Chucktown ELOS NPS Mini

[divecj5]

Current FTS (11.08.2012)

 

After what feels like a century-long hiatus from the NR community, I'm finally diving back in both hands and feet as life has finally started to settle down to a point where I have the time to focus. For those of you who don't know me, I've been a member here for going on 4+ years and have been keeping reef tanks for about 6 years. As you can see in my sig, I've had everything from a 55 gallon (my first foray into reefing), then a BC29 (still one of my favorites), then a switch to a 20H, and currently I have a 17g Green Leaf Rimless that's still chugging along. More on that tank shortly.....

 

Without going into some rant about life getting in the way of reefing, I'll just summarize the last 11+ months in the following -

• Son was born last May. Obviously my free time petered down to zero.
  
• Change in job duties. The "free" time that I used to have daily suddenly disappeared.
  
• Bought our first home last month - two deals feel through at the very end and we'll just say that we're happy to be done with that ordeal.
  

With all of those happenings, I'll be honest, I really lost interest in reefing. Although I had moments where I was excited about a new purchase, new growth on a frag, etc I really just "wasn't into it." I think we reefers go through this every once in a while but I was darn near close to shutting everything down and selling it all. Luckily, my wife told me that I was out of my mind and the plan to get the tank of my dreams hatched from there.

 

Although I've pieced together my tanks in the past and slowly but surely replaced lesser quality equipment with things of higher build quality, this time around I've been saving my nickels and dimes and have focused on the foundation of the system rather than just the parts and pieces. Although this will be more first tank with a sump (which comes with it's own set of nervouness), I'm super excited to have something that will hopefully become a focal point of our living room and something that I can grow with and enjoy now and in the future.

 

System Specifications

• ELOS MINI with ELOS Overflow (17"x17"x16") - ~20 gallons
  
• ELOS SUMP 100 - ELOS Return Pumps ~6-10 gallons
  
• ELOS SQUARE Stand (17"x17"x35.5")
  
• NanoBoxReef (DaveFason) Ryujin Custom LED
  
• Deltec MCE300
  
• EcoTech Marine Vortech MP10
  

I purchased the tank actually at the beginning of June but due to a number of issues with ELOS (including an earthquake in N. Italy), it's been delayed a number of times. Last Friday, I was actually told that it would be July 28-31 before it would be placed on a container to ship and if it missed that one, it would be October Luckily, I checked my e-mail Saturday morning and Jesse had a cancellation and had an extra one to ship today I'm not going to get too excited until it actually shows but it's progress. Hopefully it will be here at the end of the week.

 

I'll finish this longer than expected post by saying that I'm really glad to be back and part of this community. It's really the best reefing community around. I'm excited to catchup on some of my favorite tanks and see all the new greatness that's out there. I hope to have some time this evening or tomorrow to share my plans for stocking as well as post some questions that I have about the tank setup.

 

I'll finish with one of my favorite top-downs from my 20H. I hope to get this tank to this point sometime in the future

 

-Adam

[Deleted User 4]

Dude, I am soo stoked about this build. This elos mini that you're talking about is my dream tank too!!!! I'm just saving it til I get my own small new house for it ahah. I am soo following this thread. Thanks.

[Lawnman]

Following along. I had a nice LPS softy Elos mini. It was a awesome tank great quality. I did some altering of the sump. If you need any help shoot me a PM.

Here was mine

[Deleted User 4]

Following along. I had a nice LPS softy Elos mini. It was a awesome tank great quality. I did some altering of the sump. If you need any help shoot me a PM.

Here was mine

 

Dude, you still haven't replied back to my pm!!! I too, was wondering what happened to your elos mini....ahha .

[divecj5]

Dude, I am soo stoked about this build. This elos mini that you're talking about is my dream tank too!!!! I'm just saving it til I get my own small new house for it ahah. I am soo following this thread. Thanks.

 

Thanks for sharing in my excitement. After years reefing, I finally convinced myself to save the money and go all in with this tank. Like you said, it helps to finally have a house that we own and knowing that it will be in one place for quite some time.

