Clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, that I got in 1998 and
a Yellow Tang, Zebrasoma flavescens, that I got in 1999—
that’s going on 20 years each. I hope to be successful
with this delicate butterflyfish as well.
Thirty years ago I would not have even dared to dream
about maintaining an aquarium the way I do now. We
hobbyists have evolved from people who struggled to keep
“easy” corals fresh (I don’t mean alive; I am referring to
keeping things fresh-looking, similar to vegetables in a
refrigerator) to people who can create systems vigorous
enough to support some coral-grazing fishes.
MINIMIZING RISK
My current aquarium was set up in January 2015 when
I moved into a new house. I had the tank built into a
wall so that only the front pane is visible from the liv-
ing room. The tank and all its equipment are located in
a separate room behind the wall. I have access to the
tank from the side, the back, and the front: over the tank
there is a door that can be opened. I filled the system
with natural seawater and transferred the contents of
my previous aquarium to their new home. Although the
system was set up just over two years ago, it has already
started to look like a grown-in reef. It is not a pure SPS
reef; I try to keep a variety of the “easier” corals, feeding
often with a varied diet. While I do like the corals in
my aquarium, the fishes are most important to me. The
rockscape and placement of the corals is done in such a
way that the fishes have many hiding places and don’t
have to see each other all the time, and the ’scape thus
promotes natural behaviors. I have built a large protec-
tive cave especially for the Pygoplites angel, as I have ob-
served that this fish likes to have a refuge.
Based on earlier experiences, I try to keep my setup
simple and use high-end equipment. By doing so I limit
the risk of failure, and when I am away the person tak-
ing care of the tank can easily understand the system—
this, too, limits the risk of accidents. The heart of the
system is the Red Dragon 10,000-L/hr (2,600-gallon/
hr) pump I got in 2004 and a Bubble King 200 Super-
marin Internal Skimmer I got in 2005. These two pieces
of equipment have definitely proven their value to me.
Two Philips CoralCare LED units light the tank. I got
them in June 2016 and I am impressed with them. A
German-made Panta Rhei Hydro-Wizard ECM 42 cur-
rent pump produces water movement. I use Triton Core7
Reef Supplements to replenish consumed elements such
as calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, and trace elements.
Currently, I add 2.5 ounces (75 ml) from each bottle
every day, administering the solutions with a Grotech
doser. There is a small filter with active carbon, a small
filter with some granular ferric oxide, and a small algae
refugium in the sump below the tank (behind the wall).
Recently I have installed a Deltec 20W UV-C sterilizer
as a prophylactic against fish parasites. A Resun Chiller
keeps the temperature low during hot summers. I also
use an uninterrupted power supply as battery backup.
I have connected the Pantha Rhei current pump to this
device so that the water in the aquarium will keep mov-
ing for several hours in the case of a power outage. When
away on holiday, I am now able to watch the tank using
a dedicated webcam. This gives me great peace of mind.LIMITED WATER CHANGES
I tried to stop doing water changes, as Triton claims they
are not necessary when using their products. While I
must say the results were good, I decided to try doing
water changes again and I like the results more. Two to
three times a month I change one bucketful, which is 5
gallons (20 L), about 3 percent of the system volume,
with KZ Reefer’s Best Salt. This salt is very high in many
trace elements, but because I only change small amounts
of water I feel that I am topping up certain trace ele-
ments in an efficient way. I also do larger (20–30 per-
cent) water changes about four times each year. For
these I use natural seawater from the North Sea or from
Tropic Marin Pro Reef. I top up elements if the Triton
analysis indicates any deficiencies. I send out a sample
about four times each year.
This regimen provides me with good results without
costing much time or effort. I consider the time involved
in maintaining this tank to be very modest. Not havingThe tank faces the living room, but all the filtration, lighting, and
technical support are located behind a wall in a separate room.