kamberman
Member
Hello!
My name is Kostas (kamberman) Kamberidis and I live in Thessaloniki, Greece. I'm an IT teacher and one of the founding members of www.marineaquarium.gr , the first greek forum exclusively for marine hobbyists and aquariums.
My reef journey started about 6 years ago and this is the second reef tank that I make. The first one was a great school for me and reached its end in 2006, after losing a constant fight with hydroids (myrionema sp.). This tank I'm about to present started in April 2007, the same time I moved to my new home, and it was made after many months of planning, in order to take advantage of every inch of the available space and to be well-organized and as maintenance friendly as possible. It is also a product of many hours of book and internet reading and the experience gained from my first attempt. And of course a product of the countless hours, that I delightfully spent talking and exchanging ideas with fellow hobbyists all over Greece.
Despite this, my current tank did not lack some discouraging moments during those 3 years. However, I managed to overcome all these and I think that now I'm ready to present something worth sharing with you. Some of the finests moments that this reef offered to me are: when the cardinal pair, after many births, managed to raise two fries, when I saw my poccilopora spawning and baby-poccis apperaring all over my tank, when I finally saw my fish fat and healthy (some of them are moved from my first tank and are more than 5 years old) without having to worry about algae/cyano blooms, when I finally saw my corals having good growth and colours, some of them encrusting each other giving a natural reef look, when I saw one female Pseudanthias squamipinnis changing to male and taking leading role among the rest of the harem e.t.c.
So let's take a look at the equipment, maintenance routine and livestock:
Tank dimensions and water volume:
- Μain tank (w X d X h): 170 x 70 x 70 cm (67 x 27.5 x 27.5 inches). There is an overflow tower at the back-right corner, with 2 stockman standpipes sending water to the sump.
- Sump (w X d X h): 100 x 60 x 55, with 3 compartments, one of which with chaeto algae, lit by 2 common, watt-saving, yellow bulbs and provided with water flow by a 1200l/h maxijet pump. The water returns to the main sump using two 1262 eheim pumps (rated 3400l/h each).
So, totally, I have about 900l (238g) of water.
The tank sits on a concrete stand enforced with iron bars. The whole setup is decorated with water resistant wood and furniture (closets, drawers) for storing stuff and the right part is moveable in order to access the side of the tank (for maintainance). I also took advantage of my two balconies. In the first one, inside a small aerated closet, is the chiller, which has a bypass used for removing water when I make water changes. In the second balcony, there is another closet, with the ro/di unit and a 100l (26.5g) plastic container, that is used for top-off water and for making saltwater. All the outside closets and plumbings are insulated, because the winter here in Thessaloniki is very cold.
Equipment:
- Lighting: 2x250 watt HQI, 1x150watt HQI, 1x90 watt T5. The HQIs are Sunlight Reef Optix pendants with DIY adjustable hanging mechanism. The HQI bulbs are all Phoenix 14000Κ DE. The Τ5 bulb is one AquaMedic Reef Blue. I employ the following photoperiod:
1xΤ5: 12hrs
2xHQI: 10hrs
1xHQI: 10 and a half hrs.
- ATB econo skimmer with airstar pump
- Water Flow: 1xTunze stream 6100, 2xTunze stream 6000, 1xTunze stream 6101 (on Tunze 7095 controller). The 6101 is installed with battery support. There are also 2xHydor Koralia 3 and 1xTunze nanostream 6045.
- Deltec PF601 Calcium Reactor, with Pinpoint ph-controller and Aqua crown Hy Carb special material.
- Deltec FR509 Fluidised Reactor, containing Knopp ACtive Carbon and Aqualight Aquaphos phosphate remover. Both materials are replaced on a monthly basis.
- Teco Tr20 chiller on temp controller, fed by an eheim 1046 pump. 5 pc fans assist in keeping the temperature low, during the hot summer.
- Heating: 1x300watt Titanium Schego and 1x300watt Hydor heater, both on temp controller. The water temperature varies from 26.5C (79.7F) in the winter period to 28.5C (83.3F) in the summer period.
- Evaporating water is supplemented using an automated Tunze top-off system, modded in order to work with a maxijet pump.
- Almost all electrical equipment is controlled by a dedicated pannel, hand made by a good friend of mine.
Maintenance routine:
- Daily fish feeding using a mix of Ocean Nutrition Prime reef flakes, Omega One marine flakes, Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 flakes, Ocean Nutrition Formula 2 flakes & pellets and Sera granumarin. Once or twice per week I feed a mix of 3-4 kinds of frozen food (mysis, krill, artemia, lobster eggs, whatever I find each time I go shopping) plus dry Cyclopeeze.
