Congratulations to Jeff Curtiss, aka “JCurtiss” for being selected as our Summer 2009 “Featured Tank” in the SEAS! Jeff demonstrates that a simplified approach to the hobby can achieve fantastic results! I hope you enjoy reading about his setup as much as I enjoyed seeing it!
Tank Specs Tank Dimensions and Capacity 125-Gallon, Oceanic Aquarium with 30-gallon sump. Lighting Six 54-watt T5 bulbs with single lens reflectors – DIY retro kit in custom hood. Other Equipment Reef Fanatic level controller keeps water topped off in sump. Cooling Three (3) computer fans on sump used mostly for increasing evaporation. Circulation Ø 2 tunze 6100’s on single controllers Ø 1 vortec MP 40 Ø 2 seio 620 Ø 1 Koralia Hydor #1 Ø 1 PanWorld 40px (return)
		Maintenance Routine Water changes 4 gallons once a week Clean front glass twice a week Clean all pumps once a month Blast all visible live rock with turkey baster twice a month Drip 2 gallons of lime water 5 days a week Replace carbon in reactor once a month Change T5 bulbs once a year
		Filtration System Octopus NW 150 Carbon reactor
		Feeding Routine ¼ teaspoon of Spectrum finicky fish formula 2x a day I feed the anemone twice a week with silversides
Livestock
SPS Corals
Acropora clathrata Acropora hyacinthus Acropora millepora Seriatopora hystrix Montipora capricornus Seriatopora guttatus Montipora danae Montipora digitata Montipora tuberculosa Montipora spongodes Acropora turaki Acropora tenuis Stylophora spp.
LPS Corals
Calaustrea furcata Open Brain Euphyllia paradivisia
	Fish & Motile Inverts
	Paracanthurus hepatus – Blue Hippo Tang Amphiprion percula – Black Clownfish (2) Ctenochaetus tominiensis – Tomini Tang Ctenochaetus tominiensis – Longnose Hawkfish Cryptocentrus cinctus – Watchman Goby Entacmaea quadricolor – Rose Bubbletip Anemone 1 Blue Linkia starfish 1 Cucumber 100+ assorted snails Stomatella, Nassarius, Trochus. 100+ astrea starfish
Tank History - when did you set it up, any major "renovations", etc? My current tank was set up in March 2008 when we moved to my current address. It was running for almost a year prior at my old address. Before putting any livestock in I let it sit for 3 months to help the micro and macro fauna develop. What I love the most about my current set up is my custom stand & canopy built by Rick Parent a fellow SEAS member.
Tank Inspiration & Goals Daniel Gan’s tank of the month Reef Keeping magazine March 2005. It inspired me to switch to all T5 bulbs and go mainly SPS corals. My goal is to have a nice display tank and achieve it all on a shoe string budget. I will be happy with mine in March 2013. Any Regrets? No. I like making mistakes … J Buy a generator! I lost my 1^st reef tank in January 2007 during a power outage due to the ice storm we had in Springfield I thought the power would be out for a few days not 2 weeks. I lost some beautiful corals that I failed to give frags of to my friends that are in the hobby. Most of the corals in my current system came from frags that I had given away from my original reef. Future Plans I am excited about future of this hobby and its advancements in lighting, flow, and nutrient export. In the future, and by future I mean April 2013 I will be working on a 10 foot display tank that will sit where my current tank is.
Words of Wisdom & Tips for New Reefers You need to be patient it takes time for things to “look” the way you think they should. Research, research, and research some more before you buy any living thing to put in your tank. Electricity and water do not go well together… You should never aquascape late at night, or if you have to be somewhere in a few minutes. Ten minutes always equals two hours. When you are trying to sleep remember not every strange noise comes from your aquarium. **Develop a friendship with someone who is great at working with wood. My custom stand and canopy is the” best” part of my system.
Give Us Your Opinion On: Lighting – You can be successful in this hobby with all types of lighting. I personally prefer the advantages that come with using T5’s. Skimmers – Nothing is more important for my particular style of exporting waste. Dosing – I add 2-part on the days I don’t drip lime water. Favorite Corals – Tabling acros and encrusting montipora. Cleanup Crews – I prefer snails to do my cleanup I have no sand bed so I really don’t have a need for anything else.
To the Reader: Jeff’s aquarium is truly a focal point in the room – it offers a glimpse into a natural reef setting. And just as an aside – this is by far the QUIETEST system I have ever seen (heard)! There is no water sound or equipment noise – virtually silent!