Have a look at a kiwi tank

[raeh1.NZ]

The aim is one day to be a tank of the month contenter but have to stop my fragging, 300 in the past 8-9 months. Also have to many soft and lps's for that, and the lack of good equipment, etc etc and my tank just isn't in the same pall park. I guess the same as the New Zealand soccer team playing the English..haha. anyway enjoy.


Tank Specifications:

Main Tank: 1200L x 600W x 600H = 432 Litres
Sump: 450L x 450W x 420H = 40 Litres

Total tank water volume: approx 470 Litres

Protein skimmer: Deltec MCE600
Calcium Reactor: Nil
Lighting: 2 x 150W + 2 x 52W T5 actinic's with twin built in moonlights. and a power compact unit in sump.
Top up: Auto-topoff dosed using Tunze auto unit via RODI from 20 litre container
Water Flow: eheim 1260 return pump, 3* tunze nano's (total flow max 15,900 litres I also have a sea swirl for wave movement.
Heating: 2* Jaguer 300 watt heaters

Sump and all equipment are located directly below tank. All power is on a dedicated RCD unit, and have individual timers

Water quality:

ph: 8.00 - 8.30 (test kit)
kH: 7-10 (test kit)
Phosphate: 0ppm (test kit)
Nitrate: 10ppm (test kit)
Calcium: 400ppm (test kit)
Magnesium: no idea
Salinity: 1.025 (Refractometer)

Overview:

The tank is a free standing unit located in the lounge. I have a towel rail attached which has had many people comment oh yeah I should do that. The tank was set up in September 2007. But have had marines and have built 4 set-ups in the past 4 years of marine keeping. This tank has so far not had any faults or problems (touch wood) as I learnt from problems faced in all my other designs.

Future plan:

I have no intentions of increasing the size of my tank set-up but I do intend on putting in a Calcium reactor as I am tipping in between 500-700 grams a week of Calcium and KH stuff. I think deltec again as I still run an MCE600 which punches well above its weight. I would also like to go towards tunze streams but time will tell. Oh and maybe a reef keeper controller when they come out in 240 volt.

I have been fraging like a demon lately but I am intending to grow on for the next few months so I can get it looking really cool.

Livestock:

1 x Blue Tang
1 x Yellow Tang
1 x Coral Beauty Angel
2 x Clownfish Perculas
2 x Clownfish Skunk
1 x Copperband (that hand feeds)
4 x Chromis
2 x Cleaner Shrimp
1 x Brittlestar
5 x BTA's (2 x green, 1 x cream, 1 x Rose (which I bought white so the aim is 1.5 years till healthy again), 1 x fluro green (this guys been very differcult but slowly growing)
Snails for africa

So approximately one fish per 40 litres

Corals:
Aiming for 50% SPS, 25% LPS, 25% Softies. All my corals currently in tank were frags, apart from one which I bought for $20 from a local pet store as it was dying (all good now though)

Additives:
Weekly
10 ml strontium
10 ml soft trace
10 ml hard trace
10 ml iodine
heaped teaspoon magnsium
500-800 grams calcium
500-800 grams KH
heaped teaspoon of reef roids (praise be to this stuff amazing)
Flake food, and brine shrimp for the copperband
live baby brine shrimp for the corals and small life forms
60 litres nature saltwater
change filter wool

Monthly
Carbon changes
Wash phosphate remover

Photo's :-?

[seapug]

nice tank. I'm curious-- being close to Australia, is it easy to find livestock? I've heard that it's actually quite hard to acquire stuff there due to collection/import restrictions.

[Aquarist007]

To Reef Central

great looking tank==you should post it on this thread

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1301242

[Longchamp]

Nice tank youve got there, love the towel rack.

[just dave]

Nice tank, but I don't see a Kiwi.

[xtm]

I like your tank.. I'm also diggin' the towel hanger!

[dca22anderson]

Kia Ora! Great tank! Cheers!

[nancymccall]

I like the nice and clean sump area. Why are running two different kelvin bulbs? it looks like the left is a 10k and the right a 20k. are you just wanting sps on the left? Nancy

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by xtm
I like your tank.. I'm also diggin' the towel hanger!

why not add the soap dishes to the tank while you are at it

[Onte]

The soap dishes are brilliant! I had considered a towel rack but I think I might mount mine inside the stand along with some hooks for nets and things.

[raeh1.NZ]

New Zealand gets stink stock selection, a yellow tang goes for $160- 250 thats $128US to $200US each. All prices are far to high a cleaner shrimp $60US each, anemones $104US plus.

Australia has it good compared to us.

MAF doesn't let in live coral rock, most star fish or crabs, hermit crabs no go as well as most snails, alot of corals are not allowed.

So it takes time to get the right look, also marine supplies are over priced due to wholesalers taking massaive cuts eg MCE600 deltec retails for $800US. (when money converted).

I wish we had it better but only two real importors who the hobbists are putting there kids through college



cheers ru

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Onte
The soap dishes are brilliant! I had considered a towel rack but I think I might mount mine inside the stand along with some hooks for nets and things.

also great for mangroves---this way the plant leaves can be out of the water but the roots can be in substrate--as the plant grows I will move the dish closer to the substrate so eventually it will be rooted in it.
the soap dishes come with two suction cups and go for one dollar at the dollar store

haven't priced a towel rack yet however