Reef Systems: Part 8: More of the Best
by J. Charles Delbeek M.Sc.

After having designed the technology of your system and assembled it, 
the next step is to add the live rock. As described last month the 
quality of live rock is an extremely important component in a 
successful reef aquarium. Not only is the quality and type of rock 
important but I have become convinced lately that the way that the 
rock is arranged in the aquarium can also have a profound influence on 
the long term success and maintenance of a reef tank. What one usually 
sees in many reef aquariums is a haphazard conglomeration of rock 
piled into a brick-like wall, with very little regard given to water 
circulation and detritus build-up and its removal. When arranging live 
rock it is much better to construct a loose arrangement of rock, with 
many overhangs and bridges between the rock (see photo). Try and 
couple this with few contact points between the rocks, and between the 
rocks and the substrate. Do not pile the rock up against the back of 
the aquarium, leave enough space behind the rock for water circulation 
and for detritus removal. Some aquarists suspend their live rock above 
the bottom of the tank with bases of feather rock or sheets of acrylic 
light diffussor material. This allows detritus to accumulate below the 
rock for easy removal by siphoning. The same effect, however, can be 
obtained by judicious placement of live rock.

Of course arranging the rock in such a manner is not easy to do when 
most of the live rock offered for sale are smallish, rounded pieces. 
The ideal shape for this type of arrangement are elongated flattened 
pieces that can be easily arranged to form platforms and bridges (see 
photo). By arranging the rock in this manner, organism placement is 
easier, water circulates freely around the rock on ALL sides and 
detritus is quickly carried away from the rock and collects either in 
the prefilter or on the bottom of the tank where it can be easily 
removed.

Once your aquarium has settled in and has completely cycled it is time 
to add some animals. Among the first such should be herbivores and 
detritivors such as snails, sea urchins, brittle stars, tangs, 
blennies and surgeon fish. These organisms constitute the system's 
"clean-up" crew and will greatly help you in the maintenance of the 
aquarium. The main limiting factor in adding any more organisms such 
as coral, is the growth of undesirable microalgae in the tank. As long 
as hair or slime algae is growing in your aquarium, hold off on adding 
any corals. Once you have this algae under control then you can start 
adding soft and hard corals. Of course these guidelines are extremely 
general as no two tanks are the same. Some tanks develop very little 
microalgae and organisms can be added fairly soon while others may 
require many months. As I have mentioned frequently in this series, 
patience is a very desirable commodity in this hobby and if you don't 
have it you may encounter a lot of heartache. Observation is also 
another critical skill that you should develop. The more closely you 
observe your tank, the easier it will become to recognize when things 
just don't look quite right.

While you are waiting for the tank to settle in you should be reading 
as much material as you can get on the fish and invertebrates you might 
like to add to your system. The more familiar you are with the animals 
the less problems and losses you will encounter. Don't just look in 
the pet store, go to libraries and book stores and read everything you 
can find on coral reefs and their inhabitants. Talk to as many people 
as you can find who have experience with reef tanks (but be sure you 
see their tanks too) and file all this information for future 
reference. At present there are only a few books available on marine 
invertebrates for the reef aquarium but I have little doubt that this 
will change fairly soon. There are a number of books either being 
translated or written, that should be available in the next year or 
so.

Once the tank is up and running there are certain things that will 
have to be done to make sure that things remain the way you want them. 
The easiest way to keep track of what you are doing is to keep a log 
book. By keeping accurate records you will be able to detect trends 
and remember when and what you last did to the aquarium. It can be as 
fancy or as simple as you want but you should keep one. Record any 
observations that you make, note anything unusual or special that you 
see happening in the tank. You never know, it may be the start of some 
sort of trend that may need correcting later or you may change 
something in the tank that might cause other, unanticipated reactions. 
Record any measurements that you make such as pH, salinity alkalinity 
(carbonate hardness), nitrate, calcium, dissolved oxygen or anything 
else you might be measuring. Record any maintenance that you perform 
on the tank such as water changes, removal of detritus, cleaning or 
changing the prefilter, replacing the lights, raising or lowering the 
temperature, changing the photoperiod or cleaning the skimmer. You 
might also want to record the amount of scum collected by the skimmer 
to see if there are any trends. For example a reduction in scum 
production may indicate a decrease in efficiency or an increase in 
production may indicate a dying organism in the tank. 

