For my tank to be voted for TOTM once again it is a real honour and I’m pleased that people are still interested in the developments of a tank that has now been running for 9 years. Obviously this is not without changes along the way, the last of which was a major overhaul in January this year.

For those who have read my previous totm article I hope that this will be an additional insight into the development of this long term tank as well as sharing the knowledge that I have gained and changes that I have implemented along the way.

I started reef keeping with a 3’ tank some 30 years ago but at one time I was running 20 tanks and breeding clown fish, this was relatively successful, and a valuable learning experience, however it was far from economically viable. Along the way I’ve had a variety of tanks with a variety of inhabitants yet I still find myself thinking what if or if only… once you’ve got this marine bug it never leaves you!!

The tank is 5’6” x 4’6” x 2’6” and was set up 9 years ago, however I have always regretted it not being deeper. Originally the tank was only 2’ high but I then added a 6” strip all the way round, to give 2’ water and still have a splash guard.

The display tank is approx 300 gallons, however the total system volume is around 800gallons after rock is taken into account. There are 3 sumps on the system including a 9’x3’x2’6” in the garage, an additional 4’6” sump below the tank and 2’ sump in the fish room.

The main viewing panel of the tank is in the dining room and is at the perfect height when sat at the dining table. Behind the tank I have my own fish room where I can lose myself for hours if I’m not careful. The fish room is fantastic because all the equipment and noise happens in there and other than the viewing window this means there’s no impact on the family - they get to see and enjoy the tank without seeing everything that makes the tank operate.

Previously the tank was running with 6x 250w Giesemann infinity blue metal halides, however I’ve upgraded 2 of these to 400w (still Giesemann) and I’m trialling two with electronic ballasts instead of the traditional magnetic ballast. The lights come on gradually at 1.30pm over a half hour period until 9.30pm when they switch off in reverse. I am also running a 140w Philips o3 actinic tube.

To supplement the substantial lighting already above the tank there is also a sky light directly above which on a sunny day really adds a zing to the tank and often stops me in my tracks! Never the less there is still a black out blind which is opened and closed each day when needed which helps to prevent bathing the tank in the early morning sun.

No matter how much we try to replicate natural sunlight we’re still nowhere close to that natural look with artificial lighting; but for now it’s a good substitute.

Water circulation is provided by a single Tunze 6200, a single 6300 and an Eheim 1060, the return from the skimmer and the return from the sump (Sequence 12,000).

This may not seem like a tremendous amount of flow for such a large tank but quality of flow is far more important than quantity. It’s taken some time identifying the best positions for the pumps but dead spots have been eradicated and it is far more economical to run this way!

Skimming for me is an essential part of the filtration process so on this system I’m running a Deltec AP1004. The skimmer is wrapped in butyl liner to ensure no light penetrates the body, keeping it clean from any unnecessary algae growth and remaining as efficient as possible.

I have a custom built Rowa reactor to keep phosphates in check; the reactor itself is a very tall thin tube as apposed to the traditional shorter and wider design for systems of this size. The reason for this is to allow more contact time with the media, and again being a more efficient unit.

Nitrates on this system are 10ppm and to bring this down I have recently installed a new Deltec nitrate reactor fed on vodka. Inevitably I think nitrate reactors are becoming one of those necessary pieces of equipment on larger systems or systems that have been running for many many years.

I am also running a 4x 30w TMC UV unit on the system which runs 24x7.

I keep my large sump packed with high density live rock as this retains heat, helps to stabilise the temperature of the system and is again economical when you consider the running cost of multiple 300w heaters. There are 2x 300w heaters installed in the sump, but these are rarely in use.

To cool the system I have a large Deltec eco cooler. This is situated behind the tank in the back of the fish room so it can be vented externally. These types of coolers are exceptionally efficient but they must be fed air from outside to get the most out of them.

The fish room behind the tank also has an extractor fan installed to help to prevent heat build up but despite that it’s still warm in there during the day.

Very little is added to this tank. Water changes and maintenance deal with most things but I do dose a little magnesium and lugols iodine every now and then!

My IKS runs the lights and controls the temperature for the tank. My top up is a standalone D-D solution that has run for many years without fail (I hope I haven’t just tempted fate there!). The nitrate reactor and the calcium reactor have their own peri-pump each individually controlled.

I feed a mixture of foods, brine, mysis and gamma shrimp (all TMC foods) to the tank. The food is defrosted in tank water and added to the tank twice a day.

Temperature, pH are checked on a daily basis whilst I’m feeding the tank. I undertake the usual water tests every month and make sure these are written down in my log. Keeping a log is essential for helping analyse the cause should any issues arise.

Replacing media and any filters you have on the system is absolutely crucial to ensure long term success. I replace all the bulbs in the lights (metal halides and actinic) every year. The RO membrane and pre-filters are also changed at this time – DI is replaced as and when required. Each pump is removed, stripped and cleaned every 6-9 months. And, despite it being a chore I absolutely loathe doing the sand in the display tank is also replaced every three years (I’ve recently done this for the third time!)

