55 zoa/anemone tank.

[phurst]

After reading Muco's thread about the state of this forum, I've decided to start a thread about my zoa tank in here. I'll try to update with the good, the bad and the ugly. Maybe my experiences can help someone, and surely the wealth of experience here can be of help to me.

I started this tank in Nov of 08, so I'm coming up on a year. Things haven't progressed as far as I'd like in that time (they never do, do they). Life has interfered on a number of occasions, and the tank has taken a back seat from time to time.

So, about the tank:

Standard 55 gal, drilled in the top rear left, with a custom black acrylic overflow produced by the acrylic guy at my LFS

30 Gal Oceanic sump

Gravity fed Deltec AP600 skimmer

2x300w titaniuim heaters

Mag 7 return

2xPhosban reactors (1 for carbon, 1 for Phosban)

Dual coil denitrator

2xKoralia #4 powerheadsa

Red Sea Wavemaster Pro wavemaker

4x54w URL T5s with individual reflectors

Icecap 660 ballast

one 4" AC cooling fan


In the tank is:

~60# of live rock

1" Special Grade Seafloor sand

1 yellow tang (temporary resident)

2 perc clowns

1 pigmy angel

1 yellow corris wrasse

1 chromis

1 yellow watchman goby/tiger pistol pair

1 copperband butterfly

1 golden coral banded shrimp

Handfull of peppermint shrimp

Various hermits

Various snails

Lots and lots of zoas and palys

A dozen or so ricordia (florida and yuma)

Isolated GSP colony

Several candy cane frags

Large-ish duncan colony

Half dozen mini-carpet anemones

Rose bubble tip anemone

Green bubble tip anemone

Rock flower anemone

Curlycue anemone

Borneman's anemone

I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting.

Here's a recent FTS (unfortunately, it's one of those tanks you have to get up close and personal with to really appreciate)

And a couple of random shots just so this post isn't a wall of text

 

[SIR PATRICK]

So much can be learned from a tank thread. Great idea. Thx for sharing.

Looks like your zoas are growing in great!

I am digging your equipment list. Looks like you are running a clean tank (considering the equipment you have on the tank)

Got a few questions-

What are you feeding the tank? How often do you feed?

What is your fish list?

What are your average water parameters?

Dosing anything?

Keep us posted. Document everything you do/change in this thread, and let us know how it has affected your zoas.

I noticed you have a wavemaker (power head timer) on your tank. Did you have this from the initial set up of the tank? If you didnt, did you notice a significant difference in your zoas after adding it on?


Just a peice of advice- keep up on this thread, even if no one posts replies. Never know when somthing will happen that can let us zoa keepers get some first hand experiance. Dont get discouraged from lack of replies like I have done in the past. Odds are, there will be alot happen in your tank that will help us zoa forum browsers.

Looking forward to seing the progress of your zoa/nem tank.

 

[phurst]

Thanks Sir Pat.

Fish list is as follows:
1 yellow tang (temporary resident)
2 perc clowns
1 pigmy angel
1 yellow corris wrasse
1 chromis
1 yellow watchman goby/tiger pistol pair
1 copperband butterfly

I feed a small pinch of flake and a few pellets for the shrimps every day. I feed a cube of mysis every other day, a cube of cyclops 3 times a week (the larger zoas, true palys, mini-carpets and sun coral LOVE this treatment), and shrimp or silversides to the anemones once every week to 10 days. Oh, and nori for the tang every few days.

Honestly, I don't test this tank as much as I do my 40 breeder SPS tank. It seems to stay pretty solid though. Temp 78-79, sg 1.026, nitrates 0, alk 10, cal 450, pH 8.5 (alk, ca and pH values come from topping off with 100% saturated kalk).

I don't dose anything. I did the vitamin C thing for a while, but besides increased skim, I didn't notice enough of a difference to keep up with it.

I didn't initially have the wavemaker, and just the single K4. I added the timer and second K4 about 4 or 5 months ago and have seen what I consider to be a much happier tank. Everything sways back and forth. There's definitely much less detritus to be cleaned, and to my eye either the improved flow, or cleaner water has resulted in increased growth. The Koralias do clatter on the wavemaker, but I don't even hear it anymore.

I'm currently considering the switch back to MH lighting though. I originally had 2x250 20K SE bulbs. i was unhappy with the dark center, so I added a 3rd 250w DE pendant in the middle. Growth and color were outstanding, but so was my power bill, especially with the chiller running However, color and growth seem to have dropped off. The tubes are about 6 months old, and since the Icecap overdrives them, it may just be time to replace them, but I don't really want to shell out for new bulbs and then end up switching back to halides anyway.

