[Aquapod 12] mods! Let's see em!

[EmasCterE]

Hi guys,

 

With the remodeling in the house, I was about to get rid of my tank. It's just too painful moving it around while there is so much crap in the air. Then I met a guy selling a brand new aquapod. Ended up trading him for some of my corals and now I have an aquapod I can set up in my office

 

Before I set it up, I was hoping to perform all the mods on it. Rather do it while there's no water in there. The few things I've been thinking of doing is:

 

1. replacing the pump with the maxijet I use for water changes to add more flow.

2. Adding an auto topoff to dose kalk. Will be using my hospital dosing pump to do that. Should be a nice slow flow.

 

Anything else you guys can think of? Especially with the back chambers? I'm trying to stay away from growing macro in the back b/c I'm with the people who don't think it makes much sense.

 

If there is already a thread out there that's specifically on aquapod mods, sorry for the double post!

[EmasCterE]

Wow... either this forum gets very little traffic or it's very unfriendly to new people.

 

I guess I'll head back to reefcentral.

[O Fs]

I'm sorry NR has given such a bad first impression, and I can't vouch for everyone else on this site, but over the past, the same question has been asked over and over and I think everyone just needs a little break, many of the questions you have asked pretaining to the All-in-One System have already been answered, whether its in Nano Cube form or Aqua Pod..

 

a neat thing about Nano-reef as opposed to reef central is that Nano-reef utilizes the Search option (a REAL handy device) just type in keywords, in this case "Aquapod 12g" and than a huge list of topics pretaining to what you searched for will appear..

 

Deeply sorry bro

 

I can answer a few questions here: personally if you don't want to go the macroalgae route, you can take a DIY skimmer route or simply just do regular water changes

 

As for back chambers, there are millions of opinions on this, as for myself, I like to keep it as natural as possible, the only chemical filtration I have is a small piece of PuraPad which is basically all the chemicals you will ever need in one spiffy pad...

 

Other than that the usual LR Rubble, MacroAlgae in the back chambers, I threw in a little DIY skimmer as well (many DIY skimmers on Nano Reef)

 

Again, sorry it was a bad first impression, take care of yourself, Emasctere

[Ganomish]

A couple of other suggestions.

1 - Make sure your lighting is not part of the recall.

2 - I cut some piece of plastic to cover the botting 2 intakes into chamber 1, and even covered the bottom half of the skimmer teeth. Now it really seems to skim the surface much better.

I use LR rubble in bags with a thin layer of Floss in chamber 1. (change every 2 days)

Fred

[EmasCterE]

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for the replies. I apologize if my tone came off as rude but my goal of this post was to group all of the mods available for the aquapod together in one post to make life easier for others like me who come across this forum.

 

As a member of many forums, I've used the search button before I posted this. I did not find a comprehensive post on this topic in this forum. It's been mostly tidbits here and there of people posting only one mod.

 

The most common one's I've seen are:

 

1. Tear out the ballast and put more lights in the hood to get lower temps/more light

2. Install that thing on the return pump(hydro?)

3. Upgrade pump

4. put chaeto, lr, rubble, foam in the back chambers.

5. add a 70W metal halide (i'm VERY tempted to do this!)

 

As I stated above, I was just trying to group everything into one. I think it would be beneficial to this forum if this was done for both the nanocube and the aquapod, 12 and 24.

 

On a side note, do you think adding lr rubble in the back chambers really helps? I'm curious about this because without light back there, i'd imagine there would be no life on the rock. If that's the case, you might as well just use those cylindrical things that came with the aquapod. On my bigger tank, I place LR and chaeto in my 20G sump along with a light to help everything grow.

 

A couple of other suggestions.

1 - Make sure your lighting is not part of the recall.

2 - I cut some piece of plastic to cover the botting 2 intakes into chamber 1, and even covered the bottom half of the skimmer teeth. Now it really seems to skim the surface much better.

I use LR rubble in bags with a thin layer of Floss in chamber 1. (change every 2 days)

Fred

 

I'm on the fence about the bottom two intakes on chamber 1. On one side, I'd like it to also draw water from the middle. I think this actually helps the water flow in the tank remain more random. On the other side, I would like better surface skimming.

