Hey guys,
I started setting up my new reef tank about a month ago.
Will post here the build and progress for you to tag along. Enjoy!
A little more info about the setup.
Once again I decided to go with the Elos brand. I really like the sleek and modern design and if you see an Elos tank you will notice it is top notch quality. The glass is even superior to "Starphire glass" we see mostly here in the US. The edges are perfectly polished and the seams are perfectly cut and put together.
Of course the most important is what happens "inside" the tank but I also see it as a nice piece of furniture I can enjoy when I relax on the couch.
Equipment:
Elos system 120 (47.24 x 22.5 x 19.69)
Elos cabinet with black doors
Elos sump
Skimmer: Elos PS1000. This is the brand new Needle wheel skimmer from Elos released at the InterZoo2010. I realize there are real good skimmers on the market who have proven to perform but after long talks with Jesse the Elos guy here in the US I really got the feeling they are standing behind this skimmer and it will perform extremely well. I like to try new things out and therefore willing to test and give this skimmer a shot.
Return pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 3.0
Lighting: Elos Aquatop with 3-4 LED stripes
ATO: Elos Osmocontroller Digital
Additional filtration: 2 NextReef MR1 Shorty Media Reactor. One will be for the carbon and the other one for the Filtra M Zeolith
Water movement: Tunze Wavebox and 1 x MP40
Controller: SApex
Rock: For the first time ever I decided to go with Dry Rock.
Didn't wanted to drill a thousand holes in the original cabinet and therefore we placed another back and sidewall with laminated panels into the cabinet.
I like also to keep the electrical as far away from the sump as possible and therefore we build a small cabinet next to the sump. Top part will hold all the electronics and at the bottom will be the dosing pump and containers.
Hope I can fill the tank with water later today....
Full shot of the cabinet. Still need to clean up all the wires but will wait until I am sure everything will stay the way it is now.
The top part has the display panel for the Apex and the Wavebox controller.
The front display panel opens to the side and behind will be the the electrical stuff nicely covered by the display panel when closed.
Close-ups
Mounted the 2 small reactors (carbon/Zeolites) at the back of the cabinet
Really like those magnetic probe holders from AvastMarine
Some work done this week.
Water is in the tank, reactors connected etc. Doing a test run now to check for any leaks.
More electrical crap in the compartment and ready to get the dosing pumps also.
Aqua E-Top and skimmer will be here on Wednesday.
Tried to keep all the wiring clean (all the power cords are in the grey split loom) and connected the 2 reactors
Still a mess...
Ready for the dosing pumps. Really like those space saving jugs. They hold 1 Gallon each
I saw pictures and videos of it but seeing this fixture in real just blows your mind away.
Not only does it look very sleek over the tank but it achieves everything I wanted:
NO fixture hanging from the ceiling
Covering the tank as I am planning on some "jumping" livestock
Being able to view the corals from the top without having to remove anything
As the glas panels can be easily opened it is very easy to do maintenance
I took those quick pictures just with the blue led's on.
Got the skimmer and installed it.
Really impressed with the quality and little details. Going to borrow a meter to measure the air intake.
Filled up the reactors with carbon and Zeolites.
Ready to start cycling...
Nice detail is being able to remove the top part for easy cleaning
Carbon on the left and Zeolites on the right. Will post some more information regarding the Elos Purist Line I am going to run on this tank
To start the cycle I used a small piece of fresh fish and a very small amount of skimmate from the frag tank.
Started also dosing the Elos Purist Line products.
I was impressed to see the skimmer in action only being a couple hours installed in the sump.
I didn't expected to see any skimmate as there is almost no bioload. Just sand, rocks
and the piece of fish.
On Saturday I started with the Elos Purist Line.
Here is a link to the full article regarding this system: LINK.
What is the purpose of the Purist Line?
A system to feed and improve the entire biomass by reducing nutrients.
Improves the activity of the bacterial flora and biological structure.
Promotes coral growth and the increased production of bacterioplankton.
Allows for low nutrient and high water quality (low levels of PO4-NO3).
Stimulates the Natural Pigmentation of Corals
I think to believe it is more popular in Europe as it is here in the US or at least most users don't publish their experiences on forums as many Zeovit users do.
I have been using Zeovit for a couple years on another tank and was very pleased with it but I have been looking for something similar that needs less products and is not as tricky or maintenance intense.
I tried to gather as much information I could and from what I have been reading it seems to be a very solid and straightforward approach to a "low nutrients" system.
I found a couple experienced users on Italian forums and they are willing to follow my journey and help me when needed (Google Translator became my best friend..lol).
I will post my experiences and progress here in this thread on a regular basis.
Here is a short description from the products I am using:
FiltraM: Molecular sieve to maintain a low level of ammonia. The highest quality zeolite, very high in clinoptilotite content.
It can be used in any filter, or inside of an appropriate reactor.
To control ammonia levels.
Rb10: Nourishing solution for aerobic bacteria. An indispensable primary nourishing source selected from natural raw materials. Formulated in order to supply amino acids and vitamins in a highly bio-available form to CORALS as well as all the biomass (mainly dedicated to autotrophic life).
Rb20: Selective accelerator of aerobic bacteria. A mixture of microbiotic stocks aimed at establishing an adequate aerobic bacterial colony, fundamental in promoting the process of biological decomposition inside the marine aquarium. Its employment favors the normal metabolic processes of the aquarium.
Rb30: Balanced pool of enzymes, organic and inorganic nourishing substances. A nourishing enzymatic Complex for all the biomass. It avoids the mono-bacteria cultures, strengthens the already available bacteria, accelerates their reproduction, feeds all the biomass including the corals and helps in the reduction of nutrients (NO3 and PO4).
Rb40: Enzymatic accelerator for the development anaerobic bacteria. A mixed powder of microorganism and enzymes. Fast acting in the microbial pre-digestion, break down and digestion of polluting organic substances and inorganic substances.
Rb50: Nourishing solution for anaerobic bacteria. A natural biological activator studied in order to start and to maintain an optimal process of de-nitrification. It takes part directly in the reduction of nutrients (NO3 and PO4). Helps in increasing the production of the bacterioplankton.
Elos Carbon D 500: Activated carbon, which offers superior adsorption properties. Its dedicated pore size distribution makes it highly suitable for the removal also of odor, organic micro pollutants, dissolved organic substances, as well as chlorine and ozone, playing an important role in achieving extremely low levels of dissolved organics.
I will follow the instructions from the dosing chart for the first 4-6 weeks to give the products enough time to establish in the tank and to get comfortable with the dosing routine. I am in no rush to add any livestock or corals and will give the tank plenty of time to cycle and mature.
Here are a few pics from the aquascaping. The camera seems not to capture everything very well. Looks like the rocks are piled up but they are not actually. Tons of open space and caves in there.
Front side:
Back side:
A couple days into the cycle:
Half a day work from the skimmer. Pretty nice doing such a great job having no bioload besides the cycle stuff
Maxreefer's Elos System120 build....
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