Cardinal Reef 910L

[Cardinal]

Moi!

I would like to share my new reef project and hope it is ok I write in English. I am from Sweden and understand a lot of Finnish but for everybody's sake I believe it is better that I stick to English here . I live in Helsinki and have earlier had a reef tank between 2005-2009. It was a 375L tank and I am very happy to return to the hobby again.

910 L SUMPLESS LOW IRON:

The display would be a central part of our apartment and fit in aesthetically with the rest of the interior. I wanted to make the aquarium as safe and quiet as possible and at the same time hide all technique from view. The biological aspects would be the primary focus so I wanted to incorporate a refuge as well that would be view-able from the side and add interest/filtration and biological variety to the display.

THE PLAN ON PAPER:

Central placement in apartment:





The inlet hole to the refuge is now close to the bottom and not the top as shown below:

[Cardinal]

TECHNOLOGY AND SPECS:

- Low iron aquarium built in Germany by Eheim/MP
- 200cm length, 70cm breadth and 65cm height so ca 910L in total
- 2 x Tunze 6105 (max 2 x 13000 l/h)
- 1 x Tunze 6095 (max 9500 l/h)
- 1 x Tunze wavebox
- 2 x 250w MH with lumenarc reflectors
- 3 x 80w T5
- Balling with automated dosing pumps
- Ozone
- Tunze automatic water refill
- Skimmer Yasi Champagne 200 http://amagmbh.eu/product_info.php?products_id=32

SUMPLESS:



I again choose to go without a sump in order to use less pumps/heat/ noise and money to transfer the water vertically and also lessen the complexity and the risk of leaks and possible fire. I had a flood due to an external skimmer in my old tank so I decided that the skimmer must also be placed inside the aquarium to further minimise the risks. I simply chose a larger aquarium than I had originally planned.

REEF CERAMICS:

In order to hide and remove all equipment from the main display I hid the technique compartment with a wall of reef ceramics customized from Germany:





REFUGE:

To the right of the technique compartment I made a space for the refuge measuring 12cm or ca 55L in total. The refuge is viewable from the right side and will function as a biological filtration using live rock, sand and chaetomorpha. It will also provide live food from the micro fauna produced here. The refuge is fed with a pump based in the technique compartment and the water exits through gravity back into the display. It will be a fun challenge to make the refuge an interesting part of the viewing experience and not have it hidden from view.

[Cardinal]

UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN AUGUST

With help from a good friend we built the stand.






There is a sturdy wooden sheet attached to the back side of the stand that is not clear from the photo below.

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AQUARIUM SAFELY IN PLACE!

After some heavy lifting three work colleagues and Kim at Siniriutta helped me to bring the aquarium in place at the end of August. The work carried out by Eheim/MP is very good and polished. The low iron does make a big difference and worth the extra cost IMO.



Reef ceramics in place:





Refuge:



Refuge and technical compartment visible (skimmer is now standing on the right side of the compartment):

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AQUASCAPE:

I ordered 60kg base rock and 10kg live rock from Germany. The base rock consisted of some really nice large light weight rocks which was easy to work with.

Upon arrival:



Scaping in progress:

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AQUASCAPE IN PLACE:



Left side. On the left side I have tried to resemble the vertical islands seen outside Thailand for example and also try to add visual depth by placing a smaller rock in the foreground (the plan is for this rock to be covered in ricordea later for the size to remain small).:



Middle. For the middle part I have tried to make a spiral formation that moves in a circular and upward movement. This is a bit hard to see in the photos but I think it will look good with the right corals/planning/trimming. :



Right side. The wall of reef ceramics creates a dramatic reef wall going up to the surface of the tank. From the right side I have then made the other parts progressively smaller towards the left side and I will have this in mind when the corals grow.



To add interest and improve circulation and hiding spots for the inhabitants I have chiseled out several kg of rock to make caves that run through the rocks. This also adds visual depth to the scene and a three dimensional feel to it. I have also added shelves to some of the rocks but these will likely be removed later when the corals have grown to avoid a cramped impression. I will try to keep the sand free of corals to keep the open spaces ... open .





The lighting in these photos are only from the T5 in the back so apologies if they are a bit dark.

[Cardinal]

MORE SHOTS:

Skimmer in place:





Kitchen view:



Shark attack




Refuge:

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CORALS AND FISH IN THEIR NEW HOME (October):

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COMPLETING THE FURNITURE (October):

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MORE CLOSE UPS: