3 year old skimmerless 40G. - Page 2

Aquabucket · 11/09/2008, 11:48 AM

Thanks for the comments guys!

I think the simplicity of my tank is a big part of its beauty. It basically runs like a freshwater planted tank with-out the CO2.

Here is an unflattering pic showing part of my tanks main filter

I am having a hard time getting close-ups with-out a tripod but I did manage to get a few mid shots so far:

cloak · 11/09/2008, 11:49 AM

Very clean.

E.intheC · 11/09/2008, 12:10 PM

I honestly love this tank.. excellent.. There's two important messages I have taken from this thread: 1.) There are many different roads to the top of the mountain (good saying for many things.. really applies here) and 2.) Patience, education, and observance are the best methods to success.

Great job!

agreeive?fish · 11/09/2008, 12:34 PM

Aquabucket

Nice pics of a beauty of a tank..

It is an insperation for me as I just started a low teck 30g mushroom/sofftie tank on Nov 4th of this year with and it will also have a small bio load so thanks for the proof that it can be done the low teck way

lockekeyy · 11/09/2008, 12:40 PM

Very inspiring... Thanks for sharing! Makes me wanna try going with minimal equipment too. I wonder if you can get away with it if you had numerous SPS too.

Rodrigo_BG · 11/09/2008, 12:45 PM

Very nice tank, no doubt about it... Have you ever had any problem with nitrate levels, algae? Have you ever had a Tang specie?

GoingPostal · 11/09/2008, 01:01 PM

This is really one of my favorite tanks on RC. All my much loved corals and a low tech tank like mine.

Aquabucket · 11/09/2008, 03:48 PM

Thanks for all the great comments! Here is another pic I took before the actinics came on:

2006 · 11/09/2008, 04:15 PM

"It basically runs like a freshwater planted tank with-out the CO2."

I think that is the key along with a low bioload. Notice the dense planting one of the tenets of a FW planted tank.

Stevenx2 · 11/09/2008, 04:19 PM

Thanks a lot for your pictures. You really have a beautiful tank!!

Fish_wiz2 · 11/09/2008, 04:20 PM

Just love your color balance! great and very attractive! but what bulbs you using in your fixture (assuming it is T-5's)

Aquabucket · 11/09/2008, 04:27 PM

Thanks guys!

Quote:

Originally posted by Fish_wiz2
Just love your color balance! great and very attractive! but what bulbs you using in your fixture (assuming it is T-5's)

I am running one of each: UVL superactinic, ATI blue plus, ATI aquablue special and a GE 65000K daylight.

lecher · 11/09/2008, 04:54 PM

Nice tank. Is the tank back lit? In some of the pictures it appears to be.

Aquabucket · 11/09/2008, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lecher
Nice tank. Is the tank back lit? In some of the pictures it appears to be.

Thanks. Its not backlit. The camera just makes it look that way I guess.

Aquabucket · 11/10/2008, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rodrigo_BG
Very nice tank, no doubt about it... Have you ever had any problem with nitrate levels, algae? Have you ever had a Tang specie?

From the previous page:

Quote:

Originally posted by Aquabucket
The tank has never tested over 3ppm nitrates and typically reads 0. I have never tested for phosphate.

Quote:

Originally posted by Aquabucket I usually have 5 fish though and have raised 2 yellow tangs which were traded out to suitable homes when they reached a certain size. I am currently looking to add another small fish possibly a yellow fang blenny.

I did have a red macro algae problem and that's why I raised the yellow tangs.

I still have the macro algae in spots but there is little room for it to grow now that the corals have grown in and covered most of the LR.

bebereef · 11/10/2008, 07:43 AM

So amazing! "triple "WOW". Thank you for sharing!

almees · 11/10/2008, 07:48 AM

Inspiring tank, keep up the great work and pics.

bwoody62 · 11/10/2008, 09:32 AM

This tank is FAKE!!!! All the corals are FAKE!! Actually I have seen this reef in person many many times, and each time I am amazed at how beautiful this tank is. The lighting in unreal, coral placement is perfect, no skimmer, no anything, just simplicity at its best. Anyone close in the area needs to see this in person as the pics (hard to believe) don't do this 40 gal. reef justice!! I wish my 210 looked as nice as this....NICE Spike!

