My 20 Gallon Reef |
Front view of my soft coral and LPS reef |
I made this canopy myself with a 2x55 watt Bright Kit from AHSupply and the end caps from an Eclipse 3 hood that I just mounted to hold the NO bulbs. The entire project took me 2 hours and cost less then $150 so if you want good lighting over a small tank this is a great solution. |
Here you can see the nice rippling surface agitation that is created by my spraybar system. I am very happy with the over all gentle current that this has provided my system. |
CORAL LIST |
Xenia Elongata (started as a frag........has grown to 11 colonies) |
Mushrooms of various size and color |
Colt |
Doughnut.......have also seen it called Meat coral??? |
3 small hermits and 3 Turbo snails keep things clean |
Buy propagated corals to help save the reefs!!!! |
Read, Read, Read then Read some more BEFORE you start any tank to save time, money and the life inside. |
Visit the forum links on the right. They are a great place to get information and advice from fellow reefers. |
This tank is a first for many things for me......like a sump and a deep sand bed. I am very happy with both and can't understand how I ever got by without them. |
Go to AHSupply if you want great lights with great service at very reasonable prices. For smaller tanks I believe Power Compact lights are an excellent option. |
I pieced the spraybar system together with PVC from Lowe's for about $2 and as you can see I have many holes drilled for even flow.. |
Look at my Green Hammer coral. The bottom pic is when it first was put in. I was very tempted to move it because it did not seem happy. I am glad to say that patience paid off as you can tell from the beautiful extension it shows in the top pics |
If you have an Eclipse 3 and you like the looks of my canopy.......send me an e-mail and I will answer any questions you have about how I built this hood(it was simple) and you can make it to fit any tank, I just happen to have a 20 long. |
Green Hammer.....seems happiest on sand bed in low current |
Green Hairy Mushrooms...expands and looks great in the light |
Overall I am very happy with this tank. The combination of the gentle current from the spraybars and the pulsing of the xenia creates a lively yet peaceful view. All parameters are great and I really think the skimmer and DSB are to thank for this. I could not be more pleased with the lights as I think they provide enough energy for all softies, LPS and who knows maybe some day in the distant future I may put a hardy SPS frag at the very top and see how it does. The only things I add are DT's, Marine Snow, Reef Calcium and Buffer go in the makeup RO and target feed the LPS shrimp, clams, scallops etc. 10% H2O change monthly and takin' the scissors to the xenia now and then seem to be all I need. Hope you enjoyed my reef...............I DO!!! |
Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractic keeps your body healthy and strong naturally.. |
Get your Atlas checked today!!!!!! |
My newest corals. Green button polyps and Green star polyps. The star polyps have already covered that rock I placed next to it for fragging. |
Here are some nice pics of my sump. Inside you can see my portable container with 5" HD sand covered by 1" of Live Sand, this will allow the tank to process and remove Nitrates. The skimmer is a Amiracle Sea Reef run by a Tetra Luft air pump.......for about $70 total I think it is a great skimmer and pic 3 shows it's nice thick goo. |
Green Star Polyps already spreading like crazy!!!! |
Green Button Polyps |
