patiently waiting...



its sunday so theres no excuse for not getting this thing set up



woot!

You kidding me? I opened the box the minute it arrived! I wouldn't be a reef addict otherwise. There was a big local poker tournament up here last night- $150 Buy-In, and I was late by 20mins due to having to set up the system 1st. haha. Ended up at the final table and lost with pocket JJs for 6th place. Got my prize money and raced home and stayed up until 3:30am calibrating the water levels. THIS SYSTEM IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS IT LOOKS. Be prepared to make errors (overflowing the tank, overfilling the sump, correcting the overflow height) before you get this right. I almost chucked the damn thing out the door last night when the tank kept overflowing onto the hardwood floors. No worries. I am ok now Pics speak for themselves...















Taking off now to Home Depot for CLEAR or BLACK overflow and return piping. Glad to say the filter functions great! The components are of much higher quality than expected for $200. I cut power and "rebooted" 10+ times so far without fail. But the blue look is AWFUL. At this time I am too embarrassed to show pics of the actual overflow and return. Hopefully, the display tank starts to look better as the day progresses...

aww man, that sucks. i love pocket JJs, almost as much as pocket deuces. glad you got it all setup. it looks to be working well. i agree that the blue isn't very aesthetically pleasing but it seems to be functioning well. i didnt know it was so difficult to calibrate though. it seems like it should be easy to get running but i now know that is not the case. nice pics! cant wait to see how its running after a few weeks. hopefully you can do something to make it easier on your eyes. let us know how that skimmer works, which is what ive heard the most negative comments about.

looks good! keep us posted.


now over to drsfostersmith.com to see if its still on sale. hmmm.

I think this just might work out. The blue return tubing has been replaced with slick black vinyl and now runs cleanly and nicely up from the cabinet below. Even the return spout was fitted with a Hydor Flo, so I can now do without the MJ1200 - since this RapidsPro has quite sufficient pump power. Bio Media it came with was removed and replaced with filter pad from PetsMart. And the heater now fits in the 3rd media chamber of the wet/dry. Digital thermometer reads from the sump. Definitely more room in the tank! Only the Koralia1 and inside overflow box can be seen from the front and sides.

Trial and error. I bought the incorrect sized overflow tubing. Going back to HD...

Project is almost complete. Will post pics when finished.

cant wait...im gonna go to my LFS before they close and see what they got for my new Tom Deco 3

hey purpleup, got any new pics of your tank?(a new fts perhaps?)

Here you go, Krayon!


INCREDIBLY happy now with this setup. The "aqua-lifter" pump was mounted on the back of the overflow instead of hanging it next to it on the tank. Conceals it much better. Black vinyl tubes curl very nicely down into the cabinet.




Only the Hydor Flo and Koralia1 are visible inside the tank. So much more room for SPS corals to flourish.


Water hasn't cleared up yet. Filter was just powered up. I've been shutting down and restarting the system to test how flood proof it really is.






See my BC14 in the background.

simply amazing

Thank you very much. This high maintenance ADA tank just become fully automated. Topping off alone was a pain in the a$$. Most servicing is now done below the cabinet. Less mess! Overall, I am very very pleased with the Rapids Pro PS4 - so far. The protein skimmer has yet to prove its worth.


BTW: That 7UP bottle collects the gunk from the protein skimmer. So far no gunk.

Prob needs to break in like all other skimmers, Looks great, I love that filter and ATO.

once the skimmer gets "dialed-in" im sure youll start to see some nasty stuff show up in your cup. that setup looks really nice! im diggin the black vinyl tubing...much better than the blue. im really startin to think i need to order that ps4 next payday.

very nice man..im def looking forward to see how it starts working..if you are happy with it i might have to get one for myself hah..i do hate topping off 20oz of water ed sucks!

keith

Tx. Yeah, I'll keep posting performance updates. Do you want one for your 10gal? or do you have another?

I am esp. curious about the flow rate and the skimmer.
This thing is supposed to move 1k gph... which is great for my 55gal.. maybe that is why you are having a hard time with the smaller tanks (ok I'll admit I am not a nano reefer, but I am a Nor*Cal boy... Richmond born and raised, stationed in okinawa!)

Reviews prior had given the skimmer a hit but most people post reviews of things a day or two after having it.

You're right. This thing can definitely move water. You can tell just by the size and weight of its pump. It creates s a rhythmic wave at the surface of my tank, just like the ocean. It made me remove my MJ1200, which caused heavy currents as well. Both of them together actually pushed water over the lip of the tank! I think it would do fine for a 55G.

