Tank of the Month - May 2007

WMAS - Tank of the Month
Steve and Stehinee Helferich

Downloads: (right click and select "save target as" for better results)
A high speed connection is recommend for all downloads.
Presentation (1.01MB)*

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:
Steve and Stehinee Helferich
Location:
Magna, Utah
Occupation:
Steve- Construction Stefinee- Domino's Pizza Driver
How long have you been in the hobby?
Saltwater-1 year and Freshwater- 15 Years
How long have you been a member of the club?
Less than a year
How did you hear about the WMAS?
A friend introduced me to the website

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:
Standard 90
Age: (how long has the system been running)
1 Year

3) Describe your lighting system, including your photo-period. Add what you would change if you could.
Type: Power compacts Watts: 192 Photo-Period: Noon � 8PM Wish List: None Other: 1 10k bulb and 1 actinic bulb

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.
100 gallon capacity plastic horse trough sump, filled about two-thirds of the way up. Live sand, about 50 pounds of live rock. Filter sock. Mag 12 return pump (1200 gph). Two 250 watt heaters. Euroreef skimmer. Auto top-off float valve plumbed into RO/DI system. Macro algae. Reverse daylight.

5) What are your maintenance techniques? Include water change schedule.
Clean glass every few days, dose calcium & alkalinity solution twice a week, change out filter sock once a week, remove excess food and waste from tank when needed. We try to do a 30 gallon water change approximately once a month.

6) What additives do you use?
Kalkwasser, Strontium, Molybdenum, Iodine, Magnesium, Other
DIY alkalinity solution: baked baking soda mixed with RO water DIY calcium solution: Prestone driveway heat mixed with RO water

7) Describe your feeding philosophy. Include your schedule, and what you prefer to feed your system?
We try to feed DIY frozen foods (shrimp, fish, etc) once a week and dry food daily.

8) DIY ie, Calcium reactor, stand / hood, skimmer, sump, ect. Any Do-it-yourself items of interest? Web-sites that you may have referenced?
DIY canopy in progress DIY sump
9) Stand and Canopy
Wood: Oak
Color:
black
Special Characteristics:


None
10) Items of interest: Favorite or unusual Fish, coral, or invertebrate
Favorite Fish: : Picasso trigger
Favorite Coral: Fuzzy Mushrooms
Favorite Polyps: Green stars
Favorite Sponge:
Favorite Crab:
Favorite Worm:
Favorite Clam: Never had any

11) Can you include a table showing your elemental levels of Ca+, alkalinity, S.G., temperature, pH and other interesting testables?
Calcium 370 Alkalinity 7.8 SG: 1.023 Temperature: 76 degrees

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?
We still battle trying to keep cyano bacteria under control. We have to vacuum the sand bed in the tank every once in awhile to clean up since we can�t have snails and hermits in the tank with the aggressive fish

13) Other Hobbies, Interestes, Pets, etc?
We have a black lab named Isabell. We also have 3 freshwater tanks that house community fish and a cichlid tank with breeding yellow labs.

*You will need Adobe Acrobat to view the presentation.  If you don't have Adobe Acrobat you can download it free from www.adobe.com.  For best results save the documents to your local computer by right clicking on the file you want to download a select "save target as...".