Tank of the Month - October 2004

Skipper · 10/02/2004, 06:39 PM

This month we are featuring John Brancheau's (John Brancheau) beautiful reef aquarium:

More details can be found here or by clicking on the picture above.

Congratulations, John!

Froggy · 10/05/2004, 10:44 AM

Congratulations John. Your reef is simply amazing and your eye for asthetics is obvious. I love the way you have aquascaped your reef and you definitely are getting the best out of the colors of your SPS. Again, great job and keep up the good work.

P.S. I too am only about 20 minutes from Tropicorium.

Nanook · 10/05/2004, 10:51 AM

Fantastic tank!!! Congrats on Tank of the Month!!!

Nook

Jounior · 10/05/2004, 11:32 AM

Awesome tank.....
I was interested in your Kalk doseing set up. So do you just have a 5 gal bucket with a small hole in the bottom with a line running into your sump? Could you elaborate on how you did this?? Sorry if this was covered better in the artical... Love you tank. I hope that mine can look as good as yours one day.
Thanks

ODOG · 10/05/2004, 12:05 PM

Congratulations....one of the most (if not the) most beautiful SPS tanks I've seen!!!!

MUCHO REEF · 10/05/2004, 12:22 PM

Congraulations my friend, you've done an outstanding job.

John is more than worthy of this fine honor. He has the innate ability to perceive, conceive and interpret his vision into a mosaic aquatic display of breathtaking beauty. I don't think I have ever witnessed such a meticulous collection of SPS. John's diligence, research and dedication has truly reaped a bountiful reward.

I remember vividly the day that he set up this system in January of this year. Most if not all of his acros were 2 to 3 inch frags from his 90 gallon tank. The Green Slimmer has to be on steroids, every time I see it, it has grown another 2 inches. All I can tell you is that the growth in the system is unbelievable, ........UNBELIEVABLE I tell you. The growth is considerably noticeable every 60 days. I must admit, the pictures do not do this tank the justice it deserves.

Enjoy the ride my friend, ...........enjoy the ride, LOL

Mucho

Julio · 10/05/2004, 01:02 PM

Gorgeous tank!! how long have you been running the Hamilton 14Ks and how is the growth with the bulbs?

invincible569 · 10/05/2004, 01:27 PM

I knew this was coming one day!! GOOD JOB!!!

Blindmelonbob · 10/05/2004, 02:22 PM

Congrats, John. Your display is beautiful.

DLBerlin · 10/05/2004, 02:29 PM

Congratulations John
The most beautiful SPS tank I have seen!
Debbie

Bugger · 10/05/2004, 03:27 PM

Where did all those corals come from

reefkeeper1 · 10/05/2004, 04:04 PM

That's a very nice looking tank, and the support systems for your tank are very well thought out. You mentioned in your description of the tank:

Quote:

I have recently added a very simple modification to the skimmers, which of course I found here at Reef Central. It consists of a PVC Durso pipe that eliminates the need for the sponge filters on the skimmers' outflows. As inexpensive and easy as this was to do, I cannot believe that everyone who owns a Euro-reef hasn't already done it.

Where can I get the details on this modification since I have an Euro-Reef CS 6-2?

spslover123 · 10/05/2004, 04:10 PM

....wow....amazing....

drchimo · 10/05/2004, 04:18 PM

Once again, Congratulations John!!!! Beautiful*

kfisc · 10/05/2004, 06:12 PM

amazing! how long have you had the tridacna? thanks for sharing such a great tank-

sterlruth · 10/05/2004, 06:27 PM

Nice Tank!

I have a six foot long, 3 foot deep and 3 foot front to back tank. I wanted to know what you thought about aquascaping that tank.

I originally was thinking three large rock mounds, if you will, creating two caverns. Similiar to yours but with a mound of rocks in the center.

Your thoughts?

Steve Kenny

Aged Salt · 10/05/2004, 06:36 PM

Again, very impressive

One of my favorites. Bob

fishdoc11 · 10/05/2004, 06:50 PM

Outstanding tank! Congratulations...very well deserved.
Chris

nbd13 · 10/05/2004, 06:56 PM

John is a great guy! He sold me his old sump a 70 gallon and has helped me with my 180 that i am setting up!

He is truely a nice guy and has a BEATIFUL tank! It is stunning when i got my sump from him all i could do is tare at all the beatiful SPS and hope on eday i could acheive this great feat!

