Introduction

I am a stay home dad that worked at channel 7 for almost 20 years, so i have more time than most to work on the tank, BUT I DONT, maintenance is still not fun no matter how much time I have.

FTS

Hobby History 

I started in saltwater back in the mid 80s and like most, had no idea what i was doing, so I cut my loses and got out of it. In 2005 I started another tank, it was a 90 gallon with a wet/dry and 260w of lights, I quickly realized that was not enough lighting for what I wanted, so I started upgrading. I now tell people, "save and get what you really want because you will spend the money to get it eventually and by then you will have spent twice as much".

Tank Profile

This tank is a 125g reef ready.  I have a 50 gallon sump/fuge with no filter foam, I run carbon and a MR-1 Protein Skimmer. The sump I added about a year or so ago and I have noticed a difference in the growth of my corals, it may have nothing at all to do with it, but they have been growing better since that time.

Lighting

Lighting consists of 2 400w Metal Halide's on each end and 1 175 Metal Halide in the center. Bulbs are Radium on electronic ballasts.
The middle 175 comes on first around 8:30am then the right side 400w about 15 minutes later, and then the left side 15 minutes or so after that, then they go off right side, left side, center around 9pm the fuge light comes on around 8:30 goes off about 5 am. 

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Maintenace

I only change about 25 gallons of water once a month, again against everything I have read but it works for me. I evaporate about 3-5 gallons a day, which I replace with ro/dI water.


Calcium and Alkalinty levels are mainted by c-balance 2 part. I put about a 1/2 cup of each part in everyday. I at one time only put it in every other day and my sps corals would not stay alive, then I had another member come over and looked at my tank and he suggested that I do it every day and BAM it worked. Addtionally I add 2 table spoons of Coral Vite, Strontium with Molybdenum and Essential Elements once a week on different days.

Water Circulation

Water movement consits of 2 return lines back into the tank and , 2 vortech mp 40s, which I got last summer used and I love them, I replaced 8 power heads with these 2 and it works great.

Live Stock

The fish I have are probably to many but I have always had to many, powder blue tang, yellow tang, carpenter wrasse, exquisite wrasse, mated pair of false perc clowns, 2 blue chromis, mystery wrasse, green mandarin, male and female leopard wrasse, Red Coris Wrasse, which is going when I get him out, cleaner wrasse. also I have a cleaner shrimp and a blood red fire shrimp. I have a lot of corals that I have no ideal what they are called sorry.

Chalice   
   
   

Feeding

I feed the corals dts and oyster eggs, and sometimes I put in marine snow, I do this Monday Wednesday & Saturday. The fish I feed Spectrum and Formula Two Flake Food, Prime Reef Flake Foods Brine Shrimp Plus Flake Food all mixed together. I have no schedule for feeding just whenever. I have in the past had very high nitrates like off the charts high and everything still did great, maybe I was lucky.

   

Future Enhancements

  I am about to change out my tank for a new 125 and new stand and canopy, and when I do that I want to redo the rock like have rock towers and see how that works, every time I see a tank like that I love the rock work.

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