uhuru's return to nano reefs Elos Mini

[uhuru]

I have been "setting up" a 250g system in a dedicated fish room for almost a year now. In the mean time, I kinda missed having a nano tank. I came across a used Elos Mini and couldn't resist.

Here is the tank after it was delivered (by the original owner - a very nice guy!).
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02097.jpg

I spent a good 8 or 9 hours setting the tank up. There was a good amount of coralline to scrape. Getting up close and personal with the tank I really appreciated the craftsmanship that went into the Elos. I couldn't find a single flaw. After that I installed a GFCI outlet and then started with the rockwork and such. After setting it all up last night:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02156.jpg

The tank is still a little cloudy. I was going to do V/S/V and Prodibio but I decided to go with Zeovit because I already have all the supplies and stuff was gonna start going bad soon. I may have overdosed start2 last night but no biggie. Zeolith rocks and carbon are run passively in the sump.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02171.jpg

As I anxiously await my MP10 I am temporarily running an MP40w that is for my bigger tank. I have a small wave going with short pulse mode.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02170.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02169.jpg

Full frontal shot, it was mentioned on another forum that this might spell out "Elos" hehe:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02166.jpg

[CurvBall]

Everytime I see new Elos get setup, I start counting my pennies... one day I will own one of these beautiful systems. Right now considering the Elos 70 for when we move in November...

With regards to stock uhuru, what do you have planned?

Any reason why no ZEOreactor? I'm running ZEO on my 12g system, and so far I'm getting some good results - but the overdosing can be a PIA, lol

[uhuru]

I am planning to keep mostly LPS with this tank, but that top shelf will have an acro as the flow and lighting is really intense up there. In the shaded regions I may attempt some non-photosynthetics as I have really been blown away by them lately and it seems people are really getting down what works and what doesn't.

For fish I am not sure yet, but I am thinking a small group of chalk basslets and maybe a pair of clownfish if I'm brave enough to try an RBTA in a tank this small. If anyone has other suggestions that would be great. I don't want anything that kicks sand everywhere though due to the high flow environment.

I don't have a zeo reactor because the sump is really cramped as it is... I know sapphire aquatics makes a nano reactor that I could convert into a zeo reactor so that is a consideration down the line. With a tank this small though I'm a little curious to see if it's necessary.

[Leonardo_]

Already looks very good! :) Your stocking plans sounds very promising :)

Leonardo

[uhuru]

Thanks Leonardo... glad to see your tank disaster was not a complete disaster :)

[uhuru]

switched out the mp40 for the mp10 yesterday... the mp10 is so much better suited for a nano, and this is why:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02214.jpg

took me less than 2 minutes to dial in this wave:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/wave_mp10.jpg

updated FTS:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02217.jpg

[uhuru]

The elos skimmer is nice for a nano skimmer, probably equal to a tunze 9002 with much more adjustability (could be a good or a bad thing), but after using the tunze 9005 on another 20g tank and being very impressed, I decided to try this other skimmer which I was gonna use on my other QT tank. Only thing is, I had to do the unthinkable. I drilled holes....

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02244.jpg
... in the stand!! hehehe

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02246.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02248.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02242.jpg

[stunreefer]

Sweet Mini uhuru! :thumbsup:

Just picked mine up last week and will be doing my 'downsizing transfer" this week at some point.

I also have some coraline on my overlfow - how'd you get it off? IIRC you used hydrochloric acid? I bought a bunch of Vinegar last night and a scrub-brush and was planning to go to town later tonight...

[uhuru]

Austin, HCl will do the job, vinegar will not. Depending on how thick it is it comes off a thin layer at a time. So repeatedly spraying, letting it soak, then wiping with a damp towel actually worked better than scrubbing...also prevents scratching up the overflow which you don't see until it fills with water and the light shines on it. So just let the chemicals do the work for you. Also place towels all along the bottom to absorb the hcl as it drips down.

I have no idea what to do now that there is water in the tank other than religiously scrubbing the overflow even before I see any coralline. I think one thing elks should have done on the new model is make the overflow smooth.

[stunreefer]

Cool, I'll grab some acid after work... did you put in a spray bottle striaght-up or did you dillute it?

I know my local hardware carries Muriatic Acid, which I've gotten all kinds of Ca build up and coraline off with in the past, hopefully this will suffice.

[victor90]

Looks good

[uhuru]

Austin - I diluted it but don't remember how much. Still strong enough to burn my nasal epithelium though...

Victor - thanks! Wouldn't an ATB external be nice on this tank? :) This skimmer is nice but the sedra pump sounds like a freight train.

[stunreefer]

Thanks uhuru... I found out that Muriactic Acid is a kind of HCl Acid ;) and man you weren't kiddin'! It worked like a champ! I figuired it was going to take a couple hours of spraying and scrubbing - NOPE! About ten minutes later I had removed all of the coraline :D I didn't dilute it at all :lol:

Tank is up and running with all coral and my fish moved over from my AGE, keep an eye out for a thread... thanks for the help uhuru :thumbsup:

[uhuru]

Cool glad it worked out for you. I started out with vinegar and scrubbing and wasted a lot of time.

Hurry up and start a thread I'm looking forward to seeing how everything looks! I'm going to start stocking next week or so.

[uhuru]

I hope this guy makes it, he's just showing a decent feeding response, but tank temp shot up to 85 this weekend due to the heat wave. I need to get a fan.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02285.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02287.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02304.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02306.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02264.jpg

DFS Aquacultured duncans shortly after feeding PE mysis to each head:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02302.jpg

crummy FTS:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02322-1.jpg

[stunreefer]

Looks great man! :thumbsup:

If the dendro is accepting food, just keep feeding the hell out of him, he'll pull through!