I'll do my best to keep the thread updated. It's as much for me as it is for y'all

 

[phurst]

Right, well, I can't leave well enough alone

Overall, I'd have to say i'm not as happy with the T5 setup as I thought I'd be, even with the overdriven tubes. I'd been considering going back to halides (and I still might thrown some 250s on the 40, and move those 175s over to the 55), but in the meantime, I picked up this VHO setup from a local for a few zoa frags. I'll be moving from 4x54w to 4x110w, so it will hopefully be an improvement. Plus, IMO, there's just no substitute for VHO actinics. They kick serious butt. The problem is, the tubes are 48", which means they won't fit in my freaking canopy. Off to the LFS in the morning to pick up some 46.5" tubes.

 

[IridescentLily]

Oh thank God. Phurst, Do you know how much I've been bugging people In this zoa section to make a thread like yours here?
I've bugged many people (including Mucho lol), for a long time.
You can see why I'm certainly gonna subscribe to your thread.
I SO agree with Sir Patrick, it's a learning tool for us zoa newbs.

 

[SIR PATRICK]

My advice, since you are taking off the t5ho's and replacing them with the vho's-

Definitly move the 175's over along with the 4 bulb vho set up. Go with 10k bulbs with the MH and go all actinic with the vho.

You will lose par, replacing the t5's with the vho's, but will regain alot of it (if not all) with the addition of the 175 mh.

Looking forward to seeing what you have planned next!

I agree, vho actinics cannot be beaten, unless you are looking at par ratings instead of the colors you can acheive with the vho's.

 

[Fcamdog]

Very interesting that your ditching the T-5's. It's as if no one on RC would say such blasphemy, it's good to hear someone switching them out just so I know they aren't perfect for every tank/set-up, thus not 100% perfect as many believe.

Thanks for posting and please continue,

Fcamdog

 

[phurst]

I wish I could, but unfortunately with the space in the hood of a 55, I can have halides OR T5s OR VHOs. I'm not terribly concerned about loosing PAR as the growth is not so much an issue, it's the color. I've tried several different T5 combination, and I'm hoping going with the VHO actinics, I can get the colors I want back. Colors were great under halides but 3x250 necessitated the use of a chiller, and I do not want to have to go that route again. If the VHOs don't make me happy, it's no big deal to move the 175s to this tank and put 250s on the 40 breeder.

Fcamdog - I've definitely seem some very nice T5 tanks, both mixed reef and primarily SPS, but for my money, halides are still where it's at for high light demanding systems.

 

[phurst]

T5s:

VHOs:

 

[mcfish]

I love your pictures, thanks for sharing. What fixture and bulbs were you using with your T5 set up? The VHO's picture is stunning... more please.:bounce2:

Mark

 

[SIR PATRICK]

What look are you liking best phurst?

 

[geoxman]

I will take VHO any day! Great looking tank! good luck

 

[geoxman]

double post and I have no idea why this happens every time I post?

 

[phurst]

I definitely prefer the VHOs to the T5s. If I had the space, I'd go back to halides with the VHO actinics for sure.

I'll try to get some more pics this weekend.

 

[dalston]

Just from the couple of pics, the VHO makes a nice difference.

I have personally kept zoas under VHO, PC, MH (10K, 14K, and 20K currently) and I have to say for growth and color combined, I prefer VHO.

Are those TRUE palythoa sp. I see on the SB?!

GL, dalston.

 

[phurst]

Yep, they sure are. This is an older picture of them, the colony is much bigger now.

 

[dalston]

Awesome! How fast do they spread? I see you have them isolated, is that for a reason?

 

[phurst]

They're not the fastest growers. That pic was taken maybe 6 months ago, and the have now completely covered that rock. They are voracious eaters, and would probably grow faster if I target fed them, but they still catch plenty out of the water when I feed the tank. I have them on the sand bed because I didn't really have anywhere in the rockwork they looked right, and having open space around them makes it easier to grow a few polyps out onto rubble for friends.

 

[SIR PATRICK]

Sounds like you are going the same lighting choice as I will be soon- MH w/ VHO supliments. I like the combo.

 

[IridescentLily]

Another MH and VHO lover here *waves*
What a difference in the 2nd pic!
If I was sold on vho's before then Phurst just sealed it for me.
Absolutely Love your zoas.