Tank of the Month - January 2004

[Skipper]

This month we are featuring Brad Whitney's (nvert) beautiful 40 gallon reef tank:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/totm/images/bw-full11SM.jpg (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/totm/index.htm)

More details can be found here (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/totm/index.htm) or by clicking on the picture above.

Congratulations, Brad!

[Drakis]

Very Nice!!! I'd buy that for a dollar!!

[BraenDead]

Awesome tank, beautiful pictures!

Another well deserved totm.

Bob

[arcab4]

wow! that's a 40 gallon? amazing! great photos! well-deserved!

[non-ricer]

wow thats awesome....

[thetedinator]

Very deserving. Beautiful tank. Who says size matters!!:lol:

[lebowski]

Wow... Puts my 30 to shame!

Awesome tank!

[nvert]

Thanks guys. It truly is an amazing feeling to get TOTM. When I first started, I always found myself drooling over those awesome tanks. What a great hobby...or shall I say lifestyle...this reef keeping is.

[rbaker]

Congratulations Brad! You have a very beautiful tank. A well deserved TOTM...

Ryan

[TippyToeX]

Just beautiful! :thumbsup: It must be soothing to watch everything sway in the flow of your tank. Congrat and well done!

The last picture, looking down with the reflection on the surface is stunning! I need to try that soon. :D

[mothra]

Great tank! Nice to see something in the under 100 gallon realm. The purple gorgorian is pretty neat!!

[pbanda]

Who takes the Tank of the Month pictures??... they are always excellent!!! Does someone come and take them?
-pbanda

[Skipper]

Hey pbanda. Most of the pictures are taken by the owners of the tank themselves, although there have been a few exceptions.

[dj synystr]

thats a great looking tank. very niceely done. you just made me decide to focus more on my 46 bow instead of adding a second tank. THANKS!

[nvert]

Pbanda-
I've taken my own pictures and pshopped them to the best that I can to realistically match the actual colors and textures of the tank. Sometimes this can be rather difficult. A tripod and a camera with a timer or remote shutter button is a must.

[pbanda]

nvert... I assume you cropped them?? I need to start doing that.
-pbanda

[DvSkIn]

Congrats,well deserved TOTM!! Very well thought out tank...Should be proud



DvS

[Reef This]

Nvert,


First off, awsome tank!


If you don't mind me asking, it looks like you faced the same dilema as me with pH all over the map, and dosing kalk. I quit dosing kalk, I see the thing about vinegar, could you go into a little more detail about how go about it? Also, you said you used a pump to dose kalk at night, I've never heard of that pump, and info about it would be awsome. I have no place for my reef to put somthing to dose kalk, and your system sounds like it works. Could possibly be eaiser to PM then to post it here and get lost, but I'm very intrested in your setup and the details of it.


-- Joe

[friedenmeister]

awesome

[kozmo02]

great tank, i read the whole write up about it in reefkeeping mag, its a really nice tank, very simple in terms of equipment, but it looks great, its definitely proof that you dont have to empty the bank account to have a nice looking tank, the way it is setup and the corals and the simplicity of it all make it a really impressive tank.

nice work :thumbsup:

[Nanook]

WOAH!!!


Congrats on a great looking reef tank!


Nanook:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[DJPB]

Brad,
Your tank is amazing, a well deserved TOTM. Did you happen to aquire your rose from Alvin (ebay)? It looks exactly like my own rose! Your coral coloration is amazing as well. After seeing how good your tank looks I may try 20k MH instead of the 10k I a currently using. Thanks for the inspiration and congrats on TOTM.

PB

[cal3v]

Right on, nice tank, especially those sps and the gorg, hooray for 40g's!:)

[XxDutchxX]

Nice tank....i love when tanks are packed ....they look sweet

[CrystalAZ]

BEAUTIFUL! Good work building that masterpiece! I can't wait until my tank looks half as good.

Crystal

[Frick-n-Frags]

This goes beyond "just another beautiful tank" because it gives hope and encouragement to the bulk of the people who can't have a several hundred gallon reeftank.

Now they know they can still have a smaller world class reef. EXCELLENT!!!!! :)

[smiller]

Great tank and a great article! Congrats!!

[Nanook]

Originally posted by smiller
Great tank and a great article! Congrats!!


HEY STEVE!!!!!!!!! WAIT...don't post ever again! You have 2112 posts!!!


