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Introduction
Hi my name is Anthony Teixeira and I live in Edenvale, Gauteng, South Africa. I am married and have 3 sons.
I started keeping fresh water fish in a 1 foot tank in 1994 (the year I got married) I enjoyed the tank but I always wanted marine fish.
The time came finally in 1997 when with an extremely low budget (nothing has changed) I converted another fresh water tank that I had bought into a marine tank.
In 2002 I bought my current 4ft tank from the lfs, for a while I was very naïve and listened to the lfs advice and was buying a fish every month, and every month a fish would die. In 2003 I nearly sold my tank after losing a Regal Angel, Powder Blue Tang AND Navarchus Angel in one day.
I then stumbled across a internet site called www.garf.org (Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation) that boasts a “bullet proof reef aquarium”, I then decided to give it one more bash the only problem was that “garf” only used Seachem additives, CaribSea aragonite products that I could not source anywhere, so I phoned Seachem in the States an asked if their was an agent in S.A.
They, then gave me the number of a Mr. Mark Nel I contacted him and he put me in contact with Liaquat Sain (Aqua1).
It was at that point for the first time that someone actually took some genuine interest in my tank and tried to help me, even if I didn’t buy any of his products.
Liaquat assisted me with the setup of the bulletproof reef aquarium in September 2003 and within 3 months my coralline algae was growing strong, and since then I have suffered very few fatalities. |
Display Tank Size:
1200mm x 450mm x 500mm
Sump Size:
1000mm x 350mm x 590mm (370mm water height)
Refugium in sump:
500mm x 350mm x 300mm
Additional tanks if applicable, linked to main system:
fresh water reservoir 100 litres
Total system volume:
360 L
Tank Construction (Glass, thickness, bracing etc):
6mm glass
Cabinet:
Metal stand cladded with wood (used to be oak stand)
Location (Lounge etc):
Dining room with no furniture except for the tank |
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Mechanical (Skimmer etc):
1 x Turbo Queen TS 2000 Skimmer
1 x MAD 300 Insump needle wheel skimmer
Biological (Live rock, DSB etc):
Deep sand bed on a plenum
Chemical (Whether run mechanically or passively and how often):
SeaChem Purigen on the outlet of the refugium
SeaChem PhosGuard
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Main system lighting:
1 x 4ft 40w Philips actinic T8 (12h00 – 23h00)
2 x 2ft 40w Philips actinics HO T12 (12h00 – 23h00)
2 x 36w ReefDay 6500K T5 Power Compacts (15h00 – 19h30)
2 x 36w ReefDay 6500K T5 Power Compacts (18h00 – 22h30)
1 x 4ft 54w deltec T5 Actinic + (19h30 – 23h00)
Lamps changed +/- 10 months to a year
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Return pump :
1 x WGF Flow 4800 l/h onto spray bar
1 x 2000 l/h through chiller from sump to tank
1 x 1000 l/h into refugium
Display tank circulation:
4 x 1500 l/h resun powerheads
2 x AQuality wavemaker |
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Calcium reactors / Kalkstirrers / Drips etc:
1 x Reef Octopus calcium reactor (still to be connected).
Other additives you add to your system and how often:
Seachem Reefbuilder 5 tablespoons (every second 25ltr top up)
Seachem Reef Advantage Calcium 5 tablespoons (every second 25ltr top up)
(Will be dosing less builder and calcium once calcium reactor is connected)
Seachem Reef Plus 2 table spoons twice a week
25ltr water change +/- every second week. (Tropic Marin, Instant Ocean, and SeaChem Reefsalt WHEN I can get it)
Equipment stripped when ever I get the chance (not very often) |
Livestock
| FISH
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| 1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Regal Tang
1 x Flame Angel
1 x Clown Fish
1 x Regal Angel |
| SOFT
CORALS |
Sarcophytons
Cladiella
Sinularia
Ricordea yuma - Green/White, Orange/Green
Rhodactis indosinensis
Bali Polyps
Coverdularia Star polyps - 3 Types
Blue/Purple Mushrooms
Green Mushrooms
Green zoanthids
PornStar Blue zoanthids |
| SPS
CORALS |
Green Montipora plating-type
Orange Montipora plating-type
Purple-tip acropora
Pink-tip acropora
Seriatopora historix
Acropora millepora |
CLEAN UP CREW |
20-30 hermit crabs
10-15 snails
And a whole lot of other creepy crawlies things in the DSB |
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Salinity: 1.024
Temperature: +/- 24-26 degrees
PH: 8.3
Ca: 380-400ppm
Kh: +/- 3,5 mEq/L [10 dKh]
N03: 10
Feeding
Nori every night
van Gerven “Krill” every other night
Mysis shrimp every other night
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Things I like most about my system:
The thing I love about my tank is knowing that you have a piece of the ocean in your dining room.
Things I would change if I could do it over:
There wouldn’t be much that I would change if I had to start over because I’m happy with the system.
Favourite on line resource besides SA Reefkeeping.com:
garf.org
Best Advice received:
“Only bad things happen fast in the marine aquarium”
Worst advice received:
“Don’t worry this medication will cure your white spot”
Favourite fish:
Regal Angel
Favourite coral:
All Acro's & Monti's
I would love to get my hands on some of the colourful corals that we often see on the internet. |
Conclusion
I would like to take this opportunity to thank SA Reefkeeping.com (SARK) for giving me the chance to show my tank. The people at SARK are really great and its so important to have people to ask questions and for advice because there are so many pet stores out there, that just want to make a quick buck, regardless of the consequences. To all the people behind the scenes at S.A.R.K. keep up the good work.
A special thank you to Liaquat Sain (aqua1) for all of the advice and help he has given me since 2003, without it my tank would not be what it is. -Anthony |
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