PurpleUP Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 nice tank purp..... those frags are doin' well....grape is po'd like u said it would be. Thanks, Pismo! Yeah, the grape will stay purple under the right lighting conditions. Didn't do well for me under a 250W 20K spectrum or 150W 14K. 250W 14K seems to do the trick though Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 By the time you're ready to set this guy up in 2 weeks or so, you'll need to upgrade again already. Can you tell the difference between the new tank and your ADA in quality and what not? Give us a brief review. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 By the time you're ready to set this guy up in 2 weeks or so, you'll need to upgrade again already. Can you tell the difference between the new tank and your ADA in quality and what not? Give us a brief review. You know my situation all too well. As soon as I set it up, it will be fully stocked. And so, I'll begin working on the 25G ADA frag tank immediately thereafter. Comparisons? There are more likenesses to an ADA than differences. Beveled glass is EXACTLY the same. Clarity is the same. Precision of cut glass is the same. Alignment of glass is the same. Mr. Aqua uses 5mm glass for this tank vs 4mm for my 25G ADA, but the larger ADA tanks might use 5mm too. *ADA has options for "high clarity" glass though. And the silicone work is slightly different. ADA is slightly cleaner, where they trim the excess edges down to .75mm. In comparison, Mr. Aqua's silicone thickness is between 1-1.25mm I think. But the glue lines are very clean and straight, just like an ADA. There were minor glue smudges at the top corners of the Mr. Aqua, but this was easily cleaned up with a blade. Overall, this tank is a much cheaper alternative to an ADA, so long as you are happy with the limited dimensions that Mr. Aqua presently offers. When I first opened the box, I was prepared to be unsatisfied with the craftsmanship. But I was shocked at what I saw when I lifted the styro lid from the top. In appearance, I give it a 7.5 (maybe 8) out of 10, versus a 10 of 10 for ADA. As far as strength and durability, it's too early to tell, but it's been filled with tap water for 2 days now with no leaks. Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Would you be able to tell the difference if you had them both side by side (not considering the dimensions of course)? I'm just anal about cosmetics...and is considering all options for future upgrades...hence my noisy questions. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Would you be able to tell the difference if you had them both side by side (not considering the dimensions of course)? I'm just anal about cosmetics...and is considering all options for future upgrades...hence my noisy questions. Np, ask away. ADA owners would see the difference in silicone work, but if I slapped an ADA sticker on the front, no one would question it. LOL Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 It's clean enough that if you stuck an ADA sticker on the front that no one would notice the difference huh? Hmm...interesting...you've got my attention now on these tanks. By the way, the Luman Bright 3 DE pendant is bright as heck...it doubles as my diningroom light now. Haha! I might still end up buying a Lumentek ballast though...the IceCap isn't burning my Phoenix bulb blue enough. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 It's clean enough that if you stuck an ADA sticker on the front that no one would notice the difference huh? Hmm...interesting...you've got my attention now on these tanks. By the way, the Luman Bright 3 DE pendant is bright as heck...it doubles as my diningroom light now. Haha! I might still end up buying a Lumentek ballast though...the IceCap isn't burning my Phoenix bulb blue enough. Still too early say that I'd be comfortable recommending these tanks, but they could be worth looking into. What makes you think the Lumatek would burn your bulb brighter than the IceCap? Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Not looking for brighter but bluer...I like the blue tint it put off during the burn-in stage but once the bulb got past that, it's been burning whiter than I'd like it to. Heard that the Galaxy ballast burns the Phoenix bulbs bluer than the IceCaps too...how's your Lumentek ballast with the Phoenix bulb? Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 Not looking for brighter but bluer...I like the blue tint it put off during the burn-in stage but once the bulb got past that, it's been burning whiter than I'd like it to. Heard that the Galaxy ballast burns the Phoenix bulbs bluer than the IceCaps too...how's your Lumentek ballast with the Phoenix bulb? My 250/14 is burning a crisp bluish white, which is definitely more on the whiter side compared to a 150W 14K. But to you it could look more blue. LOL. I definitely like the color temp it puts out, but it may be too early to tell if I like the color it's getting out of my SPS. Some are definitely more vibrant in color after the switch, but others are not as vibrant. There was that 1.5 to 2wk period I ran my tank under an inadequate Phoenix 150W/14K though, while waiting for this new replacement bulb to arrive. I'd be curious to hear your opinion if you decide to get a Lumatek. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 I've decided to drill the new tank. Bought a simple overflow box from glass-holes.com. Nice thing about this product is not having to glue it to the glass. Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Is the tank drillable (sp?)? Link to comment
