First off I’d just like to thank everyone that voted for me and to say I am flattered. I have been keeping marines for around 6/7 years and i have had my fair share of ups and downs. This tank is currently 12 months old and already i am wanting to up grade to a 8x3x2.5. My interest in fish keeping started about 10 years ago when I was in a garden centre and I spotted a cheap tropical fish set up. After keeping them for a year or so I also got into Malawi Cichlids but I soon got board of them as it was Marine Fish and Corals I really wanted. I was offered a full Marine set up off a friend and I have to say now looking back, it was the worse I have ever seen. Finding UR and a good LFS soon changed all that.

My main display is a Fit Filtration 60”x24”x26” (LxWxH) with two weirs. The left hand side weir house 2x 40mm overflow pipes. The right hand side weir is a keep clean system, which I no longer use as some of the corals did not like the flow coming from it.

I have an Arcadia series 4, 2x 250w metal halides and 2x T5 39w. I have owned this light for around 4 years and I have been very happy with it. It has never let me down once and it’s not a bad looking unit.

In the past I used Arcadia 14000K lamps but in the last lamp change I switched to 14000K BLV bulbs after talking with Neil (small change) and Gary (Gary Smith) as they recommended them. I have to admit I do much prefer the BLV’s over the Arcadia’s, with SPS colours improving and the BLV’s give off a much crisper bluey white beam. Also the SPS growth seems better since changing to the BLV’s.

Photoperiod is as follows
09:00 39w Atinics ON
10:00 BLV 14K MH ON
17:00 BLV 14K MH OFF
20:00 39w Atinics OFF

When it comes to movement, my tank is really simple but effective. I use a Polario 22000 and an OR6500 return pump. I like the Polario as it’s easy to hide as it’s mounted on the back pain of glass, but it is on the noisy side. I run it about 70% power with it changing ends every 15 seconds. The Polario is a little limited as opposed to Vortechs etc but it has done me proud over the last year. I am hoping to change to an MP40w in a month or so with maybe an MP10w as well.

The OR6500 return is pointed at the front pain of glass, slap bang in the middle of the tank, with 3 small holes drilled into the elbow to allow some flow to go down the back of the rocks.

The main display houses around 95KG of Live Rock with an open structure to ensure good water flow and maximum filtration from the Live Rock.

My over flow pipes drop down into a small glass section what houses filter wool. This helps take out particulate matter with all the water entering the sump having to go though the wool first. I think this should be standard on sump tanks (or something similar) as it’s very effective.

Then into the first main chamber of the sump what houses an ATI Bubble Master 250 skimmer, this skimmer is fantastic. It really pulls muck out. The bad thing with the skimmer is it is water height dependant. If the water raises to high, the skimmer goes mad and over flows.

The second chamber is a deepish sand bed (DSB) This is the first time I have gone with a DSB and so far I’m very pleased with it.

The third section houses the Ocean Runner OR6500 return pump. I also have a small phosphate reactor (thanks Neil) and a small dry trickle tower. The trickle tower is there for gas exchange, splitting water into tiny droplets maximising exchange and also helping keep a steady PH with it putting O2 into the water.

I have 2x 150w Eheim Jarga heaters in the sump but with the shop being warm they don’t come on that often. I struggled in the past summer with heat as it was very difficult keeping the temp at 26c but I got through it by adding a large fan in the cabinet, fanning cold air onto the surface of the water. This year I have bought an air con unit for the shop so I think it will be far easier to keep the temp close to 26c.

I run a Deltec PF601Calcium Reactor that keeps my Cal & Mag in check.
Supplements I dose are as follows;

• 1.5mil of Zeo start2 every day
• 4 drops of Jod Komplex every day
• 2mil of LPS every other day
• 4 drops of Amino Acid every other day
• 4 drops of Corals vitalizer every other day
• 4 drops of Zeobak twice a week

I like to feed my fish a lot. I like to give them a good range of different foods as I think that helps keep them nice and healthy and it brings out there colour.

I feed my fish the following,

PE Mysis , TMC Mysis, Brine shrimp, Krill, Red Plankton, Brine with omega3 and Brine with garlic, Prawn, Cockle, Mussel, New Era Flake (all types) Cyclopeeze and lots of Nori for the tangs. I feed my fish around 5 times a day. In total I would say it would amount to 6/7 cubes of frozen food per day.

When it comes to feeding the corals, I add Cyclopeeze after the MH have gone out along with Phytoplankton and Gamma reef feed. For the sun coral and the corals that will take more meaty foods a little mysis or some New Era pellets. I feed the Nems 4 large prawns a week. 2 on Monday and 2 more on Thursday.

