Tank of the month: December 2019

MARIANO ARZILLO

Here we are for our usual monthly appointment with the "tank of the month".

And it is December! 2019 is ending, and we stop at the home of our friend Mariano Arzillo to admire his aquarium. An interesting feature is that Mariano's choices are based on a very rational approach to spending, meaning the equipment is absolutely right for the job but with an eye on costs.
It must be said that this can be done when you have enough experience and knowledge. It is a choice that can help present this hobby as something approachable, even without necessarily devoting endless capital to it.

It is an Aquamar 240 tank started with the DSB method, made of plain calcium carbonate, kept tidy by a very respectable clean-up crew, led by five Archaster stars, helped by Nassarius, Strombus and Turbo snails. In this aquarium almost all the guests are "hired" for a specific job: Tomentosus for Aiptasia, Pseudocheilinus and Synchiropus for flatworms, an urchin and Percnon gibbesi for algae, Lysmata debelius for detritus, Zebrasoma flavescens for algae. The Ocellaris, Chrysiptera and Anthias are the only unemployed ones.

The equipment consists of a Bubble Magus 150 Pro skimmer with an Aquabee pump, an ATI 8 x 39 T5 light unit + T5, a Jebao dosing pump, Jebao RW8 and Coral Box RN-1 flow pumps, a DC P 300 return and a Smart ATO Micro auto top-off.
For three years the triad was managed with Matuta salts, and currently with ATI Essentials Pro. Essential feeding: phytoplankton and very varied food for the fish. The RO unit is a 6-stage Rooman.