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Unread 08/01/2017, 01:55 PM   #26
Clowning_Around
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Quote:
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I think colleges only care about display volume, but I may be wrong.


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Just mentioning it before you make your purchases when its so easy to check policy beforehand...

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Unread 08/01/2017, 02:59 PM   #27
extendedmango
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Just mentioning it before you make your purchases when its so easy to check policy beforehand...

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An thank you for doing so. I'd make so many mistakes trying this on my own lol.


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Unread 08/07/2017, 11:33 AM   #28
extendedmango
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Currently I am trying to decide between these three tanks.

1) Innovative Marine Fusion Peninsula 14

It costs $199.99 and has about a half gallon refugium space.

2) Artfully acrylic AIO 16

This tank costs 299.99 but it comes with a screen lid and has a 1g refugium space and more extra space for the equipment.

3) Coralife biocide 16

Cost 224.99 and I'm not sure about the refugium size but it seems to be a good over all tank

There seem to be no reviews for the AIO 16 but both the Coralife and IM get solid reviews. I don't need a light b/c I have my AI primes, and the coral life LEDs are dissapointingly white. I also want at least one sps frag ( I love birdsnest coral : ) ) and I don't trust the biocube to keep one healthy.

Which tank would you choose if you were in my position?



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Unread 08/07/2017, 11:34 AM   #29
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Thanks in advance!


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Unread 08/07/2017, 12:23 PM   #30
ReefWreak
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Peninsula 14. I hate the front curved glass on my biocube. Just build a nice mesh net so fish don't jump, use your AI Prime, and maybe add a powerhead or two to the back wall to crank the flow up. Looks like a really nice tank.

I would also go for minimal rockwork (my other post mentioned a single rock in the middle, and I think that still holds true, and would be really cool for the peninsula).

If you are going to be moving the tank a lot, I think it makes sense to also go without sand. Easy to siphon out detritus, easy to scrape clean if you keep the rockwork simple, and makes moving a breeze as you'll never have to worry about hydrogen sulfide or other issues when moving a sand bed.


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Unread 08/07/2017, 01:17 PM   #31
extendedmango
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College nano plan!

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Peninsula 14. I hate the front curved glass on my biocube. Just build a nice mesh net so fish don't jump, use your AI Prime, and maybe add a powerhead or two to the back wall to crank the flow up. Looks like a really nice tank.

I would also go for minimal rockwork (my other post mentioned a single rock in the middle, and I think that still holds true, and would be really cool for the peninsula).

If you are going to be moving the tank a lot, I think it makes sense to also go without sand. Easy to siphon out detritus, easy to scrape clean if you keep the rockwork simple, and makes moving a breeze as you'll never have to worry about hydrogen sulfide or other issues when moving a sand bed.

Is there any reason you chose the peninsula 14 over the Artfully acrylic AIO? It is much more expensive, but it has additional space in the filter section and one of the clear view lids (which are worth 100+ on similar tanks)

I totally agree with the single rock idea, I'm actually thinking of buying two dry large pukani rocks and trying to sculpt them into a cool shape with a wood chisel. Brs made a video on how to do it.

I was planning on having a sand bed b/c I like the look and was hoping to have a goby and pistol shrimp. I didn't know about hydrogen sulfide issues when moving, is there any way around that.......

Anyway, thanks for all the help reef wreak. You have been very active on my thread and your posts have been both helpful and knowledgeable!


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Unread 08/07/2017, 01:29 PM   #32
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Happy to help. We've all been the newbie, sometimes multiple times, and talking things through helps make a better end result and share knowledge.

The peninsula tank... I like the design, especially if you're going to use the tank as a peninsula layout (more than using the AA tank as a peninsula layout). Also, it's worth keeping in mind that while acrylic is repairable when scratched (as opposed to glass, which is not repairable), it scratches MUCH more easily than a glass tank. Be prepared to stock up with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers (or their cheaper knock-offs from China on Amazon or Ebay).

