It only seems like yesterday that I was awarded TOTM the first time around and I’m blown away and privileged to be picked again.

Lots of salty water has passed under the bridge since then including my last tank cracking due to a dodgy stand and plenty of other setbacks which almost ended my love affair with the hobby. If there is one thing I have learned along the way though is that reef keeping can be unforgiving and you have to roll with the punches but the rewards can be worth it.

I suppose I’ve been keeping marines on and off for something like 17 years now, there have been lots of changes to the way we keep livestock and methodology but for me at least the hobby is still as addictive as ever.

Being able to maintain, observe and enjoy a chunk of tropical coral reef encased in a glass box in ones living room is something magical and seemingly impossible and something I will never take for granted.

Thanks for voting peeps and hope you find my TOTM of interest.

The tank is a 72” x 30" x 30" all glass aquarium built to my specifications with corner weir (thanks to Chris Carlton for the sketch up drawings). It is standard glass rather than low iron due to cost and low iron glass scratching easier.

There are two stand pipes behind the weir set up as full height and half height and tuned for noise via a ball valve on the half height pipe.

The stand and cabinet are homemade and sprayed in automotive gloss black and polished to a high shine. The internal steel frame was built by my good friend Paul (Pavlo), without his efforts I’m not sure the aquarium would have made it past the planning stage. I’m very pleased with the overall finish and the price of the home build helped a great deal.

The outer cladding is made of MDF with routed edges; all panels can be removed for replacement if needed.

This is about as big as I can go in my living room so no plans to upgrade.

My lighting is composed of a bespoke Giesemann 1500mm Spectra unit. This is bar far the best light unit I have owned to date and includes very large halide reflectors, single end lamps and four 80 watt T5 lamps built into the unit with external ballasts. It really does tick all boxes for me.

I have downgraded from two 400 watts lumenarcs on my previous set up to the Spectra’s 250watt SE halides and my corals have not been left wanting . I’m very pleased with them and so is the wife due to the reduced running costs.

I have also included another set of 80 watt T5 tubes to give a T5 blue look to the halides so all in I run 6 x 80 watt Aquablue plus tubes and 2 x 250 watt SE Giesemann coral lamps.

My lighting periods are as follows:

2 Aquablue plus 10 am - 10pm
4 Aquablue plus 11 am - 9pm
2 x 250 watt halides 1pm - 8pm

I don’t use any sump lighting for Algae's etc.

The main return pump is a Red Dragon 6500 (6500 l/hr) which is large diameter soft piped up to the right rear corner of the tank. This pump is costly but so quiet and well made.

I have two Vortech MP40 pumps, one either side of the aquarium, you can’t beat these for water movement although a little noisy.

I also have a single 6100 Tunze stream that’s as old as the hills tucked away to the left rear of the aquarium in front of the weir. This is controlled via my GHL computer.

My filtration is simple:

The aquariums biological filter is the live rock , I don’t have any other biological filter online although I am thinking of trying the new DD Nutri-fix pellets as my Nitrate has crept slightly from 2-5ppm to 10-15ppm over the last couple of months.

I use a 200 micron filter sock to capture detritus from both standpipes; this keeps the water crystal and removes some serious muck. This needs cleaning every 7-10 days

The key nutrient export device for the system is my skimmer and at present I use a Deltec TC 2560 which is fitted with a self cleaning head that operates hourly. This rips out the brown mucky stuff and always rewards me with extra skimmate when I increase my feeding.

I also run a Deltec fluidised reactor with Rowaphos and carbon in a bag every few months or so to mop up any yellowing of the water.

Cooling is taken care of by a Hailea 1/2 horsepower chiller located outside in a small home made shed. It can struggle a little in hot weather but is pretty good.

I also have a large bore airline located in the little shed attached to a container of carbon. The pipe connects to my skimmers air inlet. This keeps aquarium Ph very stable.

I also run two sets of Azoo 3 fan units which actually offset the chiller kicking in by some margin.

Heating is controlled by a single 300 watt heater.

All devices are controlled via my GHL computer

I run this tank very simply, I have used additives in the past as well as carbon dosing but I set out to leave this tank alone and let things pan out naturally.

I only add a little iodine every now and again, that’s it.

I do believe that using a decent salt is key so I use H2Ocean, this keeps elements stable in tank when used in conjunction with my Calcium reactor and I haven’t needed to top up Magnesium since setting up the tank which is a first for me.

Well that was simple, nothing to see here so let’s move on.

My GHL computer controls most things including my Deltec 601s calcium reactor, temperature and light timings.

My water top up is controlled by ye old Aquamaster top up device that I've had for donkeys years.

I don’t mess about with exotic feeding regimes so much. I wash 3 cubes of frozen mysis in RO water and feed throughout the day. I give half a sheet of nori to the tangs a week and sprinkle a couple of pinches of dry food in a day.

LPS get fed every now and again when I’m feeling guilty staring at their greedy polyps when in feeding mode.

Fish stay fat, tanks usually stays clean and I don’t go nuts buying fish food. Winning combo me thinks!

I change 15 gallons of salt water a week

Change my top up water twice a week (5 galls)

Clean the glass three times a week, back glass once a week

Get my hands in tank for a bit of pruning and weeding every couple of months.

Clean skimmer cup weekly or bi weekly now the self cleaning head is installed.

Clean all pumps including skimmer pump every 3-6 months

Clean skimmer venturi weekly

Change RO filters 4 monthly (dirty tap water here)

Change out Rowaphos two monthly

Top up calcium reactor 6 monthly, this holds 14kg but burns through it quite quickly, I use large broken coral media 20-40mm

Change halides and T5 lamps yearly, sometimes 18 months, yes I’m a cheap skate.

