Dino's 68 rimless

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Hey all-

When I first joined a few months back, I had planned on setting up a 72 bowfront to start off the new year...well one thing lead to another and I couldn't resist the temptation of a custom build :) Put in my order this morning (Thx again Chris@LostaFishies!) for a Leemar 36x20x22 rimless, starphire front, black silicone, left corner overflow. Tank's about 3 weeks out so pix and updates will start flowing in around then.

This is an upgrade on the uniquarium I am running now. I will be transferring the following equipment over:
-dual brs gfo/carbon reactor
-tunze osmolator
-tunze multicontroller w/ 1x 6055

I will be selling/ trashing these:
-skimmer
-uniquarium (may rip out the pump if the tank gets tossed)
-stand
-fixture w/ 4x t5, 1x 250w halide, 4x moon leds
-chances are I'll also have a 2x t5 strip up for grabs if I ever feel like digging it out of my garage...

And the following bits will be joining the family:
-2x 18" Ecoxotic Panorana Pro fixtures, tank mounted- modules TBD
-Aqueon proflex sump, Model 3
-Return pump TBD
-Reef Octopus Diablo XS 160
- 1x tunze 6045, +1 tunze 6055

The future also holds plans to add a RKE+, however I'm itching to collect the essentials and get a move-on...until then I'll be holding back on most components this will eventually replace (flashy power strips, etc).

Stand will be custom built as well. This will be a mixed reef dominated by Zoas and LPS...if everything goes as planned :D

Wish me luck!!!!

[slicktoppomp]

Good luck! Those are great dimensions.

[50 cube]

can't wait to see it! let me know if you need any help.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Stand construction will start this weekend...woohoo!!! If all goes well with that, we'll have the frame finished by Sunday to be sent out for finishing (lucky me, the man's a contractor so this should be a walk in the park..I have a feeling I'm speaking too soon :lol:)

A few more updates...

I'm nixing the aqeuon sump and going with something I found on ebay...I've decided that after I'm up and running I'm going to take my first whack at Zeo, and seeing as the zeo reactor has to be placed in a section of the sump following the skimmer, this sump just won't do for housing the equipment I'm looking at.

If you're wondering why I'm not just starting the tank on Zeovit...to be honest I've got to invest so much in other equipment as I'm replacing pretty much everything, I'm happy to start with the essentials and add the bells and whistles as I go. Also, I don't think it would have much benefit over a bottle of dr. tim's considering my current/initial livestock....plus I'm a firm believer in getting everything stabilized and readings constant before I start playing around.

In addition....I've decided on an eheim compact 5000 for the return. I've had too good of luck with German-made equipment to choose otherwise.

PS as we are picking the tank up from leemar ourselves, if I can't find any of my neighbors to help bring it inside I may take any offers I can get for lifting assistance...beer etc. will be provided :D

[Funkateer_1]

If you wanna get into zeovit, i'd recommend starting it at day one. Everything is different from your typical reef aquarium and sometimes making the change down the road can be really rough on your coral and ecosystem. Also be very careful which skimmer you choose too, a lot of the powerful skimmers on the market these days can be counterproductive to what zeo supplements do to your tank. I'm thinking about downgrading my Bubble-Magus NAC7 to something smaller exactly for that reason.

There are many new breakthroughs in reef keeping recently too have immaculate water with better results for mixed reef tanks (biopellets and carbon dosing come to mind) and these systems can easily be used on established tanks. If you do decide on zeovit, make sure you keep a logbook or buy a whiteboard to keep track of dosing and when you last replaced your stones, the dosing regiments can get a little intense....

[Dinosaurs!!!]

I also have heard many a success story about starting off on zeovit...but aside from the already mentioned reasons, this build is an upgrade on what am currently running, meaning I already have livestock which will be in a life support setup during the process and into the display as soon as levels stabilize. Basically I have the option of a. having my corals and fish adapt to a completely new environment, or b. having them adapt to an new environment plus adapting to zeovit at the same time. I would rather give them the benefit of the doubt and VERY gradually introduce zeovit once everything stabilizes and seems happy and healthy. Were I starting fresh, I absolutely would consider starting off with zeo from the beginning, but I just don't think everything could handle a change like that all at once as I've kept things as stable as possible for them over the past few years.

I have heard about skimmers being too powerful as well, and I do have my heart set on reef octopus...the diablo xs 160 as far as i know is the smallest skimmer they made with a such a small footprint (the smaller models have a side-mounted pump and I don't have room for anything like this). It's still rated quite a bit larger than the system I'm running but I'd like to see how it performs first...another reason why I'm waiting :)

I've played with other regimens in the past and theyve all done well for keeping nutrients low, but I'm always up for trying something new, even if its a bit unorthodox...plus I'm dying to see if i can get actually grow a garden of crayons :D

Regardless, I greatly appreciate any input and will keep any and all advice in the back of my mind during this process. I only know as much as my water tells me!

