We are proud to announce the reintroduction of the Manhattan Reefs Tank of the Month feature!!
..and the winner is Jim with his Marineland 300DD tank!!
Congrats Jim!
What does being chosen for the MR ToTM honor mean to you?
Being chosen as ToTM means a great deal to me and it truly is an honor. I have put a lot of time, effort and research into my tank and I'm happy to have a chance to share it. I always enjoy looking at the many great tanks here and I'm humbled to be included.
Everyone has a story, tell us how you became involved in reefkeeping?
My brother and I had a 55 gallon tank when we were kids and we would stock it with whatever fish or crayfish we could catch at the local brook. Later on I had a 30 gallon Cichlid tank but it didn't keep my interest very long. In 2008 I bought a 90 gallon RR, a bunch of books on saltwater tanks and all the wrong equipment to start a reef.
After two years I was completely addicted and decided to upgrade to my current tank and do it the right way.
I understand that! There certainly is a learning curve when it comes to saltwater tanks.
What size is this beautiful tank?
The tank is a custom Marineland 300DD (72x36x27). I built my own stand and canopy and have an 80 gallon MRC sump with a 20 gallon refugium and a 20 gallon frag tank attached to the display. It's driven by a Hammerhead pump with a manifold.
Sweet! What kind of lighting do you have?
For lighting I have a sliding light rack with 3x250 watt Lumenarc MH pendants with Phoenix 14K DE lamps driven by Blueline ballasts, 4x72" 160watt VHO actinics and LED moonlights.
What other equipment are you running on the tank?
I'm using an Apex to control lighting, heaters and other equipment.. For flow I have 4xMP40's and 1- MP60 (waiting for installation). To maintain the temperature I use 3 x 500 watt titanium heaters and a 1/2 hp Aqualogic chiller.
What husbandry practices keep your tank looking so healthy?
For stability I use a MTC calcium reactor supplemented with a Kalk reactor/stirrer which is dosed with a Litermeter and a Nextreef monster twin reactor for carbon and GFO, that I change monthly. I also dose Lugol?s solution weekly.
I have a 110 gallon RO/DI storage tank that I use for 40 gallon weekly water changes and topoff. I use ESV salt and my parameters stay pretty steady.
S.G. 1.025
Alk 8 DKH
Cal 440
Mag 1320
No3 10
Po4 .07
I'm working at lowering the last two.
Ahhh yes, the goal of all reef keepers!
In light of all of the damage caused by Sandy, how do you keep your reef safe?
I have a small generator but since Sandy I ordered a bigger one to run the whole house. With the time, energy and money we invest in this hobby, a generator is a must have piece of equipment.
I see a lot of fish in there, what can you tell us about them? Any favorites?
I have about 40 fish in my system with a good mix of tangs, wrasses, clowns and assorted others. My favorite is my Achilles. For some reason I find black fish interesting so along with the Achilles, I have a black tang, a pair of midnightclowns, and an Arabian blenny.
?and the corals?
I have mostly SPS because I like the challenge. I'm not up on a lot of the names of coral. If it's interesting and I can keep it colored up then I like it.
How has MR contributed to your success with the hobby?
Manhattan Reefs has really helped me along the way. It's a great place for guidance , research and sometimes a good laugh. I've met a lot of great people that are as obsessed as I am and hope to meet more. I wish I knew about MR before I started my first saltwater tank. It would have saved me a few big mistakes and a lot of money. I would recommend to anyone starting out to do lots of research and ask a lot of questions. There's a great group of experienced reefers here willing to help.
It has been a real pleasure having you as our ToTM winner Jim..any final thoughts?
In closing, I'd like to thank my family for putting up with my obsession and my mother-in-law for taking an interest in my hobby and baby-sitting the tank when I'm away. I'd also like to thank NYreefNoob for introducing me to MR, all his help and advice he's given me with this adventure and all the fellow reefers I've met here who have helped me along the way.
