Tank Of The Month – TOTM October 2019

500 Gallon SPS Tank from Martin Grob, fully automated with GHL System

Tank-frontal_1200x601

Hello, my name is Martin Grob and I am from Zurich, Switzerland.

I started out in the reef aquarium hobby about five years ago. When I first started, I had a 500 liter/130 gallon off the shelf display which I ran for about four years before upgrading to my current custom 2000 liter/500 gallon display a little over a year ago.

I immediately took a keen interest in automation early on which carried right over to my current system. I travel and can be gone for up to two weeks at a time so automation and remote monitoring of my system has been a prerequisite from early on in my reef keeping.

Due to traveling I needed a robust system that I can rely on, control remotely,

and one that will notify me if there is ever an issue. Given that I wanted the best quality hardware on the market, I invested heavily in a full GHL ProfiLux controller system. Thanks to GHL I can leave my tank alone with almost no worry. Granted, you always worry about your fish and coral.

The last piece in that puzzle will be the Ion Director which I can’t wait to obtain.

For a sump, I went with a custom built 1.5 x 0.5 meter (approx 5 x 1.6 ft) sump. For mechanical filtration, I use a Clarisea SK5000 automatic fleece prefilter. For my protein skimmer I use a Deltec SC2560 Protein Skimmer with a Deltec CS2560 self-cleaning head.

TOTM_10_19 Martin Grob
ProfiLux 4 control_TOTM_10

The Self Cleaning Head is controlled by my Profilux

and runs every two hours. The waste water from my RODI is routed to the skimmer cup to keep it nice and clean. The skimmer cup drain is connected to a drain near my sump.  Also in my sump is a Nyos Torq media reactor. For additional water clarity and parasite reduction, I run a DeBary 25E UV Sterilizer.

For my return pumps, I use a Jebao DCP-15000 and a DCP-10000. To monitor the flow through my Proflux using a GHL Flow Control 9000 flow sensor. I run two Vortech MP40 Quiet Drives, two Tunze Stream 3s and a Tunze 6095. All of which are controlled by my ProfiLux.  With the touch of a button on my Profilux touch display, I can shut off my skimmer, return pumps, Clarisea fleece filter, Vortech pumps, and Tunze pumps making maintenance a breeze.  Or I can shut off just the Clarisea, skimmer, and return pump while keeping flow in the main display.

The Profilux 4 also manages my top off

using GHL optical level sensors with GHL mechanical float switches for redundancy and failsafes. When the ProfiLux detects a low water level condition in my sump, the optical sensor triggers the ATO pump to run.

I also have an MV solenoid which fills a separate twelve liter ATO reservoir for nine minutes with an additional fail safe mechanical float all controlled by the PL4. I opted for the small ATO reservoir so that if anything ever did go wrong (which it hasn’t), there is only a small volume of RODI water that could be introduced mitigating any risks. As an additional failsafe my GHL leakage detector will shut off the RODI system in the event that the sump overfills.

I monitor temp, pH, ORP, salinity, flow as well as levels in my sump and RODI reservoir through my Proflux and also Alkalinity through my GHL KH Director® via the ProfilLux.

As I mentioned previously, the ION Director® is definitely in my future when it’s released.

Once a month I cross check the KHD with the alkalinity reference fluid and check CA, NO3, and PO4 weekly.

ATO with GHL Equipment
Mitras LX7_TOTM 10_19

For my lighting I wanted high quality fixtures

that were both efficient and allowed full control ever each channel and the Mitras LX7206 exceeded those requirements.

I have five of them over the main display. All of which are controlled by my ProfiLux 4 via a GHL PLM-PWC add-in card.

What I really love about my Mitras is how they bring out colors in my corals

The lights have brought out the colors in my corals that weren’t visible before.

The blue phase in the evening really makes the colors pop.

My kids are always glued to the tank.

TOTM 10_19_Mitras Lightbar 2

I also run a GHL Mitras Light Bar 2 over my frag compartment in my sump.

For cooling

I run a GHL Gen 2 Propeller Breeze 4X cooling fan. For heating I use an Aquamedic Titanium Heater.

All of which are controlled through my Profilux.

