Octopus 350 gal. reef dream

Hello to everyone here !

My name is Slobodan Lazarevic, for most of local fish keepers and close friends of mine better known as Laza. I'm a member of several fish keeping web portals word-wide under the nickname Octopus or OctopusBelgrade. Thanks to this beautiful hobby, I have met a lot of friends all around our blue and green planet. I'm from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.

I've been involved in marine fishkeeping for about 20 yrs. Also I have been keeping freshwater fishes and planted tanks (aquascaping) for many many years. (around 30)

I’m introducing my reef tank system... My dream.
Two tanks in system: 200 cm x 55 x 50 and 200 cm x 55 x 60 + sump 150cm x 40 x40 + 180 x 40 x 30 refugium and tank for my frags

These first pictures I took during 2007.

As shown on the picture, as you can see, there are actually two tanks that are placed that way to make “L” shape



First tank start to work on October 2006
Second tank on May 2007


First tank 200 cm x 55 x 50 October 2007



Second tank 200 cm x 55 x 60 October 2007




Second tank October 2007





Lighting:

One tank / aquaconect - 8 x T5 lamp (2x aquascience blue, 4x aquascience special, 2 x aquascience duo )
second tank Arcadia 3 series (3 x 150 W MH 14000 K) + 4 x T5 80W aquascience blue and aquascience duo)

Photoperiod:

First tank: 8:00 aquascience blue ON
8:30 aquascience duo ON
9:00 MH 14000 K ON
19:30 MH 14000 K OF
21:00 h aquascience duo OFF
22:00 h aquascience blue OFF

Second tank: 8:00 h aquascience blue ON
8:30 h aquascience duo ON
9:00 h aquascience special ON

19:30 h aquascience special OFF
21:00 h aquascience duo OFF
22:00 h aquascience blue OFF

Moonlights: 21.00 ON - 4:00 OF
Refugium: 22 :00 ON - 8:00 OF

My previous (many years ago) reef tanks utilized a deep sand bed or tricle for filtration and nutrient processing. But I wasn’t satisfied with that system. In my new system filtration is arranged with 200 kg live rock (Fuji, Tonga) and Bubble King 250 internal DeLuxe in sump + ozonizer Sander)
This is big and very good skimmer. By my opinion efficient skimming is important .

I replace all of my top-off water with kalkwasser. Kalkwasser dosing daily with Deltec KM 500 Kalkwasser Stirrer and Tunze osmolator 3155

In sump is calcium reactor Deltec PF 601 Regulated with Tunze pH CO2 controler set and Tunze CO2 bottle 5 kg
Also Fluidised reactor is in the sump. In reactor are 500 g Rowaphos and 1 kg Grotech actv karbon. Karbon removed monthly.

Temperature is controlled with Aquamedic Titan 1500 and Tunze temperature controller set and IKS aquastar Bassisistem (triple control) In winter I turn ON 4 x 300-watt heaters also on a controller.

Returned pump: first tank 2 x 2500l Red dragon,
second tank 2 x 3000 l Tunze Master,

UV lamp : De bary aqua UV 25 watt

Excellent circulation is important for my tank for two reasons: assuring that the detritus remained suspended in order to travel to the sump for removal via vacuum or skimmer and coral heath. My circulation is arranged with Turbelle stream Kit TS 48 ( 4 x Turbelle stream 6100 /12000 l/h with multicontroler 7095) + 2 x Turbele nanostrem 6055 (for frag tank)

I change 5% of the water every 5 days with saltwater created from the six-stage-RO/DI unit. I use Tropic Marin Pro-Reef salt and Aquamedic reef salt.

Feeding:

I have the Plancton reactor ”Phytobreder 2” Grotech and I dose 500 ml phytoplancton every day except Suterday with Grotech Phytocontrol. Two dey in week I feed my corals and other invertebrates with Brine Shrimp nauply. My fish feed vith meny frozen and flake food daily.

With Grotech TEC III + II, I dose every day food for corals and all important elements. Earlier I used Grotech A,B, C and M aditives. Here in Serbia is very hard to find all that tings ( there isn’t any specialise marine shop). That’s why I had to learn how to make these solutions... everything I add in tanks. I think that my mix isn’t much different than one which Grotech or some other big company sell. In last time I also add fauna marine ultraorganic.

IKS aquastar Bassi sistem (pH modul,redox modul, temperatur modul , Schaltsteckdosienlieste and IKS Aquastar SMS absolut control help me in monitoring and maintain. .
I have double control with:
Tunze redox controller set 7075/2 (controlling Ozon)
Tunze temperature controller set
Tunze Conductivity meter
Tunze water level alarm

calibration all instruments every month.


Water parameters Testing last week.

Tests: Lammote, Salifert, Tropic Marin, Merck , Elos

This is parameters in my sistem:

Specific Gravity: 1.026 (refractometer atago, Tunze Conductivity meter, IKS aquastar)

Ca 420 - 430 mg/l (Tropic Marin, Salifert)
Mg 1350 - 1400 mg/l (Salifert, Elos)
PO4 0.01 mg/l (Merck)
NO3 5 mg/l (Tropic Marin, Elos)
KH 7- 8 (Tropic Marin)
redox 350 – 400
pH night 7,9-8.0... day 8.2 – 8.3
temperature 26 – 27 ° C


And this year pictures ...
first tank Jun 2008

July 2008

October 2008


Second tank Jun 2008

September 2008

November 2008


This is something for beginning of I hope long and successful experience exchange.

My English isn’t so well and take that in consideration if I’ll make some mistakes in spelling.

 

wow simply amazing
you have some great growth in those photos

Welcome to 3reef
and don't worry your English is fine

and the tanks are setup like an L
do you by any chance have a picture where you can see both tanks together?

 

This is one of the better setups I have have ever seen.

 

Thank you for comments.

more pictures...

 

that's a nice tank and I love your birdnest

 

Wow. Wow. That has got to be one of the most beautiful tanks I've ever seen. Welcome to 3reef!

Do you have any pics of the area in Belgrade, or the LFS there? What are the LFS like?

 

awesome just awesome.. I hope my future reef tanks look as good as those..

 

Laza

your in a completely different hobby to me, we may have some things in common
salt, acrylic etc - but thereafter its a whole different level

stunning set up

Steve

 

Would you ship to Phoenix Arizona . J/K I couldn't pay for shipping let alone customs fees.

 

That's real purdy.

Most American/British people's English isn't so well either technically. If any American gives you crap about your English, I bet they are not even bilingual. It's great and a heck of a lot easier to understand than some members who don't use proper punctuation. That's absolutely gorgeous aquarium though.