 

The two things I'm going to add to this tank as of this moment is a auto top off and a heater. Probably better cooling or just go topless w/ the 70W MH

[O Fs]

You know what? about the LR rubble, I personally do not understand the secret behind the madness, I only did it because everyone else did (honestly speaking)

 

but if I were to conjure up a thought, supposedly Live rock has got some magical powers to it, its able to eat up dissolved organics and what not, I am sure if we take the reef scenerio, not all of the live rock is able to recieve light from the sun, via rocks on top of rocks, but they still are able to retain their lively hood...

 

if anyone starts talking scientifically about the nature of live rock and what not, you can be assured they googled the information ^_^

 

It has proven to work with others, and myself, so put one and two together, and you've got yourself a winning set up

[Ganomish]

Regarding the Intakes:

 

I actually covered the lower intakes for 2 reasons.

1 - my tank developed a surface scum that did not go away until I finally covered the bottom half of the top intake (skimmer)

2 - I have a layer of floss on top of Chamber 1, this would not do much good unless ALL of the water went through it.

 

Regarding LR Rubble:

 

My thought is that it is probably beneficial to have SOME media in the flow through chambers to accomodate additional denitrifying bacteria, so NH3 and NO2 do not hang around at all. You could use those ceramic rings just as well, but if you use something with a CaCO3 base, it will help with pH buffering. Most important is make the media something that does not collect debris, like those sponges.

And even so, an occasional rinse in water change water would not hurt. That is why I "bag" my rubble.

I guess we should really just call it "Coral Rubble", since it is different from what we normally call "Live Rock"

 

Don't forget, there are beneficial critters, (sponges, worms, tunicates...) that can grow on rock in a unlighted chamber that can help your tank.

 

Cheers

[opihi]

1) I also cut plastic pieces to block the middle intakes, and block a large portion of the overflow teeth. this helped fix the surface scum problem. i'm also hoping that water surface clear of gunk will increase gas exchange leading to lower temps.

 

2) Added an eheim 1000 & hydro flow.

 

Regarding a heater, the 50W Hydro THEO heater fits perfectly in the 2nd chamber, it's only 7" tall.

 

Right now, i'm trying to think of a way to keep the heat down. Tank is up to 86 after having the lights on for the last 7 hours. luckily, there's nothing in there but LR & sand. An open top is not an option for me, as it's an office tank. any suggestions? i noticed that there seems to be an empty space for another fan, may have to go that route.

[EmasCterE]

Hi Ophi,

 

Please bear with me because I'm new to this also.

 

From what I've read, there are a few things you can do. My tank will also be an office tank so asthetics are important to me. These are placed in the order I would do them until my tank is in the high 70s.

 

1. Leave the feeding flap open at all times. This will help get some air in that hot box.

2. Add another fan either in the flap or on the hood. I'm personally going to try to add one on the hood because I think it looks somewhat weird in that flap portion.

3. Relocate the ballasts for the PCs so that they are outside the aquapod. This will drastically decrease temps.

4. Go topless! I'm waiting for premiumaquatics clip on 70W Metal Halide to be made. It's a cheap ($150 is relatively cheap for MH setup) alternative and I don't think it'll look too weird in the office. I sometimes like to look at my corals from the top.

[Ganomish]

If you are going topless, there is also a JBJ Viper 150 or 70W unit.

I think Nanotuners.com sells them.

They look decent, and have heard good stuff so far about them.

Cheers

[opihi]

Going topless is not an option. i think the light overspill would be blinding as the pendant would be eye level for me when i'm sitting at my desk.

 

I've been thinking about replacing the OEM fan and putting a second one over the left vent because the OEM fan is loud IMO.

 

What are the typical results of relocating the ballasts? don't think that would be enough in my case b/c it pushed 86 yesterday.

 

i do like the AquaPod, but it's kinda weird that the manufacturers haven't designed around these problems in the first place.

 

This is gonna be a great thread!

[AlexfromSATX]

Because i was having temp issues I started looking to see how people fixed there problem and I found this EASY DIY fix for the the pods mainly, but I'm sure it could be done with an NC. It allows for the lid to stay closed and keeps that all-in one look.

 

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...threadid=809681

 

I did it to mine and holy cow does it work, and doesn't look really bad either. I did the fan, but I dropped the 9-volt adapter and just wired it up to a plug. Check it out. Hopefully it helps someone.

[spankey]

I have a AP 12 as well. I love this tank but think Current could have done some things different. One relocate the balasts outside the tank. Two put a cooler pump with the system also.