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Got the stand frame finished this weekend...looking good so far!!!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/DSC01203.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-01-27_13-41-32_367.jpg

Thought I'd try my hand at this craft....lol....

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-01-27_14-53-04_9621-1.jpg

Well that's a good sign!!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-01-27_14-57-59_557.jpg

Separated area on left side is as electrical box :) There's head room above to run cords etc down into it...will have its own side door. This was before we realized it would obstruct the bulkheads and moved it to the right side...lol

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-01-27_15-41-53_732.jpg

Finished!!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-01-27_16-00-10_347.jpg

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Oh and I'll be making the drain cutout through the top when the tank arrives...would rather have exact measurements for that sort of thing :D

[slicktoppomp]

Looking good

[Dinosaurs!!!]

After much thought, I have decided to do the finish work on the stand on my own with the help of a few trusted hands. I have a rather vivid idea of what I'm looking for and would prefer to be present and a active part of construction.

I'm toying with a few different ideas. I'm going for a very minimalistic and low-pro look; all visible components will be black and as featureless as possible as to amplify the presence and drama of the livestock and aquascape. For the cabinet, my mind first went to the tried-and-true method of mounting the font door on sliders. My dilemma is that, for the time being, the setup will be kitty-cornered and I would not be able to fully extend the doors on either side. So I came up with 2 alternate options:

1. Using concealed hinges on the two front doors and one side door for the electrical area. This would achieve the desired aesthetic, however it would require a. mounting of an additional (2x4?) block to be bored into for each hinge, as boring into the frame itself may hinder structural integrity. b. boring the holes themselves. Not my idea of a party :/

2. Something a little different I came up with using sliders on the side instead of the front:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-01-30_22-30-13_726.jpg

Positives to this method: Front and both sides will be fully accessible, and no need to bore divots for hinges. Negatives: I'm nervous the doors will succumb (bend the sliders/ pop off entirely) to pressure if im not careful due to minimal point of contact with the frame when fully extended and collapsed. But more importantly...I've never seen it done and have no evidence of how this would function as a reality.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback at all, any opinion is very welcome!!!


Looking good

Thanks much! I'm doin' mah best :rock:

[Dinosaurs!!!]

P.S. I also picked up 45lbs of dry aragonite. SB will be lifted an additional 1/4 or so by acrylic bases for liverock; it will cover most of the bottom of the tank to prevent scratching and act as an anchor should I decide to secure any of it which I am leaning towards at this point. As soon as I get the "your tank is almost finished" phone call I'll start soaking the aragonite to release PO4, etc.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Hey all, my apologies for the delay on this build. Apparently after I gave final details and paid for tank, the order never quite made it to the manufacturer (which I found out a day after it was supposed to be finished :() So it looks like it will be another couple of weeks before the display arrives.

On a brighter note, return pump arrived yesterday:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-14_08-54-36_896_zpsdc831349.jpg

Out of anxiousness to see it perform, I filled my tub and turned it on in there. Contemplating getting a second one just to keep there for relaxing after a long day's work :lol:

I'm expecting the lights and ato reservoir to arrive tomorrow, and the sump on Saturday. Will post pictures!!!

[slicktoppomp]

Cool. I actually wanted to try out that same pump but i ended up not going with it. I like the controllable output on it. I have a small suggestion on the doors for your stand. Why don't you just make removable panels that are held on with magnets? They look clean and you could still have full access to everything. Check out Goody's build and you can see what he did with his stand.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Cool. I actually wanted to try out that same pump but i ended up not going with it. I like the controllable output on it. I have a small suggestion on the doors for your stand. Why don't you just make removable panels that are held on with magnets? They look clean and you could still have full access to everything. Check out Goody's build and you can see what he did with his stand.

Thanks man, the adjustable output is one of the main reasons I went with it. That's a very considerable suggestion for the doors...I had seen removable shells before which seemed like a pain but making individual panels might be just what I'm looking for. Perhaps you'll see your suggestion come to life in the near future :D

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Well look who showed up today :D

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-15_19-42-09_755_zps620437d0.jpg

I guess I was a little backwards with my shipping prediction...lights and ato reservoir will hopefully show up over the weekend. I'm quite happy with the sump, its very well built. However, I did come across a little surprise in the design (this was a pre-made design, not custom). I originally anticipated the flow to run in this direction with the sump in the left chamber, zeo reactor in the right front, and return pump in the right back:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/sump2_zps18139634.jpg

