WMAS - Tank of the Month
Cody and Stacie Pearce

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Hi, Future Tank of the month WMAS member! Thank you for allowing us to showcase your tank on our website. To assist you in your write up, we have compiled a list of things to consider:

1) Your name, location and occupation. Include how long you have been an aquarist, how long you have been a WMAS member and how you heard of our club.
Name: Cody and Stacie Pearce
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Occupation: Cody: Graduate Student in Engineering at the U of U, Stacie: R.N. at Primary Children�s
How long have you been in the hobby? 6 Years
How long have you been a member of the club? 4 Yearsb>
How did you hear about the WMAS? Rick at From the Sea

2) Describe your tank. Acrylic or glass? Size in dimensions and gallons. How long has it been set up?
Acrylic / Glass: Glass
Size in gallons: 90
Dimensions: 24x18x48
Age: (how long has the system been running) This particular location it has been set up for two years.

3) Describe your lighting system, including your photo-period. Add what you would change if you could.
2xT-5 Actinic set for 10:00am to 11:00pm and 2x250W XM 10k MHs on from 3:00pm to 9:00pm. I would like to try the Hamilton 14ks next and if I could hang my lights from the ceiling I would get parabolic reflectors for the MHs

4) Describe your filtration system. Include: How deep is your sand bed, plenum, your skimmer size and model and how long you run it, your circulation pumps (how many and their size in gallons per hour), your sump/refugium including Reverse Daylight, biowheels and skilters, HOT systems, clean up crew.
I�m running a shallow sand bed ~1-2� of crushed coral. The skimmer is an ASM-G3 run 24-7. My return pump is a SeaLife T2 and does about 500gph. The main circulation pumps are two Tunze�s Turbelle Streams doing ~3400gph. I have a refugium plumbed into the main circulation system, but the valve connection it to the main tank is currently turned off. The clean up crew is a variety of astreas, margaritas, hermits, tuxedo urchin, 2 green and white urchins, and a couple of serpent stars.

5) What are your maintenance techniques? Include water change schedule.
I try and do a 20 gallon water change every two weeks and at the same time replace the carbon at the outtake of the skimmer

6) What additives do you use?
Kalkwasser, Strontium, Molybdenum, Iodine, Magnesium, Other
None at the moment, but now that the sps are starting to take off I need to turn my Calcium reactor back on to keep up with the high demands.

7) Describe your feeding philosophy. Include your schedule, and what you prefer to feed your system?
A pinch of flake every evening

8) DIY ie, Calcium reactor, stand / hood, skimmer, sump, ect. Any Do-it-yourself items of interest? Web-sites that you may have referenced?
The stand, canopy and accompanying side cabinets were all designed and built by my dad, grandpa and I. All of the plumbing and lighting is diy. I also have a modified overflow to reduce the noise as much as possible. When I do any diy it will usually be to modify an existing idea or to improve the design. I typically don�t like to rebuild something you can just go and buy.

9) Stand and Canopy
Wood: Maple
Color: Maple
Special Characteristics: Custom made

10) Items of interest: Favorite or unusual Fish, coral, or invertebrate
Favorite Fish: Stacie�s is the Flame Angel and Cody�s is the Potter�s Angel. Luckily we were able to buy both of them at the same time and have had no problems with them fighting.
Favorite Coral: Cody�s is the Euphyllias and Stacie�s is the Plerogyra (pearl bubble coral).
Favorite Polyps: Orange Zoos.
Favorite Sponge: The purple/bluish sponge that sometimes forms under the rocks.
Favorite Crab: Scarlet Hermit.
Favorite Worm: Feather duster.
Favorite Clam: I love the Maximas.

11) Can you include a table showing your elemental levels of Ca+, alkalinity, S.G., temperature, pH and other interesting testables?
My Ca and Alk are fairly low at the moment, but would like to maintain them at 9dkh and 400ppm Ca. My S.G. stays around 35ppt. The temperature goes from about 79-81, fans turn on above 79 and the heaters turn on at 77. I unplug my heaters during the summer as they are just one more thing that can become accidentally bumped on. The pH wavers around 8.2 to 8.6. The ORP typically stays around 340. The pH, lighting, temp, and ORP are all monitored/controlled by an Aquacontroller II.

12) What experiences and challenges have you had with the tank? Any lessons learned? Is there anything you do differently than others (or differently than previously)? If so, why?
There have been so many lessons learned that it would take a book to write them all. You can only get so much from reading without experiencing and knowing your tank. I absolutely love all the challenges and tinkering with my reef (well save a few lol). When Stacie and I get a house I have ideas for a larger reef with a whole new design, but don�t tell Stacie that ;).

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