I had been keeping Saltwater fish since 1968, but I decided to take a break from the hobby in 2000. It wasn't until I was "free from it" that I actually began noticing other tanks around the city - in stores, waiting rooms, lobby's, etc. As time wore on it began to gnaw at me....little by little, like an internal parasite boring it's way out...I didn't have a tank anymore!!!

One afternoon I found myself in Queens with some free time. I was also just two blocks from FishTown. So I decided to pop in for a quick look see. As I let my eyes swim from tank to tank, I came across one that had a small school of baby pilot fish, hypnotizing me with every back and forth lap of the glass. That was the last drop of water - I had to have another tank. As I began re-buying everything I had stupidly gotten rid of off the internet, I began finding web sites (Manhattanreefs.com among them), dedicated to reef tanks. After much research, I found to my surprise, that tremendous advances had been made in the technology and equipment used to keep a reef - so now instead of a fish tank, I had to have a reef tank. Before I knew it I was building the actual tank. A 112 gallon, 3 sided, Starphire Cube- 36"x 24"x 30", with internal Eurobracing and a corner overflow. Then it was the stand, the hood for the lights...well you know how it goes from there! After the build I decided I would use a 4" sand bed of aragonite, and around 170 - 180 lbs of rock. 120 lbs base and the rest is the best uncured live rock I could find from the Marshall Islands. I filter tap water with a Water General 5 stage RO/DI unit and use Tropic Marine Pro Reef Salt mix. From my diving experience I know first hand how important flow can be on a reef so I knew I wanted a lot. I modded out two Maxijet 1200's with big Dumas props, and I got an Eheim 1260 for the return. That put the flow at around 2500 gph, turning the tanks contents about 22.5 times per hour. The corner overflow has no teeth allowing for maximum surface skimming.

Because I'm a low tech, hands on type of person I wanted to keep the sump below as simple as I could. I turned a 39 gallon high (because of limited space), AGA aquarium into a baffled sump/refugeium. I used soft Black vinyl hosing, instead of rigid PVC for the plumbing. The water first flows down a filter sock, and then to an inexpensive modded Coral life 125 super skimmer. After a trip through the baffles most of the water is pumped back up into a split lock line return, each end capped with a Hydorflow rotating deflector to help keep the flow chaotic. I said most of the water because, the return hose has a split in it and, some of the water is routed back to a 10 gallon refugeium. The fuge is filled with live rubble rock, macro algae, & xenia. It also has an Aquaclear HOB filled with Rowaphos and GAC, a titanium heater, and a very low/slow flow. The fuge is lit with a 75 watt TCP p38 floodlight, on an alternate lighting schedule from the display. When everything was turned on for the first time, I quickly found out I had a huge micro-bubble problem. My solution (which works like a charm), was to put the entire return pump into an X-large filter bag. This solution had two drawbacks, if I wanted pods they'd have to grow in the display (luckily they do!), and I had another sock to change out.


Having learned that it is cheaper to plan ahead and buy the best you can, rather than to keep upgrading, I decided to bite the bullet and bought a plug and play retrofit MH system. I knew I would be keeping a little of everything so i went with 2- 250w SE XM 10 k's and, 2- 90w Super VHO actinics w/ German reflectors. I'm not sure which ballasts I have other than "Cheap"! To help keep the heat down I bought 2 - Vantec Thermoflow 12v 18amp 120x120x25mm fans and placed them on either end - both drawing air in. I put the lights on separate timers so at 11:00am the first actinic lights come on, followed by the next actinic at 11:30am, and at 12:00pm both MH's. These stay on 7 hours before going dark. The actincs stay on - one until 10:30pm, the other goes until 11:00pm.

Having used a much larger ratio of base rock to live, it meant I was going to have to grow a lot of coralline to eventually make the reef look grown in! I quickly found out that this growth would need a ton of calcium and alkalinity supplements so....I learned how to make my own Randy's 2-part. I test the calcium and alk levels everyday at 3:00pm. For the first few months I was having to dose up to 20-oz a day to keep up the levels I wanted! These are: Calcium - 450ppm, Alk - 4.00meg/l, Magnesium - 1320, SG - 1.026, Temperture - 77 to 79 degrees. Now that the tank has matured and the coralline grown in, I only need 4.5 oz of calcium and alk supp each day. I add it by hand into the skimmer out flow, 2 oz of each, 40 minutes apart in the morning and, 2.5 oz of each 12 hours later. I test for and use B-ionic magnesium supplement (if needed), about once every two weeks or so. Salifert kits are used for these tests and for nitrates, (which are fairly constant at .2). Recently I got a low range Hanna meter to test for Phosphates, which seem to hover around 0.02 - 0.03. I leave the PH up to the will of the gods, (but it seems to range from 8.2- 8.3).

I keep some pretty delicate fish and inverts so I feed little amounts of food quite often, at least 4 times a day. For the the fish I mix up a batch of frozen Mysis shrimp, blood worms, reef formula, spirulina formula Hikari pellets, and Cyclop-ezze flakes. I also add in garlic and Selcon. I put a little dab on the end of my finger and let the fish eat it off from there (my potters wrasse has drawn blood!). I try not to let this food swirl around the tank. There is also a clip on the glass with Nori.

I keep two hatching dishes for hatch brine shrimp going on a daily basis. Once in the late morning I flood the display with the nepuli, and again late at night, well after the lights go off. For the pods, clams, SPS, and crynoid, twice a week (at night), I turn off the overflow. I then flood the display with a mixture of DT's phyto, Oyster eggs, Reef Nutrition Roti feast, and ground up frozen Cyclop-ezze. I also spot feed mysis to some of the hungrier night eating LPS.

1- Tridacna maxima/ultra purple
2- Tridacna crocea/ dopterog orgia radiata
1- Echinophyllia
1- Purple Montipora digitata,
1- Orange Montipora capricornis
1- Blastomussa merletti
Too many Mushrooms - Some of the different color morphs are: Green striped, blue striped, purple hairy, blue, red, pink rimmed, etc...
Many patches of yellow polyps 4 or 5 different kinds of zoanthids/playthoas, and neon Green Star Polyps.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something?!

I like to blast the rocks with a turkey baster twice a week and, a the thin top layer of sand once a week. Do a change out of 10 gallons of water once a week and, the filter bags twice a week. Replace the GAC once a month and, the Rowaphos every other month. Dump and clean the skimmer collection cup twice a week. Clean the inside tank glass with a Mag float when needed.

I'm glad I took that break from the hobby back in 2000. It's what was needed to shake up this "Old Salt". Keeping fish only was one thing, but a reef....(in my mind), only for the Pro's. What a dummy I'd become! With a new computer I realize that reef keeping is something that has advanced tremendously in recent years and, with the help you can get from sites on the internet-like Manhattanreefs, almost anyone willing to do the homework can now successfully keep one! The experience has been extremely rewarding. It has helped me to hit some aquatic milestones and I also receive outside benefits as well! Keeping a reef tank has helped my health- I'm an insomniac and somewhat hyper, the tank has helped out tremendously with those problems. It has also enabled me to keep species I NEVER thought possible in any other set up, (my crinoid is still with me- 11 months now)! Keeping a reef has also opened a doorway to meeting new people and making good friends!





Q: What do you attribute your tanks success to?
A: The use of a QT, also knowledge gained from reading, talking with others, observing,
asking questions & years of experience.

Q: What's your favorite pick up line to use in a pet store?
A: I have a Hanna meter, want me to drop in to test your water?

Q: What kind of tank did you start out with?
A: My very first tank was a 55 gallon SW with fish, a few inverts, and dead coral heads (1968)
The reef tank has always been mixed.

Q: How many times have you upgraded the size of your tank?
A: I've had many tanks over the years (as big as 200 gallons), but due to space (and length of time I've had it),
the reef tank has always been a 112gal cube.

Q: If you had to choose one animal in the ocean – who/what would you say you most closely resemble?
A: Sea cucumber

Q: What is the worst story you want to share about your reef?
A: The week before I was asked to be MR's TOTS my AC (the tanks main resource for staying cool), blew up!
The temp rose up higher than it had ever before. On the worst day it hit 84 degrees- that's up 5 degrees
in a few hours!! My tank is not used to such swings and consequently suffered for it....the large Orange Monti cap bleached,
as did my Purple digitata, 2 of 3 platys are showing signs of edge recession, and so is a chalice. All the damage seems to have occurred in the top most portion of the tank. Being it's such a deep tank, the top got warmer than the bottom (where there was no damage done at all).

Q: What is the best story you want to share about your reef?
A: My reef was actually set up on my birthday in September. While I was expecting to celebrate it's one year
anniversary, I was NOT expecting to have it chosen to represent Manhattan Reefs Tank of the Season,
(I'm so honored), WOW what a birthday present- Thank YOU!!