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AJ_Tsin's Zeo 47g Shallow. NEW FTS


AJ_Tsin

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Hey AJ... what a great looking tank you have there. I am actually in the p[rocess of getting out of the hobby when i saw this thread. now, thanks to you, i am definatly back. i decided to stop selling my stuff and looking into getting a tank made with similar specs. i am considering a 15" depth though. I have absolutly no idea where to get a tank like this made in my area. can you give me some infor where I could start? thanks so much.

 

Thanks for the compliments. Glad to see you aren't dropping the hobby.

 

I am loving the shallow look so far its great and easy to manage.

 

Where is your area?

 

Got mine from Miracles Aquariums in Toronto. A lot of people in the states have aquariums from here check it out. Your LFS could probably order you one as well.

 

 

Thanks again.

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Thanks for the compliments. Glad to see you aren't dropping the hobby.

 

I am loving the shallow look so far its great and easy to manage.

 

Where is your area?

 

Got mine from Miracles Aquariums in Toronto. A lot of people in the states have aquariums from here check it out. Your LFS could probably order you one as well.

 

 

Thanks again.

 

 

Ha ha, not giving it up now that i saw your tank... Thanks for the info. I just called the company but the big boss is not in and I'm dieing to know what a tank like this would cost. Would you mind telling me what you spent on getting that tank manufactured? you can also pm me if you want. thanks so much.

 

One last thing. do you feel limites due to the hight of the tank? obviously gorgonians are out. but did you have a hard time aquascaping the tank due to the hight. any info you can share on what to watch for would be greatly appreciated. Oh and where did you get the cabinet for it??? did you build it yourself? thanks again.

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Ha ha, not giving it up now that i saw your tank... Thanks for the info. I just called the company but the big boss is not in and I'm dieing to know what a tank like this would cost. Would you mind telling me what you spent on getting that tank manufactured? you can also pm me if you want. thanks so much.

 

One last thing. do you feel limites due to the hight of the tank? obviously gorgonians are out. but did you have a hard time aquascaping the tank due to the hight. any info you can share on what to watch for would be greatly appreciated. Oh and where did you get the cabinet for it??? did you build it yourself? thanks again.

 

I actually bought this setup from someone second hand, so my prices wont be accurate. I received a quote from Miracles a while ago but I am not sure if the prices have changed. These tanks are pricy but you get what you pay for.

 

The stand was custom built for this aquarium.

 

There are definite limitations to the height of the aquarium but in my opinion limitations are what force us to create. The best creations come from problem solving, if there wasn't an obstacle then we wouldn't do anything differently ever. The aquascape was relatively easy as I knew what I wanted. It will get interesting when the frags start growing out as I will have to trim them all according to the depth of the water. Flow isn't an issue with a Vortech MP10 but I am pretty sure if I did not have this Vortech I may have had some problems getting the water to move as much as I wanted.

 

Its a great little setup but I am still getting used to it, only time will tell what flaws or benefits arise.

 

Thanks for the questions. Keep them coming.

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I just added a DIY live brine shrimp hatchery.

 

All that I bought was an airstone, the Brine eggs. I had an air pump and nylon strips around and I used a very clean gatorade bottle for the hatchery.

 

IMG_0722.jpg

 

For the hatchery I simply cut the bottom off of the bottle, and made a hanging handle with the nylon strips.

 

IMG_0721.jpg

 

I also drilled a hole in the cap shoved some airline tubing through and sealed it with an airstone.

 

IMG_0720.jpg

 

IMG_0723.jpg

 

That is about all the work involved. I then added about 1 litre of salt water to the bottle, added the package of brine eggs, hung the bottle in my sump and plugged in the airpump.

 

IMG_0724.jpg

 

IMG_0727.jpg

 

This is quite possibly the easiest DIY to add. It cost me about 14$ to get two packs of the eggs (6 Batches) and the airstone but if you had no airpump it could cost you another 20-30$.

 

Most designs and DIYs out there have a stand or have the bottle sitting on a shelf with a light. I felt that this is pointless as the shrimp need the same water temp and light cycle as most marine aquariums or sumps. My solution was to hang the bottle in the sump that way the water temp is constant and the sump light automatically incubates the eggs.