[uhuru]

Just fed him some Rod's Predator Blend today, he is stuffed right now. Looks like his condition is improving. I'm impressed. If this were an sps it would be a skeleton by now.

I got 3 of these guys. They're so cute.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02332.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02341.jpg

close up of my open brain
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02340.jpg

[nj_evoIXgsr]

your tank looks awesome. what type of light is that? (brand, make, model)

[uhuru]

thanks! It is an elos e-lite, it comes with the tank.

[uhuru]

When I bought this dendrophyllia the head next to it was pretty much dead from fragging... now you can see polyps growing back on it!
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02381.jpg

This firefish was sent to me by accident
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02354.jpg

1/2 of my ORA sharknose goby pair:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02373.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02377.jpg

ORA Birds of Paradise
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02383.jpg

ORA Red Planet
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02368.jpg

[uhuru]

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02402.jpg

[rehype]

great pics...love the aquascape..are you worried about the firefish jumping?

[uhuru]

Thanks! Yes, definitely worried about him jumping. At this time he's more inclined to hide in the rocks than jump out of the water when startled, but it's pretty risky. I've seen plenty of people keeping them in their rimless tanks but I may have to make a screen top just for when the lights are off.

[Tadashi]

Awesome tank. I am considering getting it in case my boss makes me bring my 14BC home.

How do the eLite controls work? Can you adjust the kelvin rating like some other LEDs?

You mentioned heat in your tank. Was that from the pumps or does the eLite put out lots of heat also?

The noisy pumps, were those stock or something you added on later?

[uhuru]

Unfortunately the e-lite has no controllability at this time. It's either on or off. Elos has been developing some really cool lighting for the e-lite but it's not out yet and no know really knows if it ever will be. I have been trying to find the thread here where someone had LED spotlights mounted above their tank. I want to do the same, to add some blue highlights to certain parts of the tank. I can't find the thread though.

The pumps that come with the elos are not noisy at all. The system itself is extremely quiet. However I'm running an external euro reef skimmer in place of the stock elos skimmer, and the sedra pump is pretty loud.

The heat was from the heat wave we had here, and lack of circulation in my house. I have since bought an industrial fan which blows directly at the tank, and temps stay at room temperature... so the pumps and e-lite really don't add any heat to the tank.

[Tadashi]

We let the house get to 90 deg during the day to save elec so that would not be good. We are also in a humid area so I prefer not to use a fan and put more humidity into the house. What model/size is your chiller?

[uhuru]

I don't use a chiller, just house a/c and a fan.

[uhuru]

hooked up my dosing pumps today
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02441.jpg

mainly because I've started adding some sps and I just got this aquacultured clam from DFS:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02445.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02422.jpg

also added a tailspot blenny and some more NPS:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02453.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02461.jpg

[uhuru]

some more new additions:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02463.jpg

a couple days later the rhizo was ready to eat (thats a silverside in his mouth)!
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02477.jpg

beautiful dendrophyllia
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02482.jpg

[stunreefer]

Hey, that looks familiar!?! ;)

Keep up the great work man! :thumbsup:

[uhuru]

Clam was given to a new home, hopefully he will do better there, but he was really on the down side. DD gave me full credit for him.

Turned off the flow and let the NPS corals really hang out:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02492.jpg

Some SPS, IME so far they only keep their color when up top directly under the LEDs... getting a few more tomorrow:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02494.jpg

[Tadashi]

So would you say that the LEDs are as strong as MH for clams and SPS? Or was it that the clam did not ship well and has not acclimated? If from Dr. F&S then it was probably under 250" watt MH 18" up (generally their standard).

I am debating on getting the 24" 2x90W AquaIllumination Modular LED Light System w/ Controller for the Elos Mini or a MH fixture. I like clams and SPS but still unsure of LEDs on them. I do not like the heat of the MH either.

[uhuru]

I don't think the e-lite is as strong as a 250w MH. They also seem to have a poor spread, so high light demanding corals really need to be directly within the footprint of the light. The clam I think was in poor health to begin with, the light did not cause the problem. I really like the AI LED modules, I would go with that if I had the choice.

[36and2]

I really like how your tank is turning out it, your scape is is sweet. How did you attach the rocks together?

[uhuru]

Thanks! I used acrylic rod and epoxy. I have added quite a few nps corals. I will take a new FTS once I get all my tubastrea to open up. One colony opened up right away, the other took a bit of a beating as I tried to mount it on a rock. It's starting to puff up when feeding but polyps aren't coming out yet.

[Henryreef]

Yeah your aquascape is sweet :thumbsup: Looking good!

[DrBegalke]

Nice NPS.

[uhuru]

Thanks guys! Hopefully I will have a good fts to show you guys by this weekend! Got some surprises! This project just got a lot more challenging!

[uhuru]

Here are some teasers:

Guaiagorgia sp. non-photosynthetic gorgonian. I've been trying to feed 10x's a day with fauna marin combo, cyclopleeze and oyster feast. You can see the red cyclopleeze in the lumen of the polyp. My next step is to prepare a bunch of this mash, fill up some syringes and freeze them. Each day I will hang a syringe and as it defrosts it will automatically drip the food into the tank continuously. For my big tank I will be purchasing a syringe pump. The big challenge with this tank is going to be algae since I have the 10K lighting. May slowly remove the photosynthetics and go 100% NPS depending on how things go. Behind this gorg is a Menella sp. gorg, also NPS. Similar care requirements.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02507.jpg

Tubastrea at night (with flash)
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02502.jpg

[stunreefer]

Mikey, me likey :D

[PSam]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15634694#post15634694 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by uhuru
Each day I will hang a syringe and as it defrosts it will automatically drip the food into the tank continuously.