The hydrogen sulfide, eeeehhhhhh it's effectively irrelevant, but dirty sand beds that cause pollution when disturbed are not. I only mention it not that I'm actually worried about it, but more because it represents the pollution issue. If you're not diligent about vacuuming it frequently, it just holds detritus in the sediment, which could cause nutrient issues if disturbed.

You're also supposed to put your rocks on the glass bottom before adding a sand bed, which if you are moving the tank frequently, you won't likely be able to do since you probably won't siphon and wash out your sand bed every time. Again, I made every mistake and have done every thing I'm recommending you to NOT do, and somehow my tanks have done reasonably well.

If you do want to maintain your sand bed diligently, I'd recommend keeping it shallow (1-2"), and not putting any frags or other stuff in or on it, since it'll make it more difficult to vacuum. So that means everything mounted to the rock.


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Unread 08/07/2017, 02:14 PM   #33
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You're also supposed to put your rocks on the glass bottom before adding a sand bed, which if you are moving the tank frequently, you won't likely be able to do since you probably won't siphon and wash out your sand bed every time. Again, I made every mistake and have done every thing I'm recommending you to NOT do, and somehow my tanks have done reasonably well.

I already made this mistake on my current tank : ). The pistol shrimp collapsed 1/3 of my rocks, but thankfully none of the coral was damaged.

I think having the frags securely placed and glued to a single rock will eliminate the issues that occur when placing the rock on the sand bed, but I may be wrong.

I'll think about which tank I want but I'm leaning towards the peninsula as well.


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Unread 08/08/2017, 09:58 PM   #34
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I had a 10g for three years in college. Soph-senior year. The only time I didn't check on it was spring break of 12' go figure... I lost about over under 1 grand. 🤦🏻*♂️ Stay committed and it will also help meet the gals. Until of course that reefer shows you up.


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Unread 08/09/2017, 11:22 AM   #35
extendedmango
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College nano plan!

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I had a 10g for three years in college. Soph-senior year. The only time I didn't check on it was spring break of 12' go figure... I lost about over under 1 grand. 🤦🏻*♂️ Stay committed and it will also help meet the gals. Until of course that reefer shows you up.


Ya I had a thread like two months ago debating wether or not it was worth having a tank in college, and nobody regretted having a small reef in their dorm room.


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Last edited by extendedmango; 08/09/2017 at 11:39 AM.
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Unread 08/09/2017, 01:40 PM   #36
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As a grad student I know the desire to keep a tank while in school. I ended up going with the IM 10 and absolutely love it. Fits perfectly on my desk and gives me a break from studying

I would highly recommend getting an ATO system. I don't know what I would do without one throughout the day and during breaks!


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Unread 08/09/2017, 06:41 PM   #37
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As a grad student I know the desire to keep a tank while in school. I ended up going with the IM 10 and absolutely love it. Fits perfectly on my desk and gives me a break from studying



I would highly recommend getting an ATO system. I don't know what I would do without one throughout the day and during breaks!


What equipment do you run (other than ato) on this tank?


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Unread 08/09/2017, 08:28 PM   #38
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What equipment do you run (other than ato) on this tank?


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I am running the following

- Ghost Desktop skimmer
- Tunze nano ATO
- inTank media basket
- MP10wes vortech
- AI prime
- Cobalt heater with a finnex temp controller
- IM spin stream


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Unread 08/14/2017, 12:02 AM   #39
extendedmango
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College nano plan!

Okay new question

Are seahorses a possibility for a college nano? I know about dwarf seahorses and while I think I can dedicate time to raise brine shrimp right now, I think it would be too much for me during college. Has anyone tried? There is also hippocampus capensis (sold as zu lulus on ocean rider), which supposedly eats misis and fits in any tank that is at least 12 inches high. Any thoughts?

