Tank - Custom made 120 gallon Starfire glass tank (4' x 2' x 2'). Starfire glass is clear...
not tinted green as is the case with standard glass tanks. What you see is what you get. The
effect is amazing brightness and clarity, similar to acrylic, in a tank not prone to scratches.
One drawback, however, is cost. This glass is pricey...ouch!!...but worth it to those who want
to splurge for best. My tank is built into the wall.
Lighting - Retro fit set-up. I built the canopy out of plywood and other scraps I had around
the house. The inside is painted with a flat white oil based paint. 2 four inch Icecap variable
speed cooling fans and 1 six inch conventional fan over the top of the tank help keep the canopy
cool and promote evaporation. The front of the canopy is on a hinge and can be lifted up,
enabling me to reach into the bottom-half of the tank. Lighting consists of 3 400W 20K Radium
bulbs and 2 96W Power Compacts (1 true blue actinic & 1 full spectrum). The halides are run
on a PFO dual HQI ballast while the Power Compacts are also run on a PFO ballast. Spider Light
reflectors are used for the halides, which are on for 10 hours a day (PCs are on for 11 hours).
Heaters - Two Ebo Jager 250 Watt heaters.
Chiller/Heater Controller - Ranco 2 stage electronic temperature controller.
R/O Water - Ultra Pure 2 stage reverse osmosis unit. Liter Meter dosing pump adds approximately 12 gallons of R/O water per week.
Calcium & Alkalinity Additions - Dual chamber MyReefCreations calcium reactor. Additional
Ca and Kh are added via an Ecotech Marine Kalkwasser Reactor, which is fed by my Liter Meter.
Presently, 10 heaping tablespoons of ESV Kalkwasser are added each week to the 2 gallon chamber.
Circulation - Return is fed by Mak4 external drive pump. 3 Maxijet 1200 power heads in the
tank provide additional flow. Maxijets are driven by a RedSea Wavemaster Pro Wavemaker. Total
circulation in tank is approximately 2400 gallons per hour.
Chiller - 1/4 HP Universal Marine in-line titanium chiller.
Filtration - Berlin method is utilized with 250 lbs of premium Fiji live rock and 75 lbs of ESV fine grade sand. ETS 750 Reef-Devil Gemini Skimmer sits in 30 gallon sump and is fed by a Mak4 external drive pump.
Salt - Tropic Marin. 5 gallon water change done on a weekly basis.
Monitors and Test Kits - Pinpoint Ph monitor sits in sump. Test weekly with Salifert Ca and
Kh kits. Salifert Magnesium and Nitrate kits used occasionally.
Current Water Parameters - Ca: 400 ppm, Kh/Alk: 9.9 dKh/3.5 meq/l, Mg: 1350 ppm, Salinity: 1.024 specific gravity, NO3: 0, Temp: 79-81 0F, Ph: 8.2 - 8.4
Visit Keith's site at ReefBum.com.