I found 35cc syringe to feed baby birds well suited for this.

Looking great. Good luck!

[uhuru]

Thanks! Experimentation with the syringes will start next week as I will finally get some vacation time!

[want2reef]

Nice tank!

How often do you feed your Dendro?

[uhuru]

1-2x daily

[zoadude]

Nice system. How are you dosing the B ionic? At what rate? I have a spare doser and was looking into 2 part/

[uhuru]

I use diluted 50% solution dosed by Drew's dosing pumps, 1.6mL every 4.25 hrs. or so. Works great and was so easy to set up!

[zoadude]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15643487#post15643487 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by uhuru
I use diluted 50% solution dosed by Drew's dosing pumps, 1.6mL every 4.25 hrs. or so. Works great and was so easy to set up!
So you just dilute with RO water? What made you determine the amount to dose?

[uhuru]

Yes you dilute with RO/DI water. To determine the amount to dose, you first get your levels exactly where you want them manually. Then you program your doser to do the minimum amount. Test alk and Ca daily. If levels are dropping, increasing the dosing time. If levels are rising, dilute the solution. This is often necessary in newer nano tanks unless you have a profilux doser which can dose in much smaller volumes. Eventually you should be able to use your solutions at full strength.

[uhuru]

First try:
I froze a 10 mL mixture of FM ultra clam, ultra min S, ultra min F and RN oyster feast:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02527.jpg

Made a quick syringe holder to zip tie to the return on my tank:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02528.jpg

As the frozen mixture defrosts, it drips the food into the tank:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02529.jpg

This is the same food mixture I have been dosing manually throughout the day, and the gorgs are showing a very positive response. Even the photosynthetic corals seem to love it. Some of them are showing growth spurts since I've been doing this. This system would actually work great for a larger tank as the drip is pretty fast. I need to find a way to make it defrost slower, or cough up the money and get a syringe pump ($275).

In the meantime I am trying a new food mixture based off of Danny Dame's recipe with a few substitutions.

FM Ultra Pac is the key here. It is artificial coral mucus designed for azoox soft corals and other filter feeders.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02519.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02523.jpg

This is the plankton component:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02525.jpg

After letting everything sit overnight I mix it all together and get this:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02536.jpg

After letting this sit another 24 hrs, I will try freezing another 10mL and see how quickly it defrosts. I'm hoping this mixture takes a bit longer. Stay tuned!

[cherubfish pair]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15628404#post15628404 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by uhuru
Thanks! I used acrylic rod and epoxy.
Can you post a link to where we can get these?

[uhuru]

You can get the epoxy (called aquamend) from any hardware store, and the acrylic rod I got from US Plastics (can't post links on RC).

[uhuru]

One day of skimmate:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02546.jpg

[esco]

that's some nasty stuff...!

[uhuru]

all from an old school euro reef skimmer... lol

[Tadashi]

Got skimate? :D

[uhuru]

some night time shots (with flash)... these are challenging because I don't have any moonlights... which sucks considering that my lighting is LED but thats another story :)

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02591.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02593.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02592.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02569.jpg

[Jadams]

Updated FTS?? :D

[uhuru]

Soon... Canon DSLR coming next week. The camera I have now cannot capture any detail with an FTS (though my avatar kinda gives you a sneak peak!)

[SpankythePyro]

one day of skimmate!!! you are feeding that tank heavy!!!

[uhuru]

Yes, I feed constantly throughout the day. It's insane. I just bought a programmable syringe pump which I will set to dose about 30mL/24 hr of a very rich food mix into the tank continuously.

[wakskat]

Why don't you skim only at night to let what you feed during the day have a chance to get eaten. That way you don't skim out the food you are dosing.

[uhuru]

Because most of the food is already dead. If I let it sit around it will pollute the water. That's why I'm working on a continuous dosing system. Just small amounts of food dripped into the water at a time (about 1.25mL/hr). Theoretically this will increase the efficiency of food utilization and then I might be able to only run the skimmer for certain hours. Keyword... theoretically!

[uhuru]

New feeding system - FM ultra minF and ultra clam fed dry, 4x/day:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02603.jpg

Syringe pump with adjustable infusion rate. Wine cooler (temporary location) to help keep it cool:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02596.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02599.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02607.jpg

I'm not totally happy with the food mixture I've made. I think it is better for dendronephthya but perhaps not necessary for scleronephthya. My sclero will inflate but shows very little polyp expansion. I actually just saw some for the first time yesterday (a positive sign I guess). I am going to simplify it and use mostly cyclopleeze, rotifeast, phytofeast, oysterfeast.

[uhuru]

I have been dripping a new, more simplified food mixture consisting of:

50% Phyto-feast (will replace this with Shellfish diet later), 25% Roti-feast, and 25% Oyster feast. The solution is very dense and stinky. 15mL/day continuously. I do not dilute it at all, and the syringe pump seems to be doing an excellent job of dosing this to the tank at a very precise rate. So far things are looking good. Sclero is inflated and Gorgs are open almost all the time. Tubastrea are open all the time. I like this mixture a lot better.

The dry portion of the diet: Ultra min F, Ultra Clam and soon to be added Ultra Sea Fan and Freeze Dried Cyclopleeze is working out great with the eheim auto feeder. I have a feeling this is the main element of the diet that the gorgs are responding to.

In a separate container I have made a mix consisting of: Ultra Pac, Ultra Clam, Ultra Min S, Prodibio BioDigest (bacteria), Prodibio ReefBooster (fatty acid supplement), KZ Coral Snow and saltwater. This will provide the "enhanced coral mucus" portion of the diet. For now I am going to try dosing this with a dosing pump. I may get another syringe pump for this, but it can at least be kept at room temp for a week.

