Draco's Reef Garden

[Draco]

75 gallons of reef beauty!
it has a 30 gallon sump in the stand which holds all equipment and a refugium. Filteration relies on the rocks, flow and macro algae. I do not use any chemical filteration.

My fish: While probably slightly overstocked, are all doing great, water parameters are perfect.
Ocellaris Clownfish (turning 4 years old! She was in my nano tank before I upgraded)
Black Snowflake Clown
Flame Hawkfish
Squaretail Bristletooth Tang
Hoevan's Wrasse
Leopard Wrasse
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Red-Head Solon Fairy Wrasse
Magificent Foxface
Starry Blenny
(3) Zebra Barred Darfish

Inverts:
Orange Seastar
Banded Coral Shrimp
Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
Emerald Crab (turning 4 years old)
Rock Boring Urchin (also 4 years old!)
Fancy Tiger Brittle Star
(5) Rose-Tip Bubble Anenome
Long Tentical Anenome
Derosa Clam

And of course a bunch of assorted corals!

My tank turns 1 year old this month, and I wanted to share some photos and videos.

First up- video of entire tank

 

[Draco]

a video of my Orange Sea Star moving across the glass.. So mesmerizing to watch those legs move..

 

[Draco]

and a few photos. Will post more soon

 

[denice]

Wow that is so pretty. I think it is so relaxing to watch an aquarium.

 

[Draco]

my tank turns 1 year old today!

 

[mokapi]

WOW. I would love to have a saltwater tank. I had a gorgeous planted freshwater tank a few years ago. I used to work a fish specialty store; I was being trained on the saltwater side when I ended up quitting due to a move.

Blennies & gobies are my favorites, but I love a good foxface, and clown fish are so fun to watch!! My store had a resident mandarinfish that I was obsessed with.

Your corals and anemones are beauuuutiful!! Congratulations on the one-year mark!

 

[Draco]

Thank you! If i ever get a part time job, it'd be an an aquarium store too!

I am an aquaholic for sure. I also have a 9 gallon freshwater tank which has a pair of dwarf pea puffers and 2 oto cats.
and a 2.7 gallon reef at work.
and a 2 gallon betta tank, but no betta (it died recently). but I am raising pond snails in it for the puffers.

 

[mokapi]

That's awesome.

I really want a nano tank, heavily planted, with a little school of celestial pearl/galaxy danios (my secret favorite). I used to keep them and different species of killifish; they're what really got me into it.

I upgraded from a 5g plastic tank from PetSmart to a 20g L with two filters, an amazing 3-D, customized background, and a heater for 25$ off CraigsList. I changed the gravel for sand, got a T8 light, and threw in a ton of plants. I was successfully raising all kinds of stuff (would raise and then sell back to the store), but my faves were Vietnamese freshwater blennies. At the time, I think I was one of a handful of people keeping them in the US. They lived for about 3 years. The tank ended up going under when I failed to catch what I guess was a sick fish...took him out of quarantine, thought he was fine, and the next thing I know my entire tank goes under. 5 years of work for nothing. Sigh.

At the end I had peacock gudgeons, the blennies, a peacock eel, a handful of killis, threadfin rainbowfish, forktail rainbowfish, an extremely angry scarlet badis, an apistogramma sp., and a few others that I can't remember. I was also a little overstocked, but my parameters were always great, and the plants really helped.

 

[Draco]

I love rainbowfish and Killi's. So beautiful! I've had freshwater growing up and decided on Saltwater after my first snorkeling excursion years ago, fell in love with what I saw, lol. Started with a 10 gal salt, broke it down when I moved and used the 9 gal tank as a nano reef then upgraded from there when I moved to my condo

 

[abyeb]

Wow! That's beautiful! Looks like something you'd see at a big aquarium. Do your cats like watching the fish?

 

[Draco]

thank you

my cats don't pay any mind to the fish at all. One of them does drink from the betta tank, lol

 

[kitty chew]

Wow, wow, and wow! Stunning. I love marine aquariums. I used to keep tropical fish, and they were enough work! That looks like a full time job.

 

[Draco]

Wow, wow, and wow! Stunning. I love marine aquariums. I used to keep tropical fish, and they were enough work! That looks like a full time job.

thanks!
It really isn't difficult to keep up with, pretty easy once the tank is established.

I should post some updated photos.. this is old now, lol

 

[DreamerRose]

That is simply gorgeous!

 

[mservant]

.....

I should post some updated photos..

Yes, you should. I've been wondering how everything is looking.

 

[Draco]

Thou shall not pass, until hoomin takes photos of the tank. (coming soon).

Flame Hawkfish, 1 year and 8 months old.