This is my main 8' 240g. system that is on public display at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY . The actual configuration is only 1 1/2 years old, but most of the inhabitants were in an older system and are 5+ years old, some 10+. Lighting is 4x 250W Ushio 14K. DE lamps on Ice Cap ballasts. There is no skimmer, and we use a large and efficient means of Chaetomorpha filtration as the primary filter. We also run carbon 24/7. Calcium and Alkalinity is maintained solely via ESV B-Ionic.