[Western_reefer]

That's one SWEET lookin' tank!! Got any updates?? I'm definitely subscribing to this thread!

[Micromussa]

. Sweet Tank!

[uhuru]

thanks! this tank is now 100% non-photosynthetic. I am still trying to get the food mixture right. Here is my latest shot (no lights just camera flash):

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02723.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02648.jpg

[Western_reefer]

WOW! The carnation coral is GORGEOUS!!! We need a FTS! :D

[Micromussa]

Im very jelous quite honestly

[Western_reefer]

Bump.

[uhuru]

have you seen my dendronephthya crab? still trying to decide whether to remove it or not...

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02744.jpg

[happyclam]

Absolutely stunning! It seems you have cracked the code for keeping NPS corals! Jave you tried tunicates? I hear their impossible and would be curious how they do in this tank. Great job!

[Western_reefer]

have you seen my dendronephthya crab? still trying to decide whether to remove it or not...

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02744.jpg

Beautiful crab!! Why would you want to get rid of the crab? Is it doing any harm to the coral?

[20reefer]

Nice tank, front view shot please!! :D

[uhuru]

the crab is currently in the sump. In the wild it coexists with the coral, but in my tank, I'm just not sure if it would work. These crabs camouflage themselves by eating the coral polyps and taking on the pigments. They also decorate themselves with pieces of the coral. Really amazing and cool, but at the expense of my Dendronephthya which I work so hard to maintain? I don't know... in the wild I'm sure the coral can handle it, in the wild these corals can get huge, but in a captive system... these guys are hard enough to keep WITHOUT having something eating their polyps

[Western_reefer]

the crab is currently in the sump. In the wild it coexists with the coral, but in my tank, I'm just not sure if it would work. These crabs camouflage themselves by eating the coral polyps and taking on the pigments. They also decorate themselves with pieces of the coral. Really amazing and cool, but at the expense of my Dendronephthya which I work so hard to maintain? I don't know... in the wild I'm sure the coral can handle it, in the wild these corals can get huge, but in a captive system... these guys are hard enough to keep WITHOUT having something eating their polyps

Ah, that totally sucks that they eat the coral... Do you have any kind of lighting over your tank at all? Also, can you post a FTS please? :D

[uhuru]

I have LED lighting which comes on in the evenings. I'm currently waiting to get it modified however, so that I can control it with my apex. I will try to get an FTS soon. I've been waiting for when everything in the tank is perfect, but then I guess it wouldn't be much of a build thread would it... so maybe tonight (just keep in mind the tank is still a work in progress)!

[uhuru]

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9544.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9539.jpg

[uhuru]

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9558.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9556.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9547.jpg

[happyclam]

WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW! Amazing job! Can't wait to see how this tank matures and the success it will have in the following years. Truly ground breaking.

[Western_reefer]

WOW! Its GORGEOUS!! You should get weaker LED's. :p

[uhuru]

Thanks guys! The LEDs will be controllable soon hopefully, also plan to switch out some white for royal blues.

[stunreefer]

Looks awesome man!

Mike so you use the elite? I saw an awesome elite mod posted today in the ELOS forum that I would've done with mine, but I sold it... I'm just going to use some other form of LED when I find one I like (no hurry, corals don't care ;)).

[esco]

It's beautiful! The progression is breathtaking, love the gorgs :D

[uhuru]

Thanks!

Austin - I'm still using the e-lite, but I'm having the same mod done to mine... I was waiting for that one to get done so I could send him mine :)

[Western_reefer]

I think its time for you to upgrade. :p

[Western_reefer]

What do you feed the corals? Can you give us your coral food recipe please?

[uhuru]

Right now I am feeding 40% Shellfish Diet/40% Roti-Feast/20% Oyster-Feast undiluted via syringe pump 24/7. I also feed FM gorgonian and dendro foods, cyclopleeze (frozen & dry), Elos SVC Plankton. I adjust things every week, but this diet seems to be working best so far so I am continuing with it.

[Western_reefer]

How many ml do you dose into the tank every day? Also, got a link to where I can buy all those foods you listed?

[uhuru]

Moses,

I dose between 30-50 ml/day, right now I am dosing 30 ml. All of the liquid concentrates are purchased from reed mariculture/reef nutrition. I don't know if it's okay to post the link here, so if this gets edited you can just do a search:

http://www.reed-store.com/

[Western_reefer]

Moses,

I dose between 30-50 ml/day, right now I am dosing 30 ml. All of the liquid concentrates are purchased from reed mariculture/reef nutrition. I don't know if it's okay to post the link here, so if this gets edited you can just do a search:

http://www.reed-store.com/

WOW! The food is pricey!!

[Western_reefer]

I live with my parents(I'm 16 years old) and I have a 180 gallon mixed reef. Because I live in a large family, we get discounts for the electricity, but soon we are not going to be getting the discounts because my brothers are turning 18 and the electricity is $120 right now and it will be $250 without the discount because of my lights, so, I might take off the lights, sell all the Photosynthetic corals and convert it to a Non-Photosynthetic tank. :D

[uhuru]

Good luck! But do your research (as you seem to be), and keep in mind...the cost of food for a 180g tank will easily cost more than your savings in electricity. I have a 150g tank that I'm hesitant to setup as an NPS tank simply because of the food costs. If you stick with the easier ones you might save money... but even sun corals are pigs :)

Not only that, but if you feed continuously you need to change the water more often. On a large tank, salt will start to get very expensive.