The protein skimmer is using an air stone, but the pump for that is powerful too. I'll keep the air setting the way it is for the next several days before I make any adjustments. My tank is less than 2 mos old, so I'm not sure how much gunk is in there to begin with for the skimmer to remove. We shall see...

ya it would be for my 10 gallon tank...from the sounds of it..do you think it may to much strength for a 10 gallon tank?

keith

yup. a little too much flow for a 10g. you may want to pick up a simple auto top-off unit for it so you won't have to add water every day. For my BC14, I use JBJ's A.T.O. with 2 sensors in my tank. One for a top-off trigger and another for shut-off, to prevent the tank from overflowing if the 1st sensor fails. For a 10g, a simple HOB and 10-15% weekly water changes will do the trick.

thats what i have been doin currently..i was lookin at the jbj ato a week ago or so

I got skim action after 1 day. Looks promising. It's difficult to tell from the photo - since the collection cup instantly empties through the tube and into a 2-Liter 7UP bottle - but the foam is nice and dry.

very nice!! damn my small 10g tank hahah

wow the overflow inside the tank seems to take very little space up very nice! Doesnt look as cluttered without the maxijet, filter + surface skimmer, good move aesthetically

Gosh Randy, I'm speechless, your tank is CLEAN!!! i think the filter system was a good choice, it's barely visible from the front and it doesnt take anything away from the focal point. GOOD CHOICE!!

nice! I gotta decide between sump or one of these

I really appreciate that. Constructive comments from this thread are what made me switch out. If it weren't for siwelk, I wouldn't have found out about this new product in the first place. You are so right. Not only is it not as cluttered, but it adds plenty more space for corals. The new filter and powerful protein skimmer has given me more confidence to stock the tank with rare, hard-to-keep SPS. I'll need to mod it a bit to integrate a drip doser for calc and alk. At last, the hardware is done for the most part, and I can now focus on maintaining water quality and coral selection.

Tx for the words of encouragement, Patty. Can't wait for those blue tubs. They're going in the BC14 though.

crash, if it isn't too difficult for you to drill your tank, I'd say go with a full blown sump. You'll have way more flexibility and added water volume. It just doesn't get any cleaner than a closed-loop system with no visible pumps inside. Now if you CANNOT DRILL, but need to settle for a hang-on overflow instead, this is the simplest/cheapest way to do it. Most importantly, you can sleep at night or leave your home for a few days without worrying about your home flooding.

BTW: Does anyone have any recommendations for a good low-cost dosing system?

Thanks for the reply purpleup. Let us know how often the filters need cleaning. Drilling isn't an option unfortunately and being as my location is okinawa trying to find things (IE proper algae for the sump/fuge) is fun (sarcastic).

Just keeping my options open.

oh, BTW, I was born and raised in Richmond Cali.. my old man works at the refinery there.

Well in that case, this AIO filter is very low maintenance, especially if you don't use the bio media. I plan on changing carbons once very 2mos and rinsing the floss twice per month.

*I just signed a loan for one of my mortgage clients in Richmond. Great location. Hub to all of the major cities in the Bay Area. How often do you visit your pops in the US?

Hey everyone, I'm thinking about buying this liquid doser by Eheim and adding B-Ionic 2 Part. Anyone have experience or thoughts on using it for daily calc/alk supplementation?

that seems like a pretty sweet product..are you going to get 2 or just 1 and mix the bionic together?

keith

sounds good, how has the skimmer been acting? Does it react at a consistent pace or does it need any adjusting? (I use a HOB redsea skimmer that sucks). How has the topoff been working?


We hit #4 most dangerous city in the country! I try to take leave every year to visit my family there, my brother is in the Corps and tries as well, easier for him since he is at Pennalton.
My youngest brother is 16 so he keeps our parents busy. lol I dont miss that place but I learned alot about how to stay alive in bad places.


Do you mix your water or do you pull water from the bay and treat it? I am wondering if a calcium doser is needed when I use NSW. I put a small and free frag of button polyps into my tank and within an hour they looked happy and better than when they were in the tank at the LFS.

Keep up the updates, they are a huge help since all you hear is negativity towards this filter.

That was my next question. Is it safe to mix the two together? If so, I'd still buy 2 anyway. One for this tank and another for my BC14. There is a nice spot for it to rest on top of my overflow box. It does up to 8 x 1ml doses per day I think, which is perfect.

Skimmer works well, considering it's only 3 days old, especially with the lack of sufficient protein build up in the collection cup. Unlike my old CPR backpack skimmer, where I had to constantly adjust the air flow and height of the cup to get it to skim right, this thing skims at almost any air setting.

I mix my own salt using RO/DI from the LFS. I can barely keep up with the calcium needs of my other tank, even when I dose my new water before weekly changes. Right now I do it manually with periodic testing of params. This gets old quick. An accurate doser is definitely a must.