What I wasn't expecting (and I'm still not sure what purpose this would serve with a typical setup) is that the second baffle (the one running parallel to the front and back walls, horizontally) is about and inch higher than the first baffle, so the water would end up flowing back into the first chamber at the same time as (if not before) entering the third chamber:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/sump5_zpsab26ab7f.jpg

Puzzling to say the least (the item description referred to the back right section as a refugium area, but still....)...so here's my backup plan which is actually growing on me quite a bit:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/sump4_zps328fd637.jpg

I'll be using the front right section for the return and the back right section for the zeo reactor. I'll use a second hang-on filter sock rack on the zeo chamber and branch the drain on the way down so I have one running to the skimmer and one to the reactor. Bonuses to this unexpected situation: I'll have a main drain ball valve plus a second one on the branch feeding the zeo chamber for optimum control on how much water is heading to each appliance, plus the skimmer and zeo reactor don't even have to think about each other :bounce:

[Dinosaurs!!!]

LED's showed up today !!!! I would have loved to document the unboxing and assembly etc, but after was was essentially an explosion of packing peanuts, I had them running in about 5 mins flat. Excitement will do that to you, I suppose. So what I can show is an example of the improvement in color spectrum from what I had been using:

T5's on my current (and slightly sad :() display (the fixture also had one hqi bulb and led moonlights, but i usually only ran the T5's):

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-16_10-09-57_384_zpsb69745f2.jpg

2x 18" Ecoxotic Panorama Pro fixtures with standard modules (2x 12000k/445nm, 1x 445nm) running at about 40% intensity:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-16_20-31-23_548_zpsf1c94b7d.jpg

...I predict some happy corals in the near future!!!

I also purchased the tank mounts for these fixtures, however i felt like the acrylic on the back of this uniquarium may not have been strong enough to safely hold these fixtures up, so I will be waiting til the rimless is up to utilize these.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Auto top off reservoir arrived today :) Everything seems to be fitting together quite nicely so far:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-19_22-31-36_952_zps00ee6131.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-19_22-31-26_414_zps1f40c522.jpg

So for one...yes I do have a spare toilet in my garage, in case you were wondering :lol:

And for two...I don't think I've yet mentioned that this stand will be slightly oversized, about 3 inches larger than the dimensions of the tank. I value under-tank comfort and wiggle room above most things (most of the extra space you see will be filled with 2 part jugs, etc), plus I'm also rather fond of the way it looks.

[fly_paypa]

Hey dinosaurs where did you get your auto top off res from. I'm planingon starting my build soon and i like the slim look of that reservoir.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Hey dinosaurs where did you get your auto top off res from. I'm planingon starting my build soon and i like the slim look of that reservoir.

Ebay! From a seller by the name of acrylicaquariumsuppliers, here's their "items for sale" page:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/acrylicaquariumsuppliers/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

I believe they have a couple sizes available, mine is the 8x16x16. Quality and packing was very satisfactory, shipping had a few issues but obviously I received the item eventually. They also made my sump.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Haven't gotten a chance to take any photos of the most recent progress, but the skimmer arrived today and I'm very happy with it, real quality product. Also did some work on the stand; cut the doors out of mdf, started painting and sanding them, and worked on painting the frame a bit more. I've decided to attach the doors with magnets; I attempted to attach one door and 4 magnets didn't seem to be doing the trick so I'll be adding some more tomorrow.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Hey all, thought I'd share the skimmer now that I got the chance. It fits into the setup quite nicely, and it sure is puurdy :D Pardon my lil lady who seemed to want to be a part of this...

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-23_21-43-23_286_zpsc7c1c21c.jpg

And look at that, I caught the devil rockin' a halo XD :
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-02-23_21-44-51_5711_zpsf201ea24.jpg

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Its been a long time coming, but the day finally came :bounce: This photo does not do it justice!! I will post plenty more when I get the time....until then, :beer:!!!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/tankeroo_zps6071403e.jpg

[Dinosaurs!!!]

So I'm empty-handed with visible progress on the tank (I put an auto sunrise/sunset controller on the leds and picked up some new r/o parts, but nothing big and shiney)...however I would like to share an interesting situation Ive been dealing with in my current setup. I noticed some of my zoa colonies, particularly my yellow hornets, starting to recede :( params have been steady so I blamed it on asterina stars, threw in a harlequin shrimp and hoped for the best. A couple of days later, I had come home from work to find that I had forgotten to turn on the lights that morning (this was before I hooked up the controller). I flicked them on and the first thing that caught my eye was my yellow hornets absolutely swarming with amphipods, and reduced to just a few polyps :( I was happy to find the culprit, but sad to all but loose hope for one of my favorite frags. I knew it was time to do something, and with no qt or alternate tank to move the frag to, I made this:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/2013-03-23_22-19-10_934_zps8554c16e.jpg

