Reef Spotlight: Tusi’s 180 Gal Mixed Coral Garden

Tusi’s 180 gal Mixed Coral Garden: Check out the REEF2REEF Build Thread Here

INTRODUCTION

First, I want to say I am honored and humbled to be the REEF2REEF spotlight for the month of February. There are so many great tanks and for this I am humbled.

My inspiration for embarking on the journey of keeping saltwater tanks is that I grew up on an island in the Mediterranean Sea called Malta. This island is surrounded by nothing but deep blue clear waters. For me. this meant scuba diving almost every day. This is why I must have my own piece of the ocean in my home.

My hobby began when I was about 14 years old and still in school. In my biology class, there was a small fresh water tank full of guppies. This was something that I did not see in the ocean every day. So, I decided to build my first homemade tank. I knew little about aquariums, obviously, so I did every thing wrong. I had my first taste of bad experience and what not to do. However, it did teach me a valuable lesson. It taught me to research/ After researching what I was doing wrong, I was on my way to a successful freshwater tank full of guppies, angelfish and then I graduated to discus. Even to this day, the tank is still running. It is maintained by my mother and still thriving. Recently, I visited my mother and was in awe of how beautiful the tank looks.

Fast forward a few years and I moved to the United States. The one thing that I missed the most was the ocean. I had always dreamed of having a saltwater fish tank. However, I knew nothing about how to maintain one or how to keep the delicate saltwater fish alive. So, I chose to do a freshwater tank instead. I planned to recreate a tank that was similar to the one I had when I was younger in Malta. As time went on, my family grew bigger. This meant that we had to move and this ended my freshwater tank. After settling in a condo on Long Island, I decided to give a saltwater fish tank a shot. I hit some issues in the beginning but after a few corrections things worked out.

A little more time passes and I needed to move into a house. So, the tank was taken down. This paved the way for me to begin my real dream of having a reef tank. This time I decided to hire someone to do it for me. I learned how to maintain it. I started out with LPS because I was told it was easier. After three years of growing almost every LPS on the book, I got tired of the LPS. I decided to switch to SPS. This where it has led me. I am very happy that I made the switch. I find it more rewarding to watch a small frag grow into a colony in a much shorter time.

System Profile:

My tank is a custom glass tank built in Texas by Acrylic Glass Exhibits. The bottom is PVC. The tank is 60” long 30” tall and 24” deep. It is viewable from three sides. At first, I did not want to have power heads so It was drilled for a closed loop and plumbed to a wave maker by ocean motions. The top is an acrylic euro brace all around with glass covers / doors. The stand was built locally in Mineola by an iron shop. All cabinetry was built custom by a wood shop in Glen Cove. It was complicated to fit the stand and connect to my office cabinetry. My sump is a standard reef ready sump made by oceanic.

Equipment:

• Reeflo Dart for my closed loop circulation.
• Reeflo Marlin for my chiller circulation.
• Custom built chiller by Trade wind chillers that sits outside 40’ away
• 45 Watt UV sterilizer
• Vertex calcium reactor
• Vertex GFO reactor
• PM Kalkwasser reactor
• Bubble king skimmer
• Eheim in sump pump for the above reactors.
• GHL profilux 3 controller
• GHL-4 doser
• 60 gal mixing tank for water changes
• Blue line aqua pump for mixing and pumping to tank since it is 25’ away.
• 5 stage reverse osmosis set up.
• (2) MP40 power heads
• (2)Tunze 6105 power heads

Lights:

• Two 400 watt radiums with electronic ballasts.
• 4-48” T 5s by Aqua medic
• 4- Blue Reef Brite 9” led fixtures
• Led moon lights
• All lights are controlled by my GHL controller

Schedule:

• T5’s and Led fixtures come on at 10 a.m. and go off at 10 p.m.
• The first 400 metal halide come on at 12 noon and turns off at 5 p.m.
• The second metal halide come on at 1 p.m. and turns off at 6 p.m.
• All other moon lights leds come on at 10 p.m. and turn off at 10 a.m.

