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15g Rimless Reverie: The New J-Ranko Nano


J-Ranko

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FTS taken on 4/16/2011.

FTS_041611.jpg

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Everyone loves pictures, so here you go:

 

Picture #1:

TS02.jpg

 

Picture #2:

TS03.jpg

 

Picture #3:

TS05.jpg

 

I know what you're thinking: pictures of right angles!? Where's J-Ranko going with this...

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In case you haven't figured it out yet, here it is:

 

FTS_01.jpg

 

The first FTS.

 

Yup, just the stand, the tank, and the light stand (an EMT pipe that I bent and painted black).

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I wanted to use the MAME overflow with this tank, and I have held back on going rimless because I couldn't find an overflow scheme that didn't involve drilling my tank. Unfortunately, with the availability of the MAME overflow pretty much postponed to next year, I decided not to wait any longer and just created a pvc copy of the MAME design. I painted it light gray to be as unobtrusive and inconspicuous as I can make it. That should help it blend in with the wall behind the tank, since I'm not painting or covering the back of the tank. I'll buy the MAME overflow when it becomes available (hopefully by January of next year).

 

The tank itself measures 24 x 12 x 12 inches, which is approximately 15 gallons in volume. It's not starphire glass, but the silicone work is top notch and very clean. This tank will house the inhabitants of my current 10 gallon nano, so it's not a totally new and separate system.

 

Upgrades will include a new powerhead and/or skimmer. I decided not to upgrade my lights (a 150w metal halide with a 14k phoenix bulb) since the alternatives are not that appealing or affordable at the moment. LED tech still rapidly developing and the available fixtures are very costly, so I don't intend on investing thousands of dollars on something that is still largely a prototype model that will be obsolete next year. I certainly am not skeptical of LED reef lighting, I'd just rather wait for the technology to mature and become more affordable.

 

I'm still thinking about what powerhead to get. The Vortech mp10 is very appealing, but the tank is in my bedroom so I'm hesitant to buy it. I might have to sacrifice some aesthetics and get maybe 2 Tunze nanostreams so I can still sleep at night. Do any of you guys have tanks with mp10's in your bedroom? Can you still sleep with the noise?

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Why dont you want to drill it? You will regret not drilling its the cleanest option.

 

I think the look of an overflow box is least obtrusive when drilled on the shorter side--like your tank--to make a peninsula. Otherwise, I would have to cover/paint the backwall a matching color (likely black) to hide the drilled overflow box and plumbing. I want to keep the back wall clean and clear since I really like the look, but I can't do a peninsula given it's location and position in the room. I searched and searched for good overflow solutions and the only one I liked--the MAME overflow--is not available even in Japan. :angry:

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Fwiw, my mp10 is every bit as quiet as a 6025.

 

From my research it appears to be mixed. Most owners say that there's also a "break-in" period where in the pump gradually quiets down. I'm not so sure I can stand even a "break-in" period, since it would have to break-in while I'm sleeping next to it!

 

I might just have to try it, though.

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From my research it appears to be mixed. Most owners say that there's also a "break-in" period where in the pump gradually quiets down. I'm not so sure I can stand even a "break-in" period, since it would have to break-in while I'm sleeping next to it!

 

I might just have to try it, though.

 

 

Considering how clean your set up looks so far, I would say that it would almost defeat the purpose if you put anything but a vortech in it. That way you will only need one pump, it's incredibly controllable, and there won't be any wires in the tank. JMO.

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Considering how clean your set up looks so far, I would say that it would almost defeat the purpose if you put anything but a vortech in it. That way you will only need one pump, it's incredibly controllable, and there won't be any wires in the tank. JMO.