I'm still experimenting with the filter, adjusting water levels, height of the overflow, return flow rate, etc. One thing I didn't mention before was that I made the size of the return bulkhead smaller - down to 3/4" from 1 1/8". I was trying to compensate for the reduced return flow caused by using a HydorFlo at the return spout. I worry that gradually, overnight possibly, the rate of water entering the sump is *slower* than the rate at which it comes back into the tank through the HydorFlo - causing it to overflow. So I've been cutting off the auto-fill system (AFS) at night to minimize the chance this might happen. Just paranoid I suppose, until I get more confidence in the new system. I might take a risk tonight and keep the AFS line open. Oh another thing, the AFS works by gravity not activated sensors like JBJ's ATO, so there is no emergency kill switch. If something goes wrong, the AFS will continue to add freshwater until the water level matches that of the sump. Confusing? It's kinda difficult for me to explain.

I will try and keep you posted when the new black one comes out. I might be able to send one your way at no charge but can not promiss anything just yet.

HOW CAN I SAY NO TO THAT!
A black/clear overflow would look mint.

how has the overflow been functioning? Your review is giving the sump vs this filter decision for my setup a good run. I gotta think now of ease of use and overall stability.

another forum had mentioned a downside of using a pump for the syphoning on the overflow. I believe he was worried that it would continue pumping... of course he was one of the "never used it but dont like it" types.
I first saw this unit for sale for 350,000 yen.. about 340 dollars!

Now you can get it for almost half as much. Overflow takes in a whole lot of water for my 25G, which I certainly don't have a problem with. It doesn't skim as much water from the surface as I'd like, but the HydoFlo attached to the return spout directs varying current towards the top - so that's ok. Stability can only be proven with time. As long as my setup is running, I'll be updating this thread. Thanks for making discussion easier by posting useful replies.

This is an awesome thread. I'm getting ready to set-up my first ADA reef tank - a 60P. I too don't want to deal with a sump because of flooding issues and kids being able to open the cabinets and play with sump equipment. I did consider setting up a sump with a couple of control switches from http://www.autotopoff.com/ to turn the pumps off if there's a power outage. However, after a lot flip-flopping, I think I'm going with a Tunze Reefpack 200, which is similar in size to an overflow box. However, most of it will reside inside the tank.

The 60P is nice. I actually bought a 60H at first and had it delivered to my doorstep with a hairline scratch on the front face. When I took it to San Francisco for an exchange, I decided on this 45C instead.

The Tunze Reefpack 200 looks interesting. It mounts anywhere against the glass with a magnet holder. Hmmm, I don't know. You may want to reconsider the Rapids Pro. On sale it's the same price and you get more. After having used this product for the past 3 days, I gotta tell you it solved so many of my problems. The only additional hardware in my tank now is the overflow and a Koralia 1 pump. It's really the next best thing to drilling holes, and we all know you can't drill ADA tanks. As far as the kids tampering with the equipment, this unit is self-contained with all functioning components inside, except the protein skimmer air pump. Water is visible but not exposed. There's not much for them to mess with.

I came very close to getting the Rapids Pro. In fact, if not the Tunze, I will go with the Rapids. My concerns with the Rapids is the nitrate production because of the canister filter action, and I think Tunze may have a better protein skimmer. Again, these are all theoretical stuff I'm trying to figure out since I own neither. So far all I have is the 60P and a 70W Sunpod.

Let me know if you have any questions about how this works. It's unlike a canister, but more like a wet/dry sump, in that the water level in the unit is only 3" from the bottom at all times - not all the way to the top like you would think. So water runs or more like drips from the top through any filter media of your liking. I removed the bio media, and used a carbon bag instead. Pretty cool. My heater is in the 3rd compartment and the probe for my digital thermometer is submerged next to the protein skimmer. The compartments are easy to remove and the system doesn't even need to be shut down to pull them out. Anyhow, good luck with your system. Send me a link to your thread once it's live.

not to but into the conversation but it seems like the Tunze Reefpack 200 could work for me..i was readin that it is for tanks between 10 and 50 gallons..if anyone has it let me know if u think it would be to much flow

keith

No prob, Keith. Would you put it in your fuge? if not, you'd have to rescape your display tank. Perhaps a HOB with integrated skimmer might look better?

very good point..i will def have to look at my options..to many lol

please don't take this the wrong way, but that's the sexiest tubing i've ever seen.

Haha. I thought so too. Bought it @ Home Depot. It even reads, "USE FOR: Fish Tanks DO NOT USE FOR: Ice Dispensers."

So I've been thinking about corals lately (go figure) - the SPS variety - and I figure I'm still a couple of months out until I can add any to my tank. The soft corals in the tank right now are just ornamental place holders until the SPS take over. Can anyone tell me when my tank might have enough stability to add some nice acropora frags? Can I slowly add some now? Tank is just about 2mos old. Or should my live rock be covered with coralline first? Not really an SPS guy, but I'm tryin to become one. Advice?

whatever i decide to do, im definately going to try to get some of that black tubing as well.

