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Introduction
Northlands Pets was founded 16 years ago. Chris and myself started our first marine tank 23 years ago. It was only a 3 foot. Unfortunately like many people when starting, we were given incorrect advice. This did not stop us and in no time bought a 4 foot tank.
Approximately3 years later we started a breeding program with clown fish. Before we knew what had happened we had set up no less than 12 breeding tanks. Clowns that we were breeding were common clown, tomato clown, African clown, Maroon clown, and skunk clown,
We then started to supply various stores around the country. As well as a variety of tropical fish. We did this for approximately 6 years which led us to Northlands pets.
We continued breeding for another year while the shop was in its early years and then gave it up due to lack of time. The original shop was only 30 square metres whereas the shop we are in now is 460 square metres specialising in tropical and marine fish.
We have three show tanks in the shop one of which has been chosen as tank of the month which houses soft and LPS corals. The second being SPS which has only been running 18 months and the third being an L-shaped tank 3m by 3m fish only which has only been running three months.
My interests lie in corals. |
Display Tank Size:
300 cm x 90 cm x 75 cm
Sump Size:
150 cm x 60 cm x 50 cm
Additional tanks if applicable, linked to main system:
fresh water reservoir 100 litres
Total system volume:
2600 L
Natural Sea Water or synthetic (If synthetic brand of Salt you Prefer):
Synthetic salt - Aqua Medic, we never had natural seawater
Tank Construction (Glass, thickness, bracing etc):
10 mm glass
Cabinet:
Wooden Cabinet in black
Location (Lounge etc):
in the shop with no natural sunlight |
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Mechanical (Skimmer etc):
Aqua Medic baby 5000 protien skimmer.
Aqua Medic nitrate reductor 5000 with MV controller and probe.
Biological (Live rock, DSB etc):
No deep sand bed. 250 kg of live rock as Aquascaping in the tank. We also have live rock in a refrigium holding approximately 60 kg
Chemical (Whether run mechanically or passively and how often):
Phosphate reactor ran continuously and replaced Rowa Phos every three months
Other:
Run carbon periodically. Very small amounts approximately hundred grams for only two weeks at a time, every second month |
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Main system lighting:
We run 4 metal halides, each 150 watt 13,000 Kelvin Aqua Medic bulbs. We also run eight T5's, four white and four blue. All Aqua Medic.
Photoperiod:
lights on for eight hours a day
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Return pump:
3500 ocean runner Aqua Medic
Powerheads/intank:
Three 3000 ocean runner power heads run on Aqua Medic wave maker |
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Calcium reactors / Kalkstirrers / Drips etc:
Aqua medic calcium reactor 5000 with pH controller and probe connected with solenoid to CO2 cylinder.
Other additives you add to your system and how often:
iodine, strontium, trace and also Tropic Marine buffer as I battle to maintain the KH. Zeo start, Zeo amino acids and the Zeo coral vitalizer and has been using them for about 10 weeks now. |
Livestock
FISH
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Mandarin, orange shoulder surgeon, Guinea fowl tang, Sohail surgeon, Concorde goby, Goldie's, banded pipe fish, yellowtail damsel that causes havoc. |
| SOFT
CORALS
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pin cushion leather, gorgonian, various types of zoanthed from green to orange. star polyp green and brown there is also a new variety of sinularia species as well as cladielia species. They are also a variety of elephant ears. |
| LPS
CORALS |
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anemone coral, hammerhead coral, bubble coral, eye coral (scolomia). Galaxy, Rose coral (geofrey). Blastomosa (Green and red). There are various types of other brain corals as well |
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Add supplements weekly as mentioned above iodine, strontium and trace. Water change 300 L every eight weeks.
How often lamps replaced:
approximately every 18 months
How often major equipment is stripped and cleaned:
maintained weekly
General system parameters Tested (How often):
weekly
Levels
SG: 1.022
Temp: 26°C
PH: 8.2
CA: 430 ppm
NO3: zero
PO4: zero
And any other you may test for:
KH at 9 ppm magnesium as close to 1200 ppm
Feeding
Type of foods fed:
make a mix of Cyclop-eeze granules and Cyclop eeze flakes as well as two cubes of the marine mix frozen food mixed in with the Aqua medic biovit multivitamin. We also add fresh garlic to the mix as well. Leave to stand for 20 minutes before feeding.
How often:
three times weekly
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Things I like most about my system:
size of tank
Things I would change if I could do it over:
redesigned sump
Favourite on line resource besides SA Reefkeeping.com:
zeovit.com
Best Advice received:
Many years ago I was told patiencce. The single most important piece of advice anyone will give you.
Worst advice received:
Throw a piece of steak into your tank to mature it. (Don't laugh it is true)
Favourite fish:
Royal Gramma
Favourite coral:
Elegance coral
My all time wish list for a fish I don't have but would love:
Catalina goby
My all time wish list for a coral I don't have but would love:
A bright green clam. |
Conclusion
Northlands pets would like to take this opportunity to thank South African Reefkeeping.com for its eternal upkeep in the maintenance of the web site as well as for the hobbyist. As the general person has no idea as to the amount of work put in to maintaining a forum like this.
I certainly hope that the hobby will give the new aquarist as many hours of pleasure as it has done for me over the last 23 years .
To conclude, please do your homework before setting up a marine tank. - Sean |
All
photo's by Anthony Van Us
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