Keeping a Reef Tank

Last March 20, Toni and I went to Metrowalk to buy some DVDs. On our way to the DVD stalls we decided to pass by an aquarium shop to check out their display. And there, we saw this beautiful nano reef (15 gallons) tank complete with accessories (lighting, pumps and filters), corals and reef fishes. It was really beautiful. I’m into diving. I’m actually a certified diver. So you could just imagine how much excitement I felt when I saw that beautiful tank. Out of curiosity I asked the storekeeper if it’s really difficult to maintain a reef tank. He said, no, and water change needs only be done once a month (at least 20% of tank volume), and general cleaning, once a year. And then I asked about feeding the corals and fishes. He showed me a bottle and told me that I only need to give them a capful of that liquid once a day and that’s it. I couldn’t believe it was that simple. I’ve heard so much about keeping a reef tank how difficult and expensive to maintain one. But based on my conversation with the storekeeper, it appears it’s even simpler compared to freshwater tanks. So right there and then, I decided to buy it. Complete set at PhP 25,000.

My 15 gallon reef tank

Three days after, the corals died. I asked myself what have I done wrong? So I took the bottle given to me by the storekeeper and read everything written on its label. It was a bottle of iodine. I learned from the label that iodine does not actually serve as a food for the corals but only acts as a supplement. And there was a notice warning. Dosing should be done properly and precautionary measures should be taken so as to avoid overdosing the tank. There was a dosing instruction and based on my computation, I should be dosing only 0.3ml of that solution once a week as compared to the capful, approximately 5ml daily dosing of that solution to the tank! F*ck! I poisoned my corals! I wanted to kill that storekeeper but can I really blame him? I should have read the instruction on the bottle in the first place. So, ok fine let’s just charge it to experience.

That following Sunday, we went to Cartimar to replenish our stocks. We bought new set of corals, live rocks, tube worms, clams, and few more fishes. Again, after three days of setting up the tank, while being away from home, Toni called, panicking! The fishes are dying she said! Here we go again! Argh! Hurriedly I left work and went straight home. That night, we had to remove everything from the tank because there’s something poisoning the fishes and maybe the corals too. The clams are dead by that time. We also have to rush to a nearby marine shop to buy saltwater to replace the old stock laden with whatever is poisoning our livestock. That night, out of the 9 fishes in our tank, only 2 survived. All the clams died too. Fortunately, the corals survived the onslaught. This is getting really difficult and expensive, again, let’s charge this to experience.

The following morning, I searched the net for all the information I could find about reef keeping. I was eager to know what happened that night which almost wiped out my reef tank. Here’s what I learned:

1. Water parameter checking is highly important. Reef tank should mimic natural seawater where these creatures are naturally its inhabitants. One cannot stress the importance of checking and maintaining acceptable levels of calcium, pH, alkalinity, nitrates and phosphates. I bought a test kit and I now perform a periodic testing of my tank.

a. Calcium (400 - 420ppm) – if your level is below the normal range, there are supplements available in the market you can buy. Just add it to raise your level. If your value is too high, a water change can help but doing nothing won’t really hurt your livestock. Corals will naturally deplete the calcium in your tank as they need it for their growth.

b. Nitrates (0 ppm) – Having a value of 0 ppm in your tank could quite be challenging. Especially if you are also keeping fishes in your tank. Nitrates are introduced in your tank via the food and wastes generated by fishes. An excess in nitrates could promote excessive algae growth which makes your tank looks unpleasant. It helps to keep a protein skimmer in your tank to help remove various organic waste matter in your tank. Unfortunately, the tank I bought is not equipped with a skimmer. So I purchased one and installed it in my tank.

c. Phospates (0 ppm) – Up to this moment I haven’t still achieved that 0 level. I started with a value of 5 pmm and the last time I checked it has already gone down to 0.25 ppm, which is not bad. Hopefully within the next few days I’ll be able to eliminate it from my tank completely. I had to use an additive to precipitate the phosphorus in my tank. Though I think certain phosphate filters are a lot better but I don’t have much space in my tank to accommodate such filters.

I enjoy water testing. It brings me back to my laboratory subjects during college. I am a licensed chemist so water testing is just a walk in the park for me.

2. Corals and clams are more sensitive to sudden change in water parameters. That night, the clams died first. And when they die, they release toxins which could have poisoned the fishes as well.

3. During daytime, excessive evaporation occurs (water loss). At first I used salt water to make up for the loss. But after a while, I realized that if I keep adding saltwater to my tank to make up for the water loss, I will be increasing the salinity of my water. Salt does not evaporate. It stays in your tank. So to balance this, therefore I concluded that I should be adding a natural clean freshwater. But before doing so, I checked again the net, and wow, I was right! Only there is a precaution to use only distilled water so as not to introduce soil minerals that could affect the tank water parameter. Last week I bought a refractometer which allows me to test the salinity (level of salt) in my tank. Recommended level is at 1.020 to 1.025. By knowing your salinity level, you would know which to add should water loss occurs, saltwater or distilled freshwater so as to maintain acceptable salinity level in your tank.

4. Temperature and lighting is critical. I had to buy small custom fans for the tank. I wanted to get a chiller but damn, it’s as expensive as a new air conditioner. Well, so far the fans are doing its job in keep the tank cool. =)

5. The amount of stocks you keep in your tank is also crucial. You cannot overstock it like how we stock our cabinets with too much stuffs. There is a certain rule how much liverocks, corals and fishes you can keep depending on your tank size (volume).

It was too late for me to realize how tedious and complicated to keep a reef tank. Had I known all these things before I bought that tank, I would have probably passed on it. It would scare the sh*t out of me particularly knowing how big responsibility it is to keep the tank alive. I was forced in this situation, keeping and maintaining a reef tank. But after more than a month has passed, surprisingly I’m enjoying every tasks I have to do for it; testing the water, feeding the corals and fishes, adjusting the equipment settings, everything. I can say, I have no regrets at all. Coral and fishes as well as those little critters in the tank are so delicate and sensitive. Keeping them alive is what gives me pleasure. It is so challenging and I do love challenges. Not to mention the tons of things I’ve been learning about marine life. Having a bottle of beer while staring at those beautiful creatures is such a delightful experience for me. Hopefully before the year ends, I’d be able to upgrade from 15 gallons to 80 gallon tank. And I am already preparing for it, financially and in terms of knowledge and experience. And that would be another challenging experience I am looking forward to embark.

Here's how I want my 80 gallon tank to look like.