Now its time to look at some more reef systems. John Payter's 180 
gallon reef aquarium is located in Taylor, Michigan. Originally this 
system started out as a 125 gallon reef tank. All of the animals were 
collected over a three year period from 1986 to 1989, and were 
transferred to the new system in May of 1989. All the equipment was 
also transferred to the 180 as well. The only change was the addition 
of two more fluorescent lights and a larger trickle filter.

The filtration consists of a home-made trickle filter containing 20 
gallons of bio-media. The media is of three types of plastic 
materials, 16 gallons BioBalls(TM), 2 gallons Bio-Blocks(TM), and 2 
gallons Tri-packs(TM). The filter is driven by an external water pump 
which delivers approximately about 900 gal/hr of water flow. The 
system is also filtered by a large columnar protein skimmer. The 
reaction chamber is 3 feet tall, and water is provided by another 
water pump. The skimmer uses two airstones, one is just air, and the 
other is an air/ozone mix. The ozone is provided by a 100 mg/hr 
unit (no air dryer is used) which is controlled by a redox controller. 
The controller is set for a maximum redox of 350 mV but the system 
normally runs at 330mV.

Temperature control is provided by central air in the summer, but 
since the tank is in the basement, the heaters run in the summer 
anyway. When heat is called for, the heaters, two 200 W heaters
located in the sump, have no problem keeping the system at 75oF.

Lighting is provided by four fluorescent and three metal halide lamps. 
The fluorescents are of the Actinic/Day type and the halides are 175 
W, 5500 K Coralife. These bulbs are on a phased cycle, and are 
controlled by three timers. The duration is as follows: two 140 W 
Actinic/Days are on for 14 hours, two more of the same come on later 
for 7 hours and the three metal halides are on for only 2 hours a day. 
This lighting arrangement is designed to provide the simulation of a 
normal day's lighting cycle and has been used from the time the 
original 125 gallon system was setup. 

The system contains 9 species of fish, various colonies of 
mushroom anemones, hard corals (Plerogyra, Catalaphyllia and 
Euphyllia sp.), Sarcophyton leather corals, breeding pairs of 
shrimp, soft corals (Xenia sp., zoanthids) and anemones. 

The next aquarium we will look at is a little different than the 
other systems in that it is rather young, having been set-up only 8 
months ago. This will give you an idea as to what good quality rock 
can produce when the animal population is kept to a minimum in the 
beginning. Bob James, of Toronto, Canada, has installed a 320 gallon 
reef aquarium into a specially built room in his basement. The animal 
load is rather light being confined at present to a breeding pair of 
Tomato Clownfish (Amphriprion melanopus), a Marine Betta 
(Calloplesiops altivelis), two Tridacnid clams (T. squamosa, T. 
derasa), four gorgonians, two anemones, a colony of mushroom anemones 
(Actinodiscus sp.), a Cauliflower soft coral (Cladiella 
globulifera) and a specimen of Colt coral (Cladiella sp.). The most 
striking feature of this aquarium is the extensive macroalgae and 
coralline algae growth. There are numerous species visible in the 
photos including various Caulerpa sp.. Filtration consists of a 
trickle filter, activated carbon, and a Hippocampi venturi power 
skimmer used in conjunction with ozone and a redox controller. 
Lighting consists of two 140 W Philips actinic 03 lamps and four 250W 
Dupla metal halides. A chiller is used to keep the temperature at 
74oF. 