Propellerbreeze 4_TOTM 10_19
GHL Equipment TOTM_10_19

Equipment List:

  • ProfiLux 4 Ultimate Set
  • 1 GHL PLM-PWC Add In Card.
  • 1 GHL Touch Display
  • 2 GHL Power Bar 5.1
  • 1 GHL Solenoid
  • 4 GHL Gen 2 Propeller Breeze
  • 1 GHL KH Director
  • 2 GHL Doser 2.1SA
  • 1 GHL Flow Sensor
  • Multiple GHL Optical Level Sensors
  • Multiple GHL Float Switch Level Sensors
  • 1 GHL Leakage Sensor
  • 5 GHL Mitras LX7206
  • 1 GHL Mitras Light Bar 2
  • 1 GHL Gen 2 Propeller Breeze 4X
  • 1 Clarisea SK5000 Fleece Filter
  • 1 Jebao DCP 15000 Return Pump
  • 1 Jebao DCP 10000 Return Pump
  • 2 Ecotech MP40QD
  • 2 Tunze Turbelle Stream 3
  • 1 Tunze 6095
  • 1 Deltec SC2560 Protein Skimmer
  • 1 Deltec CS2560 Self Cleaning Head
  • 1 Nyos Torq Reactor

Livestock: Fish, Invertebrates, Corals

Name Scientific Name Quantity
Banggai Cardinal Pterapogon kauderni 2
Purple Firefsih Nemateleotris decora 1
Lyretail Anthias Pseudanthias squamipinnis 2
Ocellaris clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris 2
Flame hawkfish Neocirrhitus armatus 1
Yellow coralgoby/clown goby Gobiodon okinawae 1
Spotted wrasse Anampses meleagrides 1
Blue-green chromis Chromis viridis 5
Chromis vivirdisn Chromis virdis 3
Yellow tang Zebrasoma flavescens 1
Copperband butterflyfish Chelmon rostratus 1
Longnose Hawkfish Oxycirrhites typus 1
Mandarin Goby Synchiropus splendidus 2
 Niger Trigger Odonus niger 1
Pajama Cardinalfish Sphaeramia nematoptera 2
Blue Tang Paracanthurus hepatus 1
Powder Blue Tang Acanthurus leucosternon 1
Bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides Dimidiatus 1
Red-Head Wrasse Halichoeres rubricephalus 1
Purple Tang Zebrasoma xanthurus 1
Six-line wrasse Pseudocheilinus hexataenia 1
Aiptasia Eating Filefish Acreichthys tomentosus 1

 

Invertebrates

Name Scientific Name Quantity
Black Urchin Mespilia globulus 1
Blood Red Fire Shrimp Lysmata debelius 2
Blue Tuxedo Urchin Mespilia globulus 3
Calcinus sp. Einsiedler Calcinus sp. 30
Crocea Clam Tridacna crocea 1
Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab Clibanarius tricolor 2
Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crab Clibanarius sp. 6
Sand Sifting Sea Star Astropecten polycanthus 2
Sanddollar Clypeaster reticulatus 1
Sea Hare Aplysia sp. 1
Strombus Conomurex Snail Strombus Conomurex 4
Trochus Snail Trochus sp. 11
Turbo Snail Turbo fluctuosus 32
cleaner shrimp Lysmata amboinensis 2
Some of the coral include:

Acropora echinata blue
Acropora echinata dark blue
Acropora echinata green
Acropora echinata purple
Acropora sp  Aussi
Acropora sp jocker
Acropora sp tricolor
Acropora sp ultra
Acropora sp. purple
Aussi Acro
Birds Nest, Needle or Finger Coral
Birds Nest, Needle or Finger Coral
Birds Nest, Needle or Finger Coral
Blue Green Giant Favia
Blue Mushroom
Branched Silver  Polyp Montipora
Cauliflower Coral
Cauliflower Coral
Chalice sp ultra
Echinopora Lamellosa
Elegance Coral
Encrusting Purple Montipora
Encrusting Purple green Montipora
Enzman
Favites sp.
Finger Tree Coral
Forest Fire
Fungia
Giant Green Polyp Duncan
Blue Goniopora
Green Cactus Coral
Green Clove – Glove Polyps
Green Galaxea Coral
Green Montipora
Green Montipora stellata
Green Polyps Stylophora
Green Ricordea
Green Spotted Mushroom
Green Star Polyps
Hydnophora
Montipora
Montipora rainbow ultra sp
Nuclear Meltdown Lepto
Orange Polyps Montipora
Organ Pipe Coral
Various Palys
Pink Gonipora
Purple Acro
Purple Polyps Stylophora
Purple Polyps Stylophora
Purple tip Frogspawn
Red Ricordea
Red Wellsi Blasto
Ricordea Florida Orange
Short Tentacle Torch Coral
Strawberry Short Cake
Sunset Montipora
White Pulsing Xenia
Yellow Acro
Fire And Ice Zoa’s