Special thanks to:

Steve Morris  Bob Crelin  Kelly Marchetti  Jim Clinton Brian Flynn  Kieran Coleman

"Jack" at Reef Life, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: (800) 903 3474

"Joe" at Ocean Garden Aquarium, Hamden, Connecticut: (203) 287 1047, (203) 230 2222

  American Granby, Inc. (plumbing supplies), New York: (800) 776 2266

Foreword by  xv

Acknowledgments  xvii

1. About This Book

The author and the hobby

2. Benefits of This Book

3. Before You Begin

INITIAL COST

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

PLANNING CYCLE THE TANK

WITH LIVE ROCK ONLY

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4. Types of Tanks

MINI REEFS

COMMON TANK SIZES

TALL TANKS

ODD-SIZED OR SECOND-HAND TANKS

BOTTOM AREA LARGER TANKS (OVER 125 GALLONS)

SELF-MADE TANKS

SUMMARY

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5. Lighting

AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY USED

MEASUREMENT OF LIGHT WAVES

HEAT BUILDUP

REMOTING THE BALLAST

METAL HALIDE LIGHTING

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6. Water Quality

USING PLAIN TAP WATER

USING OCEAN WATER

USING PURIFIED TAP WATER

THE AUTHOR’S WATER SYSTEM

SYNTHETIC SALTWATER

MIXING SALTWATER WATER

TESTING

NITRIFICATION PROCESS DENITRIFICATION PROCESS

TANK CYCLING (NITRIFICATION AND DENITRIFICATION)

TYPES AND FREQUENCY OF WATER TESTING ONCE THE TANK HAS CYCLED

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7. Filtration Concepts

THE CONCEPT

SURFACE SKIMMING

THE PREFILTER AND WATER FLOW

THE SUMP BOX

CALCULATING THE SIZE OF THE SUMP BOX

DESIGN AND FUNCTION OF THE SUMP BOX

LOCATION AND HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROTEIN SKIMMER

THE PROTEIN SKIMMER

SKIMMER PUMPS THE PREFILTER

NOT DISTURBING THE REEF

WATER TURBULENCE IN THE SUMP

TYPES OF OVERFLOWS

CONTROLLING THE WATER FLOW

MATERIAL TO USE FOR PREFILTER;

CLEANING THE PREFILTER

NOT ALLOWING THE PREFILTER TO GO BIOLOGICAL

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR: REMOVING

WHY A TRICKLE FILTER IS NO LONGER USED

REMOVING THE PLASTIC MEDIA

USING A TRICKLE FILTER AS A SUMP BOX

LOCATION OF THE SUMP BOX

NITRATE BUILDUP WHEN USING A TRICKLE FILTER

MANAGING NITRATE IN A REEF SYSTEM

FILTRATION: NECESSARY COMPONENTS

FILTRATION: UNNECESSARY COMPONENTS

SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF LIVE ROCK TO USE

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8. Setting Up a Reef Tank

9. Maintenance

RECORD KEEPING DAILY:

CHECK GENERAL APPEARANCE OF REEF DAILY:

ADJUST PROTEIN SKIMMER DAILY:

ADJUST WATER LEVEL (EVAPORATION DAILY:

FEED LIVESTOCK AS NEEDED

REMOVE UNWANTED ALGAE (GLASS AND OVERFLOW PIPES)

WHY REEF STORES DO NOT HAVE AN ALGAE PROBLEM

CLEAN PROTEIN SKIMMER

CHANGE AIR STONES

ADJUST VENTURI VALVE WEEKLY

CHANGE PREFILTER PADS BIWEEKLY

CHANGE WATER BIWEEKLY

ADD TRACE ELEMENTS MONTHLY

TEST WATER MONTHLY

CLEAN THE TANK COVER MONTHLY

WIPE THE LIGHT BULBS EVERY 3 MONTHS

CLEAN THE COOLING FAN(S) EVERY 3 MONTHS

INSPECT AND CLEAN THE WATER PUMPS EVERY 6 MONTHS

TAKE DOWN AND COMPLETELY CLEAN THE SUMP

TAKE DOWN AND SERVICE THE PUMP

REPLACE LIGHT BULBS ONCE A YEAR

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10. Supplies

TANKS AND STANDS

SUMP BOX PROTEIN SKIMMER

WATER PURIFICATION EQUIPMENT LIGHTING

EXPENDABLE ITEMS

LIVE ROCK

LIVESTOCK

UNCONVENTIONAL PRODUCTS USED IN REEF KEEPING

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11. Power Outage

THE EMERGENCY PLAN

OXYGEN LOSS DUE TO POWER OUTAGE

SOME OTHER COMMENTS ON POWER OUTAGES

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12. Fabricating Components

CONSIDERATIONS OF A LARGE TANK

STRUCTURAL CONCERNS

SIZES AND STYLES OF SELF-MADE TANKS LARGE TANK

LARGE COST CALCULATING THE VOLUME OF A TANK

CALCULATING GALLONS PER INCH

TANK LOCATION SYSTEM NEEDS

COMMITMENT AND DECISION FOR A LARGE TANK

WORK SPACE

RECOMMENDED TOOLS SUPPLIES FOR A CUSTOM TANK

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

BUILDING THE TANK

GLASS THICKNESS COMPARED TO HEIGHT OF TANK

INSTALLING THE TOP BRACES

COMPLETING YOUR SELF-MADE TANK TANK

STANDS THE SUMP BOX

FABRICATING A PROTEIN SKIMMER

BUILDING A COLUMN DENITRIFIER

BUILDING A WAVE MAKER

FABRICATING A LIGHT CANOPY

FABRICATING A DRIP PLATE

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13. Reef Livestock

14  Plumbing

15  Conclusion

Suppliers Reference Section

Glossary

Index