Julian Sprung's reef system differs from those previously discussed in 
a number of ways, the most striking of which is its size, 15 gallons. 
This may seem like a small system but when you see the density of life 
forms it seems anything but small. The system has not had a trickle 
filter since August 1989 and has not had a skimmer or prefilter since 
December 1989. The original skimmer was broken during a tank move and 
the prefilter could not be maintained properly due to time constraints 
so was omitted altogether. Water flows across an overflow and into a 
sump where it is pumped back into the tank by an Ehiem 1050 water pump 
running at approximately 280 gph. Lighting is provided by 2 24" 40W 
high output (HO) Philips actinic 03, 2 24" 35 W HO Sylvania daylight, 
1 24" 20W Philips special blue, 1 24" 20W Westinghouse gold and 1 24" 
20W pink fluorescent with a orange plastic filter sleeve. Water 
changes are performed at the rate of 25% per month using natural 
seawater. Detritus is removed on a regular basis and no substrate is 
used anywhere in the system.

At the time of this writing the tank contains 8 fish, 6 hard corals, 
11 species of soft coral, 7 species of zoanthids and mushroom 
anemones, 2 shrimp, 8 species of macroalgae, sponges, two Tridacnid 
clams and 15-20 snails of the species Astrea tecta.

Although at present the system is functioning as a natural system with 
no filtration aids, the live rock in the system is probably handling 
the biological wastes quite easily. However, Julian plans on adding a 
protein skimmer in the near future when he finds the time to build a 
new one.

In addition to regular water changes and irregular feedings of the 
fish, calcium chloride is added to maintain the calcium ion level over 
420 mg/L. The invertebrates are not fed directly but those who need 
it, most likely receive food indirectly when the fish are fed.

The final system we will look at is my own custom 30 gallon aquarium. 
The construction of the system, filtration and lighting systems have 
already been discussed in a previous article (see Delbeek 1990). In 
summary, filtration consists of a home-made trickle filter, Tunze 215 
power skimmer and activated carbon. I plan to remove the trickle 
filter in a few months to see what affect this will have on the 
system. Lighting is achieved by two 4' 60 W HO Philips actinic 03 and 
two 4' 40 W Sylvania daylight lamps. The reason that I have mentioned 
the brand names of the bulbs I use is that not all brands of lamps are 
created equal. For example, some brands of daylight lamps release more 
ultraviolet light than others, especially in the high and very high 
output varieties. The actinics are on for 10 hours and the daylights 
are on for 7 hours. Water circulation is achieved by a 500 gph water 
pump and an internal power head.

At present the system contains 5 species of fish, 1 hard coral, 11 
species of gorgonians, 12 species of soft coral, 2 Tridacnid clams, 3 
species of sponge, 2 colonial tunicates, 5 species of mushroom 
anemones, 4 species of zoanthids, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, 4 species of 
fanworms, 20-25 specimens of the marine snail Astrea tecta and 8 
species of macroalgae and coralline algae.

The fish are fed once or twice a week and the invertebrates are never 
directly fed. Water changes are small (<5%) and are performed once 
a month. Calcium hydroxide, strontium chloride and potassium iodide 
are added to the make-up water once a week. The skimmer is cleaned 
every three days and the prefilter is replaced once a week. No ozone 
or other additions have ever been used on the system. Detritus is 
regularly siphoned from the tank and no substrate is used on the 
bottom or in the filter. 

There are common features in each of the systems discussed in the last 
two articles. Mainly the exclusive use of reverse osmosis water for 
evaporation make-up and water changes, the lack of substrate in the 
tank or filter, the use of intense lighting and the lack of feeding of 
the invertebrates. Looking at these systems and others, it is possible 
to identify six important factors that will contribute towards a 
successful reef tank: 

1) maintain a nutrient poor environment at all costs. This entails the
continuous removal of nutrients from the system via mechanical, 
biological and chemical filtration, detritus removal and water 
changes. Limit the nutrient input to the system through the use of 
only the purest water (reverse osmosis, deionizied or distilled) for 
making saltwater and for evaporation make-up, controlled feeding and 
judicious use of "additives", if used;

2) provide strong water movement in the tank. Often overlooked but 
extremely important is the type and degree of water movement in the 
system. Remember, many reef organisms can't move therefore the water 
must bring things to them and take things away;

3) use high intensity lighting combined with the proper spectrum. 
Fluorescent or metal halide, the choice is yours, dependent on the 
needs of your system and organisms;

4) use as much live rock, of the best quality that you can find. The 
better the quality of rock used, the better the tank will become in 
the long run;

5) maintain a constant temperature. Avoid fluctuations and keep the 
temperature below 78oF;

6) patience, patience and still more patience! Remember, slow and 
steady wins the race. A "blue" thumb doesn't hurt either!