 

Less than 24 hours later I was feeding my fish live brine. If you have finicky eaters or need to entice a new fish to eat, try this out it will work.

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very nice. i hadn't thought about doing this before, but it seems like a pretty smart idea, and the way you did it makes it look pretty easy to implement. thanks!

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very nice. i hadn't thought about doing this before, but it seems like a pretty smart idea, and the way you did it makes it look pretty easy to implement. thanks!

 

No worries, Thankyou.

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So are these brine automatically fed to the tank or are you dipping them out of the hatchery and feeding by hand?

 

I feed them from a turkey baster. The only reason the bottle is in the tank is to maintain temperature levels.

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NaClCrocodile

I just got caught up on your progress. One thing on the AI LED's is that their spread is pretty narrow so I'd think that you'd want at least two to cover your tank. The second part I found interesting was the Vodka Dosing. I haven't read into it much but it looks like a great way to keep everything crystal clear, but it seems like the stability of the tank is based upon following those instructions every day without fail. If I started Vodka Dosing, did it for 6 months, then went off it, would my tank be any worse off than if I never started it? Lastly, with the brine shrimp hatchery, do they reproduce rapidly or do you just feed your tank them as a treat?

Beautiful tank!

Cayman

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I just got caught up on your progress. One thing on the AI LED's is that their spread is pretty narrow so I'd think that you'd want at least two to cover your tank. The second part I found interesting was the Vodka Dosing. I haven't read into it much but it looks like a great way to keep everything crystal clear, but it seems like the stability of the tank is based upon following those instructions every day without fail. If I started Vodka Dosing, did it for 6 months, then went off it, would my tank be any worse off than if I never started it? Lastly, with the brine shrimp hatchery, do they reproduce rapidly or do you just feed your tank them as a treat?

Beautiful tank!

Cayman

 

Yea I had a feeling the AI might be too unidirectional. As of right now I am looking at an ATI T5 fixture but I am debating between the 36" 6 Bulb, the 24" 6 Bulb, or the 24" 8 Bulb.

 

Because its 30x30 I think the 36" 6 bulb may be the best bet? I just want a huge light hanging over it and the 24 inch will have a cooler look hanging.

 

 

 

As far as vodka goes. I believe its more natural than GFO, Carbon, Chemipure, etc. In my somewhat educated opinion this method IS for people like you who already know how to maintain a reef and want to take it to another level. It is not for people who have algae or nutrient problems and are looking for a magic fix. Although it may work like a magic fix and the results are awesome you need a bit of attention to detail and maintenance to make it work for you which according to the description of your system you have both.

 

I kept my system stable and clean before vodka, I did weekly water changes and had basically zero nitrates and phosphates, the only algae i ever had was a bit of diatom once in a while and thats because until recently I only had RO water and ppm was 5 ish instead of the now De-Ionized zero.

 

In my opinion for those of you who have bad algae or your tank has nutrient problems I wouldn't look to this method to solve them... if you have let your tank get out of control or turn into a nutrient sink chances are you don't have the discipline or attention to detail to make this work for you.

 

It is important to note that I chose to start vodka dosing because I felt my already successful SPS system could benefit even more (mainly color-wise) from an ULNS.

 

I chose vodka and MB7 as a way to keep things cleaner for a bit less money and mainly because I wanted my colorful sps brighter and my growth faster.

 

This subject is also highly debated as people feel its not natural because there is no Vodka in the ocean... I disagree. There are no PhosBAN reactors in the ocean. There is however a ton denitrifying bacteria and carbon. All vodka dosing does is feed bacteria which grow by consuming Nitrate and Phosphate which then get sucked into the skimmer and out of your system. I would argue this is far more natural then any other addative resin or reactor.

 

Lastly for those of you who are terrified of an OD, you would have to be verryyyyy careless to have a fatal OD. I think the chances of OD or a crash would be the same if you add too muck Kalk, or any additive we put in our systems. These are chemicals and elements we add into a body of water, vodka is actually organic everything you pour in your water has to be carefully calculated. Just run a big skimmer and keep an eye on things you should be fine.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Also thanks for reading along.