divecj5 Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Wow Randy. Just getting back in town and getting a chance to catch up on my favs. The new favia and bowerbanki look amazing....looking forward to seeing a wide angle shot of the bowerbanki for sure. The Mr. Aqua tank looks fantastic. Just from the pictures, and your description, it sounds like the craftmanship and care to detail is pretty top-notch. I have been looking at these tanks and wondered about the overall build quality. I think I would have had the same feelings opening the box wondering if I would be disappointed...glad to hear you weren't. I'm interested to hear and see how the glass-holes overflow works. I'll definitely be going with a sump on my next tank as not having one really limits how clean the display can be and what sort of skimmer/equipment you can add. Keep up the good work....looking forward to seeing how the tank looks with the black starboard. -Adam Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 Thanks for the encouragement, Adam! Hopefully, the upgrade goes smoothly. In the meantime, here are the LAST pics you'll see of the ADA... In case you were wondering what happened to the chalices, well, they're in the BACK! Not for long though, they'll soon be front row center Link to comment
divecj5 Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Amazing as always Randy. Your up-and-coming tank is going to be fantastic!!! Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 21, 2009 Author Share Posted October 21, 2009 I know I said the last shots would be the last, but I was feeling a little sentimental about upgrading the ADA . So I snapped a few pics for the memories... Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Nice pics...nice corals (as always) Good luck with the new tank! Link to comment
Kylebeano Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Youre next set up will be a blast, cant wait to see how everything turns out, and best of luck with transferring everything! I really wouldnt want to see anything lost, its all so very beautiful. Those are the nicest acros I have ever seen, itll be tough for you to grow them out lol. Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 SO UPSET. Woke up to disgusting mush floating in the water. Overnight, a turbo snail knocked the Flying Saucer Chalice onto the nearby Victoria's Secret Chalice. The Flying Saucer lost the battle and Victoria's Secret came out unscathed. More than half of the chalice will be lost for sure. It grew out beautifully to 7 eyes. Needless to say, it ain't beautiful no more. I'm SO PISSED Link to comment
illuminano Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 SO UPSET. Woke up to disgusting mush floating in the water. Overnight, a turbo snail knocked the Flying Saucer Chalice onto the nearby Victoria's Secret Chalice. The Flying Saucer lost the battle and Victoria's Secret came out unscathed. More than half of the chalice will be lost for sure. It grew out beautifully to 7 eyes. Needless to say, it ain't beautiful no more. I'm SO PISSED Great tank, sorry to hear about the loss! I guess it only encourages you to get moving on the upgrade Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 SO UPSET. Woke up to disgusting mush floating in the water. Overnight, a turbo snail knocked the Flying Saucer Chalice onto the nearby Victoria's Secret Chalice. The Flying Saucer lost the battle and Victoria's Secret came out unscathed. More than half of the chalice will be lost for sure. It grew out beautifully to 7 eyes. Needless to say, it ain't beautiful no more. I'm SO PISSED Oh crap, that sucks. Looking on the bright side at least the Flying Saucer isn't completely lost. Hopefully, its one of the faster growers Link to comment
Kylebeano Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Noooo Randy, thats terrible! I hate turbo snails > It is really cool that you were able to save it though, +1 to insentive for the upgrade! Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thanks for the condolences. lol. Looks like I was able to get it to stop spewing out flesh, and hopefully this begins the healing process. DAMN!@#! This was without a doubt, my absolute favorite chalice. SO PISSED! I was 2 seconds from throwing the Victoria's Secret into the toilet, before my wife stopped me in the act. She's such a person of good nature, and I love her for it (while I am more of the vengeful type). Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 As always with my thread, I document the good AND THE BAD. 1 hour after the battle was lost. Not the prettiest sight, but only 1 hour earlier it was nothing but slimy mush. Today, it appears that it's already begun fleshing over the exposed skeleton. Looks like the 2 eyes towards the front *might* also make it through alive. Link to comment
bluenassarius Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 dang randy, sorry to hear about that bro. looks like your piece has plenty of flesh to make the recovery. Link to comment
MyNanoReef Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Didn't we all warn you about the lack of space in your tank and to send some of it everyone's way to free up some space? Anyways, that's a bummer man...glad to see it's starting to recover already. Hopefully it makes it. So far it looks promising. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.