Congrats John well desirved!

Nick

John Brancheau · 10/05/2004, 07:08 PM

Whoa,

Just got home from work.

Skip,

Thanks my friend, excellent job, you are the one who deserves a hand, I am sure it takes a lot of work to make this happen.....

Froggy, Thanks, get ahold of me sometime, we can talk..

Nanook, Thank You .

Jounior, Thanks, It is a 6 gallon Reef Crystal bucket, tapped at about an inch from the bottom, fed by a dosing pump into the sump.

Odog, Thank You.

Mucho, My good friend, my deepest thanks , you have been great.
Now, What do you really want??

Julio, Thanks, Been using the Hamiltons for about a year now, first the SE's and now the DE's. Growth has been great in my opinion.

Invince, thanks Buddy...

Blindmelonbob, Thank You.

Deb, Thank You, you are a sweetheart.

Bugger, Most of these frags came from fellow reefers, there are only a few wild colonies....

Reefkeeper, Thanks, I will see if I can dig that thread up and get it to you.

Spslover, Thank You....

Drchimo, Thanks again..

Kfisc, Thanks, the clam has been with me just over a year...

Sterlruth, Thank You, aquascaping is a very personal choice, though, I like your idea...

Aged salt, Thank You Bob, I greatly appreciate your thumbs up.....

airwaybill · 10/05/2004, 07:38 PM

John, congrats. You deserve it. It is an unbeleivable tank, pics don't do justice to the real thing.

P.s. I love the comments about the 250 halides.

mikeo1210 · 10/05/2004, 09:20 PM

Awesome tank! Love the cap and clowns. I've seen them do that in another tank, I think it's real neat.

I had a quick question about the h20 changes you do. Looks like 16 or 17% weekly.. thought it sounded like a lot. Curious what your philosophy was regarding that?

I liked the dual skimmer idea too.

eddybabyhd · 10/05/2004, 09:24 PM

John,
I share some of the same opinions about your ideas on filtration...I love the natural method of filtering, especially the bivalve filters...I have an obsession with growing macro algae for nutrient export...in fact, my 220 in wall runs "NO" protein skimmer...i love the growth of the naturals so much that i acutally had a custom tank made for my refuge/mangrove filter...it is 48x24x12 (seen in url below)...but i do have a question aboutthe grape calupera...mine grew out of control, until the mangroves started to really root out and take off..not the calupera is dying off...keep in mind that i added 120 mangroves at once...I think they died off because the mangroves are using all the nutrients...let me know what you think...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...13/euro011.jpg

BTW...ABSOLUTLY STUNNING TANK...GREAT JOB

ED

rjwilson37 · 10/05/2004, 09:46 PM

A most excellent SPS tank! I love the Monti Caps and Digitata's, they are my most favorite SPS corals as well as a few of the longer polyp Acro's.

Thanks for Sharing.

ReefWaters · 10/05/2004, 09:51 PM

John,

Ill just ditto everyone else on the compliments! WOW!

I would love to hear more about the Perculas. How long have they been in the tank? Did you have an intended host for them or did you just add them to the system? What are your suggestions on adding a pair to an SPS tank?

Congrats,

ReefWaters

10/02/2004, 06:39 PM	#1
Skipper Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 18,271	Tank of the Month - October 2004 This month we are featuring John Brancheau's (John Brancheau) beautiful reef aquarium: More details can be found here or by clicking on the picture above. Congratulations, John! __________________ Skip Attix Former Editor of Reefkeeping Magazine Last edited by Skipper; 10/04/2004 at 05:29 PM.

10/05/2004, 10:51 AM	#3
Nanook Ancient Eskimo Legend Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 41,852 Blog Entries: 11	Fantastic tank!!! Congrats on Tank of the Month!!! Nook __________________ The wind blew, the chit flew, and then they came two by two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Current Tank Info: 375g Tanganyikan Tank & 470g mixed reef

10/05/2004, 11:32 AM	#4
Jounior CHEFREID Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Lake Toxaway NC Posts: 845	Awesome tank..... I was interested in your Kalk doseing set up. So do you just have a 5 gal bucket with a small hole in the bottom with a line running into your sump? Could you elaborate on how you did this?? Sorry if this was covered better in the artical... Love you tank. I hope that mine can look as good as yours one day. Thanks __________________ Jounior Yes I know it is spelled wrong but Junior was already taken. Life may suck but the alternative is unacceptable Current Tank Info: 75 gal display/ 29gal sump,95 lbs of Tonga, T-5 lighting (6 bulbs), euro reef skimmer, misc. Doodads