PROTEIN SKIMMER PERFORMANCE UPDATE:

Nice gunk collected at the top.

Some SPS from my BC14 that I'm thinking about transferring to this ADA. Just not sure when I should. 250W of HQI lighting is so much more powerful than the 150W in my other tank.

i have heard wait about 2 months..some say longer..i actually just got a birdsnst, monti cap and some random stag yesterday for my tank..i have them just in the sand right now farthest fromthe light to help them get aclimated..soo hopefully it will be ok..hah i was reading bluebastion thread and he was adding sps at like 1.5 months and his are doin well..so we will see

I love the tank, and am particularly impressed with your old BC14 thread. That thing is absolutely gorgeous. I am especially intrigued by the pro-rapids sump setup. Seems like a really nice unit, and a great solution for smaller tanks. I'm a little sceptical about the protein skimmer that comes with it, however. Seems like it might be a tad underpowered. Regardless, for a tank as small as yours, I doubt it will matter much.

My tank has almost no new coralline growth and sustains SPS quite well. Coralline algaes don't usually do as well with brighter light, and really grow best in the presence of calcium gluconates, something SPSes really don't require. (If you want to grow crazy coralline, think lots of actinic lighting and use seachem reef calcium or some other product that contains calcium gluconate. Regardless, these are not things SPSes really need much of, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Judging from your tank pics, and the success of your BC14, I would say you are certainly meticulous and consistent enough in your maintenence routine to keep SPS without a problem. Here are some things to think about regarding SPS husbandry:

1: Stability. SPS are less tolerant of change than softies. Better to have less than ideal parameters that don't change much than parameters that fluctuate alot, but average closer to ideal, if you know what i mean. Especially focus on keeping your temp and salinity stable. These two are relatively easy to test for and control, and changes in temp and salinity that wouldn't even stress a softie visibly could really hurt some SPS corals. The ATO system that comes with your sump setup should help with that. Seems like a neat feature.
2: Calcium and Carbonates. You will find that as you add hard corals to your tank, especially SPS, your calcium and Alk demand will skyrocket. Don't underestimate this, especially in a small tank packed with SPS. I personally love the 2-part additives like B-ionic. Calcium reactors are better. Don't use kalkwasser unless you monitor your pH and magnesium levels. Heavy Kalk use tends to deplete Mg, and can easily send your pH through the roof in a small tank. However, it is a great way to keep your Ca+ and Alk levels up there if you understand the possible problems that can occur with misuse.
3: Nutrients. Nitrates and phosphates should be kept as low as is humanly possible. Some softies seem to like slightly elevated nutrient levels. Most SPS definitely do not. Skimming, water changes, and natural denitrification (algaes, DSB) are all very helpful.
4: Light. You seem to have plenty of light in your tank, imo. I would take into consideration that shallow-water SPS tend to get light that is less blue than deeper water softies in the wild. 10K bulbs tend to get faster growth in my experience vs. 20k bulbs. This doesn't mean they don't won't do fine under bluer light, they will, its just not what many of them get in the wild.
5: Allelopathy. Read about it. Its less of a concern for softie tanks, but once you start mixing hard and soft corals, it becomes an issue. Some SPSes will exhibit stunted growth, poor coloration, or even bleaching in the presence of certain compounds released by leathers, zoanthus, mushrooms, etc. Consider using activated carbon if you don't already, maybe even poly filters. Agressive skimming and Large frequent water changes help too. If you are planning on keeping all hard corals, it becomes almost a non-issue, as hard corals tend to deal with their turf wars in a more visible manner, i.e., by stinging the living crap out of each other. Mixed tanks are more difficult than dedicated softie tanks or dedicated SPS tanks.
6. Water flow. As i'm sure you already know, SPSes thrive in water current that would irritate or even kill softies.
7. Feeding. SPSes can do fine without eating directly, but they really thrive and show their best colors if you are feeding them regularly. I use cyclops-eeze and oyster eggs soaked in selcon, squirted into the branches of my SPS every other day. Feeding isn't strictly neccessary with most SPS, but a well fed animal is more forgiving of other sins than a hungry animal.

I'm sure you knew most of this already, but hell, it couldn't hurt to type it out here for everyone's benefit. I don't mean to make it sound hard to keep SPSes, it really isn't hard at all. I have been keeping SPS for 15 years, and many of them tolerate quite a bit of neglect and abuse. They just have slightly different needs than soft corals.

-Josh

Josh. WOW. I'm gonna to refer to your comments for my daily dose of SPS do's and don'ts. I do appreciate the time you spent on that reply. I'm sure others will benefit from it as well. Your point about Allelopathy was especially interesting. I'll have to look up more info on it. That's quite a bit of good information from someone who's been keeping SPS for 15+ years. I may be tapping your brain in the near future once I am ready to begin colonizing my tank. Thanks again.

Super post, Josh! Thanks!

--Diane