 

I had to switch my stock pump out for a MJ900 just to drop the tank 3 degree's... I tried the hydor on the MJ900 but it didn't seem to move the water all that much. You figure with the one foot head in the return tube, then to turn the hydor most likely cut the pump to a 100gph vs what it is stock and free of obstructions? On a MJ1200 it would move much better, but on a 9, nah.... But they do work.

 

They could have for third provided the second fan to the left on the hood. They provide the plug hookup but no second fan? If they are going to keep the balasts in the hood, they are going to have to ship with two fans. Maybe with one blowing in and the other blowing out?

 

All and all, this is a neat tank. I would buy another one. I love thier lights. Dead on as far as PC's go. Coralife bulbs are much brighter than current's however, current sunpaq bulbs are colored just right.

 

My only mod to my pod was the pump for one. Second I pealed all the black vinyl off the back of the tank. I then placed some culupra glued to some frag plugs in the second chamber with some rock ruble. I run NO sponge or such and my tank stays clear as a whistle. I then after removing the vinyle, placed a 6500k spiral bulb from HD in a spotlight behind the tank and it comes on at 12am to 6am.

 

I would however love to be able to skim this tank. So I think my next REAL mod to this tank will be a drilled small bulkhead in the lower chamber (the long one the pump is in under all three chamers. Then a small 10 gallon sump under the tank. This way I can have a full blown fuge and a small skimmer on the tank too!!!! Just a thought!

 

Good luck with all your pod mod's.. Keep em coming. Here is a pic of mine!

I to think I will block the bottom vents as suggested in this thread to remove the slight surface film I get from time to time. However I did notice that the only time I have any type of surface film is right after I feed? It does go away... Just takes a day to dislove!!!!

 

[spankey]

Another mod Just added my auto top off in the rear chamber. This should keep the salinity nicely equal now!.....

 

Spank!

[opihi]

opened up the 2 back vents, and disconnected the lid from the top so the back is vented. that helped a lot, temp dropped to ~82, it's now 83.6 with all lights on for the past 2 hours.

 

Spankey, got a pic/link to your ATO mod?

[spankey]

Opps I did that too. Forgot to post that. I also added another fan to the left side that blows into the hood. My bad..

 

As for the ATO.. I took a floatswitch from that website floatswitch.###. I then drilled a normal medicine bottle on the bottom. Threaded the switch into it,and twisted the nut so it was snug. I also drilled holes in the medicine bottle to allow water to flow into it. Now this is so perfect... I had an old heater laying around. The heater had a bracket that allowed it to move up and down inside the bracket, with suctions cups on the back. The medicine bottle fits perfect inside the heater holder. Mind you I had to sand down the flange larger part for where the lid went for the medicine container.

 

I then placed the finished product into the bracket and it welcomed it perfectly. I placed this in the 3rd chamber and the cool thing its totally adjustable and removeable!!!! I will try to snap some pics of this later on... Something like this is perfect for our little tanks because you can adjust it up or down depending where you want your water level in your rear chambers...

 

I could make others some of these if they wanted tooo.. I could make the bracket with the suction cup and attach the medicine bottle to it. Place the floatswitch inside and volia! Just add the air pump and gallon jug and airline tubing and you are set!!!

 

Spankey!

[EmasCterE]

opened up the 2 back vents, and disconnected the lid from the top so the back is vented. that helped a lot, temp dropped to ~82, it's now 83.6 with all lights on for the past 2 hours.

 

Spankey, got a pic/link to your ATO mod?

 

 

There's a couple ways you can do a ATO. I'm using a hospital pump which drips in the water. This will allow me to dose kalk even on such a small tank.

 

The second way mentioned above is to use a float switch. I've done this also in the past. The easiest way that I can recommend is to go to Tap Plastics or any acrylic shop and get a scrap piece of acrylic. Drill a hole in the acrylic and screw in the float switch w/ the nut and float switch. Then attach the acrylic piece w/ silicone at the level you would like the water to be at in one of your chambers. When the water is sitting below that level, the switch will turn on and your ATO will begin pumping in fresh water into the tank. Your ATO can be made by putting a pump in a tub of water or by using a jug and an air pump. It's probably best to dump into the first chamber so it has time to mix w/ salt water before it reaches the tank. I believe for this method, it's best to block off those slits halfway down in the first chamber.

[Ganomish]

opened up the 2 back vents, and disconnected the lid from the top so the back is vented. that helped a lot, temp dropped to ~82, it's now 83.6 with all lights on for the past 2 hours.