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NaClCrocodile

Thanks for the reply. The whole grow bacteria, which feed off of nutrients, which then are sucked into the skimmer is a great way to put it. I've never read up on Vodka/Carbon dosing so for it to be explained that way makes a whole lot of sense. In the link that you posted, is there a calculator for how much to dose? I haven't got the time to read it just now, but are there any other articles I should know about while I'm at it?

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Thanks for the reply. The whole grow bacteria, which feed off of nutrients, which then are sucked into the skimmer is a great way to put it. I've never read up on Vodka/Carbon dosing so for it to be explained that way makes a whole lot of sense. In the link that you posted, is there a calculator for how much to dose? I haven't got the time to read it just now, but are there any other articles I should know about while I'm at it?

 

Exactly! many people look at the surface of this method and think, putting booze into my tank!? NO WAY! But in reality its just ethanol and its made from organic ingredients. I feel that pouring this natural carbon source/bacteria food into our aquarium is no different (if not better) then adding processed foods for our corals and fish.

 

Bacteria is an essential part of our reefs and in my opinion manually feeding carbon is no different then target feeding a coral to make it grow quicker, or feeding your fish spectrum pellets to make them glow.

 

 

 

There is a ratio in the link. It's measured per 25 gallons.

 

No automated calculator but, you basically take their numbers per gallon and multiply it by how big your water volume is.. see the charts here.

Edited by AJ_Tsin
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NaClCrocodile

This is going to be a fun little experiment. Unfortunately I don't have a skimmer on my running 10G, but I'm working on a 33G rimless and that'll be getting a SWC Cone 160 (rated at a 90G heavily stocked lol) with. So when building my refugium, I should steer clear of cheato/mangroves? I think I'll just do a section with LR rubble for pods. If I hang a light in there for opposite light cycle, will it still work to keep pH stable?

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This is going to be a fun little experiment. Unfortunately I don't have a skimmer on my running 10G, but I'm working on a 33G rimless and that'll be getting a SWC Cone 160 (rated at a 90G heavily stocked lol) with. So when building my refugium, I should steer clear of cheato/mangroves? I think I'll just do a section with LR rubble for pods. If I hang a light in there for opposite light cycle, will it still work to keep pH stable?

 

I have cheato right now but the growth is slowing once I notice it stop I will remove it completely. Its up to you if you want to start with it or not.

 

As for the liverock pile, just keep a powerhead on it, you don't want it to become a trap for nitrates.

 

Hanging a light will help the PH although without Cheato or other Macro Algae it may be a waste of power and you could get a cryptic fuge going on if it was always dark down there.

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UPDATE: The original

has cleared 4000 views. Thanks to everyone from nano-reef who has taken the time to read though this thread and watching the video.

 

If you missed the video the first time here it is again...

 

 

 

ANYWAYS....

 

It's a new month so expect some more photos soon and possibly a new video shot on a RED ONE (The Digital Cinema Cameras they used for District 9). It would be quite possibly the most expensive home aquarium video ever made. Also a new fish was added so expect updates on that.

 

Cheers everyone and thanks for reading!

Edited by AJ_Tsin
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I first want to start out by saying that your tank is really really amazing! Your tank thread has inspired me to build a custom shallow reef tank, which I have started this week. The dims are similar to yours but not the same. I'm going with 36x24x13. I would like to ask you a couple of questions and I hope you won't mind. Thanks in advance.

 

1. What type of fish to stock? I'm pretty scared with my tank only being 13" tall that fish will jump ship. I want active schooling fish so I've been looking at the Green/blue Chromis mainly as they are very striking to look at and are not expensive. I LOVE anthias also, but don't think 50gals is enough room for them. Do you have any fish besides the clown pair and what other if any type of fish have you thought about stocking?