Photo Credits: House of Laughter- thanks Jim!!!
..and the winner is Jim with his Marineland 300DD tank!!
Congrats Jim!
What does being chosen for the MR ToTM honor mean to you?
Being chosen as ToTM means a great deal to me and it truly is an honor. I have put a lot of time, effort and research into my tank and I'm happy to have a chance to share it. I always enjoy looking at the many great tanks here and I'm humbled to be included.
Everyone has a story, tell us how you became involved in reefkeeping?
My brother and I had a 55 gallon tank when we were kids and we would stock it with whatever fish or crayfish we could catch at the local brook. Later on I had a 30 gallon Cichlid tank but it didn't keep my interest very long. In 2008 I bought a 90 gallon RR, a bunch of books on saltwater tanks and all the wrong equipment to start a reef.
After two years I was completely addicted and decided to upgrade to my current tank and do it the right way.
I understand that! There certainly is a learning curve when it comes to saltwater tanks.
What size is this beautiful tank?
The tank is a custom Marineland 300DD (72x36x27). I built my own stand and canopy and have an 80 gallon MRC sump with a 20 gallon refugium and a 20 gallon frag tank attached to the display. It's driven by a Hammerhead pump with a manifold.
Sweet! What kind of lighting do you have?
For lighting I have a sliding light rack with 3x250 watt Lumenarc MH pendants with Phoenix 14K DE lamps driven by Blueline ballasts, 4x72" 160watt VHO actinics and LED moonlights.
What other equipment are you running on the tank?
I'm using an Apex to control lighting, heaters and other equipment.. For flow I have 4xMP40's and 1- MP60 (waiting for installation). To maintain the temperature I use 3 x 500 watt titanium heaters and a 1/2 hp Aqualogic chiller.
What husbandry practices keep your tank looking so healthy?
For stability I use a MTC calcium reactor supplemented with a Kalk reactor/stirrer which is dosed with a Litermeter and a Nextreef monster twin reactor for carbon and GFO, that I change monthly. I also dose Lugol?s solution weekly.
I have a 110 gallon RO/DI storage tank that I use for 40 gallon weekly water changes and topoff. I use ESV salt and my parameters stay pretty steady.
S.G. 1.025
Alk 8 DKH
Cal 440
Mag 1320
No3 10
Po4 .07
I'm working at lowering the last two.
Ahhh yes, the goal of all reef keepers!
In light of all of the damage caused by Sandy, how do you keep your reef safe?
I have a small generator but since Sandy I ordered a bigger one to run the whole house. With the time, energy and money we invest in this hobby, a generator is a must have piece of equipment.
I see a lot of fish in there, what can you tell us about them? Any favorites?
I have about 40 fish in my system with a good mix of tangs, wrasses, clowns and assorted others. My favorite is my Achilles. For some reason I find black fish interesting so along with the Achilles, I have a black tang, a pair of midnightclowns, and an Arabian blenny.
?and the corals?
I have mostly SPS because I like the challenge. I'm not up on a lot of the names of coral. If it's interesting and I can keep it colored up then I like it.
How has MR contributed to your success with the hobby?
Manhattan Reefs has really helped me along the way. It's a great place for guidance , research and sometimes a good laugh. I've met a lot of great people that are as obsessed as I am and hope to meet more. I wish I knew about MR before I started my first saltwater tank. It would have saved me a few big mistakes and a lot of money. I would recommend to anyone starting out to do lots of research and ask a lot of questions. There's a great group of experienced reefers here willing to help.
It has been a real pleasure having you as our ToTM winner Jim..any final thoughts?
In closing, I'd like to thank my family for putting up with my obsession and my mother-in-law for taking an interest in my hobby and baby-sitting the tank when I'm away. I'd also like to thank NYreefNoob for introducing me to MR, all his help and advice he's given me with this adventure and all the fellow reefers I've met here who have helped me along the way.
Photo Credits: House of Laughter- thanks Jim!!!
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