Tank of the month: February 2019

AMEDEO FERRETTI

For our February appointment with the tank of the month, we are pleased to show you the beautiful marine aquarium of our friend Amedeo Ferretti, who answers our question "How did your passion begin?" like this:
"I have been an aquarist since 2010, when I was invited to lunch by a colleague of my wife's and was immediately enchanted by her husband's wonderful planted freshwater aquarium. From that day the spark was lit. I started the week after that lunch with a Ferplast Cayman 60 Professional aquarium, as almost everyone does, so with guppies and everything that goes with them... Over the next 2 years, as you can imagine, I changed many aquariums, of various sizes too, from a classic ADA zen planted tank to a Lake Malawi tank with African cichlids, up to a 150 cm tank stocked with discus. Then, from 2012 to today, I have immersed myself in the fantastic world of reefkeeping, with various aquariums of all sizes, up to my current one, a custom-made extra-clear glass aquarium measuring 140x60x55 with 2 Xaqua overflows, lit by LED units. It is run as a DSB tank, mainly for SPS, with a few LPS.
Let's talk equipment.
Lighting comes from two EcoTech G4 Pro XR30s and two AI Prime HDs, all set with the same parameters. For the return I have an 8,000 l/h Jebao, while water flow is provided by two alternating Maxspect XF250s.
Under the bonnet, a very respectable engine: an UltraReef Akula 180 skimmer, generally set on the wet side; RO top-off handled by the Tunze Osmolator Nano. I change 20 l a week with Tropic Marin salt every Sunday. As for replacing the triad, this is handled by a four-channel GHL Doser 2.1, and I use the Fauna Marin Balling Light set with a double dose of trace elements (given the amount of light available). Additional supplements: KZ Sponge Power and Kaliumjod. I feed the corals every evening by dosing 1 ml of Fauna Marin Ultra Min.
Temperature, redox and levels are controlled by two Aquatronica power strips with a controller and an SMS module to report any alarms. In case of a blackout, two APC 750 UPS units power the return and the flow pumps.
Here is a list of the finned friends I keep:
Acanthurus achilles
Pygoplites diacanthus
Zebrasoma scopas
Naso lituratus
6 Apogon cyanosoma
Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
Halichoeres chrysus
Dimidiatus
4 Lysmata
2 Lysmata debelius
5 Lysmata wurdemanni
4 Archaster typicus
10 Nassarius
And the corals:
Many Australians, from an Acropora microclados "Strawberry Shortcake" to a two-colour anthocercis, three hyacinthus, Millepora, some deep-water corals and some "easy" corals, from the classic milka to caliendrum, then loisetteae and gomezi "Full Blue".
Any setbacks? During cycling I suffered from cyanobacteria that invaded the sand, which is fairly normal anyway. I solved it simply with Chemiclean (manna from heaven!). That is all, I think"
Well, let's say goodbye to Amedeo and enjoy this show together.