Electrobes · 11/10/2008, 10:34 AM

I honestly wish I could see this tank in person.. been a fan of Aquabucket's tank for a while. You definitely have my vote for next months TOTM.

Aquabucket · 11/10/2008, 07:43 PM

Thanks guys!

bwoody62 ~ Thanks woody! I did get some flack on another reef site with them accusing me of cleaning up the tank for pictures and having the shots photoshopped. This time I had a reef buddy over watching me take the pics and put them on the screen for comparison.

Electrobes ~ Thanks again my friend! Its an honor just to think I should be nominated but TOTM is reserved for much better tanks than mine.

I'd love to have a full blown SPS tank with LED lighting someday but unfortunately something like that is way beyond my payscale right now.

ihopss · 11/10/2008, 08:15 PM

Very nice tank & photos.

2_zoa · 11/10/2008, 08:24 PM

First, very nice tank and that hardly scratches the surface. I am building a 20L and I was given the link to your thread just in time. On this build I can still go several different ways and not even have to blink. I should tell you that I am new to this so I have a lot of research to do but I have some questions for you.

If I wanted to run a sump or build my own chamber on the back of the tank would the extra water volume be a bad thing since there would not be any large amounts of LR to water volume?

I thought I caught that you use distilled water, is that right?

I know that is the plastic in the front of the light but do you have any more on the tank to cover it up? maybe a pic?

I also saw that you run the actinics for 5 hrs a day, what is the rest of your lighting schedule?

Just how far do you let things go to let you know when you should change the water?

What brand of two part do you dose?

and last one is,
what exactly does not running the lights for three days every couple of months do?

Thank you in advance.

Aquabucket · 11/10/2008, 09:10 PM

Thanks guys!

2_zoa ~ I'll answer your questions in order for you.

Quote:

Originally posted by 2_zoa
If I wanted to run a sump or build my own chamber on the back of the tank would the extra water volume be a bad thing since there would not be any large amounts of LR to water volume?

I thought I caught that you use distilled water, is that right?

I know that is the plastic in the front of the light but do you have any more on the tank to cover it up? maybe a pic?

I also saw that you run the actinics for 5 hrs a day, what is the rest of your lighting schedule?

Just how far do you let things go to let you know when you should change the water?

What brand of two part do you dose?

and last one is,
what exactly does not running the lights for three days every couple of months do?

Thank you in advance.

Adding a sump or a chamber to achieve more water volume would be a good thing for a number of reasons.

Yes I used distilled water only and have been for close to 5 years now. I know the factory where it comes from and it always reads 0 TDS.

The tank is open in the back. My fish tend to stay in the front of the tank. I have yet to lose one to carpet surfing.

My mid day bulbs are an ATI aquablue special and a GE 6500K daylight

I really don't see anything that makes me need to do a water change anymore. I just do them for fear of depleting trace elements and things I can't test for.

I use Kent Tech CB 2 part for calcium and alk. (I get it at wholesale) Magnesium is made by a fellow reefer who uses one of Randy's formulas. Otherwise I use Kent Tech for mag too.

I do 3-day black-outs more than I do water changes. I do them every couple of months to clear up the tank and give my corals a rest.

Here is a long thread all about it.

Feel free to keep the questions coming and good luck with your 20L!

2_zoa · 11/10/2008, 10:04 PM

Thank you for the reply. As for the flow of my build I have a quite one 4000 HH That should return about 6-700 GPH after 4' of head, do you think this will be enough flow? If I just build a section on the back of the tank for the pump to overflow into then it will give 900 GPH. I figure half the volume in the display as yours half the flow but with more volume of tank water.