[Western_reefer]

Good luck! But do your research (as you seem to be), and keep in mind...the cost of food for a 180g tank will easily cost more than your savings in electricity. I have a 150g tank that I'm hesitant to setup as an NPS tank simply because of the food costs. If you stick with the easier ones you might save money... but even sun corals are pigs :)

Not only that, but if you feed continuously you need to change the water more often. On a large tank, salt will start to get very expensive.

Thanks! Yeah, I've done TONS of research. I'm going to grow most of the foods you are buying. Such as rotifers, phytoplankton, pods, ect. I can feed the sun corals/dendros with grocery bought shrimp for like $5 a lb instead of mysis which is $5 a pack. lol I go to the ocean once a month and collect about 55 gallons each time which I use for water changes. So, I'll also save tons on water changes. I also have a RO/DI unit, so I don't have to buy RO/DI water from the store. My total water volume on the 180 gallon is 300 or so gallons. 180 gallon DT + 65 display macro tank + 55 gallon fuge under the DT. lol

[Western_reefer]

Maybe I missed this, but do you have a skimmer on the tank?

[uhuru]

I would LOVE access to NSW. Oh man that would be nice. Sounds like a good plan Moses. Keep me updated.

For the skimmer I am running an ER RC80 externally behind the stand. Works great.

[Western_reefer]

I would LOVE access to NSW. Oh man that would be nice. Sounds like a good plan Moses. Keep me updated.

For the skimmer I am running an ER RC80 externally behind the stand. Works great.

lol Yeah, California has the most nutrient rich waters in the world and I collect it. :) I'll definitely keep you updated. :)

Why did you put a skimmer? Your just skimming all the food back out. That is probably why you have to dose so much food.

[Western_reefer]

Also, you live in the states right? In Ohio, Columbus?

[uhuru]

Well, without a skimmer, the food will quickly pollute the tank, corals will shut down, unwanted pests will take over - and the tank will become a disaster. The other thing is, the aeration provided by a large skimmer will help a lot in a NPS tank. You don't HAVE to have a skimmer for anything, but it sure helps. Yup I live in Columbus! I'm from California though!

[Western_reefer]

Well, without a skimmer, the food will quickly pollute the tank, corals will shut down, unwanted pests will take over - and the tank will become a disaster. The other thing is, the aeration provided by a large skimmer will help a lot in a NPS tank. You don't HAVE to have a skimmer for anything, but it sure helps. Yup I live in Columbus! I'm from California though!

You should add medias instead like Phostban, ect. lol Nice! Maybe once I start adding Non-Photosynthetic corals we can trade some time? Especially that black Dendronephthya that's overgrowing your tank. :p

[uhuru]

I added 3 ORA Striped Blennies from DD last week. I also changed salt brands and po4 remover. Soon after fish started dropping left and right, but the blennies remained perfectly healthy. Then the corals started dying. It was horrible. After some large w/c's, bringing the temp up a bit and running some lights, things began to stabilize. Picked up a sponge rock this wknd with some black tubastrea on it:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02766.jpg

latest FTS with remaining survivors:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9579.jpg

[rhoptowit]

despite your losses your tank still looks great

[suta4242]

Very nice tank. :dance:

Could you tell me about your syringe pump please? Model, who sells it, what it can do, etc...

Thanks!

[uhuru]

suta - thanks! I got the pump from syringepump.com. It costs $275 for the basic model. Their customer service is great and the pump is easy to set up and adjust. You can find cheaper pumps on ebay or I've read they are easy to DIY, but I didn't want to mess around.

[Western_reefer]

I added 3 ORA Striped Blennies from DD last week. I also changed salt brands and po4 remover. Soon after fish started dropping left and right, but the blennies remained perfectly healthy. Then the corals started dying. It was horrible. After some large w/c's, bringing the temp up a bit and running some lights, things began to stabilize. Picked up a sponge rock this wknd with some black tubastrea on it:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02766.jpg

latest FTS with remaining survivors:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9579.jpg

The tank still looks beautiful! Do you know why the other live stock died?

[uhuru]

No, but I actually found one of the green banded gobies that had disappeared months ago, haha. It is still alive! But it has a swollen face. Any idea what causes swollen cheeks? I don't know if it's gonna make it.

Also, I got these custom brackets today. They were made by GEO. They are made to hold eheim auto feeders on rimless tanks. I am going to run 2 on this tank for more regular feedings when I am not home.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9601.jpg

[Western_reefer]

No, but I actually found one of the green banded gobies that had disappeared months ago, haha. It is still alive! But it has a swollen face. Any idea what causes swollen cheeks? I don't know if it's gonna make it.

Also, I got these custom brackets today. They were made by GEO. They are made to hold eheim auto feeders on rimless tanks. I am going to run 2 on this tank for more regular feedings when I am not home.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9601.jpg

Hmm... maybe it got stung in the face by one of the corals or something living in the tank?


Nice!

[uhuru]

The fact that both cheeks are equally swollen tells me its not from a single bite. Here's a pic:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/IMG_9606.jpg

[ChloroPhil]

Mike,

What a fantastic setup! :inlove: Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

I'm considering setting up a nano for Gorgs and Dendros with a Dwarf Lion. Are you using the syringe pump feeder or the drip system to provide food for the Gorgs and Dendros?

Thanks,
Phil

[uhuru]

Thanks Phil! I was using a syringe pump but I have stopped due to out of control bacterial growth. I am currently using 2 Eheim Auto Feeders to feed Fauna Marin gorgonian/dendro line. I dose Fauna Marin Ultra Min D manually with KZ Coral Snow or FM Ultra Life.

Once I get the bacterial populations under better control I will start using the syringe pump again, but I will be dosing much less. The main part of the food will be from dry FM foods.

I think Ozone would be of great benefit in a setup like this.

