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5g ADA Rimless - 24 Months in


dapellegrini

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Quick FTS with all of the lights on... not sure my camera is capturing the difference, but here you go anyways

 

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and a couple of starfish wandering around:

 

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WOW! Looks really nice. I love the design of the ADA tanks, just to expensive.

 

I agree they are pricey, but when you look at the possibilities . Dan has shown us why. Excellent work! I absolutly love your tank and build. I want to get an aqua medic 70 watt fixture as well, but they are 250$. not cheap. And the funny thing is no L.e.ds. :mellow: . I would bee all over this fixture if you didn't have to spen the extra 100$ to upgrade to the l.e.ds. Oh well I will crack eventually. B) Once again Dan Fabulous.

Matt

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Ya it is spendy... Here is the breakdown on hardware (from memory):

 

ADA Mini-M Aquarium: $60

Stand from Target: $80

AquaMedic 70w Pendant: $250

LEDs: $100

Heater, Powerhead and Thermometer: $50

Timer / Powerstrip: $25

Misc DIY stuff: $50

+ Many, many different tools required (may need to buy or borrow)

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

Total (estimated) $615 in hardware

 

If you add in the livestock/LR.LS/misc it starts to gets daunting ... but I would spend it all again. I figured this little thing would run me around $1,000 before I took the plunge.

 

If you have a bigger tank or can hang the light higher, I hear pretty good things about these cheap-ish 150w pendants:

 

http://www.fishneedit.com/150w-metal-halide-pendant-lig.html

 

They look a lot like mine, without the light deflectors/curtains... and it looks like a shoddier build.

 

 

...

 

Forgot to mention I also changed out my Rio 180 for a Koralia Nano - much better, spread out flow.

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Yeah that 150 looks good probably until you see it in person. It also has a magnetic ballast insted of electronical. You know what they say, get what you pay for, and too good to be true. -_-

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Lights out now - will post an update later this weekend - nothing too exciting, no new additions, etc, but things are doing well as usual. One of my sponges is not so happy though

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Congratulations on TOTM. Your high end planted freshwater experience really shows in this tank. The natural look, the sloping sand, choice of corals, and the balanced aquascape. I couldn't do it better myself. Keep up the great work.

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Very nice tank. Its very simple, clean and satisfying.

 

What kind of Pipe is that to hold your MH? How'd you bend it so nicely? Where can you get this kind of pipe?

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dapellegrini
What kind of Pipe is that to hold your MH? How'd you bend it so nicely? Where can you get this kind of pipe?

 

It is 3/4" EMT Pipe from Home Depot, bent using a Pipe Bender, then spraypainted and drilled for light mounting.

 

Here is the Pipe Bender:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=1301540

 

and the build:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=1299226

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dapellegrini

This Monti Cap is gonna need a good fragging soon... any advice? I have never fragged one before

 

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The scroll algae is going through a weird phase, excreting a slimy coating:

 

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Happy Gorgonias

 

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Happy Acro, though not really growing yet...

 

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Hard to tell in this pic, but the Confusa is doing A LOT better than when I got it. Seems to be settling in nicely

 

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That little strand of near-dead GSP I got a few months back has settled in and is starting to cover the back of the tank

 

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I am not convinced that the sponges are happy, the one without the zoanthid colony is definitely not, I may give it to someone with a bigger tank to see if they can turn it around. But the Green Ric right there has just about finished splitting

 

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I local friend is tearing down their tank and gifted me a few zoas and green palys

 

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For the longest time I would move the Xenia every time it put out a foot to avoid it from spreading, but I finally let it spread to another little piece of live rock - needless to say it is very happy

 

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Poreclain Crab is also happy

 

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Parting FTS:

 

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These are all pics from moments ago - on the 7th it will be 1 year!

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I'd love to see a picture of your lighting over the 1st fresh water tank you have displayed in this forum. Also, where do you get these 5g ADA tanks from? Are they tempered on the sides? Can they be drilled?

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dapellegrini
I'd love to see a picture of your lighting over the 1st fresh water tank you have displayed in this forum. Also, where do you get these 5g ADA tanks from? Are they tempered on the sides? Can they be drilled?

 

That is another ADA tank, about 17-18 gallons with a 4x Tek light over it. Here are some pictures of mounting the light:

 

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This was my first light hanging project - you can see the whole story here: http://community.azaquaticplants.com/showt...hlight=hang+tek

 

God, i can never get over how clean and simple your tank is, but at the same time how gourgeous it is! :bowdown:

 

Thanks :)

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This Monti Cap is gonna need a good fragging soon... any advice? I have never fragged one before

 

IMG_6474.JPG

 

I make accidental frags of my idaho grape all the time, so you can just use your hand and break off a chunk, but that is obviously far from accurate. I'm not sure what people do to get more accurate frags.

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Obsessed Reefer

Dude CONGRATS ON TOTM AND ONE YEAR!!! And that's the ADA tank I wish I could afford (the 17g one) You have a thread about that?

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Dan, your well executed project proves, once again, that with the right choice of elements, a captivating and sustainable reef aquascape can be created in a small space. Congratulations!

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