10/05/2004, 12:22 PM	#6
MUCHO REEF Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,682	Congraulations my friend, you've done an outstanding job. John is more than worthy of this fine honor. He has the innate ability to perceive, conceive and interpret his vision into a mosaic aquatic display of breathtaking beauty. I don't think I have ever witnessed such a meticulous collection of SPS. John's diligence, research and dedication has truly reaped a bountiful reward. I remember vividly the day that he set up this system in January of this year. Most if not all of his acros were 2 to 3 inch frags from his 90 gallon tank. The Green Slimmer has to be on steroids, every time I see it, it has grown another 2 inches. All I can tell you is that the growth in the system is unbelievable, ........UNBELIEVABLE I tell you. The growth is considerably noticeable every 60 days. I must admit, the pictures do not do this tank the justice it deserves. Enjoy the ride my friend, ...........enjoy the ride, LOL Mucho __________________ Anyone can build a reef.....the greater challenge......is to grow one. Current Tank Info: 70 gallon zoanthid, Palythoa and Mushroom Reef.

10/05/2004, 01:02 PM	#7
Julio Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: New york Posts: 7,978	Gorgeous tank!! how long have you been running the Hamilton 14Ks and how is the growth with the bulbs? __________________ Thanks, Have a nice day. Julio Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef w/ 250 watt SE XM10Ks and AP1003, 12 gallon reef, 40 gallon reef

10/05/2004, 10:44 AM	#2
Froggy Reef "Hobbyist"...right!? Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Canton, MI Posts: 2,160	Congratulations John. Your reef is simply amazing and your eye for asthetics is obvious. I love the way you have aquascaped your reef and you definitely are getting the best out of the colors of your SPS. Again, great job and keep up the good work. P.S. I too am only about 20 minutes from Tropicorium.

10/05/2004, 12:05 PM	#5
ODOG Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Adamstown, PA Posts: 367	Congratulations....one of the most (if not the) most beautiful SPS tanks I've seen!!!!

10/05/2004, 01:27 PM	#8
invincible569 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5,715	I knew this was coming one day!! GOOD JOB!!!

10/05/2004, 02:22 PM	#9
Blindmelonbob Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Arkansas, USA Posts: 662	Congrats, John. Your display is beautiful.

10/05/2004, 02:29 PM	#10
DLBerlin Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Michigan Posts: 395	Congratulations John The most beautiful SPS tank I have seen! Debbie

10/05/2004, 03:27 PM	#11
Bugger Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: ontario Posts: 1,104	Where did all those corals come from

10/05/2004, 04:10 PM	#13
spslover123 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Northern Va Posts: 164	....wow....amazing....

10/05/2004, 04:18 PM	#14
drchimo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 39	Once again, Congratulations John!!!! Beautiful*

10/05/2004, 06:12 PM	#15
kfisc Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2,020	amazing! how long have you had the tridacna? thanks for sharing such a great tank-

10/05/2004, 06:27 PM	#16
sterlruth Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Ask OnStar Posts: 466	Nice Tank! I have a six foot long, 3 foot deep and 3 foot front to back tank. I wanted to know what you thought about aquascaping that tank. I originally was thinking three large rock mounds, if you will, creating two caverns. Similiar to yours but with a mound of rocks in the center. Your thoughts? Steve Kenny __________________ "Qui me amat, amet et piscis meum" The bottle neck is always at the top! Current Tank Info: 2000 Gallons-- Tenecor Display. Schuran AQ 300 w/ AquaKat Auto Wash Down System, Schuran CR250 Professional Series Calcium Reactor, System Controlled by Metasys Controls & now using Zeovit

10/05/2004, 06:36 PM	#17
Aged Salt Moved On Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Columbus,IN. Posts: 3,228	Again, very impressive One of my favorites. Bob

10/05/2004, 06:50 PM	#18
fishdoc11 catch and release Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Old Hickory,TN Posts: 13,237	Outstanding tank! Congratulations...very well deserved. Chris __________________ "Try to learn something about everything and everything about something" -- Thomas H. Huxley Current Tank Info: 70 gallon mixed reef

