150g - "H2O+Something" Shallow Reef

revhtree · Jun 9, 2016

Awesome and we need an update!

sawdonkey · Jun 9, 2016

Beautiful tank. You and I have exactly the same light setup.....four OR T247s mounted sideways. I really like mine.

Gino · Jun 10, 2016

Nice tank.

kidzaac87 · Jun 10, 2016

Wow such a nice tank and not very old doing well, shows what nsw can do A+ on the photos love the eye candy

new2mac · Jun 10, 2016

Ricardo, your reef is really inspiring. Makes me think again over switching from T5 to LED. Great work from the very beginning, will follow.
What macro lens do you use for these amazing photos?

reefkeeperCOL · Jun 10, 2016

amazing tank ang great photos

Sharvey103 · Jun 10, 2016

Beautiful tank and welcome back to r2r!

dragonfish · Jun 11, 2016

amazing tank !!!!!!

Ricardo Pinto · Jun 13, 2016

Hi,

Thank you very much for your comments. It boosted my spirit.
Here are a few more photos

Goniopora sp.

Acropora cerealis

ORA Hawkins Echinata

Acropora sp.

Acropora tumida

Acropora spathulata

Some small frags

Acropora wolverine frag

Acropora efflorescens

Stylophora milka

Acropora tricolor

And a few more shots....

Ricardo Pinto · Jun 13, 2016

kidzaac87 said:
Wow such a nice tank and not very old doing well, shows what nsw can do A+ on the photos love the eye candy

It took me almost 5 years in this hobby to first try natural sea water for water changes. I've been using it exclusively over the past 4 years. Since we do not have excessive pollution around our Portugal shore, Atlantic water seems perfect for reef aquariums. It takes a few logistic details to collect and store NSW, but once you've manage it.... actually, is more easy than to use a salt mix.

new2mac said:
Ricardo, your reef is really inspiring. Makes me think again over switching from T5 to LED. Great work from the very beginning, will follow.
What macro lens do you use for these amazing photos?

All the credit for the photos has to be given to one of my closest reef friends, Pedro Torres. I enjoy take pictures of my aquarium, but he produces powerful images with his camera. Sometimes it's unbelievable how he can get those photos. The macro lens he uses is a Canon macro 100mm f2.8

Bambang · Jun 13, 2016

Amazing growth and color. How did you keep your sand bad so clean? Did you vacuum it during WC? I saw on your sump photo, there is only skimmer in it (CMIIW) . Did you just rely on skimmer and WC for nutrient export? No po4 remover, no GAC etc etc.

revhtree · Jun 14, 2016

Very beautiful!

Cristy17 · Jun 15, 2016

Beautiful tank! I am curious what logistic planning you had to do for thr collection and use of natural salt water? I will be moving to the West coast of Florida in a year or so and would be intersted in doing the same IF the water is clean which I have no idea about yet. Can you explain please?

Roushdy · Jun 16, 2016

Great Work Man

dragonfish · Jun 17, 2016

Ricardo Pinto · Jul 1, 2016

Thanks for your replys and compliments.
I'm sorry for not having answered previously but I was away on holidays.

Cristy17 said:
Beautiful tank! I am curious what logistic planning you had to do for thr collection and use of natural salt water? I will be moving to the West coast of Florida in a year or so and would be intersted in doing the same IF the water is clean which I have no idea about yet. Can you explain please?

You should consider buying several 5-10 gallon jerrycans. I would recommend the largest amount that you car trunk supports. My Audi A4 avant supports 50 gallon. Therefore, I only need to collect NSW every two months. You can store the NSW in the jerrycans for 3-4 months easily without losing any of the "good" advantages of using NSW, as long as the jerrycan is closed and kept away from direct sunlight.
Most importantly, You'll need to find a place close enough by the ocean where you can park your car to collect the water. With the help of a gas water pump (there is also a few ones that you can light on directly into your car electrical system, but those are less powerful), you can easily collect (in < 30min) a large amount of water.
There is some investment on this, let's say 30-50$ in the jerrycans plus 150$ in the water pump, but you get your money back very quickly, especially if you'll find two or three more reefers to split the cost of the water pump. And moreover, you will have someone to share a few beers with you in the beach while you are collecting the water. It's hard to find a more enjoyable way of doing water changes.

Cheers,
Ricardo

Ricardo Pinto · Jul 1, 2016

Bambang said:
Amazing growth and color. How did you keep your sand bad so clean? Did you vacuum it during WC? I saw on your sump photo, there is only skimmer in it (CMIIW) . Did you just rely on skimmer and WC for nutrient export? No po4 remover, no GAC etc etc.

I don't vacuum the sandbed, never. I've done that in the past and I think it is not a good way to have your sand bed stabilized and clean. For the last years I've adopted a more naturalistic way to keep your sand bed clean. You'll also need to be patient. For keeping the sand bed clean I have bought a large Sand Sifting Sea Star, several strombus snails and lysmata amboinensis and debelius. And because I used live rock from the beginning I'll also have a large quantity of ophiurus and small bristle worms. These are also great scavengers and I consider this kind of cleaning crew a must have for your reef tank.

revhtree · Jul 1, 2016

Ricardo Pinto said:
I don't vacuum the sandbed, never. I've done that in the past and I think it is not a good way to have your sand bed stabilized and clean. For the last years I've adopted a more naturalistic way to keep your sand bed clean. You'll also need to be patient. For keeping the sand bed clean I have bought a large Sand Sifting Sea Star, several strombus snails and lysmata amboinensis and debelius. And because I used live rock from the beginning I'll also have a large quantity of ophiurus and small bristle worms. These are also great scavengers and I consider this kind of cleaning crew a must have for your reef tank.

Good advice!

Fate · Jul 14, 2016

Very stunning tank Ricardo! I noticed the ones that have access to NSW in beautiful areas have the most amazing looking tanks. I too have the Arctic T247-B unit over my 50g Cube and have been tinkering with the channel settings for the past several months. I have been getting average growth at 70% white and 35% blues but I noticed you have the opposite in channel settings.

Do you think this is a personal preference in looks or you would actually get better growth going higher intensity on the blues and less on the whites? Any changes on your channel settings since your last adjustment?