 

I'll have to check out your thread....the Picasso in your sig is gorgeous. I have a nice Black Ice Oceallaris that will be in this tank from my current 17g.

 

Following along. I had a nice LPS softy Elos mini. It was a awesome tank great quality. I did some altering of the sump. If you need any help shoot me a PM.

 

Thanks man. I actually have been cruising yours, Sushi's, and a few others ELOS builds and have found all of the suggestions great. I may either shoot you a quick PM when I get the tank as I'd like to hear more about the following, which you posted on yours or someone else' thread a while back -

 

If I could give any advise it would be turn the sump 180 degrees. Remove the baffle in the big area of the sump. Then run drain hose right into the filter sock. Then when you get tired of cleaning that sock slide a media basket into the sock square. You can now fit a Eshopps 120 cone skimmer or a SWC 120 cone in the sump. It also leaves another square open next to the sock square that you can grow cheato.

 

Glad to have you guys following along. Jesse left me a message last night that it was all packed and ready to ship

[Rehype]

Good stuff adam gald to see your coming back with a vengeance.

[divecj5]

Good stuff adam gald to see your coming back with a vengeance.

 

Thanks E. Super-excited to be back up and running here shortly. Time to catch up on your masterpiece as well

[got2envy]

Yesss! Welcome back

[divecj5]

Yesss! Welcome back

 

Thanks!! Glad to be back around these parts

[divecj5]

Since I have the chance, I thought I'd jot down some ideas that I have for this tank. In some ways, I'm lucky to have been reefing for a bit now so I know what sort of commitment comes with certain types of coral and livestock. Then again, it sort of sways my opinion so it might not be the best thing.

 

Over the years and various tanks, I've really come to love the following coral for a variety of reasons so they will likely be the focus of my reef -

• Zoas and Palys - I've only had one tank (20H) which I flat out couldn't seem to keep Z's and P's alive in. Not sure it was the low nutrient system I was running, lighting, or the amount of flow. Either way, the variety of coloration, the way they remind me of a small garden variety flowers, and the way they cover live rock all make me want to keep them again in this tank.
  
• Montipora Sp. - I used to have this really sweet Orange and Green Digi in my BC29 and it was always one of my favorites. It's ease of care (relative to other SPS), growth pattern, and accessibility definitely make me want to add some to this tank. I'd like to possibly get a Purple, Orange, and Green Digi for the mid to upper reaches of my rock structure. I'm tempted to add a unique Capricornus or encrusting Monti (Superman, Red Bug, etc) but I know how quicly they can cover things given the right conditions.
  
• Euphyllia - Ever since my first tank, I've always loved the movement, colaration, and ease of care of various Euphyllia. I'm going to move the Frogspawn I have now over to this tank and place it in the lower part towards the rear to give it some space to expand. I'll probably avoid Torches and other long-tentacled Euphyllia as space will be limited.
  
• Acans - Always a perennial favorite of mine. I have three really nice rainbow varieties that I'll be moving over from my 17g and hope to add to the collection once it's up and running.
  

 

Other than those "for sure" additions, I would really like to explore keeping a Dendro or other NPS coral. I've always loved Sun Coral for the color and interest that they add to a tank but I'm up in the air on that one. I'd also like to keep a mixed garden of Ricordea at the base of the rock structure as well since they've always been a favorite as well.

 

The more I think about this tank, the more I get excited From what Jesse at ELOS said last night, I may have gotten my hands on the last new Minis to come in the US for the next few weeks/month. Glad I won't have to wait until October.

 

I'd like to get some feedback on what I should do for my rock structure so hopefully I'll post about that later. Hope everyone is having a great week.

 

-Adam

[d'Espresso]

Sick tank and corals gonna tag along for the ride!

[Deleted User 4]

Dude, can't wait to see you receive the tank package....It's going to be legen....wait for it.... Dary. Legendary.

[animalmaster6]

back Adam!!

 

Can't wait to see the new tank. I always loved the tanks you designed.