Also thanks for the link I scanned the first few pages I will look more in depth tomorrow. You weren't kidding, it is quite lengthy, I think I saw 39 pages.

I was thinking of using t5 lighting for the tank, In your opinion how much do you think I should buy. I am sure they are too big but I can't pass the deal up I am getting two ice cap 660 ballasts from a guy at work for 50 bucks for the pair and they are brand new in the box.

JustinReef · 11/10/2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Aquabucket

Electrobes ~ Thanks again my friend! Its an honor just to think I should be nominated but TOTM is reserved for much better tanks than mine.

I think this should easily win TOTM sometime. Your being modest

The reason I personally think this should be a TOTM besides the obvious beauty (which rivals ANY sps tank I have seen), is that you are doing things differently and without equipment which means your patients and husbandry is top notch.

I think far too often TOTM is about size, equipment, and just overall grandness of a system instead of simplistic beauty like this. Although the one nice thing about TOTM is that the nominated tanks all have owners with exceptional husbandry skills and a great knowledge of the hobby. It seems that years ago, simple and smaller tanks (even a few softie tanks

) actually had a chance to win TOTM. Lately if its not sps dominated (they all have looked the same most of this year) it doesn't have much of a chance.

After saying all that though, your tank doesn't need TOTM for everyone to KNOW how amazing it is

I know it has inspired my current skimmerless/sumpless build.

Keep up the good work!

11/09/2008, 11:48 AM	#26
Aquabucket Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Green Bay, Wi. Posts: 4,455	Thanks for the comments guys! I think the simplicity of my tank is a big part of its beauty. It basically runs like a freshwater planted tank with-out the CO2. Here is an unflattering pic showing part of my tanks main filter I am having a hard time getting close-ups with-out a tripod but I did manage to get a few mid shots so far: __________________ "Just a drop in the bucket"

11/09/2008, 12:10 PM	#28
E.intheC Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 5,373	I honestly love this tank.. excellent.. There's two important messages I have taken from this thread: 1.) There are many different roads to the top of the mountain (good saying for many things.. really applies here) and 2.) Patience, education, and observance are the best methods to success. Great job! __________________ -Eric

11/09/2008, 12:40 PM	#30
lockekeyy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 1,027	Very inspiring... Thanks for sharing! Makes me wanna try going with minimal equipment too. I wonder if you can get away with it if you had numerous SPS too. __________________ I attribute the little I know to my not having been ashamed to ask for information - John Locke

11/09/2008, 01:01 PM	#32
GoingPostal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,517	This is really one of my favorite tanks on RC. All my much loved corals and a low tech tank like mine. __________________ Most people don't realize that large pieces of coral, which have been painted brown and attached to the skull by common wood screws, can make a child look like a deer. *Jack Handey

11/09/2008, 03:48 PM	#33
Aquabucket Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Green Bay, Wi. Posts: 4,455	Thanks for all the great comments! Here is another pic I took before the actinics came on: __________________ "Just a drop in the bucket"

11/09/2008, 11:49 AM	#27
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Very clean.

11/09/2008, 12:34 PM	#29
agreeive?fish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,803	Aquabucket Nice pics of a beauty of a tank.. It is an insperation for me as I just started a low teck 30g mushroom/sofftie tank on Nov 4th of this year with and it will also have a small bio load so thanks for the proof that it can be done the low teck way

11/09/2008, 12:45 PM	#31
Rodrigo_BG Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Rio - Brazil Posts: 510	Very nice tank, no doubt about it... Have you ever had any problem with nitrate levels, algae? Have you ever had a Tang specie?

11/09/2008, 04:15 PM	#34
2006 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 730	"It basically runs like a freshwater planted tank with-out the CO2." I think that is the key along with a low bioload. Notice the dense planting one of the tenets of a FW planted tank.

11/09/2008, 04:19 PM	#35
Stevenx2 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Austria Posts: 370	Thanks a lot for your pictures. You really have a beautiful tank!!

