Tank of the Month - May 2004

Skipper · 05/05/2004, 10:33 AM

This month we are featuring George Rowe's (Eugene Reefer) beautiful reef tank:

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

Congratulations, George!

Flatlander · 05/05/2004, 12:23 PM

What a beautiful tank. Very nice.

Interesting reading on the carbon and bleaching. Were the Radiums in use then?

skylsdale · 05/05/2004, 12:54 PM

George Rowe's (Eugene Reefer) is one of my all-time favorites. The low profile is SUPERB, and the monospecific stand of M. capricornis is fantastic. Not only that, but the light stocking level of fish in that tank is absolutely obscene compared to tanks even half its size! Good work.

brad_dolick · 05/05/2004, 01:56 PM

that is a very impressive tank, especially for someone who still considers themself a newbie. awesome job

SylvioFN · 05/05/2004, 02:18 PM

What a fantastic tank!

Some questions: do you add any trace elements to the tank? Do you add anything besides the calcium you mentioned? I say this because you mentioned you run a skimmer that theoretically will eliminate the some important trace elements in the water... I love naturalistic low-maintenence tanks.

congrats-

Newker · 05/05/2004, 02:30 PM

A fantastic looking tank, very inspiring to us guys that have just started on the path.

Congrats on being Mr (& Mrs) May 2004

Achilles · 05/05/2004, 03:50 PM

Your tank's really awesome and you have very very sweet corals!!

Congratulations on this Award! Well deserved!

melev · 05/05/2004, 03:50 PM

George, your tank is beautiful, and I really enjoyed all your excellent images. Your Chromis look quite fat and happy, from the first picture!

I know I may be creating a debate here, but I'd like to know more about your need for carbon. If the tank is predominantly SPS, then carbon shouldn't be as necessary as it might be with a mixed reef with softies.

I recently read an article that pretty much supported my opinion that carbon is only good for a short duration, such as 24 to 72 hours. Why do you keep it running for six weeks? From what I've learned, it stops functioning at one point, and instead becomes a nitrate source as water flows through it.

The entire article was excellent, and reading about your DSB ranging from 2" in front to 8" in the back sounds really nice. I like your idea of making caverns and valleys, and only wish I could see your tank in person!

AcroSteve · 05/05/2004, 04:07 PM

Yes, very nice.

I am very interested in your pvc frame for the rock.

I am planning one or two for my 180 and will be blumbing them into my closed loop to increase the flow under there.

Do you have any pics of them when you built them?

MrSandman · 05/05/2004, 06:26 PM

Ahhhh yes. Another well deserved award. His tank has been one of my all time favorites for quite some time.

rbaker · 05/05/2004, 08:04 PM

Congratulations! You've done a great job with your tank...

Tampa Aquarium Service · 05/05/2004, 08:27 PM

A truly beautiful tank

and proof that you don't need to always be working on your system to have great results

Congrats!!!
John

Eugene Reefer · 05/05/2004, 08:48 PM

Thanks, everyone, for the kind comments. Here are some answers to the questions so far:

Flatlander: Yes, the radiums were in use when I bleached the corals. We'd been using that type of bulb for some time before, so I don't think that they had anything to do with the episode.

SylvioFN: We don't add any trace elements other than what the Calcium reactor supplies. We do feed heavily, however, and it's my belief that the food--the vibragro and spirulina, if not the brine shrimp--provides a fair amount of additives on its own.

Melev: Well, do have a mixed tank of sorts, including a very large sarcophyton elegans and six good-size sarcophyton sp. that keep dividing. We hope the carbon is a hedge against chemical warfare. The six week replacement period doesn't really have any basis other than convenience, cost, and my sense that it has lost all of its filtration ability by then. Typically, we have about 2 cups of carbon in a filter bag in the sump.

Acrosteve: Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the pvc frame. It's basically a rectangle with legs and cross pieces about every 3 inches. It has only one level and keeps most of the rocks on the left side of the tank about 4-5" above the sand bed.

rjwilson37 · 05/05/2004, 10:20 PM

Very Nice!

I would love to see your website on different aspects along the way to your success, as well as some more shots of your tank and the different coral sections.

SylvioFN · 05/05/2004, 11:06 PM

thanks!

capt. insano · 05/05/2004, 11:20 PM

eugene reefer,

Is there any way that you could possibly post a closer view of the the entire tank. Of course your tank and corals are gorgeous (that is why you deservedly won the tank of the month!), but I would like to see a more detailed view of your tank and canopy. The too look incredibly nice! They are DIY correct?

mikeo1210 · 05/06/2004, 12:02 AM

gorgeous tank.. curious what you feed the corals? daily? target?

saltyseaman · 05/06/2004, 12:37 AM

'bout time you made TOTM

. Great stuff man

playa · 05/06/2004, 02:52 AM

Eugene your reef is one of the most beautiful indoor reefs on earth! Your aquascape has been my favorite since I first saw a picture of it. You have been a tremendous inspiration for me in this hobby!