 

2. Reading your thread also introduced me to vodka dosing (I'm new in the hobby =) ) I have been reading as much info as I can find about it to try and grasp the concept. This link is the most and seemingly best info I've been able to find. Just wondering if it is a good site with good info or not. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

 

3. Lighting....I know you have a 250MH over your tank, but I was wondering if a 110w LED fixure would be enough light for a tank similar in size to yours. I recently purchased the 110w Maxspect G2 fixure. With the tank once again being only 13" high I would think it would enough light, but I'm not sure. I plan to stock mainly LPS, but it would be nice to have the option to keep SPS if I decided to.

 

Again, thanks in advance is you decide to take the time to answer what are I'm sure noobish questions. Keep up the amazing work on your tank. It is an inspiration.

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Here are some April Shots.

 

IMG_6040.jpg

 

IMG_6026.jpg

 

IMG_6022.jpg

 

 

The rest are mostly more rare Zoas, I will take a FTS and a top down shot later this month with all the power heads off.

 

IMG_6031.jpg

5 Color Rainbows

 

IMG_6017.jpg

Yellow Brick Road

 

IMG_6021.jpg

Not sure the name of the ones in the centre but they are a Yellowish zoa.

 

IMG_6024.jpg

EZs

 

IMG_6030.jpg

MRAs

 

Stay tuned for more.

 

Comments welcomed...

 

- A.

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I really enjoy checking up on this thread from time to time!

 

I just started up my 75g and am currently cycling it with MB7...I was wondering why you aren't going with Reef BioFuel too?

 

I think I'm going to end up dosing vodka or some form of carbon as it seems your having great results!

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It's a new month so expect some more photos soon and possibly a new video shot on a RED ONE (The Digital Cinema Cameras they used for District 9). It would be quite possibly the most expensive home aquarium video ever made. Also a new fish was added so expect updates on that.

 

Cheers everyone and thanks for reading!

 

How the hell do you have access to all this kinds of equipment? I haven't read the entire thread, guess you already said but do you work on any TV/Movies related stuff? Thats like a +20k camera right?

I first saw your video posted on glassbox design. You've got some skills. Vids are awesome. Tank looks great also. I love it.

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Crackerballer

If you will allow me to critique I have 2 opinions that I think will make the tank perfect.

 

1: Run the MPxx Power cord along the top edge/rim and use some clear clips to hold it in place.

2: Go to Lowes/HD and buy a white wire hiding strip and place it on the wall and run the power cord for the light down through it.

 

Other than that, tank is PERFECT

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I really enjoy checking up on this thread from time to time!

 

I just started up my 75g and am currently cycling it with MB7...I was wondering why you aren't going with Reef BioFuel too?

 

I think I'm going to end up dosing vodka or some form of carbon as it seems your having great results!

Thanks for keeping reading.

 

Reef Biofuel is most likely a great product but it does the same thing as vodka and vodka is way cheaper than any aquarium tailored carbon source. However, If i were to buy a product to replace vodka it would most likely be N/P Reducing Biopellets. Until then I will stick with the pure ethanol.

 

I may soon be starting a VSV mix now that I have a very stable dosing regiment. I have seen small patches of Cyano coming and going for the last two weeks which could be because of too much vodka or a non diversified carbon source. This would most likely be solved by adding VSV.

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How the hell do you have access to all this kinds of equipment? I haven't read the entire thread, guess you already said but do you work on any TV/Movies related stuff? Thats like a +20k camera right?

I first saw your video posted on glassbox design. You've got some skills. Vids are awesome. Tank looks great also. I love it.

 

Thanks. I own a video production company in Southern Ontario. We do short films, commercials, working on a couple TV shows etc. Yes the RED One is a very expensive camera its used for high end cinema and is the digital camera of choice for any film production. I am very lucky to have them. I appreciate the feedback thanks for looking.

 

If you will allow me to critique I have 2 opinions that I think will make the tank perfect.

 

1: Run the MPxx Power cord along the top edge/rim and use some clear clips to hold it in place.

2: Go to Lowes/HD and buy a white wire hiding strip and place it on the wall and run the power cord for the light down through it.

 

Other than that, tank is PERFECT

 

Good call. Thankyou for the advice it seems once you look at something for long enough you don't notice those things anymore. I agree it definitely needs those cords hidden. Cheers, and thanks for the "Perfect" statements.

