has This Tank Went Through:
This system was setup on September 2004 via a tank transfer from my old 75 gallon tank, which had been running for 3 years. All live rock placed into the 27 gallon tank came from the 75 gallon tank. So far no major stumbles yet. However, upon transferring the system, I wanted to remove all corallimorphs from the live rock. Apparently, I missed a few and they are now spreading along the bottom edge of the tank. I may have to trim them when they grow bigger. Another problem I have is associated with my maroon clowns. They are my joy so when I acquire corals, I have to keep in mind that the clownfishes may knock it over.
What Drives This Beautiful Aquarium:
For me, the inspiration comes from being born in Indonesia. I grew up around fish and coral suppliers in Yogyakarta and Bali. I have never thought of having a freshwater tank when the ocean was there with so many more exciting animals. It is nice to have a piece of my native land in my living room. The animals inside the tank are what’s important as they are a link to back home.
Future Plans:
I am planning to move the two orange-skunk clowns and place them in a new separate tank. They are not fighting at the moment, but I believe the two species coexisting in such a small tank may hinder spawning of the two. I may also drain the tank at some point and drill holes for another closed loop. The flow is fine at the moment, but when the corals grow and block flow, I believe I need to add additional flow. I attempted to not use any powerheads in such a small tank, mainly because I need all the space I have.
In your mind, what is ethical reefkeeping?
Ethical reefkeeping means that the health and happiness of the animals in our tanks are most important. I am a proponent of buying captive raised animals so no damage is done to the coral reefs. Keeping the animals healthy in our tanks mean that we must strive to research the animals before buying or keeping one. As hobbyists, we have opportunities to limit damage to coral reefs by trading captive coral fragments and buying captive raised fish whenever possible.
Any advice for others?
This hobby can get quite expensive in a rapid, short period of time, so my advice is to plan before starting a tank. Skimping on one item later on will cost your more down the road. I started out with Power Compact lighting a couple years ago. Then I bought Metal Halides and Very High Output actinics. While the power compact lighting still serves a purpose for me, if I had bought the metal halides first, I would not have needed to upgrade. My other advice is to be an ethical reefkeeper. Read and research before any animal purchase or donation. Different reef animals need different types of care.
If you would like to discuss this feature with Elmo18 or to Congratulate him, please do so in this thread.