Change out the 200 micron sock every 7-10 days or when blocked.

Problems with this tank are usually my own making.

1 Copper band that chowed on my LPS

2 Regal Angel that had started to chow on LPS( now out)

3 Not setting up quarantine for new fish initially and giving the tank spot

4 Red bugs again, not checking new SPS, I should have known better, slapped wrists all round.

5 Dropping my Catalaphyllia outside on concrete whilst trying to frag it a little. I now have many bits of Catalaphyllia.

6 Having to move on my new clams due to a mystery wrasse having a nibble, yup I found that odd too!

Think that’s it till the next one.

I’ve always had a craving for pretty fish, in the past this has been my down fall as those lovely angels, Moorish idols and butterflies are all quite partial to an expensive coral or two. I had been very good with this aquarium and managed to avoid falling into the age old reef keeping syndrome where one tries to convince one’s self that this or that particular fish won’t be like all the rest, this one will behave!

Well about a month ago I bumped into a stunning little Regal Angel swimming around innocently in my local LFS, two inches long a real baby, butter would melt!!.

This is the one, ill feed him up and show him the error of his coral eating ways, this one will be a saint!!! He was four about weeks then decided my prime mysis and dry food pellets diet wasn’t gourmet enough. Needless to say he is now sitting in my nano after an intense week of fish trap fun and games.

Why don’t we ever learn!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fishes!! gotta love the fishes!

Well my fish list is more or less complete, one or two more small fish maybe acquired in the future but if I don’t suffer any losses I’m more or less where I want to be. My Achilles must have been with me for about three years now, my favourite fish. He will come down with spot if you as much as mumble the word under your breath though.

My fish list is as follows:

Yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)	Purple tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum)	Achilles tang (Acanthurus achilles)
Mystery wrasse (possible pair!) (Pseudocheilinus ocellatus)	Zebra dartfish x3 (Ptereleotris zebr)	Chromis x10 (Chromis viridis)

Gold band maroon clowns (mated pair) (Premnas biaculeatus)

Cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)

I have various corals within my system, I'm afraid my brain is a little leaky and I often forget the Acropora species so these wont be very accurate.

SPS
Acropora nana	Acropora deep water	Acropora Efflo
Various Acropora stag species	Pocillopora damicornis	Various Stylophora (my favourite SPS)
Seriatopora hystrix	Hydnophora	Turbinaria reniformis
Echinopora sp	Montipora (blue encrusting but plates too)	Motipora cap (red and purple)
	Seriatopora caliendrum

LPS
red banded trachy (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi)	Red and green wellsi type trach (Trachyphyllia radiata)	Candy cane green (Caulastrea curvata)
Candy cane brown/green mouth (Caulastrea furcata)	one green one orange plate/slipper (Fungia repanda)	Cat (Catalaphyllia jardinei)
Large lobed red and green open brain (Lobophyllia hemprichii)	Large bright red Cynarina and one green (Cynarina lacrymalis)	Green maze (Platygyra sp.)
Hammer coral floro green (Euphyllia ancora)	Hammer coral branching (Euphyllia paranchora)	Turbinaria peltata (Large cup green coral)
red and green Christmas favia (Favites sp.)	Two green Doughnut corals (Scolymia vitiensis)	Red and steel Doughnut coral (Acanthophyllia deshayesiana)
Bright red bowerbanki (Acanthastrea bowerbanki)	Two multi coloured acans (Acanthastrea lordhowensis)	Large red and green Challice (Echinophyllia aspera)
Large brick red challice (Echinophyllia sp.)	Duncan coral (Duncanopsammia axifuga)	Red and green war coral (Favites pentagona)

Blue carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni)

Assorted hermit crabs

3 x cleaner shrimp

1 x blood shrimp

1 x boxing shrimp

Always enjoy the hobby, not many things in life are so beautiful and remember reef keeping is a rare gift, cherish it as your grandchildren or great children may never get the chance.

Never listen to hear say and urban myth, if you are starting out find a retailer with a wonderful display tank and use them. Don’t take advice from another reef keeper without at least seeing their own efforts first and read read read.

My own preference is to keep a simple system; the hobby is more advanced than ever with so many things to try to get the best from your system. Never be tempted to try new things without fully understanding them and the effect they may have on your own system first, this is how I run my system.

And remember the Devils in the detail......

Of course I have to make mention of my long suffering wife and the kids. As much as they love the aquarium it has had an effect on all their lives, sometimes not for the better. For instance I’m an angry aquascaper, my usually long fuse burns to a stub within minutes and Lisa usually takes the brunt.

I find Aquascaping much like mounting a TV Arial, shouting from the top of a ladder to the wife below... 'how’s it look now!’. 'Fine' or ' a little to the left!' are the usual responses, of course it never is 'fine' as your partner will say just about anything to get the house back as it was. Much arguing ensues on descent from the ladder and viewing what looks to be the efforts of a preschool child.

Sorry love, I really am! I best apologise for all the missing Tea towels too while I’m at it.

Special thanks also go to my good friend Paul Homden (Pavlo), a tremendously talented man that really could accomplish anything.

Also the following people that have been good friends, retailers and amazing sources of information.

Scott Booth, David Saxby, Chris Carlton, Martin Lakin, Kev at The Reef shack, Trefor Deadman, jobr and AndyJ plus anyone else I have forgotten, you know who you are.

Also special mention to all at Ultimate reef, a forum that has given me so much over the years.

Thanks for reading Tony