Danano's Reef

[danano]

Chromis and Anthias schooling...

[danano]

Deep PURPLE Millepora. Like the RAINBOW milli, this too has blossomed since January.

#dananosreef

[danano]

The Bacto Reef Balls go in here, in the first sump compartment. They are replaced every two weeks. Helps to control nutrient levels and keep nitrates and phosphates in check.

[danano]

Neon GREEN stylo and Lime GREEN monti

[danano]

29 minutes ago, danano said:

The Bacto Reef Balls go in here, in the first sump compartment. They are replaced every two weeks. Helps to control nutrient levels and keep nitrates and phosphates in check.

Notice the coral chips in mesh bags, that's the bio-media.

[danano]

The Hot Pink Stylopora. A must have, this and the birdsnest equivalent. One of the first few corals I looked for when I returned to the reef keeping. Taken under LEDs and the 2nd pic, naturally lit.

[danano]

A splash of ORANGE. Here's an encrusting montipora.

[danano]

And a Montipora Setosa.

[danano]

Lights ON, and the 2nd pic showing full polyp extension, after lights OFF.

[danano]

Completing the spectrum of colours, here are INDIGO and VIOLET.

 

[danano]

Today, water test followed by WC.

Key parameters tested as follows:

Ca 410

KH 7.3

Mg 1360

Corals are happy. Will try to maintain close to these levels.

Finished the RS salt bucket few weeks ago. Now on TM Pro-Reef.

[danano]

Purple tip yellow tenuis growth, from January to April.

[danano]

"Bird of Paradise" Seriatopora (Birdsnest) growth, from January to April.

[danano]

Water supply... RODI system and several jerry cans for storage.

[danano]

A member of the clean-up crew busy housekeeping.

[danano]

The pipe organ had a visitor this morning.

Here's the Pipe Organ and a "Happy" Halloween.

[danano]

Hermit working OT, day and night.

[danano]

Changing out the filter wool today. For mechanical filtration. This is done every ten days or so.

[danano]

Done. Fresh filter wool. 

[Ashtrax]

On 4/30/2020 at 9:57 AM, danano said:

The Bacto Reef Balls go in here, in the first sump compartment. They are replaced every two weeks. Helps to control nutrient levels and keep nitrates and phosphates in check.

Cant really see it though.

[danano]

26 minutes ago, Ashtrax said:

Cant really see it though.

Changing out the BRB today. Here are a few pics for reference.

The old/used reef balls about to be replaced...

[danano]

And the new ones going in. A bi-weekly exercise.

[danano]

3 minutes ago, danano said:

Changing out the BRB today. Here are a few pics for reference.

The old/used reef balls about to be replaced...

They are about half the original size when used up.

[danano]

3 minutes ago, danano said:

They are about half the original size when used up.

 

[danano]

On 4/20/2020 at 2:38 PM, danano said:

Est. August 2019

The guiding principles behind my tank design and build were simplicity and ease of maintenance.

Another aim was also to establish and maintain an ultra low nutrient environment for SPS to thrive. Managing the bio-load and promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria were key to achieving this.

Some basic information:

TANK: 50g main + 30g lagoon + 20g sump

LIGHTING: AI Hydra 52HD (x2) + Orphek OR60 light bar; lagoon tank Kessil A360X

FILTRATION & CIRCULATION: Skimz skimmer, return pumps (X2) and wavemakers, Prodibio Biodigest & Bioptim, FM Bacto Reef Balls, coral chips and live rock

OTHER EQUIPMENT: Coralbox auto-doser and battery backup, RODI, Haliea HS-66A chiller

SALT & SUPPLEMENTS: Red Sea Salt and Foundation (CA+/KH/Mg), Tropic Marin Pro-Reef, and Fauna Marin Color Elements

 

Two return pumps for redundancy, one Skimz QP4.0 as the primary, and the other, a Skimz QP2.0 for the chiller. Both controllable DC pumps, so it's easy to regulate the flow rate.

I would have liked to install a redundant chiller as well. However, space constraints prevented me from doing so. As corals and other marine life are particularly sensitive to large temperature swings, I manage this aspect my controlling the ambient temperature, especially when I'm away travelling for more than a day. I've installed a wi-fi enabled cloud controller for the Daikin air-conditioning system in my living room. This allows me to control and pre-program the temperature setting and timing of the Aircon operation from anywhere in the world.

The redundant features, along with a cloud cam, have given me peace of mind when away from home.