The nicest reef tank I have ever seen *pic*

[xenon]

Here is a summary of his system:

I try to create all conditions as optimal as possible for my corals.
I like to mention the current ingredients of my system:

- Lighting:
Pure T5!!
2x54 Watt ATI Aquablue Special
2x54 Watt ATI Blue Plus
4x80 Watt ATI Aquablue Special
4x80 Watt ATI Blue Plus
For a total of 856 Watts. The lamps are changed every 6-8 months.
T5 for stone corals?
The light conditions compared at tropical reef roofs, we can often offer our corals only compromises both in the spectral light composition and in the intensity of radiation.
It just therefore makes sense to put the radiant energy with artificial light sources available in the areas in which the photosynthesis is supported optimally.
In comparison with the exclusive illumination with HQI the lights offer the corals a more efficient possibility with T5 technology of delivering sufficiently photo synthetically utilizable radiation (PUR).
This also is due to the more unfavorable radiation orientation besides the high waste of energy (approx. 20%) of the much HQI lamps with a stronger shading of one's own.
Through this coral can as a percentage absorb less PUR radiation.
By the T5 lights my corals have got much more colored.
The growth also has increased.
For me the T5 technology is the best opportunity for the light extraction.



- Water Changes:
10% weekly changes with Reverse Osmosis water.

- Technical Equipment:
Skimmer: Beast 1200P
Flow pumps: Tunze Streams
Ozone: None
UV: None


- Calcium Management:
Balling method
The consumption of calcium is about 40 mg/liters daily


- Filtration:
By a specific combination of maritime micro-organisms we get a stable and largely natural ecosystem in the small format. The imitation of the ecosystem "sea" doesn't confine itself only by the keeping of corals, cancer animals, fish and other life-forms.
Biology is an important factor.
Technical aids cannot replace a stable biological climate.
I prefer to limit the amount of technical solutions and focus on biological filtration methods:

Live rock
DSB (100% Livesand)
DSB should have a height of least 10 cm and consist of living sand this. However, the most important factor is the particles size.
The "normal" coral break is unsuitable for a DSB. We need the finest sand.
We distinguish the water in the water layer above the sand and water layers in the sand.
By the occurrence of bacteria and by gas diffusion the water is subdivided into visible layers within the DSB. These layers are different from each other by the predominant oxygen concentration. We distinguish aerobic, anaerobic and anoxycal segments. The aerobic layer has the same oxygen concentration as the water above the sand roughly.
In the anaerobic layer, oxygen is availably but already still considerably fewer than in the layer being over it.
The anoxic layer doesn't contain relaxed oxygen.
If there wasn't a life in the sand, there would be no layer formation either.
This is caused by bacteria, micro organisms and animals which live on the surface of sediment particles.
In the different layers it comes to a breakdown of nutrients.


- Current Water Parameters:
Temperature: 25°C
Salinity: 35ppt
pH: low 7.90 high 8.1
No3: undetectable
No2: undetectable
NH4: undetectable
Po4: undetectable
Si3 : undetectable
Ca: 420mg/ml
Alk: 7-9 DKH
Mg: 1300mg/ml
Redox: 400-450

- Additions:

Daily:

Amino Acid (Korallenzucht)
Coral Vitalizer (Korallenzucht)

When required:

Stylo-Pocci Glow (Korallenzucht)
Potassium-Mix (Korallenzucht)
Potassium-jodine (Korallenzucht)
Amino acid (Korallenzucht)
I use these products into dependence of the corals.
I have no dosage helps and no dosage suggestions.
The only tip:
Watch the corals, they tell you what is good for them.

Weekly:
Amino acids/vitamins "ReefBooster" (Prodibio)

Bi-Weekly:
Bacteria "Bio Digest" (Prodibio)
Bacteria food "Bioptim"(Prodibio)
Aim of all products is creating a relatively low nutrient environment in our seawater aquaria.
The bonus of selected bacteria and the feeding reduce the nutrients.
The biological functions are activated. ReefBooster serves the diet of the corals and DSB resident.
The dosage of the individual components is very simple. The ampoule tops are simply broken off, the contents thinned down into some aquarium water and admitted. Ready!
The Vodka method also increases bacteria anyway? Right!
Vodka is a carbon source for the bacteria. By the bonus of Vodka one obtains an increase of all bacteria's contained in the system. By the bonus of selected bacterium and carbon sources the desired bacteria remain dominant.
So the biological functions are used optimally.

Important:
the keys for the success aren't the products but the observation of the effect on the corals.
I only can write here how I use the components.
The daily look into the aquarium and the specific customization of the efforts bring the success

http://www.hausriff.ch/4534/156972.html

[xenon]

The only thing I don't understand is how he can run this many bulbs over a 6ft x 2ft tank.

2x54 Watt ATI Aquablue Special
2x54 Watt ATI Blue Plus
4x80 Watt ATI Aquablue Special
4x80 Watt ATI Blue Plus

The 80w bulbs are 5ft long and the 54w bulbs are 4ft long. He has never posted pictures of his equipment.

[sniggir]

very cool,.... also a properly lit T5 tank...very nice, I like how he talks about balance in the tank, now my only ? is Vodka....? now is that for his balance

[pwrca]

All I can say is that is one AMAZING looking tank.  My tank fails by comparison  ,  Maybe some day.

[kennyman]

I liked how he acknowledged the importance of a dsb stabilizing his system and that he keeps the temp down. It's a pretty good example of the "Modern Marine Aquarium" approach I am reading about in that book I picked up from Mr.Calfo

It still looks pretty riotous with not enough repetition in colour among the sps across the top but that's just me.  It's not like I'll ever have a tank like that. It is very impressive.

[Adam]

I think he's running all 4' bulbs.  An icecap ballast on a 4' lamp will bump it up to 80W.

[redbelly]

Why does he not have coaline growth... anywhere...

[xenon]

Why does he not have coaline growth... anywhere...

He must be scraping it off the glass. His overflow box is covered by is LR/corals.

[xenon]

I think he's running all 4' bulbs.  An icecap ballast on a 4' lamp will bump it up to 80W.

Yeah I was thinking that he might be using the icecap 660 to overdrive his bulbs but aparently he uses the ATI Powermodue light fixtues and not retrofit.

[groan]

i dont see any live rock..its all coral!

[gvv]

Man, how can somwbody keep his/her tank so clean!!!
No trace of any algae nor coraline nor any other else! Glass looks like he just put everything in the tank!
Unbelievable...
I always ahve some stuff growing on my galss especially in the area where it is hard to clean sand for example. Also corals of some, let's call it poisonous colors - very bright... So, my first impression was it is all artificial... Cannot believe somebody can have such a tank. Only Germans (sorry swiss) can make it!!! 

Could not find the tank volume, but he has a lot of fish in it!

[Julie]

A little brown shows in the bottom of the sand bed - so it's real.   and beautiful.

http://www.marineaquarium.nl/maart-2006.php  800 litres or 210gallon

[xenon]

A little brown shows in the bottom of the sand bed - so it's real.   and beautiful.

http://www.marineaquarium.nl/maart-2006.php  800 litres or 210gallon

Woohoo!

I finally see his light fixture! This looks like an 8x80w 60" ATI Powermoduel fixture.

[buzzard]

I only count 8 lights, Not 12 like listed in his equipment list???
NO coraline growth anywhere???
Not a spec of any type of algae anywhere???
Looks like he set it up YESTERDAY.
JMO but I don't think this tank is very old and I would like to see it in a few months.
Looks awesome though.

[xenon]

I only count 8 lights, Not 12 like listed in his equipment list???
NO coraline growth anywhere???
Not a spec of any type of algae anywhere???
Looks like he set it up YESTERDAY.
JMO but I don't think this tank is very old and I would like to see it in a few months.
Looks awesome though.

I think your right. The tank listed on the page Julie posted is different because the overflow is in the corner. The pics I posted looks like a brand new tank and that would explain why it's re-aquascaped.

[Julie]

If you look at the diagram of his lighting, there are 10 bulbs pictured.  The link I posted is from 2006 and the photos Xenon posted are from Coral Magazine Jan 2007.
Here's a link from an Italian publication, at the bottom he indicates "nuevo vasca" - which I think means new tank(anyone? )http://www.acquaportal.it/_ARCHIVIO/ARTICOLI/giardino_casa.asp

[RossW]

In the second photo of the original post, is that not coraline covering his overflow box in the centre at the back?

[xenon]

In the second photo of the original post, is that not coraline covering his overflow box in the centre at the back?

Yep!