The lighting is just a 130w PC fixture, which includes 65w actinic. The bulbs are actually getting old and will need to be replaced soon. Filtration is a Eheim ecco 2236 canister filter. I know that many people with sw aquaria say these are just nitrate factories, so I thought that would be perfect.
I've also added a Maxijet 600 for additional water movement.
The sand for the sandbed was locally collected and ranges from about 3"-5", with the bottom inch being a combination of "mud" and sand. I was thinking about adding some low light seagrasses later on, so thats the reason for the "mud" and depth. I'm also planning on adding two yellowhead jawfish in the future, which would also appreciate the depth.
As far as livestock, I have a bunch of nassarius and ceriths, and a few astreas. I used to have a rough gang of blue leg hermits but they were far too destructive, so they were booted. I have a small queen conch who basically rules the roost now. I just added a small crown conch that I came across at the beach and it does a great job mixing up the sandbed. When these guys get too large they'll be moved out. I've also got a small sea cuc as well for the sand. There are several patches of Zoanthus and Palythoa in there too. These were collected by the diver and aren't the "domesticated?" types that people tend to keep.
For macros, I have two types of Halimeda, two types of Penicillus, two of Udotea, Bataphora, Acetobularia, and some unknown red. Everything but the Acetobularia is doing well, which is not a suprise. My plan was to just through a bunch of things in there and then stick with what does well. I have tried some Sargassum, but both types practically melted. I have had some Udotea not make it as well.
I dose Kent Liq. Ca as per the instructions of the bottle but will have to slow down since I measured it last night at 500 mg/L. I also dose iron, but only at half the amount that is suggested, since I have no way of testing for it. I'm trying to keep this tank as low maintenance as possible, so I'll probably stop there. My thinking is if something doesn't do well with what I'm doing, I'll just not use it. I don't really plan on modifying anything in the future to accommodate anything different.