Other than cleaning the glass on a daily basis, I empty the skimmer cup once a week. I check my corals and fish everyday to make sure they are all ok. I do a 30% water change every 2-3 weeks. Change my filter floss once a week, my Carbon every 7 to 10 days and my Rowa every 3weeks. My MH and T5 bulbs are changed every 9 to 10 months. I take apart my pumps every few months for a good clean.

Well just like most I have had a few problems, most of all the Aiptasia & Manjano. The rock I bought was covered in Aiptasia, sadly I didn’t spot them when I picked it up. I put 10 true peppermint shrimps in the tank and they seem to eat them all but in the past few months some have come back with a vengeance! Also Manjano anemones, again the rock had a few on it and they just got worse and worse. So I added an Aiptasia eating filefish and that rid my tank of both Aiptasia and Manjano, but then he started on the corals. So I re-homed him and a few weeks later they were back!! Damn things....so back to the drawing board.

Last summer I had a problem with a few of my Acans bleaching. This was down to the very hot spell we had. After it passed I concentrated on feeding them at least 3 times a week and slowly they came round.

When it comes to fish my Regal tang is my baby. She has been with me every step of the way through my Marine journey. She was one of the fish that came with my first ever set up and 7 years on she is still with me and is in the best health she has ever been. Second to her are my Clowns. I know with the Finding Nemo film it’s the most common fish but I have a huge soft spot for them. I suppose that’s why I have 4 percs and 2 maroons. Here is the list of all my fish.....

Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)	Yellow Tangs x2 (Zebrasoma flavescens)	Naso Tang (Naso lituratus)
Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)	2 pairs of Percula Clowns (Amphiprion percula)	Pair Maroon Clowns (Premnas biaculeatus)
Manadrin (Synchiropus splendidus)	Stary Blenny (Salarias ramosus)	Pair of Convict Blennies (Pholidichthys leucotaenia)
Iridis Wrasse (Halichoeres iridis)	Pair of Red Hood Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus)	Anthias x8 (Pseudanthias squamipinnis)
Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)	Red Spot Cardanals x7 (Apogon parvulus)	Yasha Goby (Stonogobiops yasha)
	Panda Coral Goby (Paragobiodon lacunicolus)

To me, Corals make a tank. Even the not so colourful one’s. My Leather was the first coral I ever bought, and like my Regal, I’m happy to say I have still got it. Corals still amaze me and there is nothing better than watching a coral filled tank especially in moonlight hours. Some of the corals I have are as follow,

LPS
Torch (37 heads) (Euphyllia glabrescens)	Bubble (Plerogyra sinuosa)	Trachy (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi)
Acans (Acanthastrea lordhowensis, enchinata)	Blasto (Blastomussa wellsi)	Oxi (Oxypora glabra)
Scolys (Scolymia)	Duncan (Duncanopsammia)	Trumpets (Caulastrea echinulata)
Cat (Catalaphyllia)	Cynarina (Cynarina lacrymalis)	Lobo’s (Lobophyllia hataii corymbosa)
Open Brains	Sun Coral (Tubastraea faulkneri)	Fungia (Fungia Cycloseris)
Dedro (Dendrophyllia)	Frog Swawn
Softies
Leather (Sarcophyton sp.)	Ricordias (Ricordea florida)	Mushies (Discosoma striata)
Xenia (Xenia sp.)	Green Star Polyps (Briareum)	Zoa’s (Zoanthus sp)
SPS
Seriatopora hystrix	Acropora (anthocercis, granulose, yongei, Nana)	Montipora (capricornis, capricornis, hirsute, pocilapora)

Red Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)	Sexy Shrimp (Thor amboinensis)	Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)	Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)	Turbo snails (Trochidae)
Hermits (Calcinus tibicen, gaimardii, elegans, Paguristes cadenati)	Halloween hermit (Ciliopagurus strigatus)	Nassasrius Snails (Nassarius)
Blue Linkia (Linckia laevigata)	Conch (Strombus luhuanus)	Porcelain crabs (Neopetrolisthes maculatus)
Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)	Derasa clam (Tridacna derasa)	Red Serpent
Banded Starfish x4	Brittlestars x2

First off I’d like to thank my better half Emma & my family for putting up with my Marine addiction for the past few years. Secondly Neil - small change, Gary - Gary Smith and Andy - Andymonky for their input into this tank. And of course UR and its members, not so much for this tank, but from the start. It’s been a huge learning curve and UR has played a massive part in helping and overcoming any problems I have had in the past, as we all get them. So to all the above 'Tanks a lot.'