Reefkeeping in America's Heartland - Ozarksreef Journal

[OzarksReef]

I've been a member of the RC community for the past nine years or so and have really enjoyed learning more about the hobby and seeing all the great systems over the years! One of the things that really appeals to me about the hobby is the relentless pursuit of the perfect system ... something I've been hoping to achieve for years now.

Unfortunately, the hobby also has its setbacks and I've also had my share of those. Most recently, I experienced a nearly complete system die off which I suspect was caused by a bacterial infection triggered by significant bleaching from a new lighting system. Just prior to the crash, I was enjoying some real success with my system and had just started a journal on this board.

I made the decision to restart and after a year of fine-tuning, thought I'd start a new journal of the system and inhabitants. At the time of this entry, I'm fourteen months into the new system and want to invite you along for the ride and to weigh in with some advice and suggestions.

Aquarium | DSA 190 (60" x 27" x 27")
Lighting | 2x250w DE MH + 4x54w T5
Skimmer | Bubble Magus Hero 180
Flow | 2 x MP40
Dosing | Simplified Balling Method using LMIII
Control | Apex System with 2xEB8

In many ways, this system has been slower to take off then others I have set up in the past. I kept the LED lighting from my previous system (EcoTech Radions) for the first 8 months, but after continuing to struggle with color development, made the decision to go back to metal halide lighting and all the heat and energy consumption that come with it (and the 1/3 HP chiller :hmm3. I expect to return to LED in the not too distant future, but am enjoying the results of the halide/T5 combo for now.

I'll start things off with a quick profile of the equipment I chose for this system, along with a snapshot of how the system looks at the time this thread was started.

Thanks again for joining me!

 

[OzarksReef]

Equipment Profile | Trigger Systems Ruby Elite Sump

I wanted plenty of room in the sump and found this one used locally. It has a separate refugium section, two lines for the overflow, probe holders, a really large chamber for the skimmer, and a good-sized return chamber. It came drilled for an external pump, so I plumbed it with a PanWorld 100PX-X with a max flow of 1270 GPH.

 

[OzarksReef]

Equipment Profile | Bubble Magus Hero 180 Skimmer

I had read some good things about Bubble Magus when they first entered the scene, but hadn't used their skimmers on any of my displays. After trying their tiny NAC3 model on a nano system, I decided to see what options they had for a larger system. After checking some sites, including a writeup on ************, I decided to give the Hero 180 a try.

The skimmer is powered by a Sicce PSK-2500 needle wheel pump and is rated for up to 240 gallons. After running it for more than a year, I can say I'm impressed with the overall build quality on the Bubble Magus skimmers and the performance has been really good. My system is stocked on the lighter side, but it will fill three-fourths full with a dark skimmate each week.

It arrived packaged well...

 

[OzarksReef]

Equipment Profile | LifeRock by CaribSea

I already had around 80 pounds of really nice rock from Vanuatu. It was well cured and has some really nice shapes. But I wanted more rock to build my scape. I didn't want to start with base rock or marco type rock again. Just didn't like the idea of looking at bleach white rock for six months.

At the time, CaribSea had just introduced a new product called Life Rock. It looks like land-mined aragonite rock with a purple coloring. I ordered two 40 pound boxes and loaded them into a barrel of saltwater from recent water changes. I let them "cycle" in the water for around 6 weeks before adding them to my system.

 

[OzarksReef]

Equipment Profile | DSA 190 Gallon Display

I had limited space for this aquarium installation, but wanted to go with the largest system I could fit. I ordered the Deep Sea Aquatics 190 and the matching Heritage Oak stand from a local fish store in Joplin, Missouri called Saltwater Paradise.

This aquarium is 60" x 27.5" x 27.5" and is built out of 5/8" glass. It's well constructed, top-notch silicone work, and has a fairly large internal overflow box. It's drilled with three (3) 1" drain holes and two (2) 3/4" return lines. I have one drain set up with a gate valve to reduce noise and the other two as backup drains in case it gets backed up. The returns are T-d off of the PanWorld return pump with individual gate valves installed for adjustment. I currently have it dialed back on the return to reduce sandstorms and micro bubbles.

 

[plyle02]

I remember you, dang that display is beautiful, great job on the setup, looking forward to seeing this one grow out

 

[sahin]

Good to see your thread. I've been following your tanks for like nearly 10 years...it's a joy to see the current tank: it looks great.

A usual, excellent photography is always included in your threads.

Subscribed for sure.

 

[joshky]

That's a really great looking tank you have there, I would love to see more pictures.

 

[tomae]

Nice !!!!


attention, the bubble plate is mounted in the wrong way, note that there is a space with no holes shaped pizza slice. the output of the pump should face this area

look closely at the image down

regards

 

[OzarksReef]

I remember you, dang that display is beautiful, great job on the setup, looking forward to seeing this one grow out

Thanks - I appreciate you checking in. Will have an update on corals soon.

Good to see your thread. I've been following your tanks for like nearly 10 years...it's a joy to see the current tank: it looks great.

A usual, excellent photography is always included in your threads.

Subscribed for sure.

Thanks Sahin - it took awhile to start feeling good enough to photograph things again after the crash. Glad to be posting again!

That's a really great looking tank you have there, I would love to see more pictures.

Thanks very much -
More updates coming soon!

Nice !!!!

attention, the bubble plate is mounted in the wrong way, note that there is a space with no holes shaped pizza slice. the output of the pump should face this area

regards

Thanks for the tip - will definitely check it out. I wonder if I'd get better performance that way?

 

[undeadmoto]

great looking tank

 

[nebraskareef]

Subbed

 

[Wiskey]

Very nice!!! Following along.

I've seen many people that had great success with using a T5/LED combo, if you like the color you get under the MH/T5 you might want to give that a try before going back to pure LED.

Whiskey

 

[maxxII]

Subscribed! It's always nice to see a beautiful reef in Missouri!

 

[OzarksReef]

great looking tank

Thanks very much! At just over one year old, it has a long way to go, but I'm happy with progress so far.

Subbed

Welcome aboard!

Very nice!!! Following along.

I've seen many people that had great success with using a T5/LED combo, if you like the color you get under the MH/T5 you might want to give that a try before going back to pure LED.

Whiskey

Great suggestion - a friend of mine has T5's in the center with LED lighting in front and rear. I'm going to keep an eye on his progress and may just try that mix as well. That was my original plan with the Radions, but never got to it.

Subscribed! It's always nice to see a beautiful reef in Missouri!

Thank you - what better place for a piece 'o the reef?!

 

[OzarksReef]

Coral Profile | Acropora sp. "Lime in the Sky"

This stag horn is very fast-growing and tends to get much brighter in very high PAR areas. It is a fairly thick growth at the base that tapers to a delicate green/blue tip. I have pruned many large and small frags from the main colony and it just seems to spur on faster growth.

There are three colonies in the OzarksReef - the largest is on the left side, another in the center, and a small one that is mounted to the aquascape in more of a horizontal position on the right side.

Top of the largest colony

Right side colony close-up

Closeup #1

Closeup #2

​

 

[PDR]

Where did you get the original frag? I looks great.

 

[Wiskey]

That coral looks great! Perfectly timed writeup too because I was needing a small frag of colorful (not green) stag to put on the same side as my Green Slimer so they can both grow up together. I love the look of 2 huge intertwined stags and I want to do that on the right 2 feet of my tank with LPS in the sand below them.

Whiskey

 

[tfp]

beautiful pics Ozark! your stag might be the surf'n'turf out here in CA. it looks really happy!

 

[shih87]

Very cool... Love those staghorn corals!