25G ADA TANK 18X18X18" RIMLESS CUBE

[PurpleUP]

You're right. As with most things in life, it's a compromise. What I don't like about the Rapids is the protein skimmer. So technically, I could buy the surface skimmer and the autofill separately and then connect them both to a cheap PetsMart 20 gallon tank. That way I can stick a protein skimmer of my choice in there.

 

You and me both. The Rapids Pro protein skimmer leaves a bit to be desired. But then you would need a overflow solution to your 20gal sump, right? Are you thinking about using a siphon overflow? Honestly, I don't know much about how these operate, but I understand there is a much higher risk of flooding caused by power outages when the power comes back on and the siphon doesn't restart. Perhaps SPS20 can answer this same question for me in his other thread. Somebody sell me and I'll make the switch.

 

Also, just FYI, the bigger version of the Reefpack, the Reefpack 500, comes with a built-in autofill (Osmolator). It can be special ordered through MarineDepot for about $500 I think.

 

They'll always think of something. Reef technology is moving just as fast as tech-technology. All of our gear will become obsolete in less than 1 year. Rapids Pro today, Rapids Wireless 3000 by X-Mas.

[PurpleUP]

How does that surface skimmer work?

 

Ok. that surface skimmer is made by FLUVAL and it cost me $8 from the LFS. You won't require a surface skimmer so long as you have an overflow that adequately skims scum off the very top of the water. Most AIO tanks do this very well. Most internal overflow boxes also do this very well. It's when you must resort to a HOB filter or canister filter where surface scum can become an unsightly problem and make your display tank look like a huge protein skimmer with no collection cup. Anyhow, here's how it works.

 

As shown above, water from the surface is sucked under water through a tube that's attached to the intake of a pump like a MaxiJet600 which then circulates it back into the tank OR a canister/HOB intake pipe which runs it through the filter then back into the tank. I use the first method. Depending on the flow rate of the pump you are attaching it to, the surface skimmer must be adjusted accordingly. Otherwise, the circular collection cup you see in the photo could take in too much water, causing air bubbles to enter the tank, OR no water at all. As a plus, your MJ600 would add more flow to the tank. Bottom line, it makes your water surface sparkly clean and clear for maximum light penetration.

 

You can see where the surface skimmer connects to the MJ600 via a flexible horizontal tube.

[SPS20]

You and me both. The Rapids Pro protein skimmer leaves a bit to be desired. But then you would need a overflow solution to your 20gal sump, right? Are you thinking about using a siphon overflow? Honestly, I don't know much about how these operate, but I understand there is a much higher risk of flooding caused by power outages when the power comes back on and the siphon doesn't restart. Perhaps SPS20 can answer this same question for me in his other thread. Somebody sell me and I'll make the switch.

 

All in all, an internal overflow is better than a siphon overflow, no question. However, a properly designed overflow box is pretty damn reliable provided nobody messes with it and you aren't trying to put too much flow through it. I made a big fat hairy post about siphon overflows in my tank thread. I explain there why (at least with the siphon overflow box I use) there is no problem with restarting the siphon after a power failure. The short version is, the siphon never breaks on my system, with or without power. The bottom line: yes there is probably an increased risk of a spill, but the risk is slight if you are diligent. Internal overflows are better, but siphon overflows can work fine too.

 

As for the above discussion about protein skimmers. I have seen one small reef tank with the tunze nano skimmer on it. That skimmer is little but mighty. In my opinion, pretty much everything tunze makes is extremely effective at the task for which it is designed. I have heard some complaints about the mounting brackets on some of their products and strange language in the intruction booklets, but their basic performance is excellent.

[PurpleUP]

IT'S NUTS TRYING TO MAINTAIN TWO TANKS AT ONCE. 2X Maintenance and 2X Cost! So I finally began to migrate ALL CORALS from my BC14 into this ADA.

 

 

 

 

I still have some rics, xenia, and leather to move over. Oh and a purple firefish and cleaner shrimp. I'm sure they'll like their new home.

[Blaze]

untill now i have only see ADA tanks used in freshwater planted tanks i like the look of the SW ADA tank though very cool. and i wish my parents would let me do waht you did with the Island that is an Amazing Idea.

[PurpleUP]

untill now i have only see ADA tanks used in freshwater planted tanks i like the look of the SW ADA tank though very cool. and i wish my parents would let me do waht you did with the Island that is an Amazing Idea.

 

Thanks! Here's a better top angle shot. Had to use my Sony-T1. My JVC camera does not like the blue 20k bulb the least bit. I think I'll be using this camera for FTSs from now on. But still, true colors in any of these photos don't pop out like the naked eye.

 

[calvin]

I still have some rics, xenia, and leather to move over. Oh and a purple firefish and cleaner shrimp. I'm sure they'll like their new home.

i wouldn't move a firefish to an open-top tank. they're known jumpers.

[PurpleUP]

i wouldn't move a firefish to an open-top tank. they're known jumpers.

 

I'm moving this firefish from an open tank to another open tank. He's been in there for 9mos and hasn't jumped yet. Unfortunately, I don't have another place to put him.

 

Experimenting on how to take better pics. Still can't get it right.

 

 

 

ZOAS ON A SNAIL!

[Left Coast DJ]

Try this forum:

 

http://aquatic-photography.com/forum/

[PurpleUP]

Try this forum:

 

http://aquatic-photography.com/forum/

 

Thanks. I'll check it out for some tips. Figured out the JVC 3CCD camera can take pics under 20k after all. Adjusted the White Balance, Aperture, etc until I found something that worked. Here are some random FTSs with no photoshop adjustments. Still not as good as the naked eye, but better.

 

THE FINISHED PROJECT! (For today anyway)

 

 

 

 

Check out the beast that guards the cave. TORCH!

 

[c est ma]

Personally, I think your pics are breathtaking. Probably because your tank is, too! How wonderful to have beautiful views from 3 sides. (Too bad the maxi-jet housing isn't black... )

 

What is the coral on the right side of the top pic in post # 258? (Next to, uh, an Echino, I think?)

 

Love the zoas on the snail. Kind of hard for me to imagine how that happened! (Sure it's not a HC? )

 

--Diane

[PurpleUP]

Personally, I think your pics are breathtaking. Probably because your tank is, too! How wonderful to have beautiful views from 3 sides. (Too bad the maxi-jet housing isn't black... )

 

What is the coral on the right side of the top pic in post # 258? (Next to, uh, an Echino, I think?)

 

Love the zoas on the snail. Kind of hard for me to imagine how that happened! (Sure it's not a HC? )

 

--Diane

 

Thank you very much, Diane. The back (4th) side is actually the next best side to the front- in rockscaping- but the overflow, skimmer, pumps, etc cause too much of an obstruction to take good pics. Everyone called me crazy for placing it smack down in the center of the kitchen, but I couldn't think of any other place in the home where I could walk circles around the tank and see something different from each side. Yeah, the grey MJ housing bothers me too. Might need to go with a different brand.

 

Not sure what the coral is in pic #258. I've been meaning to pic up a metallic orange one just like it at the LFS. When I do, I'll get the name.

 

It'd be even cooler if the snail were alive. LOL. I placed an old shell next to my green zoa colony hoping that would happen someday. What's an HC?

[PurpleUP]

Can anyone make a positive ID on this thing? I never noticed it until I moved the coral to this tank.

 

[reefdan]

^ could be the deaded a-i-p-t-a-s-i-a! i had some of those in my tank. i don't know if they here aiptasia or not. someone told me they could be hydriods or something like that. my peppermint shrimp wouldn't touch it (it ate other aiptasia) i kept my water quality high and they seem to have disappeared.

 

awesome tank.

 

have you condsidered switching to koralia nano or tunze mini powerheads to free up precious real estate? i don't know how much flow is coming out of that filtration box but maybe a scwd w/ 2 alternating hoses?

 

i aspire to be like you

[eklikewhoa]

I have one of those in my tank as well! Been watching it and it doesn't seem to bother anything and it doesn't look like any aiptasia I have seen.

[PurpleUP]

^ could be the deaded a-i-p-t-a-s-i-a! i had some of those in my tank. i don't know if they here aiptasia or not. someone told me they could be hydriods or something like that. my peppermint shrimp wouldn't touch it (it ate other aiptasia) i kept my water quality high and they seem to have disappeared.

I hear you, Man. I have a personal vendetta against aiptasia. Although, I'm not sure this would be it. Just looks way to cool to be something BAD, I hope...

have you condsidered switching to koralia nano or tunze mini powerheads to free up precious real estate? i don't know how much flow is coming out of that filtration box but maybe a scwd w/ 2 alternating hoses?i aspire to be like you

I actually do have a Koralia Nano standing by if necessary, but I prefer the greater flow of the Koralia1. What's an "scwd?" I was thinking of attaching a split loc-line to divide flow. haha. Thanks for the inspiration.

I have one of those in my tank as well! Been watching it and it doesn't seem to bother anything and it doesn't look like any aiptasia I have seen.

Looks alien-like, doesn't it?! I was wondering if it might be the regeneration of my long lost fire anemone. Wishful thinking, I'm sure.

[c est ma]

Thank you very much, Diane. The back (4th) side is actually the next best side to the front- in rockscaping- but the overflow, skimmer, pumps, etc cause too much of an obstruction to take good pics. Everyone called me crazy for placing it smack down in the center of the kitchen, but I couldn't think of any other place in the home where I could walk circles around the tank and see something different from each side. Yeah, the grey MJ housing bothers me too. Might need to go with a different brand.

 

I was wondering if you could just find some little black plastic container about the same size & cut out a couple of sides so it would just slip over the MJ...but then, I'm ghetto...

 

Not sure what the coral is in pic #258. I've been meaning to pic up a metallic orange one just like it at the LFS. When I do, I'll get the name.

 

Whatever it is, I love the way it looks.

 

It'd be even cooler if the snail were alive. LOL. I placed an old shell next to my green zoa colony hoping that would happen someday. What's an HC?

 

Ooops. I should have thought of that... HC = hermit crab

 

 

Can anyone make a positive ID on this thing? I never noticed it until I moved the coral to this tank.

 

 

Sure looks like a Pseudocorynactis/Corynactis to me (probably the former). Check out these links:

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2002/invert.htm

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...ctis+corynactis

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;#entry1320875

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...seudocorynactis

 

 

--Diane

[eklikewhoa]

From those threads they seem to be bad......

 

 

I'm gonna try and feed it.

[PurpleUP]

Thanks for the replies, Diane. I might just try your black box technique. Pseudocorynactis? Just great, it eats fish. But it looks so innocent. I hate to do it, but it's gotta go. A quick scrub-a-dub-dub with a toothbrush should handle it. The things I must do to maintain the overall safety and serenity of my lil ocean.

[PurpleUP]

MIGRATION COMPLETE. My poor lil BC14 ain't much of a tank no mo. It was my 1st successful reef. August '07 NTOTM. Born Feb '07 and taken down 10mos later. Nothing but random zoas and live rock remain.

 

[pause for silence]

 

But the corals live on

 

Threesome. I couldn't help but worry about these guys getting along. The three of them were actually together in my 20G office tank at the beginning of this year, only to be separated when I bought my BC14 for the home. Almost looks like they remember each other.

 

Ricordia. Re-scaped a little. Grouped these shrooms closer together.

 

Caveman. This resilient anemone isn't as healthy as it once was 1yr ago. Hoping to learn more about it and give it greater care. It's tentacles expand at night, so I figure it likes the dark. In the cave he lives.

 

There's still more work to do... This side needs coral, but I'm in no hurry.

 

One big happy family.

[PurpleUP]

Added Xenia for that zen mood.

 

Top Down. Coco worm didn't cooperate for the photo.

 

Another group shot.

[PurpleUP]

Don't Touch!

[sammy113]

OMG your tank is amazing! So colorful and lots of corals

[AcroporaLokani]

 

 

Its not an aptasia, i have a few of those in my tanks and they don't hurt any thing, I so rarely see them if im not intentionally looking for them so im not sure how many i have.

 

 

I like how your tanks turning our, What type of bulb are you using, 20k?

[PurpleUP]

Its not an aptasia, i have a few of those in my tanks and they don't hurt any thing, I so rarely see them if im not intentionally looking for them so im not sure how many i have.

I like how your tanks turning our, What type of bulb are you using, 20k?

 

Damn, I already destroyed it with a vibrating toothbrush. Oh well. I'm using a 20k HQI. Took me a good 2mos to adjust my camera settings correctly for all that blue light. It's coming along better than I had hoped so far, but my Millepora is having a tough time adjusting. There's still plenty of room to add coral on the 3 other sides. Figure I just take it slow, since it's such a new tank.