- (Almost) daily addition of Amino Acid & Amino Acid LPS, by korallen-zucht
- KH and CA testing using Salifert test kits once per week. I stopped measuring PH or any other water parameters a long time ago.
- 100l (26.5g) of saltwater are changed monthly, using Korallen-Zucht Reefer´s Best Coral Reef salt and crystal clear water produced by a Ro-man 4-stage Ro/Di unit.
- RO sediment & carbon filters are changed once every 3 months and DI resin is changed when required.
- All pumps are cleaned with vinegar aproximately every 2-3 months.
- Ph controller's electrode calibration, 3-4 times per year.
- The T5 bulb is replaced every 9 months and the HQI bulbs every 12 months.
Fish:
1x Acanthurus leucosternon
1x Zebrasoma veliferum
1x Zebrasoma flavescens
1x Siganus volpinus
2x Synchiropus picturatus (pair)
1x Stenogobiops nematodes
1x Gramma loreto
1x Pseudoceilinus hexatenia
1x Haliochoeres chrysus
3x Pterapogon kauderni
2x Female Pseudanthias squamipinnis
1x Male Pseudanthias squamipinnis
5x Female Pseudanthias truncatus
Corals:
Many SPS species (Αcropora, Montipora plate & branching, Seriatopora, Stylophora, Pocillopora etc), LPS species (Euphyllia ancora/parancora/glabrescens, Caulastrea, Welsophyllia, Lobophylia, Trachyphylia, Scolymia, Acanthastrea, Goniopora) and only a few soft corals (sarcophyton, Xenia, Clavularia, Button polyps, Ricordea florida & yuma).
Other invertebrates:
4x maxima clams
2x big black bristle stars (and thousands smaller ones)
1x Neopetrolisthes sp (anemone/porcelain crab) living for 3 years in an euphylia
1x Strombus snail
Many symbiotic acro crabs
Many Anachis sp. snails (Dove snails)
Finally, I'd like to thank all the fellow hobbyists who supported me (in many ways) all those years, www.marineaquarium.gr and ReefCentral for the precious knowledge that I've acquired through their threads.
A special thanks goes to photographer Z.X. who took the majority of the great photos you're about to see. I hope you enjoy them. I'm sorry if they're too many but I had a hard time choosing which to post and which to leave out...:thumbsup::strange:
My name is Kostas (kamberman) Kamberidis and I live in Thessaloniki, Greece. I'm an IT teacher and one of the founding members of www.marineaquarium.gr , the first greek forum exclusively for marine hobbyists and aquariums.
My reef journey started about 6 years ago and this is the second reef tank that I make. The first one was a great school for me and reached its end in 2006, after losing a constant fight with hydroids (myrionema sp.). This tank I'm about to present started in April 2007, the same time I moved to my new home, and it was made after many months of planning, in order to take advantage of every inch of the available space and to be well-organized and as maintenance friendly as possible. It is also a product of many hours of book and internet reading and the experience gained from my first attempt. And of course a product of the countless hours, that I delightfully spent talking and exchanging ideas with fellow hobbyists all over Greece.
Despite this, my current tank did not lack some discouraging moments during those 3 years. However, I managed to overcome all these and I think that now I'm ready to present something worth sharing with you. Some of the finests moments that this reef offered to me are: when the cardinal pair, after many births, managed to raise two fries, when I saw my poccilopora spawning and baby-poccis apperaring all over my tank, when I finally saw my fish fat and healthy (some of them are moved from my first tank and are more than 5 years old) without having to worry about algae/cyano blooms, when I finally saw my corals having good growth and colours, some of them encrusting each other giving a natural reef look, when I saw one female Pseudanthias squamipinnis changing to male and taking leading role among the rest of the harem e.t.c.
So let's take a look at the equipment, maintenance routine and livestock:
Tank dimensions and water volume:
- Μain tank (w X d X h): 170 x 70 x 70 cm (67 x 27.5 x 27.5 inches). There is an overflow tower at the back-right corner, with 2 stockman standpipes sending water to the sump.
- Sump (w X d X h): 100 x 60 x 55, with 3 compartments, one of which with chaeto algae, lit by 2 common, watt-saving, yellow bulbs and provided with water flow by a 1200l/h maxijet pump. The water returns to the main sump using two 1262 eheim pumps (rated 3400l/h each).
So, totally, I have about 900l (238g) of water.
The tank sits on a concrete stand enforced with iron bars. The whole setup is decorated with water resistant wood and furniture (closets, drawers) for storing stuff and the right part is moveable in order to access the side of the tank (for maintainance). I also took advantage of my two balconies. In the first one, inside a small aerated closet, is the chiller, which has a bypass used for removing water when I make water changes. In the second balcony, there is another closet, with the ro/di unit and a 100l (26.5g) plastic container, that is used for top-off water and for making saltwater. All the outside closets and plumbings are insulated, because the winter here in Thessaloniki is very cold.
Equipment:
- Lighting: 2x250 watt HQI, 1x150watt HQI, 1x90 watt T5. The HQIs are Sunlight Reef Optix pendants with DIY adjustable hanging mechanism. The HQI bulbs are all Phoenix 14000Κ DE. The Τ5 bulb is one AquaMedic Reef Blue. I employ the following photoperiod:
1xΤ5: 12hrs
2xHQI: 10hrs
1xHQI: 10 and a half hrs.
- ATB econo skimmer with airstar pump
- Water Flow: 1xTunze stream 6100, 2xTunze stream 6000, 1xTunze stream 6101 (on Tunze 7095 controller). The 6101 is installed with battery support. There are also 2xHydor Koralia 3 and 1xTunze nanostream 6045.
- Deltec PF601 Calcium Reactor, with Pinpoint ph-controller and Aqua crown Hy Carb special material.
- Deltec FR509 Fluidised Reactor, containing Knopp ACtive Carbon and Aqualight Aquaphos phosphate remover. Both materials are replaced on a monthly basis.
- Teco Tr20 chiller on temp controller, fed by an eheim 1046 pump. 5 pc fans assist in keeping the temperature low, during the hot summer.
- Heating: 1x300watt Titanium Schego and 1x300watt Hydor heater, both on temp controller. The water temperature varies from 26.5C (79.7F) in the winter period to 28.5C (83.3F) in the summer period.
- Evaporating water is supplemented using an automated Tunze top-off system, modded in order to work with a maxijet pump.
- Almost all electrical equipment is controlled by a dedicated pannel, hand made by a good friend of mine.
Maintenance routine:
- Daily fish feeding using a mix of Ocean Nutrition Prime reef flakes, Omega One marine flakes, Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 flakes, Ocean Nutrition Formula 2 flakes & pellets and Sera granumarin. Once or twice per week I feed a mix of 3-4 kinds of frozen food (mysis, krill, artemia, lobster eggs, whatever I find each time I go shopping) plus dry Cyclopeeze.
- (Almost) daily addition of Amino Acid & Amino Acid LPS, by korallen-zucht
- KH and CA testing using Salifert test kits once per week. I stopped measuring PH or any other water parameters a long time ago.
- 100l (26.5g) of saltwater are changed monthly, using Korallen-Zucht Reefer´s Best Coral Reef salt and crystal clear water produced by a Ro-man 4-stage Ro/Di unit.
- RO sediment & carbon filters are changed once every 3 months and DI resin is changed when required.
- All pumps are cleaned with vinegar aproximately every 2-3 months.
- Ph controller's electrode calibration, 3-4 times per year.
- The T5 bulb is replaced every 9 months and the HQI bulbs every 12 months.
Fish:
1x Acanthurus leucosternon
1x Zebrasoma veliferum
1x Zebrasoma flavescens
1x Siganus volpinus
2x Synchiropus picturatus (pair)
1x Stenogobiops nematodes
1x Gramma loreto
1x Pseudoceilinus hexatenia
1x Haliochoeres chrysus
3x Pterapogon kauderni
2x Female Pseudanthias squamipinnis
1x Male Pseudanthias squamipinnis
5x Female Pseudanthias truncatus
Corals:
Many SPS species (Αcropora, Montipora plate & branching, Seriatopora, Stylophora, Pocillopora etc), LPS species (Euphyllia ancora/parancora/glabrescens, Caulastrea, Welsophyllia, Lobophylia, Trachyphylia, Scolymia, Acanthastrea, Goniopora) and only a few soft corals (sarcophyton, Xenia, Clavularia, Button polyps, Ricordea florida & yuma).
Other invertebrates:
4x maxima clams
2x big black bristle stars (and thousands smaller ones)
1x Neopetrolisthes sp (anemone/porcelain crab) living for 3 years in an euphylia
1x Strombus snail
Many symbiotic acro crabs
Many Anachis sp. snails (Dove snails)
Finally, I'd like to thank all the fellow hobbyists who supported me (in many ways) all those years, www.marineaquarium.gr and ReefCentral for the precious knowledge that I've acquired through their threads.
A special thanks goes to photographer Z.X. who took the majority of the great photos you're about to see. I hope you enjoy them. I'm sorry if they're too many but I had a hard time choosing which to post and which to leave out...:thumbsup::strange:
