new setup! Alife7

convinced the girlfriend our living room would look great with a lil reef. just in time too because my new Alife 7 is coming via UPS tomorrow or wednesday:D i'm curious if anyone out there could let me know the tanks dimensions so i can get started on building a lil table/stand. i'm gonna set it up for a whole harem of sexy shrimp (i apologize...i didn't research the polygomistic habits of anemone shrimps so this may in fact be a misrepresentation.) sounds cool though;) i'm gonna run stock lighting (27W 50/50 PC) and filtration (replacing return pump) although i would be interested to hear if anyone runs a protein skimmer and how its setup. i'll do some sand and tonga branch rock most likely. any cool-compatible fish ideas? no outlandish invert plans except for the T. Gigas and feather stars, of course.

bump

You should just have one fish in a tank that size. Perhaps a clownfish, cardinal, or firefish? I'm not sure on the exact dimensions of the tank; you'll probably want to wait until you have it though, so you can get the exact dimensions you need.

j/k:D

really i was thinking something like a borneo cardinal (some people call em bangaii, or high fin). you know the silver and black guy everyone has these days. what do ya think? or is his mouth too big for the sexy shrimp to stand a chance?

BTW m3 Ryan was nice enough to forward me the dimensions i needed (and he has an Alife 7 FOR SALE.

Much props!

The size is 12-1/2" wide by 13" deep. I had a small stand built for my ALIFE to sit on. I didn't like bending over to look at it. I had the stand built to hold my in-basket papers. It works great; the power strip and light timer are hidden behind the in-basket.

http://photos.yahoo.com/rick_j_g

I have a bangaii cardinal in my 7 right now, but I wouldn't recommend it. Since I've moved him, he's broken the tips off of all his fins, though he does appear healthy. I think the tank and spacing of the rockwork is just too small since it's such a tall fish when you take into account the fins and body.

sweet looking tank, looks to be progressing nicely (assuming the pics are in somewhat chronological order). just curious, would you classify that as a DSB or just a cheap way to increase LUX?

i just finished unpacking the the tank (and repacking because my girlfriend doesn't know i ordered it yet:P ) and i think it looks awesome!!!! we'll see about those lighting issues. can't wait to see if she's sea-worthy! you know something on the box that got my attention (coincidently one of the few things that wasn't written in chinese) it says i can keep seaweeds in there. if this is true all i can say is to hell with ya'll and look out for kelp-patty.com BABY!

excuse my exuberance, but i always loved it as a LFS guy, when someone asked me for the "seaweeds"

on a side note, not that i need an excuse to bash Petco, but yesterday buying nature's ocean pseudo-LS (nowhere else to get it up here on the tundra, believe you me, they're the last business i want to support) an employee told me that was "really nice stuff (inferring he had used it)" before asking what kind of tank i was setting up. i abliged (?) him responding a "small saltwater reef". to which he said "oh, saltwater."??? priceless:D

am i the thread killer or what? every thread i write on comes to a screaching halt. i can only assume that i have been so thorough that there are no more questions to be answered or posed. that or i'm dull.

wait though...glazer called me buddy in a pm the other day, and he's cool! and dave even acknowledged one funny thing i said, i think. i feel better now. thanks for letting me talk myself off the ledge!

is it that i have 5 consecutive posts on this thread?

note to self: maybe people are just sick of talking about friggin alife tanks

is that a record or something?

Not even close.. I believe I hold the record in my "Lakers 3Peat" thread which eventually got deleted.

Did you get your ALIFE new. If so where? Does anyone have a phone number or website where you can order a new ALIFE? They are so popular the people who make them whoever they are should start selling them on the web. thanks

hallaster and whom it may concern-

i just got my Alife7 new and shipped to me in the midwest, quite a feat! i went through reptile depot cuz there was a link up awhile ago (search for "alife" and you may still find it active). i got mine for $100 plus $10S+H, sweet deal i'd say. and yes its the 7 gallon, 27W, "deluxe" model. it did take them three weeks and 4 harrassing phone calls to finally ship it though. I've heard that aquatic warehouse (http://www.aquaticwarehouse.com) has them but they aren't currently listed on their website so you'll have to talk to them (i think they were asking $130). anyways, hope that helps, i may post pics today depending on how the setup goes!

and nanoreefin-congrats on the lakers three-peating. i'd be happy to see my timber-puppies make it past the first round of the playoffs (timberwolves-six years in a row-one-and-done, a record, me six consecutive posts-a midwestern regional record). then thankfully nanoreefin breaks the streak! is this the wolves' year too?

now pimping the Alife 7! the 27W 50/50 is hella-blue but cool i guess! got a Jalli 50W titanium heater which seems to be doing a nice job. switched out the Alife POS PH for a minijet 404. i think i'm gonna try to direct the flow nozzle, or lack thereof. got any easy ideas? put my favorite nature's ocean sand- about 10lbs plus a lil from my 5 hex in there. then picked up about 9 lbs of awesome marshall islands' rock. definitely not cured, but beautiful. got this lil cave thing going on. i might frag a small colt i have and hang some of it at the front of the cave. some bristle worms but i have a hungry arrow crab in the waiting and a few won't hurt, right? i think my harem of sexy shrimp will look very sexy in their new home. now we wait and test, and wait. any one got experience fraggin colts?

Here's the Alife 7 for those who haven't seen one. MT

complete with 2" fan and splash shield. filtration visible at rear.

water comes in on the left. passes through/over three baffles before completing its journey to the return pump (replaced with minijet 404). sponge mechanical filtration for now, later to be replaced with carbon and phos sponge. 50W Jalli titanium heater is in second slot from left, TINY! has done a nice job so far!

with 10 lbs nature's ocean LS and 10 lbs Marshall Islands LR. Sexy Shrimp brothel. Any aminal suggestions now that you see what i've done?

Where did you find that cool stand?

Looks like it fits the ALIFE perfectly!!!

Don't forget to check that cooling fan to make sure it blows air in,

NOT sucks air out. The salt water will kill the light.

i hadn't thought about reversing the fan but that might help. i have already had a lil salt spray in there. i found the stand after much searching at a local custom oak furniture store. it was designed to be a plant stand but was perfect height (for the tanks placement and 13x13 (just big enough!). anyways i'll put pics up as they are warranted. thanks for the interest!

Ah.. looking at your pics brings back memories of my old Alife tank..

These are the best pictures of the Alife 7 I have yet to see. If anyone wants a tank like this and does live in a place where they are avalable I am selling one.

tgrupert-blame the decent pictures on the canon A100, you recommended and i bought. i know you were refering to the angles and composition rather than the picture quality but i just thought i'd say thanks! the features really are unique for an entry level camera. i like it a lot! maybe when i really learn how to use it my pics will turn out better, but for now i think they're good enough! BTW i really like the tank too!