This concludes my series on reef aquariums. I hope that you have 
enjoyed these articles and that you have gained a new appreciation for 
the beauty and immense educational value of this branch of our hobby. 
I leave you with these final words of advice. If you want to start a 
reef tank, read all you can, talk to as many people as you can, see as 
many systems as you can find and then after all that, if you are still 
interested, go for it, you won't be sorry! 

Acknowledgments
I would like to thank John Burleson, Scott Michael, Martin Moe, Mike 
Paletta, John Payter, Dietrich Stuber and especially my good friend 
Julian Sprung, for their encouragement, long telephone conversations, 
photographs and extremely helpful advice throughout the writing of 
these articles. Special thanks must go to Edward Bauman for asking me 
to write this series and for his endless patience and support. A 
request for a "short marine article" sure did blossom!

References

Delbeek, J.C. 1990. Live rock algal succession in a reef system. FAMA 
                    13(9) (In press).

Photo Captions
Photo 1 - A newly set-up reef tank illustrating the ideal size, shape           
          and placement of live rock. Note the bridges and open 
          spaces. Photo by Julian Sprung.

Photo 2 - A section of John Payter's 180 gallon reef tank showing 2 
          large anemones, a Firefish (_Nemateleotris magnifica_) and           
          Saddleback Clownfish (_Amphiprion polymnus_). Photo by John           
          Payter.

Photo 3 - A view along the length of Bob James' 320 gallon reef tank. 
          Note the extensive macroalgae growth and the large 
          _Pseudopterogorgia_ sp. gorgonian on the right. Photo by 
          Julian Sprung.

Photo 4 - A section of Bob James' reef tank. Notice the soft coral, 
          _Cladiella globulifera_ in the top left corner and the large 
          _Tridacna squamosa_ clam at the bottom right. There are 
          easily 20 species of algae visible in this photo. Photo by 
          Julian Sprung.

Photo 5 - An overall view of Julian Sprung's 15 gallon reef tank. Note 
          the snails on the front glass. Photo by Julian Sprung.

Photo 6 - Julian Sprung's 15 gallon reef tank showing his pride and 
          joy Resplendent Angel (_Centropyge resplendens_), as well as           
          a Common Clownfish (_Amphiprion ocellaris_), Anchor Coral 
          (_Euphyllia ancora_), Frogspawn Coral (_Euphyllia divisa_), 
          _Tridacna crocea_ clam, numerous mushroom anemones 
          (_Actinodiscus_ and _Rhodactis_), Hard Tube Duster 
          (_Spirobranchia_ sp.), a Common Cleaner Shrimp (_Lysmata 
          amboinensis_) and a Bushy Gorgonian (_Plexaura_ sp.). Photo 
          by Julian Sprung.

Photo 7 - Another section of Julian Sprung's reef tank dominated by 
          a Leather Coral, _Sarcophyton trocheliophorum_. Visible           
          also are various zoanthid species (_Palythoa_ sp. and           
          _Parazoanthus_) and the hard coral, _Duncanopsammia_ sp. on           
          the bottom right of the leather coral. Photo by Julian           
          Sprung.

Photo 8 - The author's 2 year old 30 gallon reef aquarium. Note the 
          variety of organisms and the extensive coralline algae 
          growth on the glass. Photo by Julian Sprung.

Photo 9 - The author's 2 year old leather coral (_Sarcophyton 
          ehrenbergi_(?)), grown from a 2" piece. Photo by Julian 
          Sprung.

Photo 10 - The author's _C. resplendens_. Photo by Julian Sprung.