Since I have lost all of my fish (yes, all of them) - I am going back and forth between adding a single frogfish, or a bunch of tiny gobies (trimma, eviota and green banded). I won't be adding any fish for at least a couple of months though.

[uhuru]

I am now running ozone on this tank. Here is a teaser pic (I desaturated the photo because I took it in the dark with flash, made my walls look yellow which they are not):
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02774.jpg

So this is how it is set up. Luft pump (an awesome pump) -> Air Dryer -> Ozonizer -> Kynar check valve -> Aquamedic Reactor (works perfectly) -> Carbon Reactor -> Sump. The Aquamedic Reactor also has a gas bleed valve which I run through some carbon.

I also installed a track lighting system on the wall behind my tank:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/DSC02780.jpg

It is pretty far from the tank, and would not work for anyone keeping photosynthetic corals, simply because of the distance. I have 1 evilc66 20K bulb right now with 80* optics, and 2 x all blue ones with 40* optics on the way.

Once I get my house cleaned and play around with this camera some more I will take some new color FTS. The water is unbelievably clear, I feel like drinking it!

[Western_reefer]

Can't wait for some pictures!

What does the ozone do? Is it a type of filtration or something? Or does it keep the lvls steady?

[uhuru]

Hey Moses,

Ozone has many uses, but in the concentrations we use in home reefs it mostly improves water clarity by breaking down pigmented organics (which my tank has a lot of). It also helps break down other organics, as well as rapidly converts ammonia to nitrate. Since I have been using it, I feel like I have a brand new tank. Also, some of my corals are going nuts. Crazy polyp extension. I don't know the reason for this, could be just coincidence.

[Western_reefer]

Hey Moses,

Ozone has many uses, but in the concentrations we use in home reefs it mostly improves water clarity by breaking down pigmented organics (which my tank has a lot of). It also helps break down other organics, as well as rapidly converts ammonia to nitrate. Since I have been using it, I feel like I have a brand new tank. Also, some of my corals are going nuts. Crazy polyp extension. I don't know the reason for this, could be just coincidence.

Crazy polyp extension may mean there is not enough food in the water. Same goes with vodka dosing and SPS, water becomes super super clean and the SPS are taking out their polyps trying to catch more food which equals to crazy polyp extension. I could be wrong tho, just thought I'd let you know anyways.

[uhuru]

Hey Moses, I don't find this to be true with NPS corals. Energy must be conserved and if they don't sense food in the water they close up until they "smell" food again. They can close up for days or weeks. If anything I think the ozone allows them to sense the food better. As for SPS I also think that PE is more complex than a sign of hunger.

[Jadams]

Tank looks great!

[aninjaatemyshoe]

It's also possible that the ozone is breaking down allelopathic compounds released by certain corals in your system. I've observed a certain amount of allelopathy in my non-photo tank, at least what I think could be allelopathy. It seems that, during a period of a few days, I'll have certain corals open much more than usual, which coincides directly with other corals opening considerably less. Right now, I think my Scleronephthya is doing that to my Swiftia.

[uhuru]

It's funny you mention that. I always thought scleros were peaceful, but I added a big one to my tank a few weeks ago that definitely ****ed off my Guaiagorgia. It was actually rubbing against it, I foolishly thought this would be ok. To this day my Guaiagorgia will not open, and I think I may have killed it. My other Guaiagorgia is doing better than ever. I have also seen my Dendronephthya stretch out to seemingly make contact with any other dendro I place too close to it. Everything I have found online says that these are peaceful corals.

[jrainey]

Tank's looking great Uhuru. Sorry to go off topic, but which Canon did you get?

[stunreefer]

Mike, I didn't realize you suffered losses in your tank man, so sorry to hear that! As mentioned above, it looks great already anyway!

Did you loose your Dendrophyllia and other larger polyped non-photos?

You should add medias instead like Phostban, ect. lol
A skimmer removes D.O.C.'s prior to them breaking down into NO3 and PO4, therefore we're beating it to the punch so to speak by skimming heavily. You are right that some of the food gets skimmed out, but that's the point... whatever we "import" into our tanks must be "exported" as well via different means, and IMO/IME skimming is one of the best. Surely moreso than GFO alone, but add GFO if necessary to help keep PO4 at bay. Personally I rely on a probiotic sytem in conjunction with a beastly skimmer.
Hey Moses, I don't find this to be true with NPS corals. Energy must be conserved and if they don't sense food in the water they close up until they "smell" food again.
I agree. They will not open unless there is adequate, and proper food in the water column.
Same goes with vodka dosing and SPS, water becomes super super clean and the SPS are taking out their polyps trying to catch more food which equals to crazy polyp extension.
By utilizing a probiotic system we are not making the aquarium "super super clean", we are simply putting the beneficial bacteria on "steriods" (carbon source - like vodka) and introducing more efficient strains of bacteria to keep NO3 and PO4 at bay along with increasing the efficiency of our biological filtration in general.

[aninjaatemyshoe]

The problem with chemical media, such as GFO, carbon, etc., is that there is such a high nutrient load being cycled through these kinds of systems that they'll get used up far too quickly.

[uhuru]

Mike, I didn't realize you suffered losses in your tank man, so sorry to hear that! As mentioned above, it looks great already anyway!

Did you loose your Dendrophyllia and other larger polyped non-photos?

Yeah, I had a bacterial bloom that wiped out my fish and some corals. I did lose some of my dendronephthya, scleronephthya and even a rhizo (OUCH!!). I managed to save my other rhizo, and LPS corals... and luckily my big dendronephthya pulled through. All of my gorgs were ****ed off but also pulled through. It was pretty scary, like a domino effect, but everything is back on track now and I'm starting to move my LPS corals back in. The LPS are going nuts in my tank now.

