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Cultivated Reef

April 2013 Featured Reef - NanoTopia's 20 Gallon Nano Reef

Christopher Marks

By Christopher Marks,
in General Discussion

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gena

gena

Posted
Posted

Congrats! Beautiful tank :happy:

 

I read in your feature that you clean your skimmer cup neck daily. Mine gets a build-up over time, but I notice when I clean it, it seems to take a few days for the skimmer to really start working great again. Which is why I clean it very infrequently. Do you not have this problem with yours? And what are the drawbacks to not cleaning that neck frequently, in your opinion?

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amored

amored

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Posted

congrats, and this is great tank, truly. but i will say it's a bit discouraging to see that so much complexity is involved. the zeovit system seems to be working well for you, but have you ever tried tapering off anything to see if it's really necessary?

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NanoTopia

NanoTopia

Posted
Posted

Congrats! Beautiful tank :happy:

 

I read in your feature that you clean your skimmer cup neck daily. Mine gets a build-up over time, but I notice when I clean it, it seems to take a few days for the skimmer to really start working great again. Which is why I clean it very infrequently. Do you not have this problem with yours? And what are the drawbacks to not cleaning that neck frequently, in your opinion?

Thanks so much Gena,

 

I skim dry, most of everything the skimmer catches is on the neck (inside). When it gets dirty I find it catches less so I keep it as clean as I can, this was also recommended to me from another reefer. Use a small spatula to clean the neck out, this is what I do most of the time, so it is not squeaky clean just free of build up. Not sure why your skimmer takes so long to become active again, I see green within an hour after cleaning mine. What skimmer are you using Gena, could also be your water is quite clean, in this case you won't see much production. :)

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gena

gena

Posted
Posted

Thanks so much Gena,

 

I skim dry, most of everything the skimmer catches is on the neck (inside). When it gets dirty I find it catches less so I keep it as clean as I can, this was also recommended to me from another reefer. Use a small spatula to clean the neck out, this is what I do most of the time, so it is not squeaky clean just free of build up. Not sure why your skimmer takes so long to become active again, I see green within an hour after cleaning mine. What skimmer are you using Gena, could also be your water is quite clean, in this case you won't see much production. :)

I have a "cheap" AquaticLife Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115. It works great though in combination with my chaeto fuge in the back chamber!

 

I should clarify, that it still skims, but it doesn't seem like the liquid is as "dirty" as it is before I clean the neck. I'll try the spatula trick so as not to make it squeaky clean. I agree with you that a skimmer is so important to a reef tank's health. I've noticed a big difference since adding it to my tank....a tank filled with corals (softies) that like it dirty too :)

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NanoTopia

NanoTopia

Posted
Posted

congrats, and this is great tank, truly. but i will say it's a bit discouraging to see that so much complexity is involved. the zeovit system seems to be working well for you, but have you ever tried tapering off anything to see if it's really necessary?

Thank you so much,

 

I think I have somehow made it look more complex then it really is (at least to me). I think you have made a good point, I have tried to single out the effects of each supplement individually to see what each is doing. I have also come to the determination that some zeovit additives contain similar ingredients, thus can be omitted if a similar additive is being used. Each product has a purpose but not all are necessarily needed. I have experimented with most of them now (ZeoSpur2 is next) and I will be removing some from my dosing regiment over time. The heart of the system is the Zeolites (stones), ZeoBak (bacteria), ZeoStart3 (carbon source), and ZeoFood7 (coral food). I don't need to dose the last one due to the fact I use other zeovit supplements that are considered food. All the other additives (little blue bottles) are for tweaking colours and problem solving, some, all, or none may be required depending on the reef.

 

Sorry for the long winded response, I hope it helped clarify things a little. I have tried many filtration methods in the past (including under gravel filters), yes I'm old. To date, this method is the most biologically sound system I have experienced. No system is perfect, each have pros and cons, but for me this method works very well. Once the method is understood, it seems ridiculously simple.

 

Christine :)

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NanoTopia

NanoTopia

Posted
Posted

I have a "cheap" AquaticLife Internal Mini Protein Skimmer 115. It works great though in combination with my chaeto fuge in the back chamber!

 

I should clarify, that it still skims, but it doesn't seem like the liquid is as "dirty" as it is before I clean the neck. I'll try the spatula trick so as not to make it squeaky clean. I agree with you that a skimmer is so important to a reef tank's health. I've noticed a big difference since adding it to my tank....a tank filled with corals (softies) that like it dirty too :)

I suspect you don't have a lot of nutrients to pull out of your system. There are things that interfere with skimate production and fractionation in general, my skimmer works better at times as well so I don't think it's that uncommon. Dose phyto daily and you should see more happening skimate wise. You also have to consider that the AL115 skimmer is not capable of pulling massive amounts from the water, the bubble production created by the pump is minimal compared to what is created by a larger skimmer. Still, if you find it more productive when it is dirty, don't clean it as often, no harm done. :)

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Spirofucci

Spirofucci

Posted
Posted

I have always admired your tank especially with all the recent upgrades and adding the zeo. This award is long overdue eventhough TOTM was not an end goal for you.

 

Not only is your tank worthy but I always enjoy your input on other threads!!!

 

Again....congrats!!!

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NanoTopia

NanoTopia

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Posted

Beautiful tank. Congratulations!

Thank you very much iSea :)

 

Congrats!

Thanks a bundle Arkayology, good luck with the Zeo :)

 

Congrats Christine your tank is stunning as usual. ;)

Thanks for the kind words ExSmoker :)

 

I have always admired your tank especially with all the recent upgrades and adding the zeo. This award is long overdue eventhough TOTM was not an end goal for you.

 

Not only is your tank worthy but I always enjoy your input on other threads!!!

 

Again....congrats!!!

Spiro thank you, you are a masterful reefer, I look forward to seeing your tank TOTM in May (hopefully), seriously a beautiful tank(s).

 

Congrats Christine its been an awesome journey so far. Keep up the great work!

Thank you Rehype, your tanks are such an inspiration to me and others here on nano-reef. I would like to see this tank continue to grow out then plan my next build. :)

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Mr. Microscope

Mr. Microscope

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Posted

Congratulations NT! I've been following your tank for some time now. I love how clean your setup is. Your equipment looks as beautiful as your display! Well deserved!

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NanoTopia

NanoTopia

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Posted

Congratulations NT! I've been following your tank for some time now. I love how clean your setup is. Your equipment looks as beautiful as your display! Well deserved!

Thank you Mr. M, your tank and attention to detail has been an inspiration to me.

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Walker

Walker

Posted
Posted

Congrats!! Nice to see a BC hobbyist get the TotM nod :).

 

Question though - I notice that you use a CPR CS90 overflow. Has it ever given you problems? I've pretty much given up using an overflow on my tank for fear of causing an overflow, but yours seems to work fine.

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NanoTopia

NanoTopia

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Posted

Thanks Walker :)

 

Where are you located exactly (you can PM me), always helpful to know reefers around the area.

 

Yes, the overflow was not planned, just something that happened soon after start-up. I don't like it, to be honest it scares me. My next tank will have built in overflow. I clear the suction tube and tom aqua lifter weekly, PITA. Never again !

 

Christine

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