I will mirror this post in the seahorses and pipefish section of this forum.


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Unread 08/14/2017, 10:17 PM   #40
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The verdict is no this won't work.


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Unread 08/15/2017, 11:45 AM   #41
extendedmango
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College nano plan!

New tank question!

Currently the aquarium Im going to get was the IM fusion peninsula 14, but I'm considering the fusion nano 20. The fusion nano 20's display is 15 gallons, and the peninsula is 10g. In the fusion 20, I get twice the filtration capacity. The tanks are the same price.

My only concern is the size of the display. Can I get away with an extra 5 gallons of display space?


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Unread 08/15/2017, 12:04 PM   #42
ReefWreak
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Are you concerned about the limit of water volume in the dorm? If so just consider rock displacement in your total volume, since realistically you'll still lose another 4-5 gallons of water from the tanks to that. My 29g biocube holds just under 22 gallons of water, which rounds down to 20 gallons.

Whoever says something, won't know the difference between display volume, total volume, and actual water volume. If the limit is 10 gallons, and they ask how big the tank is, say 10 gallons, since that's how much water it's holding and ultimately what the liability could be that they're concerned about.

They're not going to measure, or google the tank (let alone know what tank it is), and nobody has any idea what the size of a gallon of water looks like anyway. If you said 5 gallons they probably wouldn't think twice about it (think about how big a 5 gallon gas can is, probably the same height and width of the aquarium, just half or a third as deep).


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Unread 08/15/2017, 12:26 PM   #43
extendedmango
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Are you concerned about the limit of water volume in the dorm? If so just consider rock displacement in your total volume, since realistically you'll still lose another 4-5 gallons of water from the tanks to that. My 29g biocube holds just under 22 gallons of water, which rounds down to 20 gallons.

Whoever says something, won't know the difference between display volume, total volume, and actual water volume. If the limit is 10 gallons, and they ask how big the tank is, say 10 gallons, since that's how much water it's holding and ultimately what the liability could be that they're concerned about.

They're not going to measure, or google the tank (let alone know what tank it is), and nobody has any idea what the size of a gallon of water looks like anyway. If you said 5 gallons they probably wouldn't think twice about it (think about how big a 5 gallon gas can is, probably the same height and width of the aquarium, just half or a third as deep).

Okay that is true, I've had like 3 people think my current 55g aquarium is 100+ gallons . I hadnt considered rock/sand displaying volume but it makes complete sense. I will be going with the Im fusion 20.


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Unread 08/15/2017, 12:32 PM   #44
extendedmango
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College nano plan!

Now onto the filtration.



As you can see there are two filter areas. I am trying to decide whether I should have two refugiums or have a refugium and a skimmer. What do you think?


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Unread 08/15/2017, 12:46 PM   #45
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Good idea on the IM20!

I would go with a skimmer in one and refuge in the other. I have the IM ghost skimmer and love it. There are others that will fit in the back chamber if you decide to go another route.


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Unread 08/15/2017, 02:25 PM   #46
extendedmango
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Good idea on the IM20!



I would go with a skimmer in one and refuge in the other. I have the IM ghost skimmer and love it. There are others that will fit in the back chamber if you decide to go another route.

Nah I'll just stick with the ghost skimmer, even though it has mixed reviews. I can't imagine there is a better option than a skimmer made for the exact tank I will have.


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Unread 08/16/2017, 08:07 AM   #47
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Nah I'll just stick with the ghost skimmer, even though it has mixed reviews. I can't imagine there is a better option than a skimmer made for the exact tank I will have.
As the owner of a biocube, I assure you there are almost always better options than the skimmer made for the exact tank you have. The Biocube skimmer is terrible.

The Aquamaxx WS-1 I have is just over 3" wide, so it won't fit in the back of your tank, but I assure you it would perform dramatically better than the ghost skimmer. But the Ghost is definitely not a crappy skimmer, and you'll be happy with it.