[uhuru]

Tank's looking great Uhuru. Sorry to go off topic, but which Canon did you get?

It's a used one that my mom gave me since she upgraded. It is a Digital Rebel xti, with a canon macro lens. I haven't really used it yet besides taking a couple of quick shots in full auto mode, still just using a cheap point and shoot. I need to sit down this weekend and play around with it. I might make a thread in the photo forum to get some advice on where to start.

[uhuru]

Just started playing with the camera my mom gave me. Here is my Menella gorgonian:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_9857.jpg

[fox2589]

first of all awesome tank..my big question is..how do you keep up with the nutrients from feeding all day?any algae issues?-Drew

[buttons buster]

ya feeding them must affect the water drastically how do you combat that?

[OctaviousMonk]

WOW truely an inspiration. Still looks aazing despite your losses.

[uhuru]

first of all awesome tank..my big question is..how do you keep up with the nutrients from feeding all day?any algae issues?-Drew

Thank you. Dealing with nutrients is a huge issue. There is no easy solution other than water changes, powerful skimming and possibly carbon dosing. I don't dose carbon because I believe I dose enough through the food. I do add MB7 (bacteria source) daily. I don't have any algae issues, ever. I change 25% water 2x/wk. (edit: there are options such as nitrate reactors, liquid phosphate removers, etc. but I don't use these.)

ya feeding them must affect the water drastically how do you combat that?

See above :)

WOW truely an inspiration. Still looks aazing despite your losses.

Thanks. I believe I came closer to having a full tank crash than I realized at the time. A lot of these corals are more resilient than people give them credit for. I even went through a period of barely feeding anything just to get nutrients back in control.

[uhuru]

I am loving this camera. I take photos in RAW format and correct the white balance in photoshop. Just type in 20K for the light and bam! I then use photoshop to adjust the levels a bit more, then the "smart sharpen" filter and bam! I'm sounding like Emeril, haha. If any of you experienced photographers have suggestions on how I can improve my photos I would appreciate it.

Diodogorgia nodulifera
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_9848.jpg

Guaiagorgia sp.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_9843.jpg

Rhizotrochus typus - I don't know how I got this effect, but I like it.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_9836.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_9831.jpg

I wanted to wait until everything was more expanded to get an FTS, but I was getting impatient... oh well there's always tonight to try again
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_9830.jpg

[esco]

last FTS is sexy :)

[aninjaatemyshoe]

This tank should at least be entered for nano tank of the month at some point.

[uhuru]

Thanks guys, here are some pics I took with better settings on the camera (still learning a little bit at a time):

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0012.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0005.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0009.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0059.jpg

[cherubfish pair]

How much does that photoshop program run?

[Sardaukar]

How do you like that ORA striped blenny trio?

[Western_reefer]

Beautiful tank!!

Sorry to hear about your losses.

[philosophish]

@ Uhuru,

Try and adjust the contrast and or levels with curves when you want pop to your images. The sharpening is overdone by most poeple, and it tends to give an image an artificial stenciled look instead of a clear bright silky photograph.

If you can, use an off camera flash for best results, itll allow you to stop down for detail but still freeze the action, as well as getting a bit more detail throughout the photograph and avoiding unecessary sharpening.

[uhuru]

Thanks for the tips! I will do less sharpening and more levels correction next time. I don't have an off camera flash and my money's kind of tight right now with a new tank I'm setting up but I'll definitely keep that in mind for the future.

In the meantime, here are some pics I took last night:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0178.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0172.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0176.jpg

I'm now using 2 syringe pumps and the kalk reactor for continuous feeding. I am also doing small, daily water changes.

[uhuru]

baby sun coral, I've found a couple so far in various parts of the tank... some of them even settled on my gorgs but did not survive.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0128.jpg

[uhuru]

How do you like that ORA striped blenny trio?

They were nice, but I don't like fish that steal food from my corals, and these will do that. I have a single Antennarius pictus in this tank now. I maintain a separate 20g tank full of feeder fish/shrimp to take care of him. Probably one of my favorite things has been watching him hunt down his food.

This is Franco:
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0122.jpg

[uhuru]

Franco hiding behind a corner. Playing hide and seek with a pod probably (yes he eats pods).

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0132.jpg

[cherubfish pair]

How big is your frogfish? He looks like a creature out of a sci-fi movie.

[uhuru]

he's about 3" - very fun to watch

[sahin]

This is reefkeeping and art mixed together. Totally awesome. :)

[Kreeger1]

just finished your thread, very nice set up and coral collection.

[Western_reefer]

Beautiful tank!!

[uhuru]

Thanks! For those that don't visit the non-photo forum, here is the latest shot of my tank. I'll take a better front on shot soon. The dark red gorg on the far right front has finally started opening up after some rough handling and fragging (by me) and looks amazing.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0246.jpg

Can you spot the crinoid feather star?

[Western_reefer]

I don't see the feather starfish. Do you have any close ups on it? When/where did you get the feather starfish?

[Western_reefer]

Beautiful tank BTW! I'm going to be getting a few Basket starfish from a diver/collector hopefully next week. I'll post updates about them if you want?

[Kreeger1]

my feather star lived about 2 years before he got lost in the 360 and I could get him out to trade off to someone. I plan on keeping another plus a basket star in the new tank

[Western_reefer]

my feather star lived about 2 years before he got lost in the 360 and I could get him out to trade off to someone. I plan on keeping another plus a basket star in the new tank

Nice! Got a link to your new tank and old tank? What were you feeding the feather starfish?

[Kreeger1]

new tank is the 60 gal in the non photo forum the old tank is http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1240790&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

[Western_reefer]

new tank is the 60 gal in the non photo forum the old tank is http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1240790&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Okay, thanks!