 

I think I'm almost convinced. I might just have to sleep on the couch for a week until it's broken in. :lol:

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I think the look of an overflow box is least obtrusive when drilled on the shorter side--like your tank--to make a peninsula. Otherwise, I would have to cover/paint the backwall a matching color (likely black) to hide the drilled overflow box and plumbing. I want to keep the back wall clean and clear since I really like the look, but I can't do a peninsula given it's location and position in the room. I searched and searched for good overflow solutions and the only one I liked--the MAME overflow--is not available even in Japan. :angry:

 

 

Not sure if this helps you, but this place is taking pre orders on the MAME overflow.

http://shop.aquatouch.com/category_s/98.htm

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I think I'm almost convinced. I might just have to sleep on the couch for a week until it's broken in. :lol:

 

 

There was never any break in period for mine. I'm tempted to think that the ones that claimed they had problems initially probably just didn't have both sides aligned properly.

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Not sure if this helps you, but this place is taking pre orders on the MAME overflow.

http://shop.aquatouch.com/category_s/98.htm

 

Yes, I am aware of that store. However, I read in someone's thread (I think Rehype's, though not exactly sure) that deliveries have been postponed to December at the earliest, due to some inspection problems. MAME is all sold out in Japan as well and availability there won't be any sooner. So rather than wait for it before I set-up my tank, I'll just set it up and then get the MAME when it's actually available.

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There was never any break in period for mine. I'm tempted to think that the ones that claimed they had problems initially probably just didn't have both sides aligned properly.

i have 2 mp40s and my first set went bad was always noisy and i couldnt even watch tv without it bothering me. they replaced both the insede and outside and now its 10x quiter. that being said i wouldnt buy them again and i would stick with the tunzes in the future. they are cleaner but they do have there trade offs

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i have 2 mp40s and my first set went bad was always noisy and i couldnt even watch tv without it bothering me. they replaced both the insede and outside and now its 10x quiter. that being said i wouldnt buy them again and i would stick with the tunzes in the future. they are cleaner but they do have there trade offs

 

To be fair, I think this problem in endemic to all powerheads where the motor is separated from the propeller. Even with units that don't have manufacturing defects, the wet and dry parts have to be aligned exactly to minimize the noise. But tanks vary considerably from one set-up to another, and people themselves will install it differently from one to the other. So there's bound to be problems.

 

And it's not surprising that the Tunzes are silent. The entire unit is submerged--the outside magnet is there only for mounting. Even the cheaper Koralia nanos, which have the same basic design as the Tunzes, are dead silent.

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Here's the light fixture installed and the MAME-imitation pvc overflow. :lol:

 

FTS_03.jpg

 

I think it blends well with the background wall and is much lower profile than if I had painted it black. Moreover, coralline algae does not like to grow on light colored surfaces. In any case, it's just a stand-in for the MAME overflow, which I'll get when it finally becomes available.

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Transfer completed yesterday!!! Wohoo! I spent a lot more time than I had anticipated, but everything survived so far. Here's a few FTS taken about five hours after completing the move of livestock.

 

As you can see, the tank was still a little bit cloudy:

 

FTS_04.jpg

 

FTS_05.jpg

 

FTS_06.jpg

 

This morning I rotated the rockscape on the left-hand side a little bit as I was not that satisfied with it. I'll show you guys some FTS from today on a subsequent post.

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AquaticDiscounts

beautiful setup!

Can you show us more picture of your pvc mame style overflow? how smoothly does it work? does it self start?

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beautiful setup!

Can you show us more picture of your pvc mame style overflow? how smoothly does it work? does it self start?

 

Thanks! I tried installing a venturi on the return line to get it to self-start, just like the MAME. I made over 5 different designs and still I couldn't make the venturi produce enough vacuum to start the siphon in the overflow line. So I went back to my old design of utilizing a small check valve on the overflow to allow me to manually start the siphon. That design works just fine, of course, and while it hasn't failed on me yet for the past 9 months, I am aware of some reefers who experience flooding due to siphon failure. I did maintain the overall "look" of the MAME overflow. I may try again to get a sufficiently powerful venturi in the return, but right now I'm thinking of just waiting until the MAME overflow is available and then buy it.

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