Every month without fail I undertake a 10% water change. My water change system is plumbed into the main system so there’s no need for dragging water butts close to the tank and filling with RO! It’s simply a case of turning a few valves and throwing the salt in!

The easier you can make the mundane maintenance tasks the more likely you are to do them and the more success and longevity you’ll get with the tank.

In January this year the tank had a major overhaul. A lot of rock was removed that had blue sponge growing on it and corals were trimmed and given away. During the rescaping I created a much more open structure with the new rockwork and some glass shelves. By doing this I’ve removed built up detritus and added new bio-diversity which should see the tank good for another few years.

Keeping SPS used to be the challenge but we’ve long since succeeded with that. There’s been the usual aiptasia and majano anemones but these are now kept in check with Green File Fish and butterflies as and when needed. Hair algae was once an issue but the ongoing one now is the dreaded blue sponge. It seems more prolific here in Kent than anywhere else. For something that grows so prolific in the wild there is usually a predator but as of yet we’ve not found it. Is it a nudibranc? Possibly a fish of some sort? Unsuccessfully we’ve tried various angels! We’ve tried injecting calcium hydroxide! And yet it still comes back. The only way to successfully remove it is to remove the offending rock from the aquarium – even then there’s the possibility it’s transferred onto another rock so removing ALL the rock is the safest solution – this however is an expensive one! Having had this in the tank for so long you can’t help but watch how it takes over, it looks to inhibit growth in the area by releasing toxins making it easier to grow over and destroy its neighbouring corals. This blue sponge is our next major challenge to over come within the aquarium itself!

I am a strong believer in sharing corals and frags amongst the reef keeping community. Ultimately over say a 10 year period something will happen to an individual tank and corals will be lost. The chances of species survival would be greater due to it being distributed between tanks and this I’m all for!

Running a big tank is like running a huge piece of industrial equipment and with that comes heat and the noise issues that have to be understood. After installing the sequence 12,000 return pump the vibration and hum upstairs was more than could be tolerated. After talking to sound engineers I designed an acoustic chamber to house this pump thus removing any noise or vibration from it leaving the chamber. The chamber was constructed out of old kitchen worktop which was the thickest and densest material I had to hand and the entire interior was covered with rock wall high density insulation. Within this chamber the pump is mounted on a board which sits on four springs. This chamber is by no means small but it solves what was a major problem!

Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis)	Blue boxfish (Ostracion meleagris)	Blue/Green Reef Chromis (Chromis viridis)
Yellow spotted Anthias (Holanthias borbonius)	Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)	Black Tang (Zebrasoma Rostratum)
Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)	Tricolour tang (Zebrasoma ?)	Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)
Talbots damsel (Chrysiptera talboti)	Blue damsel (Chrysyptera cyanea)	Green File Fish (Acreichthys Tomentosus)
Clarkii clown (Amphiprion clarkii)	Harlequin tusk fish (Choerodon fasciatus)	Joculator Pygmy Angel (Centropyge joculator)
	Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus)

I prefer the mixed reef setup rather than being dominated by just one type of coral. I have a real mixture of SPS, LPS and softies in the main tank. It’s hard to list all the species and types of corals that I’ve added over the years so I’ll just leave you with some pictures!

There are very few inverts in the system – having a tuskfish means I cannot have shrimps. There are a few turbo snails in the tank along with a large, very reclusive, blue linkia starfish. I also have a stunning pink malu anemone which I’ve had for many years – it’s an eye catcher for sure!

I’ve spent an absolute fortune on this tank – if it wasn’t for this I wouldn’t need a mortgage but if I had my time again I’d still do it – just a little bit bigger!!

Don’t set up a tank that you cannot afford to run. There are calculators out there to assist. Work out the true running cost – don’t leave it to chance. It’s better to have a smaller well run tank than a large poorly looked after tank not running at its optimum. Don’t underestimate the costs involved in this hobby.

Throughout my time with this hobby I’ve found it incredibly useful to progress my knowledge by finding someone who has a bigger (and better) system than me to learn from. You learn and understand the how, the what and the why they achieve their success with their tank – with that you can apply it to your system.

It’s been a wonderful experience being at the front edge of this hobby as it’s progressed through the years. The evolving technology has always been something to get involved in and try out.

There are so many people to which I owe thanks to throughout my time of keeping marine tanks. Unfortunately there are far too many to list individually!

A huge amount of thanks has to go to my wife and my family who permit the time and resources to commit to my system and this hobby. I also have to say thank you to David Saxby who has been a tremendous mentor and friend throughout the years.

And a mention for all the shops and the retailers who support and encourage propagation of captive corals – this is the way forward and it’s something we all should commit too.