deep reef aquarium

[angels mcgee]

I'm thinking about a 180 gallon deep reef aquarium. Any ideas?

 

[fish_is_my_name]

more details please...

 

[Ciarán]

Squirrel fish and Pineapple fish, Bank butterflyfish (Chaetodon aya), Chaetodon sedentarius and the Coral Sea or rosy fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus) will be good "native" species and are more readily available. Fish without swim bladders such as some gobies (firefish), lionfish and mandarins would work too. Some anthias also prefer the dim lighting of deepwater reefs. Make sure you have a very blue, dim spectrum to be authentic. I have used a powerful fluorescent blacklight with a reflector for really good results myself. It also brings out an amazing fluorescence in corals on my "regular" reef that i cannot achieve with even actinic style lighting. The nature of deepwater reefs is that many inhabitants are not symbionts of zooxanthellae and as a result will need a productive refugium and supplemental planktonic feeding. Things such as Sun corals, non-photosyntetic gorgonians, Ceriathus spp. tube anemones and large palythoa spp. that can be supplement fed will do well. Another possibilty if you have a good supply of <40 microns live phytoplankton, are deepwater bivalves (eg. Tridacna teveroa now called T. mbalavuana, sponges). A great thing about deepwater reefs is that it will encourage invertebrates to be active all the time. Things such as reef lobsters, crabs and shrimps will be out at all times. The lighting spectrum will mean less cleaning of algae and such. If you want pics of the stuff ive listed, just ask :rollface:

Ciaran

 

[angels mcgee]

I mean like deep reef fish that i would acclimate to high reef lighting. Also I would have some deep SPS.

 

[Ciarán]

Also I would have some deep SPS.

Virtually impossible to get the right lighting spectrum for them. If you want to keep a deep reef, why use bright lighting? Its not a deep reef then!

 

[Ciarán]

Also I would have some deep SPS.

Virtually impossible to get the right lighting spectrum for them. If you want to keep a deep reef, why use bright lighting? Its not a deep reef then! Deep water fish dont like bright lighting, kinda like putting an irish person in the sun - the skin doesnt like it!! They wont acclimate and will be over-stressed in an unfamiliar and threatening environment that is overilluminated for them