6/01/09 Update: Our 55 Gallon Freshwater tank will soon be shutdown and all inhabitants moved into a NEW 90 gallon system. Check back for more details on this project!

Thanks for stopping by the MeuserReef homepage. I hope you will find the information posted within this site both entertaining and informative. You can usually find me posting online as "MeuserReef" at either of the following reef forums:

ReefCentral.com

TheReefTank.com 

120 Gallon Reef Aquarium - March 2009

In January of 2009, our current reef aquarium was established and, in doing so, has begun the third generation of our saltwater aquarium hobby. We first took the plunge in 2005 with a 10 gallon reef tank...  which was upgraded in 2006 to a 30 gallon reef tank...  and then again in 2009 to the current 120 gallon reef tank. Each upgrade was mainly driven by two factors; The need for more room and the need for a "better" system. Each system has allowed us to keep more and more challenging corals. Our 120 gallon is mainly populated with SPS corals, but remains "mixed" by having LPS and soft corals mixed in. This tank was designed to meet the needs of the SPS corals with both high lighting, high water movement, and efficient nutrient export. Click HERE to view my Build Thread on TheReefTank.com

How we got here:

Our first marine aquarium began in August, 2005 in Houston, TX in a 10 gallon aquarium. This later proved to be a really challenging way to get into the hobby because, as we later learned, keeping a small tank stable is acutally more difficult than keeping a larger tank. Evaporation was really challenging and at times, without an Automatic Top Off system in place, even frustrating. I had not yet mastered the balance of Calcium and Alkalinity, which was hidden by the fact that the tank was only stocked with "beginner" corals such as Zoanthids and a few hardy LPS corals. A lot was learned during the time we had the 10 gallon, and at about the 1 year point, we realized that the smaller tank was running out of room and we were going to need a bigger aquarium if we were to continue our reefkeeping hobby.

The 30 gallon reef was born in during the summer of 2006. This tank was outfitted with a 10 gallon sump, which was an aspect that was simply not possible on the 10 gallon reef. Upgraded water movement as well as filtration made this tank much more "advanced" than the last tank and opened up the stocking possibilies to more challenging and delicate coral species. As we learned more and more about what being a "reef keeper" was all about, we began having more and more success with our corals and fish. 

Eventually, the tank matured enough to allow us to try the ever-so-challenging SPS corals. This was truly a "no going back" point for us in this hobby and eventually led to the need for yet another tank upgrade....  which brings us to our current 120 gallon.