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Unread 10/19/2012, 04:22 AM   #1
The Cardinal
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Cool Helsinki Low Iron Reef - 910 liters

Greetings from Helsinki Finland !

BACKGROUND:

After living as a kid in Miami in 1985-1986 I was amazed with the coral reefs at Pennekamp and the tropical environment so different from my earlier childhood in Sweden. I dreamt that one day it would be possible to have corals and marine fish in an aquarium; my own slice of the tropical ocean when the winter storms raged outside my window to lighten up the darkness of the North.

In 2004 I stumbled upon Reefcentral and saw the TOTM and was thrilled to see the amazing results that technology and the knowledge could produce.


MY FORMER REEF TANKS:

In 2005 I therefore started my first reef; a 375L reef without a sump converted from my fresh water aquarium:




I also started a smaller 275L cube aquarium in 2008 where I kept seahorses and my captive bred Banggai Cardinals:



In 2009 I had to stop with the hobby due to changes in my family situation.


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Unread 10/19/2012, 04:27 AM   #2
Crazy_Beaver
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Both of your tanks were beautiful!i bet the new tank will be awesome!


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Unread 10/19/2012, 04:32 AM   #3
The Cardinal
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MY CURRENT 910L/240G PROJECT

I knew I would get back to the hobby when I had a chance so I saved much of the equipment from my previous reefs. About a year ago I started planning the new aquarium and as most people I wanted to go bigger .

PHILOSOPHY:

The display would be a central part of our apartment and fit in aesthetically with the rest of the interior. I wanted to make the aquarium as safe and quiet as possible and at the same time hide all technique from view. The biological aspects would be the primary focus so I wanted to incorporate a refuge as well that would be viewable from the side and add interest/filtration and biological variety to the display.

THE PLAN ON PAPER:

Central placement in apartment:





The inlet hole to the refuge is now close to the bottom and not the top as shown below:



The stand (some modifications were made to the design)




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Unread 10/19/2012, 04:38 AM   #4
The Cardinal
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TECHNOLOGY AND SPECS:

- Low iron aquarium built in Germany by Eheim/MP
- 200cm length, 70cm breadth and 65cm height so ca 910L in total
- 2 x Tunze 6105 (max 2 x 13000 l/h)
- 1 x Tunze 6095 (max 9500 l/h)
- 1 x Tunze wavebox
- 2 x 250w MH with lumenarc reflectors
- 3 x 80w T5
- Balling with automated dosing pumps
- Ozone
- Tunze automatic water refill
- Skimmer Yasi Champagne 200 http://amagmbh.eu/product_info.php?products_id=32



SUMPLESS:

I again choose to go without a sump in order to use less pumps/heat/ noise and money to transfer the water vertically and also lessen the complexity and the risk of leaks and possible fire. I had a flood due to an external skimmer in my old tank so I decided that the skimmer must also be placed inside the aquarium to further minimise the risks. I simply chose a larger aquarium than I had originally planned.

REEF CERAMICS:

In order to hide and remove all equipment from the main display I hid the technique compartment with a wall of reef ceramics customized from Germany:





REFUGE:

To the right of the technique compartment I made a space for the refuge measuring 12cm or ca 55L in total. The refuge is viewable from the right side and will function as a biological filtration using live rock, sand and chaetomorpha. It will also provide live food from the micro fauna produced here. The refuge is fed with a pump based in the technique compartment and the water exits through gravity back into the display. It will be a fun challenge to make the refuge an interesting part of the viewing experience and not have it hidden from view.


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Unread 10/19/2012, 04:44 AM   #5
The Cardinal
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

With help from a good friend and drawings from RC we built the stand.





There is a sturdy wooden sheet attached to the back side of the stand that is not clear from the photo below.




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Unread 10/19/2012, 04:52 AM   #6
The Cardinal
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AQUARIUM SAFELY IN PLACE!

After some heavy lifting three work colleagues helped me to bring the aquarium in place at the end of August. The work carried out by Eheim/MP is very good and polished. The low iron does make a big difference and worth the extra cost IMO.



Reef ceramics in place:





Refuge:



Refuge and technical compartment visible (skimmer is now standing on the right side of the compartment):




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Unread 10/19/2012, 04:59 AM   #7
The Cardinal
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AQUASCAPE:

I ordered 60kg base rock and 10kg live rock from Germany. The base rock consisted of some really nice large light weight rocks which was easy to work with.

Upon arrival:



Scaping in progress:






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Unread 10/19/2012, 05:08 AM   #8
The Cardinal
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AQUASCAPE IN PLACE:



Left side. On the left side I have tried to resemble the vertical islands seen outside Thailand for example and also try to add visual depth by placing a smaller rock in the foreground (the plan is for this rock to be covered in ricordea later for the size to remain small).:



Middle. For the middle part I have tried to make a spiral formation that moves in a circular and upward movement. This is a bit hard to see in the photos but I think it will look good with the right corals/planning/trimming. :



Right side. The wall of reef ceramics creates a dramatic reef wall going up to the surface of the tank. From the right side I have then made the other parts progressively smaller towards the left side and I will have this in mind when the corals grow.



To add interest and improve circulation and hiding spots for the inhabitants I have chiseled out several kg of rock to make caves that run through the rocks. This also adds visual depth to the scene and a three dimensional feel to it. I have also added shelves to some of the rocks but these will likely be removed later when the corals have grown to avoid a cramped impression. I will try to keep the sand free of corals to keep the open spaces ... open .





The lighting in these photos are only from the T5 in the back so apologies if they are a bit dark.


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Unread 10/19/2012, 05:16 AM   #9
The Cardinal
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MORE SHOTS:

Skimmer in place:





Kitchen view:



Shark attack



Refuge:




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Unread 10/19/2012, 05:24 AM   #10
Thorndunes
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The tank looks great!


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Current Tank Info: 75 g reef tank with 55g fuge/sump
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Unread 10/19/2012, 06:05 AM   #11
Newbie Aquarist
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You take "All in One" to another level. I like the sleekness. It's very modern. Great job.


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Unread 10/19/2012, 06:39 AM   #12
adddo
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Cant see the pics


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Unread 10/19/2012, 06:43 AM   #13
Ldagger
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perfect- very clean and nice. and not a bulkhead in the whole thing.
love it


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Unread 10/19/2012, 06:56 AM   #14
chingchai
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This must be a great tank.
Peter. Thank you for sharing.


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Unread 10/19/2012, 07:07 AM   #15
The Cardinal
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Thank you very much guys, appreciate the comments and glad you like it! Many of your creations, not least yours Ching, have been a source of great inspiration and admiration for years

Hi Adddo, nice to see you here as well ! I believe you have seen the pictures in saltvattensguiden. My user name there is Clownen. I hope I am not doing something wrong when uploading the photos??


FIRST CORALS & CLAM ORDERED:

After around 7 weeks with water in the system and stable water parameters I have now added the first LPS corals and clam Tridacna Derasa:

Shots from the shop:











Last edited by The Cardinal; 10/19/2012 at 07:20 AM.
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Unread 10/19/2012, 07:08 AM   #16
The Cardinal
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NEW CORALS AND CLAM IN THEIR NEW HOME :













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Unread 10/19/2012, 09:04 AM   #17
dave.m
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Hi. It looks like you are off to a great start. Just a couple of questions:

Your initial drawings show the space above the tank to be enclosed. Will you continue with this plan, or will you just leave it open?

I can't help but notice there are no fish. Usually people have some fish to create a bio-load and get the bacterial filter going. Will you be adding fish?

Thx,

Dave.M


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Unread 10/19/2012, 10:30 AM   #18
Bello
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Beautiful aquascape!


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Unread 10/19/2012, 10:52 AM   #19
The Cardinal
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Thank you Bello and Dave!

Dave: I am still building the top of the tank according to the drawing and it will be more or less finished next week. I had enough die off from the live rock not to use fish and I have been feeding the worms and micro-fauna that already live in the tank/refuge. I have collected sand from three sources to add bacterial variety. The first fishes will come next Wednesday and will probably appreciate the cycled tank .


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Unread 10/19/2012, 12:29 PM   #20
postshawn
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I love the rock formations and the partial rock wall. Awesome setup!


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Unread 10/19/2012, 05:55 PM   #21
ksed
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Love the sumpless design. Awesome rock formation.
Looks a little top heavy. Are the rocks held in place by something?

Kevin


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Unread 10/19/2012, 09:46 PM   #22
The Cardinal
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Thank you Kevin and Postshawn!

Kevin: I cut the base of the rocks so they were balanced on their own. I then glued them to the glass with a hard but flexible white glue I got for attaching the reef ceramics. There was no name on the tube and it does not smell like silicone but worked really well for this purpose.



Last edited by The Cardinal; 10/19/2012 at 09:59 PM.
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Unread 10/20/2012, 03:34 AM   #23
Rogerh
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This looks very promising, following this


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Current Tank Info: Wohaa 455L
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Unread 10/20/2012, 11:23 AM   #24
octoreef
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Very nice tank mate! I had the same idea about use of skimmer in my new tank... I want know the progress.
Beatiful+follow.


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Unread 10/20/2012, 12:16 PM   #25
evansimp
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I really like this tank! One of my favorites so far on RC. I like how its modern, looks clean, and fits into the appt. perfectly. Cant wait to see more updates, this is like a dream tank to me.


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