11/09/2008, 04:20 PM	#36
Fish_wiz2 Mangroves are kool. Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 5,246	Just love your color balance! great and very attractive! but what bulbs you using in your fixture (assuming it is T-5's) __________________ -The Wiz Current Tank Info: Elos Mini Seahorse Tank, 2500 gallon Koi pond

11/09/2008, 04:54 PM	#38
lecher Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: SC Posts: 676	Nice tank. Is the tank back lit? In some of the pictures it appears to be.

11/10/2008, 07:43 AM	#41
bebereef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Sorel, Quebec, Canada Posts: 280	So amazing! "triple "WOW". Thank you for sharing!

11/10/2008, 07:48 AM	#42
almees Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Palm Bay Posts: 228	Inspiring tank, keep up the great work and pics.

11/10/2008, 09:32 AM	#43
bwoody62 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Green Bay Posts: 219	This tank is FAKE!!!! All the corals are FAKE!! Actually I have seen this reef in person many many times, and each time I am amazed at how beautiful this tank is. The lighting in unreal, coral placement is perfect, no skimmer, no anything, just simplicity at its best. Anyone close in the area needs to see this in person as the pics (hard to believe) don't do this 40 gal. reef justice!! I wish my 210 looked as nice as this....NICE Spike!

11/10/2008, 10:34 AM	#44
Electrobes Montipora type guy Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Fort Myers, FL Posts: 2,945	I honestly wish I could see this tank in person.. been a fan of Aquabucket's tank for a while. You definitely have my vote for next months TOTM. __________________ Christian Current Tank Info: 100G Half Cylinder

11/10/2008, 07:43 PM	#45
Aquabucket Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Green Bay, Wi. Posts: 4,455	Thanks guys! bwoody62 ~ Thanks woody! I did get some flack on another reef site with them accusing me of cleaning up the tank for pictures and having the shots photoshopped. This time I had a reef buddy over watching me take the pics and put them on the screen for comparison. Electrobes ~ Thanks again my friend! Its an honor just to think I should be nominated but TOTM is reserved for much better tanks than mine. I'd love to have a full blown SPS tank with LED lighting someday but unfortunately something like that is way beyond my payscale right now. __________________ "Just a drop in the bucket"

11/10/2008, 08:15 PM	#46
ihopss Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Gilmer,tx Posts: 751	Very nice tank & photos.

11/10/2008, 08:24 PM	#47
2_zoa Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,840	First, very nice tank and that hardly scratches the surface. I am building a 20L and I was given the link to your thread just in time. On this build I can still go several different ways and not even have to blink. I should tell you that I am new to this so I have a lot of research to do but I have some questions for you. If I wanted to run a sump or build my own chamber on the back of the tank would the extra water volume be a bad thing since there would not be any large amounts of LR to water volume? I thought I caught that you use distilled water, is that right? I know that is the plastic in the front of the light but do you have any more on the tank to cover it up? maybe a pic? I also saw that you run the actinics for 5 hrs a day, what is the rest of your lighting schedule? Just how far do you let things go to let you know when you should change the water? What brand of two part do you dose? and last one is, what exactly does not running the lights for three days every couple of months do? Thank you in advance.

11/10/2008, 10:04 PM	#49
2_zoa Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,840	Thank you for the reply. As for the flow of my build I have a quite one 4000 HH That should return about 6-700 GPH after 4' of head, do you think this will be enough flow? If I just build a section on the back of the tank for the pump to overflow into then it will give 900 GPH. I figure half the volume in the display as yours half the flow but with more volume of tank water. Also thanks for the link I scanned the first few pages I will look more in depth tomorrow. You weren't kidding, it is quite lengthy, I think I saw 39 pages. I was thinking of using t5 lighting for the tank, In your opinion how much do you think I should buy. I am sure they are too big but I can't pass the deal up I am getting two ice cap 660 ballasts from a guy at work for 50 bucks for the pair and they are brand new in the box.