be safe for use in salt water. He drilled a ½-inch hole
through each paver and, using Thorite general-purpose
concrete, cemented a rigid ½-inch fiberglass rod firmly
into the hole. These large, heavy pavers prevent the pillars from toppling over and causing a nightmarish disaster in the tank, while the fiberglass rods create a rigid
backbone to hold the rock in position.
Sanjay drilled a hole in each piece of rock and then
slid them onto the fiberglass rods one at a time, starting
with small, narrow pieces at first and using wider pieces
as he neared the top. For additional structural integrity,
he used Thorite to keep the rocks in their intended positions. When he was done, the 11 live-rock pillars formed
an open and elegant aquatic landscape.
The tank was filled with fresh RO water and Instant Ocean synthetic sea salt
was added. With the salt mix fully dissolved, the temperature at 77°F, and salinity at 1.025, the system was ready for
the live rock pillars. Great care had to be
exercised; placing heavy rock assemblages
piece-by-piece in a bare bottom tank filled
with water without breaking any glass can
be difficult.
Next, Sanjay lay down a sand bed for
aesthetic and husbandry reasons. To cover
the aquarium floor he used 17 20-pound
bags of CaribSea Arag-alive Bahamas Oolite live sand. He covered the bottom with
a 1- to 2-inch layer, spreading it over the
paver bases of the pillars. The result is
nothing short of spectacular. The combination of the white sand and the pillars
make this reef instantly recognizable, setting it apart from most other reef systems
I have seen.
With the aquarium now biologically
active, the modified Beckett downdraft
skimmer, Deltec fluidized reactors for carbon and phosphate-reducing media, and
DIY reverse-flow calcium reactor were
pressed into action. The calcium reactor
has two chambers, each of which measures 6 x 24 inches. The reactor is powered by a Mag 5 pump, which has a rating
of 500 gallons ( 1,893-L) per hour. The
first chamber holds coarse Shuran-type
coral media, while the other holds ARM
crushed coral.
At this point another problem arose.
New tank syndrome has no boundaries,
and this aquarium was no exception: a
brown film of diatoms was growing on
the rock and sand surfaces. Sanjay took
control by shutting down the aquarium
lights until his “cleanup crew” arrived.
This crew consisted of 15 Mexican turbo snails ( Turbo
fluctuosus), 25 Astraea snails (Astraea tecta), 75 Nassa-rius snails (Nassaurius vibex), 6 Fighting Conchs (
Strom-bus alatus), and 3 serpent stars (Ophioderma sp.). They
quickly began their task of grooming the substrates.
With the fish and coral stocking process underway,
Sanjay bought two toys. For the aquarium, he purchased
a new protein skimmer, designed by his friend Brian Fe
guson, to replace the modified Beckett unit. The new
skimmer is driven by a Bubble King 2000 needle-wheel
pump and comes with all of the bells and whistles. It
sports a 12 x 24-inch base and a 40-inch-tall body, and
has unlimited performance potential. For his peace of
mind, Sanjay purchased a Neptune Aquacontroller III to CM Y CM MY CY CMY K
