First of all I would like to thanks everyone who has helped me sort out problems with my tanks over the years. Without the wealth of knowledge and support available online I would never have been able to create and fine-tune this system.

I have had a lifelong interest in the ocean and in coral reefs but never had a tank of my own. Three years ago I bought a 10g Freshwater tank for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. Within 6 months I had sold a 55g FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) tank and had a full blown 120g Mixed reef tank. That was up until two years ago when I returned to the UK and purchased a 55g Hexagon tank. This tank was just supposed to be another FOWLR tank but quickly developed into a mixed reef.

One day I came across this tank on a classifieds forum and within a couple days it was sitting in my small living room and had replaced my 55g Hexagon.

The tank is a 72" x 30" x 36" 336g Deltec Panorama Reef Tank. It sits on a Deltec stand trimmed in silver with matching silver trim around the top of the tank. The tank is fitted with one overflow w/ 50mm drain on the left side and 2 dry sections on either side for the close loops. The sump was also supplied by Deltec and is partitioned with raceways to help guide the water through the filtration system. Its dimensions are 48"x 18" x 12".

The tank was originally fitted with two 250w Arcadia light fixtures that meet a tragic end when they dropped into the tank while trying to install them. These were promptly replaced with two lumenarc reflectors fitted with single end 400w MH bulbs on electronic ballasts. The lights provided significantly more intense light throughout the tank. To help add some fluorescents’, roughly simulate sunrise/sunset, a single 80w Deltec Razor T5 fixture sits on the front bracing.

A number of different brands and colour spectrum bulbs over have been tried over the past 1.5 years. In the past year 15k XM bulbs were used which were replaced after getting a PAR meter and taking some readings. I then tried a set of BLV 10k's and finally settled on a set of Reeflux 12k. I chose this bulb for its considerable PAR values but more importantly for how much better the tank looked to me. I also noticed considerably better growth with these higher PAR bulbs. The results from the PAR testing of the individual bulbs are overlay on the display picture provided.

Water movement in the display has been completely upgraded since its purchase. Two Deltec Variable Speed Closed Loops have been replaced with a Sequence Hammerhead that returns through 1) Spray bar behind the rockwork, 2) 32mm Elbow back Left side, 3) and a Sea Swirl front right. The Closed Loop is assisted by a Tunze 6201 Stream on a Multicontroller, Tunze 6105 Stream, and two Vortech MP40w on 100% Reef Crest Mode. A wavebox is also used to provide additional movement.

After the failure of the two Deltec Variable Speed pumps a decision was made to preemptively replace the remaining Deltec Return Pump. It was replaced by a Tunze Master Electron Recirculating pump. This pump also feeds a manifold that feeds the Calcium Reactor, Sulfur Nitrate Reactor, ROWAphos/Carbon Reactor, and Chiller/WC Container Loop.

The filtration of the system has changed a few times since I setup the tank. I have used everything from a RDSB (Remote Deep Sand Bed) to a Cryptic Zone and have now resorted to as simple of a setup as I can.

My filtration is accomplished via a Deltec sump that came with the tank. Originally it had one raceway and I have added another to help direct water flow and combat detritus settling.

The water from the overflow enters the beginning of the raceway where the feed pump for the skimmer takes up residence. The returns for the skimmer, chiller/WC container, and phosban/carbon reactor are in the next section of the raceway. These returns are placed just before the section of the raceway that contains the main heaters so that the most flow possible washes over them.

For a skimmer I used to use a Deltec AP701 that I bought with the tank but have since replaced it with an ATB External Skimmer (normal size). It is fed via a dedicated feed pump in the sump to make sure it gets the dirtiest water possible from the overflow. The cup is cleaned every week if possible.

A key part of the filtration system is the Sulphur nitrate reactor. It is made out of an old recirculating calcium reactor that I bought with the tank. It contains 6 litres of Aquamedic Sulphur Media and is fed via the John Guest fitting on my return pump manifold. I have had chronic nitrate problems with my tank due to a variety of reasons.

The nitrate reactor is a very good way to bring levels down. Once this is accomplished the feed is then cut off and the reactor is left recirculating. From what I understand the bacteria then continues to feed on the sulphur media until it is needed again. The feed is then simply turned on and the first 5 gallons are drained into a bucket. The feed rate is then slowly increased over the next 2-3 weeks as the reactor cycles. Nitrates are usually reduced to undetectable amounts in the following 6-8 days.

