Hello from northeast Pennsylvania!!

Hi all!! I am a happily married father of three with a fish addiction since a child. Got back into for good about three years ago, learned about keeping a reef from my two local LFS (small town guys struggling, but been around forever and tons of knowledge, spent many a morning with the wife and kids in tow picking brains, and talk about deals....all my original rock came from a tank that was four or five years old....i knew this, cause the rock had been in the store for four or five years in a 120 with a skimmer and PC's on it....bought 100lbs for $250, and the store is three minutes from home, so no out of water or newspaper stuff)

My 120 was given to me complete with stand and VHO hood & Icecap ballast by the owner of the one store. My 55 was way overcrowded with fish and coral, so it was a good deal. All of my livestock came from those two guys, and all of it is still alive and well. I have not added anything to my 120 in over a year. Currently home to a Clown Tang, Sailfin Tang, mated pair of Ocellarus, Blue Mandarin, Six Line Wrasse, Algae Blenny, Bangaii Cardinal, and a Coral Beauty Angel. All get along, my Clown is definitely king, my wife's Sailfin is probably a close second with the mama clown.
Corals, what a mess.....mixed tank, Devils Finger Leather, Cabbage, Colt, Gorgonians, Button Polypls, several colonies of zoo's, encrusting Daisy Polyps, Taro or Kenya Tree that has spread all over, several different Acro's, two different Open Brains, a Closed Brain, two different Candy Canes or Trumpet coral, Duncan's Giant Polyp 20-25 polyps easy, Frogspawn, Galaxia, and a Bubble.
Also, and my baby, wife hates it, there is a green Giant Carpet Anemone the size of a dinner plate or a little better now. I feed whole silversides and krill with clams/squid, along with what he catches at feeding time. I only feed him once every 3-4 weeks to keep growth gown. My Ocellarus won't go near him, nor a big Tomato clown I've had for 2 1/2 years.
Sump is stupid simple, but works great. Water drops onto live rock with some filter padding over it, Aqau Clear and Penguin ship parts in scraps of their filter pad material, my buddy gives it to me. That takes care of a lot of bubble issues, and since it is above the water, it is also a wet/dry type of deal. Ive never changed the pads in there, and have no nitrate issues. The skimmer is a Berlin Turbo that I bought before I knew better, but Ive made it work. Originally bought for my 55 two years ago, it never got used till the 120. It just sits at the opposite end of the sump, which is a 40g, and dumps out onto more of that filter pad on top of a big bag of carbon. If anyone has any ideas how to improve the performance that have actually worked, aside from the bigger pump, please let me know. It works, but I feel it could be better. The return is a Mag12 which sits next to the outflow of the skimmer. There are no baffles or weirs, just everything tossed in. You should see the pods down there......tons of em, very little algae, everything works together.
There are two Maxi Jet 1200 and one Rio 1600 (??) also in the tank, so plenty of movement for those who need it.
Lighting is 480w VHO with two 10,000k and two 50/50 10,000k/actinic. Also I have a single flourescent strip acroos the front of the tank with a full actinic in it. Makes a difference, believe me. Total is 520w on a 120g, 24" high.
The way I see it, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I will be upgrading a few things, skimmer, wavemaker, but really in no huge rush....looking to do a 180 or better yet 220+ in the next year or two.....the Tangs need more room, ok now, but in a few years.......
Take care all - Matt

 

welcome, nice tank

 

Hello and welcome to 3reef

 

welcome to 3reef!

 

welcome aboard ! : )

 

Nice tank :-D!! Welcome!!

 

Hello!!!

 

You are in the right place for answers...Welcome!