 

Spankey, got a pic/link to your ATO mod?

 

 

Please explain mod more.

Opened up the 2 back vents = cut out every other blade?

Disconnected the lid from the top ... Please explain.

 

Thanks

Fred

[opihi]

EmasCterE-- i just wanted to know which one spankey built. i've built a few types of ATO, this time around i'd like to try the battery operated air pump one. seems like a fun little project.

 

i don't particularly care for gravity or timed release solutions because the evaporation rates here in the desert are very difficult to anticipate and require constant tinkering. that said, i may need to go that route since it's in my office and i can't risk an overflow!

 

Ganomish/Fred-- looking at the vents from the top, i removed all the recessed "blades". i scored them with an x-acto blade then pulled them out with needle nose pliers. not the cleanest way to remove them, but i was working with the tools we have in the office.

 

I'll try to explain how i disconnected the lid as best as i can on my first cup of coffee. Basically, i removed the lid from the tank and then set it back down so that the back "rods" that normally fit inside the hooks sit on top of the hooks. it gives me about a .5" lift on the back. I then put a water bottle cap under the front because the fan makes a god awful noise if it's not started in a level position.

 

good news is that the tank was at 82 this morning! still a little high, but i can live with it if the high temp remains steady at under 84. i'll take that < 2 degree swing anytime.

 

Jeff

[Ganomish]

EmasCterE-- i just wanted to know which one spankey built. i've built a few types of ATO, this time around i'd like to try the battery operated air pump one. seems like a fun little project.

 

i don't particularly care for gravity or timed release solutions because the evaporation rates here in the desert are very difficult to anticipate and require constant tinkering. that said, i may need to go that route since it's in my office and i can't risk an overflow!

 

Ganomish/Fred-- looking at the vents from the top, i removed all the recessed "blades". i scored them with an x-acto blade then pulled them out with needle nose pliers. not the cleanest way to remove them, but i was working with the tools we have in the office.

 

I'll try to explain how i disconnected the lid as best as i can on my first cup of coffee. Basically, i removed the lid from the tank and then set it back down so that the back "rods" that normally fit inside the hooks sit on top of the hooks. it gives me about a .5" lift on the back. I then put a water bottle cap under the front because the fan makes a god awful noise if it's not started in a level position.

 

good news is that the tank was at 82 this morning! still a little high, but i can live with it if the high temp remains steady at under 84. i'll take that < 2 degree swing anytime.

 

Jeff

 

Thanks Ophi,

I do not currently have a temp problem in my Apod, but summer is a-comin'.

The ventilation is (my opinion) the real sore point in this setup.

I saw one guys mod that added a small PC fan in the left-rear-side of the canopy. I think it was a 40mm fan blowing in. It wouldn't have the impact of your fan since it doesn't blow directly on the water, but it does push air into the air chamber over the water.

I may try this myself.

Fred

[opihi]

i have a small computer fan standing nearby also. temperature fluctuates a little bit during the day (ambient temp factoring?), but right now it's sitting at 81.3 been 81.x throughout the morning, actually.

 

[CyCLOnE]

I just got my aquapod and i was wondering if this chamber set up would work.

 

1~ Sponge

2~Fission skimmer

3~Fuge w/ rubble and cheato

4~ pump and heater

 

 

But the only problem i see is i cant get the skimer to fit in Chamber 2 ill keep trying but i have only been able to fit in chamver one.

thanks

[Ganomish]

I just got my aquapod and i was wondering if this chamber set up would work.

 

1~ Sponge

2~Fission skimmer

3~Fuge w/ rubble and cheato

4~ pump and heater

But the only problem i see is i cant get the skimer to fit in Chamber 2 ill keep trying but i have only been able to fit in chamver one.

thanks

 

 

Cyclone,

i think the fission has to go in chamber 2. That is the chamber that has a constant level. Are you sure you have it assembled proplerly?

[CyCLOnE]

Ganomish

 

I did follow the directions on how to assembly it. I finally got the skimmer in chamber two. I got it to fit perfect i didnt force it or anything and it fits perfect.

 

Also i have heard that the Fission Skimmer was sopposed to go in chamber one?

[Ganomish]

Cyclone,

(I looked for the posting, but it must have been on a different forum.)

Someone had posted a diagram from CURRENT, show how and where to install the skimmer. I am almost positive it was in chamber 2 in a APod 12.

I suggest emailing CURRENT and get their install diagram/info.

Regards