Tanks of the Month July
Rachel (str8juizy) 90 gallon Wave
| Owner Rachel (str8juizy) Tank Size My current tank is an un-drilled 90 gallon wave tank with painted blue back Lighting My lighting is a modded Odyssea fixture with two 175 watt metal halides, two 96 watt Actinics and six 3 watt Cree Led’s – 3 blue, 3 white. The Led’s are dimmable which makes it really nice at night. |
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| Filtration For filtration I use a hang on Prism Pro Deluxe Skimmer with surface skimming attachment and a Rena Filstar xP3 Canister Filter. I wanted a refugium so I made one myself and it sits in the tank full of live rubble rock and macro algeas. In the tank for circulation I have 2 larger Koralias, one on each side and 2 smaller ones behind and under my rock structures. In the tank there is about 180 pounds of live rock and 90 pounds of sand. |
| Live Stock 2 African Clownfish & their Anemone (my clowns do not like eachother, never have. So one of them, I think the male, hosts my Duncans) 3 Blue Damsels 1 Yellow Damsel 2 Domino Damsels 1 Chromis 1 Blue Hippo Tang 1 Yellow Tang 1 Pink Anthias 1 Diamond Goby 1 Lawn Mower Blenny 1 Derasa Clam 1 Electric Flame Scallop 1 Coral Banded Shrimp 5 Emerald Crabs 2 Tiger Cucumbers (started out as one but has now split) 1 Red Linkia Star Fish 2 Feather Dusters A huge cleaner crew of snails and hermits |
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| I have over 50 types of SPS, LPS and leathers/softies in my tank and it will take too long to try and name them all so I will list just a few… Blue Matrix Cali Blue Tort 4 different colored Acros Red Setosa Green & Orange Digi Hydnophora 3 different types of Birdsnest 2 different types of Millies 2 different Pociliporas 5 different Acans 3 different Monte Caps Favias Chalices 5 different types of frogspawn 5 Different Gorgonians Zoas & Palys Assorted Mushrooms Misc softies and leathers (toadstools, finger leathers, xenia, etc…) Misc LPS (Candy Cane, Lobos, Elegance, etc…) |
| Date Tank Was Started This tank is an upgrade from my old 55 gallon that was so full of stuff, upgrading it was not just a want, but a need. I moved everything over into this tank April 25th 2012. How Did You Get Into This Hobby? I got into this hobby about 9 years ago. I had always had freshwater tanks but wanted something a bit more interesting. One of my co-workers had a nano reef tank in his office and I fell in love. So I started my first tank with live rock, fish and invertebrates. Unfortunately, the house I was in caught on fire in the middle of the night and I lost my tank and all of it’s inhabitants. I was devastated and did not have the heart or money to get right back into it. It took me 7 years before I started over and I have been completely hooked ever since! |
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| What Was Your Favorite Part of The Build? The funnest part of this build was making the pvc pipe stands for my aquascaping. It was also the most difficult and frustrating thing I think I have ever done and took numerous trips back and forth to my hardware store before I got it just right. I made one for my left rock island so there is a nice big cave under it. The right island does not have the stands, it is all stacked. I was really proud of myself when it was all finished and this is the first time I have ever been 100% happy with my aquascaping and have not had the “itch” to start moving things around! Dosing and Schedule. I dose with Reef Fusion 1 & 2 every other day and Daryls Phyto 1x weekly. I do a 10 gallon water change every week and top off with about 1 ½ gallons of RO daily. |
| Feeding (Fish and Coral) and Schedule. I feed my fish New Era Marine Pellets in the morning and switch every other day with frozen mysis, clams and a really great home made frozen food mix (thanks Daryl!) in the PM. The mix from Daryl also feeds my corals. I supplement every few days with Oyster Feast. |
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| Do You Have a Favorite Fish and Why? My favorite fish is “Grandpa”, he is my Lawn Lower Blenny and I think he is hilarious. He gets so fat that he kind of wobbles around the tank like an old fat man and if he had arms I would totally picture him sitting on a coral scratching his big, fat belly and drinking a beer! Funny story… my 9 year old called me one day all upset. When asked what was wrong she said “Grandpa is stuck!!!” I am not thinking fish, I am thinking she is talking about my father so I get all freaked out and ask her what she is talking about. She tells me “Grandpa is stuck and I think he is going to die!” I am about to drive off the road now when she says “He is stuck in a rock”. DING the light goes off over my head and I realize she is talking about my fish! I tell her to calm down and worse case scenario “Grandpa” will have to digest his food until his belly shrinks and then he will be able to get out of the rock. By the time I got home he was fine and swimming (Wobbling his fat butt) around the tank. I however have a couple more grey hairs on my head! I also have a second favorite fish. “Hank” is my Yellow Tang and he is always in my way. If I am trying to look at a coral up close or take a picture of it, there is Hank! If I walk from one side to the other, Hank follows right behind me. He is like the needy puppy of the tank. |
| What Is Your Favorite Type of Coral? I think my favorite coral is probably my purple gorgonian. I know, boring! I have a bunch of high end corals in my tank and the gorgonian is my fav. It sits on the edge of my left rock island and when it is all pollyped up it is just really pretty! Having a reef tank in my living room has been both fun AND therapeutic for me. My kids will tell you that I am much calmer now. They also enjoy it and bring all their friends over for show & tell. My husband is not really all that into it but since it makes me a calmer, more manageable wife, he lets me have it and even gives me money for it! |
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Take a peek at Rachel's 90-gallon-wave-tank-upgrade-build-