[divecj5]

Sick tank and corals gonna tag along for the ride!

 

Thanks for following along. I need to carve out some time to catchup on your amazing reef as well!!

 

Dude, can't wait to see you receive the tank package....It's going to be legen....wait for it.... Dary. Legendary.

 

You and me both. Considering I ordered the tank back on June 3rd, I'm ready to get the darn thing already. Just checked on tracking and it looks like it arrived at the CHT terminal (no clue where that is) last night and should be here tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm taking off Thursday and Friday to move some crap from our rental to our house and plan on taking some time to set the bad boy up and get it rolling then.

 

back Adam!!

 

Can't wait to see the new tank. I always loved the tanks you designed.

 

Thanks AM. Really appreciate it. Super-excited as well.

--------------------------------------------------

On an equipment note, I decided that the Deltec MCE300 and I have reached a point where we need to part ways. Although it's a solid piece of equipment that's been nothing but rock-steady for me, I really never saw the results others were because of my really light bio-load. Although the load won't change too much with this tank, I do plan on feeding heavier to make sure the LPS and fish stay happy and because I will finally have a sump, I can focus on something that isn't a Hang-on-Back model.

 

After cruising through some review threads and talking to a few folks on here, I decided to pull the trigger on an EShopps S-120 (link). From all indications, it's quite the skimmer and should be more than up to task to keep up with my tanks demands now and in the future. It was between the EShopps, the SWC 120, or the Reef Octopus. Because the new S-120 uses a Sicce pump, I decided to go that route.

 

I'll be selling the Deltec MCE300 if anyone is interested in getting in on a good deal. Because it's been modded, I'll probably sell it for around $175-200. Just let me know if you want to work on a price.

----------------------------------------------

 

One question - I was planning on stocking up on some salt and didn't know if there was a new brand out there that has been causing some interest. In the past, I've used basic Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, Tunze Reef Excel, and DD H2Ocean salt. I've had a lot of luck with Reef Crystals in the past so I'm leaning that way but wanted to see what others thought.

 

-Adam

[JR!]

Red sea coral pro worked well for me.

[nanospoof]

Great to see you back, and it is also cool to see somebody else from when I was doing this a while back as well. Funny similar story I have a baby girl just over a year along with her older 3 year old brother that just for some reason seemed to take all my reefing time away. Anyway my boy has gotten interested in my tank so we have been working on getting it back into its prime like it was before he was here. I look forward to following this tank!

[Deleted User 4]

Why not use the elos skimmer that's provided in the original packaging?

[animalmaster6]

Tropic Marin Bio-Actif is kinda expensive but it's really awesome.

[divecj5]

Red sea coral pro worked well for me.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I completely forgot about that one. I think I was going to give that a try in the past but went with Tropic Marin instead. Might cruise by the LFS and give them some support so it depends on what they have in stock.

 

Great to see you back, and it is also cool to see somebody else from when I was doing this a while back as well. Funny similar story I have a baby girl just over a year along with her older 3 year old brother that just for some reason seemed to take all my reefing time away. Anyway my boy has gotten interested in my tank so we have been working on getting it back into its prime like it was before he was here. I look forward to following this tank!

 

Great to hear from you as well. Sounds like you were/are in the same boat although we just have our 13-month old son. Although I thought I would have some free time once he got past the "change/feed me every 2-3 hours" phase but that certainly wasn't the case. Reefing just took a backseat for the time being but it's great to be back at full steam. Our son hasn't seen any of my tanks when they were at their best so I'm excited to see his interest this time around. Gotta start them young

 

Why not use the elos skimmer that's provided in the original packaging?

 

I'll probably give it a go and see how it does while the rock I'm using finishes cycling. Although I've read mixed reviews, I really couldn't pass up the deal on the S-120 that I got on EBay and I like the peace of mind knowing that I won't have to fiddle fart around with adjustments, which I hear is the case with the ELOS skimmer.

 

Tropic Marin Bio-Actif is kinda expensive but it's really awesome.