All the heating/cooling requirements for the main system are controlled by the Aquatronica which has given me significant peace of mind.

The fans are able to cool the system down to 81 by themselves in case the chiller fails. The fans turn on at 79 degrees. The chiller comes on at 80.2. The tank temperature is maintained between 78.5 and 80.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Main System
Heating
2x 300w Submersible heaters
1x 500w Submersible heaters

Cooling
3x 4 Fan Azoo cooling fans
1x Unknown Large Chiller (Believed to be Aqua Medic)


The Water change container is controlled by an independent temperature controller in a water proof housing outside. No cooling is required as the feed to this container goes through the chiller and the RO/DI feed is always cold.
Heating
2x 300w Submersible heaters

Calcium and Magnesium supplementation is supplied via a Deltec Calcium Reactor. It is undersized for my system but that just means that I have to add media more often. The media is a 80/20 mix of Rowalith C+ and Grotech Magnesium chips. This provides consistent supplementation when monitored and tweaked daily. The addition of a peri pump significantly cuts down on this maintenance but all the variable speed peri pumps I have tried only lasted a few months. In the future I plan on used the balling method to have complete control of my parameters.

Grotech A, B, C trace elements used to be dosed through the Aquatronica 3x dosing pump and I liked the results I was getting. Unfortunately the product was just too expensive on this large of a tank.

Currently the following Zeo products are added as they seem to have a positive effect on growth and coloration.

• Sponge Power (12 drops daily)
• Pohl's Coral Vitalizer (12 drops daily)
• Zeofood 7 (10 drops 1-2 times a week)
• Zeobak (10 drops 1-2 times a week)

An Aquatronica controller with 2 plug bars is used to control almost all of the system functions. I also have the followings additions to help monitor and control the aquarium

• 2x temperature probe
• 2x pH probe (CaRX and Tank)
• Density Probe
• ORP Probe (controls ozone when used)
• Level Sensor
• 3x Dosing Pump
• Ethernet Module (Monitor online and use of Aquastats)
• Leak Sensor

The Aquatronica controller deals with heating, cooling, air injection, lighting, pH control in CaRX, pH control in main system, ORP control, leak detection in sump, high water warning, auto top off, Tunze stream 6105 pump timer, emergency visual and audible alert to high/low parameters and monitoring of pH, Salinity, Temperature, and ORP.

The program AquaStats is used to store and sample controller data continuously. The program is run on my laptop and runs wirelessly through the Aquatronica Network Adapter. Parameter treads and plug duty cycles and be analyzes and the system can be tweaked accordingly. A log book is also included which has become very useful in tracking changes.

A Deltec float switch attached to a solenoid valve is used for top off straight from a 7 stage RO/DI. This is not a recommended setup for most people but as I am fairly limited on space this is what I ended up with. I used the extra level sensor from the Aquatronica as a backup to the Deltec float switch and 2 solenoids on the feed line.

PE Mysis and Gamma Mysis are fed daily. The two different brands are considerable different in size. The frozen pieces are defrosted in a shrimp net under cold water, drained, and then added in small amounts to the tank over a couple minutes. A couple times a week two pieces of green or purple Algae sheets are also added.

4-6 Silversides are feed to the Snowflake Eel twice a week. They are fed one at a time with a set of aquarium tongs. He has learned to come to the tongs and will usually attack them if I use them for something else in the tank.

The tank used to be feed with a variety of other foods of different sizes but I have since stopped in an attempt to find the cause of excess nitrates in my system.

My current maintenance schedule is cleaning my skimmer cup once a week, doing a 80g water change every 2 weeks, and changing out carbon and ROWAphos about once a month.

I also spend a few minutes each day tweaking the CaRX and nitrate reactor if necessary, cleaning the glass, or stirring the sand bed.

An air injection system has also been fitted to the Closed Loop to provide a 1 minute air burst through out the tank every 3 hours. I believe that this helps aerate the water, draw waste to the surface, and also helps clean the corals. This system uses the Aquatronica controller and a solenoid valve that feeds air directly into the close loop intake. This was a idea acquired from Mr. Weatherson on Reef Central.

