Tank of the month: March 2021

Loris Ercolani

Surveys say that if someone has a dad and a dear friend who love aquariums, in ninety-nine per cent of cases they will become an aquarist too. And that is exactly what happened to one of our members from Rome, Loris Ercolani, forty-four, a company manager, owner of the splendid tank we chose for March.

"Well yes, the passion broke out more than twenty years ago", he tells me, "at the end of secondary school, when every time I went to my classmate and best friend's house I feasted my eyes on his wonderful reef aquariums. My father, on the other hand, was a former freshwater fanatic, so when I told him I would also like a small tank at home, he set his conditions: an aquarium yes, but not marine. So we bought an Askoll 120, which I filled with plants and where I kept angelfish, discus and other South American fish".

So you had shelved the dream of a reef aquarium?

"Yes, but not for long. Within a year or so, in fact, the angelfish and discus went back to the Amazon, sorry, to the shop, and in no time the Askoll became the first marine tank of my life. All it took was removing the lid, putting two good strong HQI lamps above it, like the ones used back then, hooking a hang-on skimmer to the rim, and then sand and soft corals galore. It was not bad, after all, but far from the tank I have now".

When did the big turning point come?

"It was love that did it. If the aquarium you see has become "tank of the month", I owe it partly to Giulia Giovanna Marcucci, my partner, who besides giving me a wonderful little boy has supported me a lot when it comes to aquariums".

Usually wives or girlfriends put up obstacles when it comes to fish and corals, or at most are not interested.

"In my case it is the exact opposite. Since we got together in 2013, Giulia Giovanna Marcucci has become passionate about this hobby almost more than me. She is the one who wanted to start the new project".

Let's come to the tank, then. Can you describe it for us?

It is 90 centimetres long, 50 wide and 50 high. For lighting I chose a Radion G4 Pro, while in the sump I have a Deltec 1000i skimmer and a Newa Jet 6000 return. As flow pumps I rely on a Jebao OW 4, a Coral Box RN-1 and a Hydor Koralia 1600.

Are you a Ballingmaniac in the true sense of the word?

"No, I prefer a calcium reactor to Balling; to be precise, I have an LGR701 with Amtra coral media.
Tell us a bit about husbandry.

"Oh, look, it is decidedly low-profile. I only carefully follow the trend of the main values such as nitrate, phosphate and KH, then I use experience to understand whether the animals are well. I watch them a lot, as everyone should before reaching for bottles and little bottles. Bear in mind, though, that I have a skimmer that is clearly oversized for the volume and, as for lighting, I plan to add a second Radion".

Let's come to the animals.

"Apart from the large number of LPS and SPS you see in the photos, I have two Ocellaris, a Labroides dimidiatus, a hermit crab and two Archaster typicus stars, since the bottom is covered with a layer of sand.

How do you feed them?

"I feed fish and corals at sunset, with live phytoplankton, freeze-dried Artemia salina and small granules. There, I'd say I have told you everything. Oh no, one last thing: we run the aquarium together, I am the technician and my partner is in charge of looks. Needless to say, she is the boss".