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I first want to start out by saying that your tank is really really amazing! Your tank thread has inspired me to build a custom shallow reef tank, which I have started this week. The dims are similar to yours but not the same. I'm going with 36x24x13. I would like to ask you a couple of questions and I hope you won't mind. Thanks in advance.

 

1. What type of fish to stock? I'm pretty scared with my tank only being 13" tall that fish will jump ship. I want active schooling fish so I've been looking at the Green/blue Chromis mainly as they are very striking to look at and are not expensive. I LOVE anthias also, but don't think 50gals is enough room for them. Do you have any fish besides the clown pair and what other if any type of fish have you thought about stocking?

 

2. Reading your thread also introduced me to vodka dosing (I'm new in the hobby =) ) I have been reading as much info as I can find about it to try and grasp the concept. This link is the most and seemingly best info I've been able to find. Just wondering if it is a good site with good info or not. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

 

3. Lighting....I know you have a 250MH over your tank, but I was wondering if a 110w LED fixure would be enough light for a tank similar in size to yours. I recently purchased the 110w Maxspect G2 fixure. With the tank once again being only 13" high I would think it would enough light, but I'm not sure. I plan to stock mainly LPS, but it would be nice to have the option to keep SPS if I decided to.

 

Again, thanks in advance is you decide to take the time to answer what are I'm sure noobish questions. Keep up the amazing work on your tank. It is an inspiration.

 

1: I have a couple clowns, a Juvi Atlantic Blue Tang, and I will be adding a butterfly at some point. With a shallow tank many "minimum gallon" requirements kind of go out the window, because the tank is so shallow and fish generally don't care about depth they need space to swim laterally, you have a ton of area to work with. Although this tank is only 50 gallons it is about half of the height of a typical reef meaning the actual tank footprint doubles and is somewhat comparable to a 90 gallon tank. This combined with the open concept of my aquascape means there is a ton of room for any fish to swim.

 

This doesn't mean you can get anything you want, but I think fish that are rated for 75-100 gallons will do fine in my setup because of its shallow wide nature.

 

It is also incredibly important to regulate bioload. I will be adding a 50 or 30 gallon frag tank in the basement soon increasing my total water volume and this combined with the Vodka MB7 Method means my water is crystal clear allowing for a bit more bioload and a very stable system. Unless you have pristine water I wouldn't recommend putting tangs or butterflies into a shallow cube.

 

2: That site is perfect and probably has the best info on Carbon Dosing. If you are new to the hobby I recommend reading a ton first. Vodka is a controversial additive in this hobby. I would argue its more natural than GFO or similar Resins however that could be easily debated.

 

When you add vodka you are basically stimulating and feeding bacteria. This bacteria consumes the carbon source from vodka while simultaneously consuming almost equal parts of Phosphate and Nitrate. Then as the cultures grow the skimmer removes the bacteria promptly from the water column leaving you with crystal clear water and Ultra Low Nutrients. It is very natural and in my opinion feeding the bacteria is no different than feeding the fish or the corals. The bacteria is an essential part of the reef just like all the other livestock and dosing carbon is just a natural way to biologically fight nutrients.

 

3: Not sure it should be ok, but I cannot guarantee. I thinkt he major concern you will have is area coverage not brightness. From what I have seen most LED lights have a very unidirectional beam of light and with a wide shallow reef you may need more fixtures.

 

I can however say that my 250 halide is almost too bright and I am in the market for a ATI T5 or LED fixture. I love the shimmer and look of the Halide, but I can barely keep LPS and Ricordias or other lower light corals because this light is just too bright and with a 12 inch deep tank which is actually less than that with the sand bed a halide is a bit overkill. Once I started Vodka I had some Corals bleach because the combination of the ultra clear water and the brighter tank just burnt the corals. As of now my halide is sitting about 28 inches above the tank and the brightness seems ok. I still have my Acans in the shadows but everything seems to be doing ok.

 

I am not 100 percent set on an ATI and I am totally looking at LED's for the future but we will see.

 

Thanks for the questions and compliments. I hope this helps feel free to ask more and anyone else with questions I will do my best to answer.

 

- A.

Edited by AJ_Tsin
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