As I travel quite often for a couple of weeks at a time I have a problem with gradual parameters swings that end up being a problem if not caught early enough. A example would be my routine Nitrate issues. Another problem would be that if the fed was clogged to my calcium reactor I would sometimes not be able to fix it for weeks until I returned.

Another issue that I battled for a long time was low magnesium levels. Many water changes later and the addition of magnesium chips to the Calcium Reactor have helped solve this problem.

I have been very lucky with fish disease and coral pests in this tank and have had no major problem. What has caused more fish casualties then anything else is aggression better fish. The sixline wrasse and Flame angel are especially aggressive towards new inhabitants for the first week or so.

The growth of the corals, as mentioned before, has also caused some toxic warfare between competing SPS. The result being the need to prune or move colonies as needed. I have let a few work itself out naturally due to the difficultly of removing the corals.

The Fish all get along very well together and really bring the tank to life. They all come and beg whenever I enter the room and are great fun to watch.

There are two confirmed spawning pairs in the tank. The first are the Banggai Cardinals. They got down to business almost as soon as they were added to the tank and have been spawning regularly ever since. The other pair is the Black Percula Clownfish pair also known as "Big Mama and her boy toy". The eggs were only actually discovered on the 27th of May so this is a relatively new phenomenon. I truly enjoy this part of the hobby and hope to have space in the future to raise fry to adulthood in the safety of dedicated hatcheries.

Majestic Angel (Pomacanthus Navarchus)	Flame Angel (Centropyge Loriculus)	Purple Tang (Zebrasoma Xanthurum)
Blue Hippo Tang (Paracanthurus Hepatus)	3x Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma Flavescens)	3x Red Stripe Anthias (Pseudanthias Fasciatus)
8x Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias Squamipinnis)	5x Blue-eyed Cardinal (Apogon leptacanthus)	2x Black Percula Clownfish (Pair) (Amphirion Ocellaris)
2x Banggai Cardinal (Pair) (Pterapogon Kauderni)	2x Pajama Cardinal (Pair) (Sphaeramia Nematoptera)	Strawberry Pseudochromis (Pseudochromis porphyreus)
Sixline Wrasse (Pseudocheillinus Hexatainia)	Cleaner Wrasse (Labriodes Dimidiatus)	Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa)

The tank is designed to be a SPS dominated mixed reef tank. I have tried to keep a diverse variety of Montipora and Acropora. I also attempted to keep ample room for corals to fill out their respective areas. It seems that I have underestimated their growth though as there are a few areas that are at constant war and have to be pruned regularly. There are also colonies of Pocillipora, Seriatopora, and Stylophora.

A variety of LPS round out the tank. These include a large Galaxia coral that was purchased with the tank, a variety of mushrooms that were on the live rock, and a few others.

The tank was originally purchased with approximately 50 RBTA (Rose Bubble Tip Anemone) 49 of which were sold to a LFS (Local Fish Store). The remaining anemone has grown very large in size and has since split. Both anemone have grown large and look to be splitting again sometime soon. They are not individually fed from the rest of the display yet seem to be thriving.

An unknown small anemone was introduced as a hitchhiker and has reproduced quickly in the tank. There are now roughly 50 of them around the tank. They were removed in the beginning but are now left alone as they don’t appear to bother anything.

The tank also has a variety of urchins that I received with the livestock from the previous owner. These include a Blue Collector's Urchin, a Black Pencil Urchin, and 2 Short Spine white/tan urchins that routinely attempt to spawn.

There is also a Cleaner Shrimp, a Blood Shrimp and a variety of snails and hermits that round up the cleaning crew.

Unfortunately the time has come to break this tank and finish graduate school in Florida. For this reason I need to sell this tank and all of its inhabitants in the next few months.

It's truly a shame as everything is going so well and with the growth I have been getting lately my vision for the coral-scaping of the tank is starting to take shape. I wish I could see this setup as it is a year or two down the road but it doesn't seem meant to be. If anyone is interested in the system in its entirety please contact me.

I would like to thank my lovely fiancé for her continuing support of my addiction and for introducing me to the hobby. I would also like to thank my mother for taking care of the tank while I'm away and averting the odd disaster during these times.

As mentioned before I would like to thanks everyone online who has provided their endless support and knowledge. Without these resources I would be truly lost.

Many thanks and happy reefing!