Reefkeeping in America's Heartland - OzarksReef Rimless Cube

[OzarksReef]

After a second move in the past three years, my reef tank and coral collection took a pretty big hit. I sold some colonies, fragged some up, and changed my tank to reflect the space available. With three tanks in as many years, I figured it would be good to begin a journal into my current setup to record the progress. I'm just over five months into my latest build and I hope you'll come along for the ride and weigh in with some advice and opinions.

Aquarium | Marineland 93-Gallon Cube (30" x 30" x 24")
Lighting | GHL Mitras 6100 HV
Skimmer | Super Reef Octopus XP1000
Flow | 2 x MP40
Dosing | Simplified Balling Method using LMIII
Control | Apex Jr. with PM1

I'm into photography and have really been pleased with the results under the Mitras lighting. I am using a Canon 60D with the 100mm f2.8 Canon Macro lens. I'm using ReefWare aquarium tracking software and at the time of this writing, it indicates my tank is at the 5 month, 5 day, and 9 hour mark.

In my past experience, something magical happens at the 6 month mark. The tank achieves stability, bacterial colonies have reached critical mass, and corals really begin to take off. I sure hope that is the case again with the current glass box!

The live rock (Vanuatu) and sand came from an established system. The tank did not experience a typical cycle at all. With the introduction of the live rock & sand, along with Microbacter 7, everything made the move across town just fine.

I'll start this journal with a quick profile of some of the corals introduced during the startup of this new aquarium.

 

[OzarksReef]

Coral Profile | Acropora sp. (Common Name Unknown)

This may be A. valida, displaying a nice green base with purple tips and green polyps at the tips but purple polyps in the established growth. I'm not sure of the common name or if it's an actively traded coral, but am liking how it's coloring up and growing in the new system. This coral came over from my previous system and has been grown from a frag over the past year.

Here's a shot of the same coral just one month after the move - it has grown and colored up considerably since then. If you look closely, you can see the redbug problem I was experiencing at the time. Interceptor treatments did the trick a couple of months ago and all acros are showing better color and polyp extension.

 

[reef80]

How many treatment did you do...looks nice btw...

 

[OzarksReef]

Coral Profile | Seriatopora sp. (Common name - Bird of Paradise)

I got this coral as a good-sized frag last year and again, it made the move from my previous system. It has more than doubled in size and has given up a a dozen or so frags in the past year. I think it will grow more quickly now that it is settled. It sits about one-foot under the LED, directly under the light.

A shot of the colony a year ago:

 

[OzarksReef]

How many treatment did you do...looks nice btw...

Two treatments, one week apart. Hermits really took a hit, but the fire shrimp made it through. I hope I don't regret not doing the third treatment, but I couldn't find any adults and all looked great. Sure hoping they don't make a comeback!

 

[OzarksReef]

Coral Profile | Acropora sp. (Common Name - Unknown)

I purchased this maricultured acropora around 10 months ago. It was very pale when I purchased it - almost white, but yet looked healthy. It has grown well and continually morphed colors since then. For now, it has a yellow base with purple/blue tips and yellowish-green polyps. It is located around 14" under the surface and is directly below the lighting fixture.

 

[Haksar]

Nice tank and great pics...A FTS will be great.

 

[Arkayology]

Wow, the BOP birdsnest has some crazy colors. Do you use any kind of mechanical filtration? GFO/GAC/carbon dosing?

 

[OzarksReef]

Wow, the BOP birdsnest has some crazy colors. Do you use any kind of mechanical filtration? GFO/GAC/carbon dosing?

I found that the polyps hold tighter to the body of the coral under higher light and higher flow. It gets pretty fuzzy under lower light, which hides the bright base color.


I run two reactors 24/7 - carbon and GFO.

 

[40+]

I dont post unless I have something to say, so here goes

"WOW" fantastic colours, well done.

 

[OzarksReef]

Nice tank and great pics...A FTS will be great.

Thanks - will work on getting a FTS up soon. That's an area I still struggle with - metering all the light & dark areas makes getting a decent exposure difficult.

I dont post unless I have something to say, so here goes

"WOW" fantastic colours, well done.

Hey thanks - to me, that's the magic of this hobby...the amazing color palette! Trying to capture it is a challenge and part of the fun.

 

[OzarksReef]

Coral Profile | Montipora cebuensis (Bloody Mary Monti)

This is a Reeffarmers LE coral that I purchased at about 2" across. It has been in relatively high light for the past year, with the highest in the past few months. I moved it to the top, back of the reef and am hoping to see it scroll a bit more to fill the space both horizontally and vertically. It has grown to around 8" across and the bright "cherry" pink has never faded on it. I think this is a beautiful and under appreciated coral.

A picture from just over one year ago:

 

[OzarksReef]

Coral Profile | Montipora confusa

Another Reeffarmers LE coral, the M. confusa is growing right next to the M. cebuensis. They don't seem to be harming one another in any way, but I suspect the cebuensis will over grow it eventually. I really like the bright contrast of the red next to the green.

 

[OzarksReef]

Coral Profile | Acropora echinata (Hawkins Blue)

A. echinata appears very delicate and graceful in its growth structure. I got this as a very small frag and have been growing it out for the past six months. It has developed into a mini colony despite breaking a fairly large piece off when moving it recently. I love the way the blues and greens blend subtly and the smooth surface of the branches. This coral is in a lower light area in the reef - out of direct light and about 20 inches under the surface.

 

[OzarksReef]

Full Tank Shots | OzarksReef at 5.5 months

Some recent shots of the reef as it progresses.

 

[sahin]

Beautiful reef and beautiful photography! I just bumped one of your old threads the other day. I've found your latest thread though

Can you share what you are feeding the corals and the fishes? And are you dosing any additives for the SPS?

Many thanks.

PS I just noticed that you have my favorite tank: the 93G Marineland! I love cube tanks! This tank is way cool. Very glad to be following your tank.

 

[OzarksReef]

Hey Sahin - great to hear from you! When I noticed some of the recent activity on my old thread, it inspired me to share some more recent activity again.

The 93-cube is a great footprint that allows for creative aquascaping, yet doesn't require a lot of space in the home. I'm not happy with the 'scape yet, but it's a work in progress. I'm a big fan of a more 'minimal' look, and will be looking for ways to make that happen soon.

I take a similar "minimalist" approach to coral and fish feeding. The fish get a variety of flake and frozen. Most will take either, but I still have a couple of stubborn anthias that won't eat anything but Mysis or Brine. I haven't done much in the way of coral feeding - either direct or additives. My primary focus is on water quality, flow, and light - I really feel that if these parameters are managed, great things can happen!

 

[OzarksReef]

Fish Profile | Pseudanthias squamipinnis (LyreTail Anthias)

With all the SPS in the display, fish selection can be a challenge. Would love to add some butterfly fish or take risks with an angelfish, but have stuck with the more traditional "reef-safe" selections. I added a single male and four female Lyretails a couple of months ago. The fish have done really well - adapting to frozen and flake. The stubborn female mentioned a few posts back has started accepting flake - though she does it pretty grudgingly :lol:.

They're a beautiful addition to the reef and I'm glad to have the additional color and movement.

 

[ebond009]

Awesome pictures.love the anthias.

 

[flamron]

Great looking tank David!