10/05/2004, 06:56 PM	#19
nbd13 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Charlotte, Michigan Posts: 3,259	John is a great guy! He sold me his old sump a 70 gallon and has helped me with my 180 that i am setting up! He is truely a nice guy and has a BEATIFUL tank! It is stunning when i got my sump from him all i could do is tare at all the beatiful SPS and hope on eday i could acheive this great feat! Congrats John well desirved! Nick

10/05/2004, 07:08 PM	#20
John Brancheau Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Wyandotte, Michigan Posts: 527	Whoa, Just got home from work. Skip, Thanks my friend, excellent job, you are the one who deserves a hand, I am sure it takes a lot of work to make this happen..... Froggy, Thanks, get ahold of me sometime, we can talk.. Nanook, Thank You . Jounior, Thanks, It is a 6 gallon Reef Crystal bucket, tapped at about an inch from the bottom, fed by a dosing pump into the sump. Odog, Thank You. Mucho, My good friend, my deepest thanks , you have been great. Now, What do you really want?? Julio, Thanks, Been using the Hamiltons for about a year now, first the SE's and now the DE's. Growth has been great in my opinion. Invince, thanks Buddy... Blindmelonbob, Thank You. Deb, Thank You, you are a sweetheart. Bugger, Most of these frags came from fellow reefers, there are only a few wild colonies.... Reefkeeper, Thanks, I will see if I can dig that thread up and get it to you. Spslover, Thank You.... Drchimo, Thanks again.. Kfisc, Thanks, the clam has been with me just over a year... Sterlruth, Thank You, aquascaping is a very personal choice, though, I like your idea... Aged salt, Thank You Bob, I greatly appreciate your thumbs up..... __________________ If it is worth doin, be patient and do it right.... Current Tank Info: 180 in wall,Bubble King 300,Red Dragon 6.5 , Schuran, Jetstream 1, 100 gallon sump/ fuge,Tunze 6100,6080, 4 250 RO III's, Hamilton 14ks with 2- 6 foot vho's,sps dominated with some clams..

10/05/2004, 07:38 PM	#21
airwaybill meat popsicle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Silver Springs Shores, Fl Posts: 528	John, congrats. You deserve it. It is an unbeleivable tank, pics don't do justice to the real thing. P.s. I love the comments about the 250 halides. __________________ Seek first to understand before being understood. Current Tank Info: 180g Allglass dual megaflow, 125gal sump/refugium, Octopus Extreme series xs200 skimmer, mag12 return, 2 Vortech MP40wES, 3 400watt metal halide 20000k, 2x65w pc on fuge, 3x54w t5. Lots and Lots of happy corals!!!

10/05/2004, 09:20 PM	#22
mikeo1210 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca Posts: 1,611	Awesome tank! Love the cap and clowns. I've seen them do that in another tank, I think it's real neat. I had a quick question about the h20 changes you do. Looks like 16 or 17% weekly.. thought it sounded like a lot. Curious what your philosophy was regarding that? I liked the dual skimmer idea too.

10/05/2004, 09:24 PM	#23
eddybabyhd RC Sponsor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 1,592	John, I share some of the same opinions about your ideas on filtration...I love the natural method of filtering, especially the bivalve filters...I have an obsession with growing macro algae for nutrient export...in fact, my 220 in wall runs "NO" protein skimmer...i love the growth of the naturals so much that i acutally had a custom tank made for my refuge/mangrove filter...it is 48x24x12 (seen in url below)...but i do have a question aboutthe grape calupera...mine grew out of control, until the mangroves started to really root out and take off..not the calupera is dying off...keep in mind that i added 120 mangroves at once...I think they died off because the mangroves are using all the nutrients...let me know what you think... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...13/euro011.jpg BTW...ABSOLUTLY STUNNING TANK...GREAT JOB ED

10/05/2004, 09:46 PM	#24
rjwilson37 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: West Michigan Posts: 7,104	A most excellent SPS tank! I love the Monti Caps and Digitata's, they are my most favorite SPS corals as well as a few of the longer polyp Acro's. Thanks for Sharing. __________________ Isn't life just wonderful. 29g Biocube Standard Pump Standard 72w PC Lighting Current Tank Info: 29g Biocube Reef Tank

10/05/2004, 09:51 PM	#25
ReefWaters Premium Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 1,521	John, Ill just ditto everyone else on the compliments! WOW! I would love to hear more about the Perculas. How long have they been in the tank? Did you have an intended host for them or did you just add them to the system? What are your suggestions on adding a pair to an SPS tank? Congrats, ReefWaters