Media and Additives:

• Calcium and Alkalinity [calcium reactor]
• Magnesium
• Strontium
• Tropic marine trace elements A & K
• Pottasium
• Iodide
• Amino acids
• Sponge power
• Carbon in a bag in sump [replaced once a month]
• Rowa in reactor [replaced once a month]
• Probes are in a PM built acrylic box calibrated every six months

Tank Maintenance:

• 25 gal Water change is normally done every week.
• Tropic marine pro salt
• Clean glass once a week
• Vacuum detritus from sump
• Change sock once a week
• Clean skimmer once a week

Water Mixing Station:

• 60 gal storage tank with hard piped close loop hooked to a Blue Line pump circulating water 24 hrs a day. Plumbed to tank over finished ceiling for water changes since Tank is 25’ away.

• 5 stage Aqua FX RO/DI

• ATO is also plumbed directly from same location

Testing:

Check all levels once a month for the exception of alkalinity [every day]

• Phosphates- 0.05
• Nitrates- 0.25
• Potassium – 380
• Magnesium- 1350
• Strontium-0.95
• Calcium- 450
• Alkalinity- 8.5
• Iodine- 0.9

Feeding:

The fish get 6 cubes of frozen food twice daily plus cyclopeez, fish eggs, arctic pods and krill. I do not feed the corals directly.

Tank Inhabitants (Fish)

• Hippo tang
• Purple tang
• Black tang
• Gem tang
• Flame angel
• Jaculator angel
• Tail spot blenny
• Yellow clown blenny
• Cleaner wrasse
• Flame wrasse
• Pair of Johnson’s wrasse
• Bells wrasse
• Leopard wrasse
• Femininus wrasse
• Rhomboid wrasse
• Radiant Wrasse
• Pair of maroon clowns
• Sunburst Anthia
• Hutchie anthia
• Bloched Anthia
• Dracula Goby
• Copperband butterfly
• 3 Long spine cardinals

Invertebrates:

• 1 Randall Pistol Shrimp
• 3 Skunk Cleaner Shrimps
• 10 + Red Leg Hermits
• 75 + Blue Leg Hermits
• 50 + Turbo Snails
• 100 + Nassarius snails

Corals:

• STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
• ORA – JOE THE CORAL
• ORA – PEARLBERRY
• ORA – VALIDA
• ORA – RED PLANET
• ORA – PONAPE BIRDS NEST
• ORA – HAWKINS ECHINATA
• ORA – BLUE BOTTLE BRUSH
• ORA – ORANGE DIGITATA
• TYREE PINK LEMONADE [3 FRAGS]
• GERMAN BLUE PULIP
• SUNSET MONTIPORA
• BALI TRICOLOR
• SUPERMAN MONTIPORA
• RASBERRY LIMEADE ACRO
• STAGHORN ACRO [ACROPORA HOEKSEMAI]
• GREEN MILLIPORA
• PINK MILLIPORA
• SCROLLING MONTIPORA
• STAGHORN ACROPORA [ABROTANOIDES]
• BRANCHING ACROPORA [ GOMEZI]
• RED TABLING ACROPORA [HYACINTHUS]
• RED DRAGON ACRO [2FRAGS] [ACROPORA CARDVUS]
• RED CAPRICORNIS
• GREEN CAPRICORNIS
• GREEN CAPRICORNIS WITH PURPLE RIM
• GRAFTED CAPRICORNIS
• GREEN SLIMER
• GARF –BONSAI
• DEEPWATER ACRO
• HORRIDA
• RED TABLE ACRO
• RED STAGHORN
• PINK BIRDS NEST
• GREEN BIRDS NEST
• BLUE SAGHORN
• GREEN WITH BLUE TIP STAGHORN
• ACROPORA ECHINATA – ICE FIRE
• ACROPORA EFFLORESCENS
• ACROPORA SP BLUE ICE
• PINK ACROPORA PROSTRATA
• BLUE TORT
• ACROPORA AUSTRALIAN GREEN AND WHITE
• ACROPORA AUSTRALIAN BLUE AND GREEN [ACROPORA KIMBEENSIS]
• GREEN WITH BLUE TENIUS ACRO
• OREGAN TORT [ACROPORA TORTUOSA]
• MONTIPORA DANAE [POKERSTAR]
• MONTIPORA DIGITATA [ORANGE DIGI]
• PURPLE MONTIPORA DIGITATA
• SEASONS GREETING MONTIPORA
• PSAMMOUDRA SP – GREEN ENCRUSTING MAZE
• MONTIPORA UNDATA WITH PURPLE RIM
• PAVONA MALDIVENSIS – ORANGE PAVONA
• POCILLIPORA DAMICORNIS GREEN
• POCILLIPORA DAMICORNIS LIGHT GREEN
• SERIATOPRA SP PINK BIRDS NEST
• SERIATOPRA SP GREEN BIRDS NEST
• PURPLE STYLOPHORA [STYLOPHORA PISTILLATA]
• GREEN STYLOPHORA [STYLOPHORA PISTILLATA]
• PINK STYLOPHORA [STYLOPHORA PISTILLATA]
• RED SETOSA
• BLUE LUKANI
• BLUE PULIP CAPRICORNIS
• RAINBOW ACROPORA
• GRANULOSA ACROPORA
• GRANULOSA ACROPORA 2
• AUSTRALIAN GREEN WITH BLUE TIP ACROPORA
• RED / PINK CESPITULARIA
• GREEN UNKNOWN ACROPORA

LPS / SOFT CORALS

• GREEN FROGSPAWN
• GREEN HAMMER [EUPHYLLIA ANCORA]
• NEON CANDY CANE
• ORANGE HAMMER [EUPHYLLIA ANCORA]
• BRANCHING PURPLE TIP TORCH FROGSPAWN
• BUBBLE TIP AENONME
• RED ACAN
• RAINBOW ACAN
• RED GREEN ACAN
• GREEN AND RED ACAN [SCOLYMIA AUSTRALIS]
• RED GREEN SCOLYMIA [BLEEDING APPLE 2]
• WATER MELLON CHALICE
• RED AND BLUE CHALLICE
• BUBBLE GUM CHALICE
• WATER MELLON 2
• GREEN WITH ORANGE MOUTHS CHALLICE
• SPRUNGS STUNNER CHALICE CORAL [ECHINOPORA LAMELLOSA]
• BLUE ZOOS
• GREEN ZOOS
• ORANGE ZOOS
• GREEN PALYS
• ORANGE AND GREEN BRAIN [LOBOPHYLIA HEMPRICHII]
• RED AND GREEN OPEN BRAIN [TRACHYPHYLLIA RADIATA]
• AUSSIE RED MEAT CORAL [ACANTHOPHYLIA]
• BLUE MUSHROOMS
• RED MUSHROOMS
• STARBURST GREEN POLLIPS [BRIAREVM SP]
• RED AND GREEN FAVIA [FAVITES PENTAGONA]
• RED AND GREEN FAVIA 2 [FAVITES PENTAGONA]
• SUN POLYPS
• ORANGE EUPHYLLIA
• WHISKER CORAL [DUNCANOPSAMMIA]
• TORCH CORAL INDO [EUPHYKIA GLABRESCENS]

Progression Photos

Advice:

My advice is to spend 10 minutes per day and look at your tank and evaluate all live stock. You can tell if your corals are doing great by color, polyp extension, growth, etc; look at your fish and see who is eating, any markings on the body etc. By doing this you can possibly catch any problem from becoming a major disaster.As we all know, parameters are a key in this hobby. So, it is important to maintain them and check them closely. I had my share of issues through the years and that’s what made me stronger. When I felt I wanted to quit, you members gave me courage to continue and helped me resolve what I did not know. That’s what this forum is about. Today, I know that any problem can be resolved but the key is to catch it early. This is why it’s important to look at your tank every day.For any one that is thinking about getting into the saltwater hobby, my advice is to be patient and do your homework before you get your feet wet. Read, read, and read. There are a lot of tank threads on this forum that you can learn from. It can save you a lot of money and headaches. Don’t be afraid to ask a question, that’s how we all learned.