Congratulations!!!

Totally Awesome!

Luis

my2girls · 05/06/2004, 09:09 AM

Very natural looking, you can't get better than natural looking!

Reef Junkie · 05/06/2004, 09:17 AM

Wow!
Love it!

minfinger · 05/06/2004, 09:19 AM

Very Nice tank.

Do you happen to have a picture of the sump?

gwrulzmylife · 05/06/2004, 10:32 AM

Super tank! I've always been happy with premium aquatic's LR too! I'm glad it got mentioned!

therealacarolla · 05/06/2004, 12:01 PM

Great tank! Shows that not everyone has to do it "by the book" with water changes and closed loops and such.

Super job, keep up the great work!

Fish-o-holic · 05/06/2004, 12:23 PM

WOW I love the vast amount of colors there are in your tank. Job super well done.

05/05/2004, 10:33 AM	#1
Skipper RC Mod Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Hattiesburg, MS Posts: 17,825	Tank of the Month - May 2004 This month we are featuring George Rowe's (Eugene Reefer) beautiful reef tank: More details can be found here or by clicking on the picture above. Congratulations, George! __________________ Skip Attix Former Editor of Reefkeeping Magazine

05/05/2004, 12:23 PM	#2
Flatlander Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Canada Posts: 2,756	What a beautiful tank. Very nice. Interesting reading on the carbon and bleaching. Were the Radiums in use then? __________________ Doug Current Tank Info: 20g sumpless sps...AC 110 powerfilter..two MP 20,s..RK2 controller..Ebo heaters..SWC 4 bulb HO T-5 lights..6 yr. old mater percs..2 yr. old Raindfords goby

05/05/2004, 12:54 PM	#3
skylsdale Reefer Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Central WA Posts: 2,220	Tank of the Month - May '04 George Rowe's (Eugene Reefer) is one of my all-time favorites. The low profile is SUPERB, and the monospecific stand of M. capricornis is fantastic. Not only that, but the light stocking level of fish in that tank is absolutely obscene compared to tanks even half its size! Good work.

05/05/2004, 01:56 PM	#4
brad_dolick Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: los angeles Posts: 16	that is a very impressive tank, especially for someone who still considers themself a newbie. awesome job __________________ do not mistake activity for achievment Current Tank Info: 28 gallon reef w/coral beauty

05/05/2004, 03:50 PM	#7
Achilles Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 215	Your tank's really awesome and you have very very sweet corals!! Congratulations on this Award! Well deserved! __________________ My 'Reef Central's TOTM Award!' - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-04/totm/index.htm Current Tank Info: 297G SPS tank

05/05/2004, 02:18 PM	#5
SylvioFN Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Posts: 70	What a fantastic tank! Some questions: do you add any trace elements to the tank? Do you add anything besides the calcium you mentioned? I say this because you mentioned you run a skimmer that theoretically will eliminate the some important trace elements in the water... I love naturalistic low-maintenence tanks. congrats-

05/05/2004, 02:30 PM	#6
Newker Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Hampshire UK Posts: 20	A fantastic looking tank, very inspiring to us guys that have just started on the path. Congrats on being Mr (& Mrs) May 2004

05/05/2004, 03:50 PM	#8
melev Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,447	George, your tank is beautiful, and I really enjoyed all your excellent images. Your Chromis look quite fat and happy, from the first picture! I know I may be creating a debate here, but I'd like to know more about your need for carbon. If the tank is predominantly SPS, then carbon shouldn't be as necessary as it might be with a mixed reef with softies. I recently read an article that pretty much supported my opinion that carbon is only good for a short duration, such as 24 to 72 hours. Why do you keep it running for six weeks? From what I've learned, it stops functioning at one point, and instead becomes a nitrate source as water flows through it. The entire article was excellent, and reading about your DSB ranging from 2" in front to 8" in the back sounds really nice. I like your idea of making caverns and valleys, and only wish I could see your tank in person! __________________ Marc Today's avatar is of a section of my reef. (70/365) Current Tank Info: The 14 day 280g Starfire reef - 150g custom sump & Refugium, Euro-Reef 12-2 Protein Skimmer, Calcium Reactor, 900w MH & 320w VHO, Lumenbrights, and more... Last edited by Skipper; 05/05/2004 at 05:25 PM.