Long story short....the cleaning cloth for my led's came in a capsule-like tube, most of which I cut off, leaving only a portion of tube and a removable cap (which is now the bottom). I covered the opening in 2x layers of...lol...cut up aquarium net....superglued it and rubber-banded it down. The little guys now have a "saftey capsule" which offers enough water exchange, protection from predators, and I can pop it open to check on them whenever I like...at least until I figure out this amphipod situation :/

Good news is, if you look closely, I have 4 or 5 polyps which were open this evening for the first time in a week or two :beer: Rescue successful!!!!...so far :)

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Hey everyone!! So It's been a good long while, mostly waiting for bits and pieces to be built and finished. But at long last, the new tank went up on Friday :) I'm overwhelmed with relief, happiness, and muscle pain from moving the whole thing over all on my own...lol. Have a look:

FTS's:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/IMG_20131124_174954_214_zpsf6855ad3.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/trickyy21/media/IMG_20131124_174954_214_zpsf6855ad3.jpg.html)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/IMG_20131124_175007_655_zpsc1b1f2be.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/trickyy21/media/IMG_20131124_175007_655_zpsc1b1f2be.jpg.html)

Pardon my dark spot in the center...gotta adjust the LED modules a tad :) Also, if you can't tell, the original stand we made didn't quite make it into the mix...it was fun to build but I'm happy to have ultimately decided otherwise.

Behind the front doors:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/IMG_20131124_175113_383_zps69caa604.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/trickyy21/media/IMG_20131124_175113_383_zps69caa604.jpg.html)

And behind the side door (My favorite part of this setup...nothing quite like a little control panel tucked away):

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a309/trickyy21/IMG_20131124_175146_291_zps0f835a11.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/trickyy21/media/IMG_20131124_175146_291_zps0f835a11.jpg.html)

I'm also planning on cleaning up the wiring a bit...probably when I'm a bit less sore.

So here's what I ended up with for equipment:

*Leemar Rimless Aquarium, 36"Lx20"Dx22"H, Starphire front pane, back left overflow
*Leemar Polaris model stand, modified to have no visible hardware, side door for electrical access, and electrical mounting panel
*2x 18" Ecoxotic Panorama Pro Fixtures w/ 4x 12,000K/445nm Royal Blue modules + 2x 445nm Royal Blue modules, mounted on Ecoxotic stand mounts
*Acrylic 3 chamber sump + ATO reservoir
*Reef Octopus Diablo XS160 Skimmer
*Eheim Comapct+ pump 5000 for return
*Tunze Ato
*Tunze Multicontroller w/ 1x Tunze Nanostream 6055 Controllable
*Ecoxotic One Touch Controller
*Digital Aquatics RKE w/ Net
*BRS dual media reactor running carbon + gfo

-The reactor is not pictured as it was being worked on @ time of photograph; should be in by tonight. Also, I haven't yet hooked up the RKE's NET module, I'm hoping to do that before and upcoming trip.

Within the next month or so, I'm also hoping to add:
*+1 Tunze Nanostream 6055 Controllable
*2 part dosing system
*2x Ecoxotic 445nm Royal Blue/Magenta modules

Wish me luck!! Also feel free to ask any questions, I know I was a little vague with the photos, etc. I'm just too exhausted to get shutter happy atm :sleep:

[SDPanda]

Nice set up.

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Nice set up.

Thank you :)!

[davocean]

Very nice setup indeed, and some nice quality gear there.
Cabinet looks nice, and like the scape!
How do you like your Tunze osmolator?
I just got one, but the pump was loud, gottta play w/ mine or maybe return it, can you hear yours?

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Very nice setup indeed, and some nice quality gear there.
Cabinet looks nice, and like the scape!
How do you like your Tunze osmolator?
I just got one, but the pump was loud, gottta play w/ mine or maybe return it, can you hear yours?

Thank you kindly! The osmolator has served me well for over a year now. I can hear a slight buzzing when it's going off, but only if im sitting down next to the stand- its very faint. If I do hear it, I usually just give a small tug on the tube and cord to suspend it a half inch or so off of the bottom of my top off box. If it's not touching the bottom or sizes of the box it's completely silent. Hope that helps!

PS I returned the head unit to Tunze a while back (I forget why, I think it just stopped working) and they replaced it no problem. I'm sure they could help you with your pump if its just faulty.

[cyclist]

Very nice looking!

[kayakNCSD]

Love what you did with thw controller and power in the stand. Beautiful skimmer and sump! Extremely jealous

[Dinosaurs!!!]

Very nice looking!

Thank you very much!


Love what you did with thw controller and power in the stand. Beautiful skimmer and sump! Extremely jealous

Thank you!! I'm humbly honored to inspire any aquarist!