Tank of the Month - August 2004 - Page 5

Andy · #**101** 08/10/2004, 12:14 PM

Congrats Archie on a great setup. Love to see it in person some time. Looking forward to your next project.

Cheers,

Andy

archie · #**102** 08/10/2004, 02:36 PM

MUCHO & piercho: It's because of people like you, that make Reef Central a such a valuable resource to the Reef Aquarist community. Thanks for all of your helpful words of encouragement. Who knows how my tank would have fared, if it weren't for folks like the two of you.

woogie: The pc's are changed out every 6 months.
Although I have heard of many horor stories regarding pygmy angels, my Flame Angel has been a model citizen, leaving all coral alone. The fish aregenerally well fed. On average, I feed 1 cube of Formula One twice a day.

alien9168: I estimate that I've spent between $1,500 - $1,800 on the hardware alone. Most of the live rock and some livestock were from older tanks. Buying frags definitely helped keep the cost down in stocking the tank.

I'll get some hardware photos up here soon.

gearhead: My source for Indo Pacific coral is excellent. They have been able to provide me with some highly unusual pieces quite often. I've had as many as 6 pink Ricordea Yumas in a single shipment.
Here are some more images that I didn't get to submit in time for the article:

law086/MmmmBeer!: I order my live food bi-weekly. I normally spend roughly between $40 - $60 a month. It would definitely be lower than that if I got off my lazy butt and grew most of it myself. It's really not difficult to do. Have a look at the Reef Crew website for some information of phyto and rotifer cultivation.

bvdelsen: I'm currently using Miraclebeam Hi Lites that are really designed for underwater use. I'm not much of a DIYer, so I opted to go this route since these lights come with suction cup attachments which occasionally come loose and fall into the water. The fact that they are waterproof was my reason for buying it. I'm sure that there are many other suitable products out there, but I chose this one due to space and technical (namely mine) limitations. I would suggest building your own system from one of the many DIY instructions within this forum. I don't currently have it set up with a moon cycle simulation, which can be easily done through a device such as an Aquacontroller. I'm quite sure that would enhance my tank's coral growth.

Andy: Glad to hear from a fellow Canadian TOTM'er. Would love for you to come by. Let me know when you plan your next trip to Toronto.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your compliments thus far. I'm quite overwhelmed by the nice stuff that all of you have had to say.

robvia · #**103** 08/10/2004, 02:59 PM

I love the tube worms and feather dusters, especially the purple one. Gotta find one of those.

MUCHO REEF · #**104** 08/10/2004, 06:05 PM

My friend, forget about us, you're the one in the spotlight. Stand up and take another bow.

Mooch

bristopher · #**105** 08/10/2004, 09:58 PM

archie, did you happen to get the pm i sent you?

archie · #**106** 08/10/2004, 11:07 PM

Yes, I've just answered it. Sorry for the delay. As you might imagine, there are a quite few more I still have to address.

bristopher · #**107** 08/10/2004, 11:45 PM

thanks i got response sent ya another. No problem I see you busy.

Masoch · #**108** 08/11/2004, 01:31 PM

Hi Archie,

I'm also in Toronto.

If you ever decide to frag those purple zoanthids (third from the top on this page), I will gladly take one. Not sure if I'd have much that'd interest you in trade, but I could defray some of the cost of the live food

billrollo · #**109** 08/11/2004, 04:46 PM

great tank. where do you buy the live food?

shred5 · #**110** 08/11/2004, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by billrollo
great tank. where do you buy the live food?

Its says in the article and a few posts above.. reefcrew.com

Dave

SOMEthinsFISHY · #**111** 08/11/2004, 07:07 PM

Congrats to u that is some awesome tank There !

bugsy714 · #**112** 08/11/2004, 11:34 PM

I love this tank....I am so tired of seeing sps tanks. This one is so impressive. Great job!

recampbel · #**113** 08/12/2004, 10:39 AM

Archie,

Wow, I don't know what is left to say! Amazing tank. I just really want you to confirm your circulation. All you have is a Mag 7 with a SCWD?? I really want to do this with my 50gal ( Mag 9.5 w SCWD) but everyone is telling me that won't be enough!

Could you give a recommendation?!

Awesome tank! congrats on TOTM,

Russell

archie · #**114** 08/12/2004, 11:28 AM

recampbel,
Yes the MAg 7 is all I use. Although, you may wish to consider going with a stronger pump if you plan on keeping some high-flow-requiring coral such as SPS. Zoos in general will require stronger current than mushrooms. I have placed the majority of my zoanthids in areas of good flow such as towards the tank's far left and right. Most of my rics are located in the center area where the flow is diminished. I still find plenty of ricordea jumping to seek out more desireable locations when they seem to be getting too much water movement.

recampbel · #**115** 08/12/2004, 11:48 AM

Thanks Archie. Sorry if that just rehashed information. I only wanted to make sure I understood your ciculation okay.

Thanks again,

Russell

archie · #**116** 08/12/2004, 11:57 AM

No problem, Russell. I'm glad that I can help in any way. We reefers can sure get very specific when planning out a system. Something I find quite typical among those who care for their livestock, as much as we do.

legnaordep@yahoo.com · #**117** 08/12/2004, 02:23 PM

VERY GOOD JOB ARCHIE...
YOUR TANK IS GRATE...

CAN WE HAVE SOME MORE INFO ON YOUR CALCIUM REACTOR?? DOES HAVE A CO2 MEDIA INCLUDED?? LET US KNOW SO WE CAN LEARN. SPECIALY MY A NEW ONE ON THE HOBBIE.

THANKS
LEGNAORDEP

Bitingthesun · #**118** 08/12/2004, 03:47 PM

Hey Archie

There's not much left to say. I'm glad to hear that someone else is preaching the works of Takashi Amano in relation to tank composition. There is very little that can't be applied to reef aquascaping from his freshwater work.

Great Job!!

kevin

joeychitwood · #**119** 08/12/2004, 04:40 PM

Fantastic tank. I can't imagine how much skimmate you must generate from all of those "snot factories."

downset · #**120** 08/12/2004, 05:48 PM

nice tank
i gotta start feeding more live food

raskal311 · #**121** 08/12/2004, 09:15 PM

wow.. you got my vote for tank of the month... very nice

OceanproAquatics · #**122** 08/13/2004, 01:58 AM

Archie Luz's (archie) Reef Aquarium

Can you say "Amazing"?

I'd like to visit this guy in person because you could definitly learn from him a thing or two. That photo looks like a 300 Gallon for one and not a 65 Gallon and it looks like he painted those corals in there it's so perfect! A life time of experience, 24 years career as a reef builder, and an ichthyology and marine biology background - I bow down to Archie!

If you live in or near California Archie, I would love to meet you and see your aquarium in person. Great job! Thanks for posting info on your system here so we can all learn from what you have obviously mastered.

Thanks,

OceanproAquatics · #**123** 08/13/2004, 04:00 AM

You mentioned using Reef Crew's live foods. I looked for them on google but had no luck. Can you pass on or PM me the link or website address please.

archie · #**124** 08/13/2004, 04:07 AM

Thanks for your very flattering comments. Reef Crew has a website at http://www.reefcrew.com.

reefkeeper02 · #**125** 08/13/2004, 10:57 AM

Archie,

Really like the tank. I have a question about your powder blue tang. Does it do well in your size tank and seem healthy and everything. Also, I have been considering setting up a tank similar to yours with ricordea and zoos and such. Any suggestions about that?