[MentalNote]

Wow, Uhuru those photos are amazing. I really like the frog fish too!

[uhuru]

Thanks! In this photo the frogfish is positioned between the Dendronephthya and the large purple gorgonian on the right. Look close! Gives you a much better idea of how small he really is.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0258.jpg

[cherubfish pair]

That's a lot of branchiness in there! :)

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0258.jpg

[Dejavu]

Any updates?

[Western_reefer]

Thanks! In this photo the frogfish is positioned between the Dendronephthya and the large purple gorgonian on the right. Look close! Gives you a much better idea of how small he really is.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0258.jpg

Gorgeous tank!!!

[cherubfish pair]

Love the whispyness of the gorgs.

Is that a word? Whispyness? :cool:

[DarkXerox]

Awesome and really original tank!

[uhuru]

Thanks guys! No real updates, except I'll try to take pics of some new growth I've seen lately. I am working on a bigger tank right now. I'm still going to keep this one going, but it's overstocked and I plan to move some stuff over. I also have some more NPS corals in a big tub in the basement that I want to put in it. There is a little write up on my tank on this blog (http://nano-box.blogspot.com/).

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0419.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0345.jpg

[Jadams]

Sick tank! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Anyone else think this should be next months NTOTM?!?!?!!? :)

[uhuru]

thanks!

[Aquabacs]

Thanks guys! No real updates, except I'll try to take pics of some new growth I've seen lately. I am working on a bigger tank right now. I'm still going to keep this one going, but it's overstocked and I plan to move some stuff over. I also have some more NPS corals in a big tub in the basement that I want to put in it. There is a little write up on my tank on this blog (http://nano-box.blogspot.com/).

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0419.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/_MG_0345.jpg


Tank is looking great! Congrats again for being featured on Nano-Box.

How is the growth of the Archohelia Rediviva coming along? Have been considering picking one up :)


Mike

[uhuru]

Thanks Mike! The rediviva is doing great. Not a lot of growth, if any, but monster appetite. Mine is fed throughout the day. Polyps are always open. The only thing I've noticed is the polyps extend more, and mine can eat mysis now. I think you should definitely get one. Once they are gone I don't see these being fragged very much due to the slow growth.

[Nano sapiens]

Very, very nice! Everything looks fantastic and I am amazed at how healthy the Gorgs are.

I can appreciate the amount of effort involved keeping up a NP tank, especially one that looks as nice as this one.

[Aquabacs]

Thanks Mike! The rediviva is doing great. Not a lot of growth, if any, but monster appetite. Mine is fed throughout the day. Polyps are always open. The only thing I've noticed is the polyps extend more, and mine can eat mysis now. I think you should definitely get one. Once they are gone I don't see these being fragged very much due to the slow growth.

It is good to hear. I might see about getting one this week, just a little pricey compaired to what the last colony came in at LA.

Mike

[Aquabacs]

Joined the Archohelia Rediviva club. Cherry posted up a WYSIWYG Archohelia Rediviva frag today so I grabbed it.

Mike

[uhuru]

Congrats! You will like it a lot. It's a pure white and when it eats the polyp turns pink.

[nanoty]

This tank is full of win.

[Moonstream]

this is no doubt one of the nicest non-photosynthetic tanks Ive ever seen, and that froggie is AWSOME!

[SawdustInTank]

Everything looks so well balanced with the colors and different types of corals. Excellent work.

[uhuru]

Thank you all!

[musicalrebellion]

tell me you've won NTOTM before.
if not i will vote for your tank as soon as you put it in. (which I'm assuming you will)
incredible NPS!

[canesfan44]

tell me you've won NTOTM before.
if not i will vote for your tank as soon as you put it in. (which I'm assuming you will)
incredible NPS!

it has, but I wouldn't mind seeing it win again, although last months competition had the best tanks I've ever seen. Everyone of last month's tanks were winners.

[uhuru]

musicalrebellion - thanks and like canesfan said it did win already (in May). You can see the write up here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1845922

[mullinsd2]

So the non-photosynthetic corals are the most difficult to keep? Your tank looks really good!

[Michael B]

Amazing journey & amazing tank (thanks for sharing)

[uhuru]

So the non-photosynthetic corals are the most difficult to keep? Your tank looks really good!

Thanks! Some nps corals are easier than others, but the gorgonians and soft corals are definitely harder. LPS such as Dendrophyllia, Rhizotrochus and Tubastrea corals are fairly hardy once you get them eating.

Amazing journey & amazing tank (thanks for sharing)

Thank you... it has been a great learning experience, hopefully not just for me.

[fishdoc11]

Any updates?

thanks, Chris

[uhuru]

Hey Doc,


I upgraded to a larger system and moved most of the corals over to a bigger tank. The Elos is being stocked with some other unique non-photosynthetic inverts.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/ADA%20120-P/_MG_1174.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/elos%20mini/_MG_1125.jpg

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb171/icientyouth/elos%20mini/_MG_1123.jpg

I recently got a tube sponge that is practically bioluminescent and has been growing very fast. One of the coolest I've ever seen. I'll try to take some pics soon.

My tank was recently featured in Advanced Aquarist online magazine, Jan. issue - you can read about its progression and evolution there.

You can also visit my other build thread here for more info:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1820834&page=21

[ENTMogul]

Wow these pics are amazing. I am setting up a 25G rimless with some Elos components...

I am going to read this thread very carefully!

[herrGreen]

Do you ever notice that the frogfish you keep has trouble with the strong waterflow of the NPS setup? I would be interested in keeping a similar system but I wonder if there are any fish that would really like strong shifting current.

Cheers!