05/05/2004, 04:07 PM	#9
AcroSteve Helter Skelter Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Electric Avenue Posts: 5,034	Yes, very nice. I am very interested in your pvc frame for the rock. I am planning one or two for my 180 and will be blumbing them into my closed loop to increase the flow under there. Do you have any pics of them when you built them? __________________ **************** "Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em." -- The Webb Wilder Credo -- don't go ninjin' nobody that don't need ninjin'! Current Tank Info: 220g custom plywood. SPS heavy with Sequence Hammerhead return with 4-Way OM. Tunze 6100, 6200 and Wavebox. 5000btu DIY Chiller. Lighting is 10K mh 250W / VHO Actinic Skimer - H&S A200-2x1260

05/05/2004, 06:26 PM	#10
MrSandman Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: South Bay, So. Cal. Posts: 4,474 Blog Entries: 4	Ahhhh yes. Another well deserved award. His tank has been one of my all time favorites for quite some time. __________________ June 2001 Tank of the Month. Yes, i said 2001. Current Tank Info: 90G 36"x24"x24" Lee-mar rimless starphire tank. 2 x 250W Phoenix 14K lamps with 2 x 55W Actinic VHO's. 2 x Vortechs. Reef Octopus Premium EXT 200 skimmer. Geo calcium and Kalk reactor. Tradewinds 1/4HP chiller. Neptune AC3.

05/05/2004, 08:04 PM	#11
rbaker Reef Central Admin Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 30,407 Blog Entries: 4	Congratulations! You've done a great job with your tank... __________________ Ryan "Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does." ~Anonymous Join our Facebook Page

05/05/2004, 08:27 PM	#12
Tampa Aquarium Service Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Tampa Posts: 501	A truly beautiful tank and proof that you don't need to always be working on your system to have great results Congrats!!! John

05/05/2004, 08:48 PM	#13
Eugene Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 126	Thanks, everyone, for the kind comments. Here are some answers to the questions so far: Flatlander: Yes, the radiums were in use when I bleached the corals. We'd been using that type of bulb for some time before, so I don't think that they had anything to do with the episode. SylvioFN: We don't add any trace elements other than what the Calcium reactor supplies. We do feed heavily, however, and it's my belief that the food--the vibragro and spirulina, if not the brine shrimp--provides a fair amount of additives on its own. Melev: Well, do have a mixed tank of sorts, including a very large sarcophyton elegans and six good-size sarcophyton sp. that keep dividing. We hope the carbon is a hedge against chemical warfare. The six week replacement period doesn't really have any basis other than convenience, cost, and my sense that it has lost all of its filtration ability by then. Typically, we have about 2 cups of carbon in a filter bag in the sump. Acrosteve: Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the pvc frame. It's basically a rectangle with legs and cross pieces about every 3 inches. It has only one level and keeps most of the rocks on the left side of the tank about 4-5" above the sand bed.

05/05/2004, 10:20 PM	#14
rjwilson37 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: West Michigan Posts: 7,102	Very Nice! I would love to see your website on different aspects along the way to your success, as well as some more shots of your tank and the different coral sections. __________________ Isn't life just wonderful. 29g Biocube Standard Pump Standard 72w PC Lighting Current Tank Info: 29g Biocube Reef Tank

05/05/2004, 11:06 PM	#15
SylvioFN Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Posts: 70	thanks!

05/05/2004, 11:20 PM	#16
capt. insano Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Whats the matter w/ KS? Posts: 1,280	eugene reefer, Is there any way that you could possibly post a closer view of the the entire tank. Of course your tank and corals are gorgeous (that is why you deservedly won the tank of the month!), but I would like to see a more detailed view of your tank and canopy. The too look incredibly nice! They are DIY correct?

05/06/2004, 12:02 AM	#17
mikeo1210 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca Posts: 1,681	gorgeous tank.. curious what you feed the corals? daily? target?

05/06/2004, 12:37 AM	#18
saltyseaman Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Urbana Posts: 2,410	'bout time you made TOTM . Great stuff man

05/06/2004, 02:52 AM	#19
playa Moved On Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,346	Eugene your reef is one of the most beautiful indoor reefs on earth! Your aquascape has been my favorite since I first saw a picture of it. You have been a tremendous inspiration for me in this hobby! Congratulations!!! Totally Awesome! Luis

05/06/2004, 09:09 AM	#20
my2girls Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: West Hartford, CT Posts: 1,508	Very natural looking, you can't get better than natural looking!

05/06/2004, 09:17 AM	#21
Reef Junkie Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Somewhere, NY Posts: 6,155	Wow! Love it! __________________ Bill "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." B.B. Current Tank Info: Living vicariously through cb747

05/06/2004, 09:19 AM	#22
minfinger Premium Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Summerville, SC Posts: 2,740	Very Nice tank. Do you happen to have a picture of the sump?

05/06/2004, 10:32 AM	#23
gwrulzmylife Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 1,054	Super tank! I've always been happy with premium aquatic's LR too! I'm glad it got mentioned! __________________ "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." - Qui-Gon Jinn Current Tank Info: 200 Gallon Reef/2x 100g sumps & 120g refug

05/06/2004, 12:01 PM	#24
therealacarolla Moved On Join Date: May 2004 Location: LA Posts: 38	Awesome tank! Great tank! Shows that not everyone has to do it "by the book" with water changes and closed loops and such. Super job, keep up the great work!

05/06/2004, 12:23 PM	#25
Fish-o-holic Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Lakewood, CO Posts: 2,806	WOW I love the vast amount of colors there are in your tank. Job super well done.