As for the refugium part, I would keep it pretty simple. I would only grow algae back there, and would recommend either buying a Santa Monica HOG 1 or DIYing something similar yourself. If you're on a budget (as you're a student), you could do what I did, which was just buy a cheap 10w LED floodlamp from ebay ($12), put it behind the tank, and shine the light into that refugium section. Algae will grow on the back wall (or you could put some eggcrate or something in there for it to grow on that is easier to remove and clean), then when it's all grown in, you just scrape it off and siphon out the algae with water changes.


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Unread 08/16/2017, 11:10 AM   #48
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As the owner of a biocube, I assure you there are almost always better options than the skimmer made for the exact tank you have. The Biocube skimmer is terrible.



The Aquamaxx WS-1 I have is just over 3" wide, so it won't fit in the back of your tank, but I assure you it would perform dramatically better than the ghost skimmer. But the Ghost is definitely not a crappy skimmer, and you'll be happy with it.



As for the refugium part, I would keep it pretty simple. I would only grow algae back there, and would recommend either buying a Santa Monica HOG 1 or DIYing something similar yourself. If you're on a budget (as you're a student), you could do what I did, which was just buy a cheap 10w LED floodlamp from ebay ($12), put it behind the tank, and shine the light into that refugium section. Algae will grow on the back wall (or you could put some eggcrate or something in there for it to grow on that is easier to remove and clean), then when it's all grown in, you just scrape it off and siphon out the algae with water changes.

My plan was to use a small piece of live rock from my current tank with some chaeto from the LFS. For lighting was going to try to mount one of the two AI primes I have on the back or top. I think I'm going to make it like a hob light with a 3d printed mount. Should cost only 25 bucks.


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Unread 08/16/2017, 11:21 AM   #49
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What is the intent of the refugium? Pod growth? Somewhere to store naughty crabs? Nutrient export?

I don't think you will have enough room to justify putting the Prime back there (better to put two over the main tank to reduce shadowing), and honestly I think that anything more advanced than a ball of chaeto will be more work than it's worth. You can't/shouldn't have a sandbed because it's too narrow to maintain it and it won't add anything except a place for detritus to settle, and you won't be able to see much back there unless you leave the back exposed to the room, which I doubt there's room to do and it kind of defeats the point of the sump (you'd be better off buying a 20L and making a partition in the middle or 1/3 of the way through the tank and having a big fuge area and then a moderate sized display on the other half).

We're all here to discuss ideas, sorry if I'm stepping on your ideas and/or toes with this, I'm just trying to help you figure out something useful for you longer term.


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Unread 08/16/2017, 11:47 AM   #50
extendedmango
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College nano plan!

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What is the intent of the refugium? Pod growth? Somewhere to store naughty crabs? Nutrient export?

I don't think you will have enough room to justify putting the Prime back there (better to put two over the main tank to reduce shadowing), and honestly I think that anything more advanced than a ball of chaeto will be more work than it's worth. You can't/shouldn't have a sandbed because it's too narrow to maintain it and it won't add anything except a place for detritus to settle, and you won't be able to see much back there unless you leave the back exposed to the room, which I doubt there's room to do and it kind of defeats the point of the sump (you'd be better off buying a 20L and making a partition in the middle or 1/3 of the way through the tank and having a big fuge area and then a moderate sized display on the other half).

We're all here to discuss ideas, sorry if I'm stepping on your ideas and/or toes with this, I'm just trying to help you figure out something useful for you longer term.


You are in no way stepping on my ideas! I have never set up a fuge so I don't really know what I'm doing .

I will use two AI primes on the tank if you think having one on the fuge is overkill. I'll probably get the Im fuge light, I'm buying all of my stuff through my LFS and he usually gives good deals. I got a fully stocked and set up reefer 250 for 2k dollars.

In the fuge... I was thinking a small live rock piece and a ball of chaeto, no SB or critters.


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