Tank

The tank was setup in May 2000. The dimensions are 48 x 18 x 20 inches making it around 75 gl. Filtering is carried out by an Eheim 2227 wet/dry canister sitting under the tank. There is also an internal Eheim corner filter which doubles as a powerhead. An addirional power head is in the opposite corner.

Lighting is by 3 x 42 inch marine aquaria strips and 2 actinics giving a total of around 200w.

Sadly there is very little live rock as it is not available in this country. Another potential problem is the substrate which is a mixture of crushed coral and a finer sand..

Water parameters are acceptable although the PH has a tendancy to drop fairly quickly. I add biosea buffer to maintain at 8.2. Water changes are every 2 weeks of around 10-15 %. Larger than normal water changes are performed to try and keep the nitrates down which are between 10 and 20ppm.

The sea water is made up with Marine Environment, no other additives are used.

With hind sight there are a number of things I would have done differently. These include making the tank longer and wider, somewhere in the region of 60 x 24 x 24. The tank would have a sump or a larger filtering device. The crushed coral substrate would be out and a finer sand bed in its place.

Better lighting would be considered as an option but this would have to be imported from overseas. The tank cabinet and hood would also be changed to a better design allowing more space in the hood for fans and easier access to the lights.

There have been no complete catastrophies, but during a 3 day absence the pumps went off for around 30 hours. This caused a massive outbreak of algae and dreadful water discolouring. The problem lasted for around 10 days and finally began to clear up after 4 or 5 massive water changes. All occupants survived except a damsel which was never found.

Most of the rocks are covered in a green algae, as can be seen by the photos. This, I beleive will be a permanent feature unless I improve the water source quality. I don't really mind the algae as it gives the tank an established look and also those that fancy it something to munch on.