A reef in the cold north

[Imax]

DT
576 liter Elos, rimless. Mål 160*60*60 cm. Sump 200 liter

Pumps and circulation
Red Dragon 12000 liter
Tunze Wavebox
2x Tunze 6045
1x Tunze 6095
Aqua Medic 1200lt for reactors

Filtration
Bubble king Double cone 200 skimmer
2x Nextreef reactors, one with NP pellets and one with Rowaphos and carbon.
Refugium with caulerpa taxifolia macroalgea
20 cm DSB in sump

Water values
Ca: 440 mg/l
Alk: 8,9 dKH
Sa: 1.025-1.026
Temp: 25C
pH: 8.1
Magnesium: ~1300

Light
4x Ecotec Radion LED G1

Misc equipment
Tunze ATO
Bubble magus Balling

Fish
1x Yellow Tang - Zebrasoma flavescens
2x Ocellaris Clown Fish - Amphiprion Ocellaris
1x Flameback Angelfish
4x Chromis Viridis
1x Blue tang
1x Powder Blue tang
1x Achillies tang
1x Regal Angelfish
1x Korean Angelfish
1x Queen Angelfish
1x Salarias
1x Dottyback bicolor
2x Blue Mandarin, male and female

Corals
Acropora Gomezi
Acropora Strawberry sh.
Acropora Validas
Acropora Yongei
Acropora Stag sp
Acropora Millepora
Acropora Hyancitus
More Acropora sp
Seriatopora caliendrum
Stylophora Pink
Hydnophora
Hammer Coral
Frogspawn
Montipora Digitata
Montipora confusa
Misc flake montipora
Pocillopora Damicornis
Star polyps

Cleanup crew
6 x Turbo snails
4 stk Blue leg hermit
Starfish
Black Sea cucumber



Greetings!
This tank is located in the cold north, Norway. The tank was started in december 2013 and I had this tread on a quiet Norwegian forum, then moved it here today. I wanted to share the experience with you, and gather advice and visdom from fellow reefers. I hope you enjoy the pictures and reading and advice is always welcome, we all learn as we go.

This is what the DT looks like in July 2014






-----
Original tread


Just picked up a used 576 liter tank, and unloaded it at work, so i can use the tools i have there, to modify it to my needs. It will be a rimless open tank with hanging LED lightning, dominated by SPS corals. I'm a big fan of SPS tanks and have gathered loads of inspiration from the many breath taking projects here on RC.

My plans for this tank:
-No noise. I'm allergic to fan noise and humming sounds so I'll end up testing equipment and throwing it away because of the noise level.
-Hanging LED lights. I already have two Ecotec Radion G1. I think these are a bit noisy so I'll be looking for something quieter.
-Tunze wavebox. Used on my old tank. Very nice natural movement in the whole tank.
-Tunze powerheads. I like Tunze pumps very much - quiet and reliable. I've tested Vortec MP40 - never again, too much noise!
-Rimless. Love rimless tanks. Just look at "A reef in the sky" - gotta love it
-Sump in the basement.
-Looking for a Bubble king skimmer on the used market.
-Considered Zeovit, but I'm not ready for such a big commitment to manual dosing and checking. I need a tank that can handle it self for a few days.

Before moving the project into my living room, it will be assembled and tested in my job's workshop, where I can spil water, grind and adjust pipes and mess all I want. And if there are any leaks, it will end up on the epoxy painted concrete floor and not on my bamboo wooden floor at home.


Picture from my old RSM250:


Nice with proper lift tools.


The furniture needs a paint job:


Door after paintjob:


Took apart the original Elos drain system and remaking it:


Testing new glass piece before applying glue:


Parts used for the drain system (added some more parts later on):


Drain from underneat the tank:

[Imax]

Drain before glue:


Added foil:



More foil:


Hard water mark stains on the tank. Tried acetone,acid, ethanole, soap and nothing worked. So i had to use a powerfull steel polish and electric tool. That worked, and you can easily spot the difference before and after.





Testing the tank with fresh water:

[Imax]

Todays big project - drill holes through the floor, down to the basement. Wow - I got myself a big surprise and close call for a big accident. The first hole i drilled felt nice untill i looked up into the ceiling, oooops there is a water pipe just where i drilled. Luckily it wasnt damaged. So i drilled another one, more carefully so I dont damage anything, I look up into the ceiling again - and whaaat - another pipe. So i had to sit down and search for a picture from when the house was built - and this is what i got: (a ceiling covered with waterpipes.).


But the picture above saved me, and i managed to measure a small spot where there are no pipes and I lurked the holes in between. The pipes did not end up exactly where i wanted, but as you can see - i did not have the luxury of choosing.

I felt a bit crazy drilling into the lovely wooden floor, but what we dont do for this great hobby?!

[Imax]

And suddenly the furniture was in place:


Here we go, time to swap tanks for the corals I had in the old tank:




And we build a new shelf and floor support in the basement. To put the sump and equipment onto. The equipment and sump system is very messy and a bit temporary untill i get the equipment i want. I thought this shelf would give me all the space I could ever dream of, but it was quickly filled up with equipment.