RUSH

[zebrazoma]

Excellent tank!!!!
How do you keep the temperature down with two MH bulbs? Do you have a chiller?

[Jeremy B.]

That is one of the nicest mixed tanks I have ever seen, GREAT JOB!

[dc]

WOW! It's beautiful. Another great choice.:D

[nvert]

Thanks again guys! Yup, I bought my Rose from Alvin over on eBay. Great guy helping me out too, packaging perfect, and perfect expansion just while acclimating!! I think the 20K color really makes the rosey-pink pop.

About my temp...I use a variable-temp controlled fan when the halides are on and always keep the temp in the house around 72F. Been working great for the past two winters.

Thanks again guys and happy reefing!

[Philip Parrott]

The following is an understatement: Beautiful Tank!

Hey, I really love the layout... perfect choice on everything. Regarding the 40 gal AGA, I was planning to getting one until a buddy offered his used 54 gal. I love those 30's and 40's because they have a great footprint for extreme lighting.

Are you planning on upgrading your lights (?)... it doesn't seem like you have much lighting in that tank. -just kidding-:eek1:

[nvert]

Hi Philip-
When I upgrade my tank I think I'm going to go for one of those groovey spacelights....they just look cool! BUT, check out David Playfair's 120g reef....he practically has the same lighting on his as mine and his tank is AWESOME.

Brad

[dooleyb]

Great TOTM Brad. Congratulations.

[Twize]

Brad,
Beautiful Tank, and the Colors are phenomenal!
Well Done!

[Philip Parrott]

Originally posted by nvert
Hi Philip-
When I upgrade my tank I think I'm going to go for one of those groovey spacelights....they just look cool! BUT, check out David Playfair's 120g reef....he practically has the same lighting on his as mine and his tank is AWESOME.

Brad

Sorry everybody, nvert's quote should actually read something like this:

... he practically has the same lighting on his as mine and MY tank is AWESOME."

Of course, nothing against the other tank... it's just that your 40 gal is pretty smooth! :D

[nvert]

HA! Thanks Philip! I hope David is impressed too since many of my frags came from him!

[MrSandman]

Man, that is an AWESOME TANK!! Your's and David Playfair's tanks are inspiration and motivation for me to make my conversion over to a mixed reef tank. I've already started the conversion and i must say that the tank is looking much better. :)

Some questions for ya....do you ever run carbon? If so, how often and for how long at a time?

Do you ever feed live foods such as DT's, rotifers, etc.?

How are things with that rose anemone? Does he ever move and sting the occupants?

Do you ever clean your sandbed? Or do you have critters that do it for you?

Lastly, have you been able to get that mandarin to eat prepared foods?

[apophis924]

AWESOME Tank!! SH*T Hot. I have seen a LOT of tanks of the months and they are all awesome. But most then have half the damn house as support equipment , huge sumps ca reactors, crazy super nova lighting and more machines than the terminator. This tank is what i consider a true hobbiest tank not a industrial science project. That tank you spend more time enjoying it rather than all your time mantiaining the maintienance equipment. LOL. Great JOB. It proves one can have a reef tank without having half the property he owns turned into a monster sump/calicum /lighting factory.

[luvmyreef]

Really incredible looking tank. Congats! You have also just made my tank look empty. I keep saying no more room but compared to your I think I have to go buy more corals...:D

[Rob Schwartz]

Well like everyone else, what can I say other than stunning. I have to give kudos to Reefkeeping as well for continuing to include tanks of all sizes and price points in their thoughts. To show that this hobby can be affordable and reasonable maintenance wise.

Brad, I am also curious about your kalk dosing technique. Do you feel that your formula is divisible? I would not be able to use a 25gal tub and drip each night, but am curious if my little 5 gallon would work with similar proportions of vinegar and kalk.

Thanks, and again, a beautiful job.

Rob

[finding nemo]

I am thrilled and amazed to finally see a tank under 100 gallons get tank of the month, (wonder if my 10 will ever make it?) lol, yours is so beautiful. So simple, simple stand . I have a 65 that I hope one day will be that pretty. But for now, I will just admire yours. Congratulations. It is one of the prettiest I have ever seen for its size.

[nvert]

Thanks again for all the nice words guys. It truly is an awesome hobby. There are so many cool tanks out there.

Mr. Sandman-
No, I don't run carbon although I do have a whisper set up in case that I need to or to use a mechanical filter. I feed 4 capfulls of DTs every other day. The rose has remained in the same place since early Decemeber. Before that I had a regular brown BTA who stayed in the same place for over a year. I think having the maroon around helps as wells as weekly feedings. Also, everynow and then, the rose stings the tips or bottoms of corals too close to it. Hasn't killed anything entirely but does kill off offending branches or bases. I don't clean my sand bed...I have nassarius snails, worms, a fighting conch, and a serpent star plus loads of other unknown critters doing their job. The top is always clear although the sides of the sandbed appear dirty now and then. Lastly, the mandarin only eats the living pods in the tank...never have seen him go after prepared foods. He's been in the tank over a year. I'd love to add a female but I'm not sure my 40g would support both.

Rob:
Yes, I feel my formula is divisable...when I make up a 5gallon recipe, I mix 50ml of vinegar with 8 tsp of kalk...a 25gallon recipe is 250ml of vinegar with about 13 tablespoons of kalk.

[Rob Schwartz]

Thanks!

[playa]

Stunning reef!!!!!!!!!!!

A great tribute to a beautiful work of art from man and mother nature.

[scubadude]

Very nice, and well deserved TOTM! I too am glad to see this months TOTM go to a tank under 100g KUDOS nvert!:beer: :thumbsup:

[NM reef]

I am a long time fan of the TOTM feature...that is a absolutely stunning 40 gal display!! Whoever said great things don't come in small packages never knew reefs like your could exist!! Great job!!

[DLS]

Great tank. Kudos.

[Fliger]

That is the best 40G tank I have EVER seen. I can't wait until I have more time to read up on it.

I think it's great the the selectors don't always pick the biggest, fanciest tank with expensive gadgets galore.

[nvert]

Thanks guys for all your nice compliments. With all those awesome tanks out there it's pretty cool to be considered totm.

[MtnDewMan]

Beautiful Tank ... well done and some great pictures of it too.

[Cheesy_Puffs]

B-eautiful tank!:D

Your tank gives sumpless little tank guys hope and inspiration!:dance:

Again very nice job and congrats!

[hock51]

Beautiful, simple, well kept tank!

[CaneinBatonRouge]

All I could say at first is WOW!!!! That's a beautiful reef. I can only hope mine turns out half as good. GREAT job.

[mjg1961]

Good job Brad, Just bought my first corals a few hours ago for my 45 gal.. jim

[jpg]

simply an astonishing tank.

[justahobbyist]

Great tank!

[nvert]

thanks guys! it is mighty fun!! good luck to all you newbies!!!

[Melody]

Your Tank Is Absolutely Gorgeous !!! :)

[ByTor]

Amazing work there Brad...:thumbsup: The camera work is stunning! What are you shooting with?

[nvert]

I'm shooting with an Olympus E-10 Camedia. Too fancy if you ask me as it has problems with focusing. However, when I do get lucky some of the shots can be really nice. Definately have too use a tripod, adjust white balance, and set exposure to -.3. Took a lot of experimentation to get there!

ByTor by way...your photos are awesome! Especially 'wow' and your purple monti cap. The brown and aquas in wow are a really nice color combo. What do you shoot with? I see you also have a playfair in your tank....hopefully mine will get that large too so I will HAVE to upgrade!!! :)

[ByTor]

Thanks Brad,
I know what ya mean about
"alot of experimentation" For the past year or so I have been shooting with a Canon A-20. As for focuse I expeience the same trouble with this camera. I really want to pick up a set of macro lens for it. Actually some of the best pics I have taken were done free hand. :rolleyes" But it will be 10 out of 200!
The Snowdog has hinted to me about a Nikon 5700! (B Day in a month) ;)

Purple Monti cap??? Not here.
Yeah, Playfair and I have traded many fragments over the years. I like to same I got him more in the SPS state of mind. Hey can really grow everything! Ya may even have some frags from him that came from me to him.

From sure you will grow them large, From what I see going on in that 40 gal. They will be growing out of the water in no Time!
Keep on doing what your doing! and Enjoy!

[Sergio Calixto]

Very nice !!! ( In Brazil = nota 10 )

[nvert]

"They will be growing out of the water in no Time!"

My blue acro stag center right just got fragged and sold because of this!!!

[DLART89]

Very Nice. good job.

[snslarison]

Nice Job

[fairliz]

Great tank. Congratulations!

Liz