 

Thanks AM. I'm not sure if I used the Bio-Actif level of Tropic Marin but I do remember using one of their mixes, it came in box instead of a tub/plastic container. I might just start with Reef Crystals since I'll need around 30g right off the bat and then switch to either DDH20cean or try some other brands.

 

The tank is "out for delivery" but I'm not sure if I need to be at home to sign for it or not. Luckily we leave in a decent neighborhood full of mostly retired folks (I'm 29 ) but I'm assuming they need someone to sign for it. Either way, looks like it's actually here in the Charleston area and ready to be setup in the coming days. Woohoo.

[Deleted User 4]

Ahh I see. I better do some more research on that Elos skimmer before I purchase my own....Were there really that many reviews that said so? I've only read one review about it having to be adjusted to the piping..

[siwelk]

NanoBoxReef (DaveFason) Ryujin Custom LED

Moar talk about this plz

 

 

kthx

[divecj5]

Ahh I see. I better do some more research on that Elos skimmer before I purchase my own....Were there really that many reviews that said so? I've only read one review about it having to be adjusted to the piping..

 

I only saw a handful of folks talk about how finicky it is to adjust and get to the sweet spot. That said, I read at least two other reviews that folks were really happy with the overall production. With a light bioload, I'm guessing that it would be more than sufficient for your uses. I just have this Deltec that's not going to be used and I can sell it for more than the EShopps. It's nice after reefing for a while to have high-quality equipment to sell and buy more high-priced equipment I wouldn't be able to do it otherwise.

 

Moar talk about this plz

 

Let me see if I can dig up the review thread that I put together on it. Let me know if you want Dave's contact info as well.

----------------------------

On a tank note, it's out for delivery today and my wife should be home to sign for it. Not sure how much I'll get setup tonight but at a minimum, I'll finally be able to spruce up the thread with some pictures.

[divecj5]

Wife said the tank and stand are at home and waiting in the garage

 

Wanted to get some quick feedback on the rock scape since this will be my first cube tank. I've always had the long/narrow tanks (other than the BC29) so this is going to be a bit different for me.

 

Wondering if I should stick with the Aquaroche pillar/island that I had in the 17g or start fresh with the rock that I've been "cooking" in the garage for a month now. For some reason, I just think that the massive pillar is going to make this tank seen small. Also, although it's live, cured, and ready to go, it's become covered in Valonia and Aiptasia since we don't live at our rental and it's been somewhat neglected (besides water changes and feeding). I really like what Sushi and others have accomplished in these with a minimal amount of rock.

 

 

Thoughts?

[Naturalreef]

I'm in the same boat, i just set up my Elos mini and am planning of working on the rock structure in the next day or so with my cured BRS Pukani. This tank is unique and in my opinion looks better with less rock and more open space up top for coral growth.

 

 

 

 

Wife said the tank and stand are at home and waiting in the garage

 

Wanted to get some quick feedback on the rock scape since this will be my first cube tank. I've always had the long/narrow tanks (other than the BC29) so this is going to be a bit different for me.

 

Wondering if I should stick with the Aquaroche pillar/island that I had in the 17g or start fresh with the rock that I've been "cooking" in the garage for a month now. For some reason, I just think that the massive pillar is going to make this tank seen small. Also, although it's live, cured, and ready to go, it's become covered in Valonia and Aiptasia since we don't live at our rental and it's been somewhat neglected (besides water changes and feeding). I really like what Sushi and others have accomplished in these with a minimal amount of rock.

 

 

Thoughts?

[divecj5]

First off, congrats on the Mini as well. I haven't even seen it yet but I'm super-excited to get it setup and going. Do you have a thread for yours yet?

 

I completely agree with you and that's why I'm leaning more towards using the BRS EcoRox that I've used in previous tanks for this one. It's nice and porous, provides ample space for frags, and I already have some simple arches built. The scape is such an integral part to a successful/natural looking reef that I really want to take my time with this one.

 

Thanks again for your feedback.

 

-Adam