[Imax]

Last saturday I took the new BMW i3 for a test drive, and my goodness, what a car! You just have to test it. I'm devided on what was the highlight of the day - testing the BMW or spending thousands on new fish. Anyway, here is some of what i bought:

Powder blue tang
African Pygme angelfish
Salaris standard
Yellow goby
Sandturning goby
Chromis Viridis
Regal angelfish
Anemone
Acropora
Hammer coral
Rock formation tower
Pistol shrimps
Goby aurora
Cyano snails
Macro algea for refugium









And I got the time to hang up my two radions more properly and made some effort on the aqua scape. I also got in 12 kgs more sand. The water has been cloudy for two days now after the goby digging in the sand like its his last day on earth.

The front of the furniture is still missing the last layer of pait. I'm waiting for clear weather so i can brush paint them again.

[Imax]

Still a bit cloudy water. But I wanted to share some pictures of the new fish with you.








--------------

Also a bit sad day, because my lovely Hyancitus didnt handle the tank swap very well. Probarbly because of spikes in No3 and phosfates from stirring in the sand.
Because of the high no3, 400 liters of water was changed today. A bit much, but the values was a perfect match to the tank's, so i took the chance. I think its better to change a lot of water and get control over the bad values, than having the corals suffer high no3 longer than necassary.

[Imax]

I'm into week 4 of the new setup. I bought a new camera today, a Canon 70D with 60mm Canon macro lens. Good equipment, but the man behind the camera is not that skilled, so it doesnt help much

[Imax]

Week 6, FTS

[Imax]

Week 8

My Regal angelfish got the taste for clam and LPS. It managed to kill my DeJong clam, and damaged my charlice LPS.





Fetched 200 liters of water in the sea today. First time with a electric pump and hose, and pumped the water directly into my 25 liter cans. And it works like a charm! I've also found a new spot for fetching water in the winter, that is very accessable and i can drive the car down to the water. The water i fetch is 1.025.

I really want some more colonies of acropora to grow and fill the tank.

[Imax]

Week 11

[Imax]

[URL=http://s920.photobucket.com/user/Magic-NO/media/576/IMG_5917_zpsda39c903.jpg.html]

[Imax]

[Imax]

July update

Dropped by the lokal fish store yesterday and couldnt controll myself and ended up with a Achillies tang and a large Queen angel. The achillies had a though fight the first night with the powder blue tang, as expected. But as the night setteled, so did the tank. Next morening, they were getting along, or at theast the achillies was accepted, thou lowest at the ranking and sometimes gets chased into the rocks. I'm still crossing my fingers that the ich will stay away and that the tears in the fins and skin will heal quickly.









And the next day
Happy fish eating together!

[mark54321]

Very nice tank,I love Elos ! Yours aquascape is very nice and simple, and great fish and coral selection. How are your Angels behaving with SPS, do they nip a lot? How much do you feed your fish?

[alten78]

Amazing! Love the aquascape...well, all of it!

[Imax]

Originally Posted by mark54321

Very nice tank,I love Elos ! Yours aquascape is very nice and simple, and great fish and coral selection. How are your Angels behaving with SPS, do they nip a lot? How much do you feed your fish?

Thanks for the replies and feedback

The Koran Angelfish did not touch LPS, but when the Regal Angel was introduced it killed a clam and damaged a LPS charlice coral. They dont touch the SPS, and thats the only thing that matters.

I feed 1-2 times daily. I use a lot of New Era products for feeding. And they all love the Grazer. You can see them eating it on the latest picture. Anemone is fed fresh fish weekly. I dont feed the corals anything.

[cugly]

Great looking tank I almost got an elos 160xl someone beat me to it..I drive Bmw all day I like the I3 can't wait to get an i8 in the shop will have to test drive that for sure..I love my 4 series msport out of all the bmw I owned this one of the best.

[trueblackpercula]

amazing work

[Imax]

Originally Posted by cugly

I love my 4 series msport out of all the bmw I owned this one of the best.

4 series M-sport is just a beauty! Some of the finest that BMW have ever designed in my opinion. Enjoy your car!

[Vidofner]

Very Nice!

[cugly]

Originally Posted by Imax

4 series M-sport is just a beauty! Some of the finest that BMW have ever designed in my opinion. Enjoy your car!

Thank you Imax I got it for me but the wife took it over lol..did you end up getting an I3? Wait for the I8 its a beast and sexy as hell..

Like the fish selection and tank is looking really beautiful

[rholguin]

Great build and great looking tank.
Well done.

[Imax]

Originally Posted by cugly

Thank you Imax I got it for me but the wife took it over lol..did you end up getting an I3? Wait for the I8 its a beast and sexy as hell..
Like the fish selection and tank is looking really beautiful

My wife got the i3 this May and we're both very pleased. Is a dream to drive, very comfortable and got the BMW quality feeling. And here in Norway there are so many benefits and subsidies that one just have to get a electric car. Actually Tesla Model S is the most sold car in Norway, and beat the sales record from 1987 with most sold cars in one month. We get free toll road passings, free parking and charging where available, almost no year road tax, driving in bus and taxi lanes. And the car itsself have no taxes what so ever when buying.

Me and my daughter went drewling over the new i8 the other day:

[northernreefe]

any trouble with parasites using sea water?

[Imax]

Originally Posted by northernreefe

any trouble with parasites using sea water?

No not at all, but i dont collect during the summer, because the water holds more nutrition and algea during the short summer. I only collect from autumn to spring. Then the water is normally from 5 to 12 Celcius. The water holds 1.026, KH7 and CA380, so I buff KH and CA before use. The water comes from the northern sea.

This is where we collect: