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You're out in space looking toward our planet, and what is your most notable impression? Likely that it's an odd color: blue. Barring the species-centricity of humans and our related all-consuming sense of self-importance, this chunk of matter we reside on should be called "Aqua" rather than Earth. And what a body of water most of Aqua/Earth's surface is! Roaring waves, churning currents, abyssal depths, life/death struggles on the reefs… However, the contiguous Oceans dynamics belie what are certainties known to most aquarists: the biological seas relative constancy in physical and chemical make-up. The implications for captive saltwater systems and aquarists are clear. "High", stable water quality is requisite in maintaining a healthy marine microcosm. Tied in with these notions is the effect of size; volume is important. Obviously, "the bigger the better" holds for an aquarium set-up in terms of relative stasis and disaster proofed-ness. As promoters of ideas to general audiences, there are reasons for forwarding generalizations about how big is big enough… and hence I have oft-stated (and stand by) my suggestion that forty gallons is a good minimum for a beginner marine system. This is large enough to provide living space, allow for landscaping and grants enough leeway should the "power go out", something die, overfeeding occur… Smaller systems are inherently less stable, more prone to crash, less flexible functionally and esthetically. Plus, surprising to some, no real cost-savings per gallon and often en toto to set-up and run than larger systems. All this being stated, there are many folks who have been and are successful with tiny, mini-mini marine systems and nano-reefs, tanks of a few gallons to pickle jars. I say, "More power to them". They're the lucky and/or learned ones who know and do "what it takes" (very little really) to make a system work: proper set-up, patience, and balance.
Tanks: On to the tanks (see above at top right and below), two twenty gallon longs of immense beauty and utility. Plainly these are very successful systems with many, many types of life (albeit necessarily in miniature) flourishing in them. There are actually dozens of different species of hard and soft corals here, as well as zoanthids and corallimorphs, Starfishes, even an occasional fish! All in peak condition and beautiful coloring (various images as listed below).
Water, and a Lot More: Tom uses… tap water to make up his synthetic seawater! He tried one of the in-line water purifiers but found there was no noticeable difference whether or not he used it or not, so he gave it away. He also used to test for nitrates, nitrites and phosphates, but stopped once everything was established and growing. He told me, "I can usually tell if something is wrong by looking at the fish/corals. If something seems amiss I'll run water quality tests until I find the problem. The animals seem to be the best indicators. I add Kent Tectra ™ and use C-Balance ™ once a week, a capful each. I used to use Kalkwasser for make-up, but in tanks so small, I don't really think it made any difference. Once in a while I will use Aragamite ™." Tom does water changes of about 25%, once a month. He uses Crystal Sea salt, just because that's all he's ever used (Newsflash! Tom tells me he has just started using Instant Ocean Salt ™ as he was able to get an incredible deal on a 200 gal. Bucket!!!), and tries to keep his specific gravity around 1.022-.023 though he admits it's hard to be exact in such small tanks. Because of salt creep, Tom usually ends up adding a little bit of salt to the make-up water. He notices that if the spg goes to low, the corals tend to react adversely. Temperature regulation is also a problem in warmer weather. Though he tries to keep his tanks in the range of 76-78 F., once the hot season begins, he turns an oscillating floor fan on the backs of the tanks which will lower the water temperature about 5 degrees F. When the Baltimore Summers hit, the air conditioners are turned on and left running around the clock (cheaper than turning them on/off). Lighting: These tanks are lit by four bulbs (of two double strips) each, without specialty reflectors. These consist of two Magtinics ™ and two 10,000K lamps by Coralife. Tom alternates the Magtinics with the 10K's. All of the lamps are standard fluorescents (Normal Output). The lights sit on top of a glass canopy and are all on timers. One strip on each tank comes on at 11AM; the other strip comes on at noon. The lights stay on for 12 hours each, with the first strip off at 11PM and the others at midnight. Thus, the tanks are lit by some kind of artificial light for 13 hours a day. All lamps are cycled out/replaced every six months.
On Learning About Aquarium Husbandry: Tom tells it best: "I learned early on that the best teacher is experience. I got a lot of silly advice from people who had NO idea what they were talking about. My first encounter with a sales person at a LFS led me to believe that you needed TWO mushrooms, a male and a female, in order for them to reproduce!!! Thankfully, there were a couple of salespeople in a more reputable store who led me in the right direction. I certainly learned that you do not have to follow "the bigger the better maxim" in setting up a reef. Neither do you have to use a sump or have tons of sophisticated expensive equipment. Whatever works for your budget and the well being of the animals you want to keep is enough." "I can't emphasize enough how much I've learned from the people in our local Marine Society (the Chesapeake Marine Aquarium Society). There are some amazingly knowledgeable people in the club who are very generous with their experience, their time and their talents. It really is an honor to learn from their wealth of experience in this hobby." So, yes, given not so common sense, investigation and commitment, you too can have fabulous small reef systems. IMO, more people are likely to have more success starting off with larger systems, but I am very glad to count Tom Walsh as a mini-minireef success story and friend. Questions/Comments About Tom and his systems?
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