I recently read a reefing blog that suggested some Internet and magazine “experts” didn’t own an aquarium, and were simply copying the success of other reef keepers to develop an online or print persona as an aquarium expert. I have commented in the past that I greatly question the quality of advice thrown around on open forums, even some offered by site administrators and moderators. I can say, I’ve known many experts on marine life that didn’t keep an aquarium, but greatly aided me in my success as an aquarist. This includes research scientists on up to people like Ken Nedimeyer of the Reef Preservation program on Key Largo, FL. 
As I was reading the post, I realized that I very seldom post any photos of my personal aquariums. In reality, if you aren’t my friend on Facebook, it’s unlikely you would even realize I have tanks, even though I mention them from time to time in my writing. In an effort to prevent falling into the “expert” without a tank designation, I’ve decided to talk about my own personal systems, with all the pictures in this post being of my personal tanks. I will say; a lack of pictures of my tanks is more because of my poor photography skills, not my skills keeping marine life healthy. My entire fish-room is built around a goal of sustainability, from how water is discarded on up to individual animal health. Instead of discussing that here, the sustainability procedures I’ve put in place are better explained in a post of their own. Overall:
My personal tanks total 500 gallons, including the 60-gallon sump that feeds and filters my fish only tank. I opted for three separate tanks, based on various events in my reef-keeping career, which led me toward that decision. I built my house in 2012, and designed the entire basement level as a fish room. In addition to the display tanks, I have dual 55-gallon tanks that serve as a quarantine system, and a 55-gallon that acts as the fish room hospital. Reef Tank: 120 gallons
This tank is an Innovative Marine Nuvo SR 120. I opted for this particular tank for several reasons, one being that I wanted something simple to set-up that could easily be changed as I am often attempting new methodologies. The nuvo serves that purpose well, as the basic core (main pumps, overflow) is suited to the tank size and requires almost zero maintenance.… More:
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