Whitten Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 After the untimely demise of my 30 gallon cube I have been on hiatus from aquariums with the exception helping with my friends Aquapod 24. After two years of ups and downs my friend was finally ready to consider the virtues of having a larger system with a sump. I didn't have much luck talking in into anything larger until he saw one of these: The prospect of having a tank, sump, and stand that would contain everything and leave nothing to detract from the tank like wires was enough for him to litterally sell off his Aquapod and most everything in it in a matter of days so that he could upgrade to the new system. I told him I would help and it was on. So because I know it will drive ya'll batty trying to figure out what we bought I figure I will be nice and give you a break down. Tank: ZeroEdge Square Model 30ZSQ Measures 24"x24"x14" ht. (31"x31" Footprint) Sump: ZeroEdge ZS1 Custom. Went with a 18" tall sump just in the even that the tank swamped the sump for what ever reason. We are also having a special chamber made to contain 20 gallons of top off to keep things clean in the stand. Stand: Custom oak stand stained black by ZeroEdge Lights: 24" Current Outer Orbit 250 Watt MH fixture with 2x 420nm T5 Actinics and 2x460nm actinics and as always the blue and white LED moonlights. Main Pump: Mag18 Skimmer: Euro-Reef RS/80 Heater: Jager 150 watt controlled with a Ranco heater controller Top Off: JBJ ATO Also got some other random goodies like a 3 stage RO unit, Refractometer, and a ground probe so that we don't re-live the sins I commited with my tank. After getting the equipment in from Premium Aquatics it was time to head to my favorite store in the world. Cappucino Bay, that is where we went today and I got the chance to relive how much fun it is to buy about 25 lbs. of live rock. It was fun while it lasted and we managed to fill our little blue tub full of rock and fresh salt water. On a side note if you have never been to their store and you live around the Atlanta area you are seriously missing out. After the trek back to Auburn with the bin full of critters and rock it was time to get the sand in the tub with the rock so that we could start it cycling. The tank and stand won't be in for around a month so in the mean time we are just going to let the rock and sand cycle while we wait and let the skimmer pull that silt out of the water as well. I plan to continue updating this thead as the progress on the tank moves forward so stay tuned...for more of this guy and his new future home. Link to comment
Nick's Reef Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Erm... That panther grouper is gonna get way to big for that tank in about six months. They get to be about 16" long! Link to comment
Whitten Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 Erm... That panther grouper is gonna get way to big for that tank in about six months. They get to be about 16" long! The grouper is fine, they don't grow at that kind of rate. I know because I have kept them before and that is not mention that he hasn't grown any larger than he is (2.5") in over 2 months of being in the 24 gallon AquaPod. He will be fine for about a year or so and then will have to go a larger system then the 30gallon that is comming to him. But for now he will bask in his own luxery condo. Link to comment
Nanocubeking Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 That aquapod is unbeleiveable. Great job. Keep us updated on both aquariums. Link to comment
dewey1982 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I have to 2nd the panther grouper problem. I got a 3" one for my 75 a few years back, and had to get rid of it fast because it grew too big for my tank. They create a ton of waste, and will eat anything and everything. Hope he is prepared to get rid of it soon, because it really needs a lot of room. Link to comment
SeeDemTails Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Erm... That panther grouper is gonna get way to big for that tank in about six months. They get to be about 16" long! You guys are totally full of it. I think it is awesome that your friend is keeping it in a reef. Obviously he knows what he is doing, that tank looks bad arse. If only more people were into keeping groupers in reefs, they are awesome fish. I have kept several panther groupers, from small to large, and have grown several from tiny to huge. It takes many years for a small fish to out grow a tank, atleast 2 or 3 years. Even if you have a 100 gallon tank, the fact is the fish will eventually need to be given to an aquarium if you keep it long enough. As will many other types of fish we all love, if we keep them long enough. They do not eat everything, the CUC is usually fine, in fact they are rather docile around other fish of equal size, I even kept shrimp with one of mine. I know someone who put a big purple tang in with a big panther and they grouper got whooped on by the tang. They are only messy if you get carried away with showing your friends how the grouper eats every time they come over, just feed on a schedule and dont over feed. IMO one of the reasons why it is acceptable to keep a small panther grouper in a reef is that is is very easy to keep, and easy to catch them once they get too big, with almost no stress on the fish or the reef versus tearing apart a reef to catch a small fish. Link to comment
psychochase138 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 hey where is that store at? im about 30 minutes south of atlanta Link to comment
eklikewhoa Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Awesomeness! I plan to use a lot of the same gear for my 30cube build!!!! Orbit250w light, JBJ ATO, EuroReef RS80... Link to comment
Whitten Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 nice work W Thanks ole buddy, it is good to see you in here. Thank you to everyone for the kind words especially you there SeeDemTails, it is good to have some vets speeking up and dispelling heresay and conjecture. psychochase138, here is some info and maps for you. Cappucinno Bay Aquarium Website Map Link to comment
Fish_Wiz Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Dude your tank will look sweet and you got the same r.o. unit as me COPYCAT (kidding) anyway good luck. Link to comment
Whitten Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Dude your tank will look sweet and you got the same r.o. unit as me COPYCAT (kidding) anyway good luck. Thank you sir, we actually had to send it back to Premium Aquatics because it leaked from every single fitting. Apparently the teflon tape wasn't thick enough for the tolerance of the threads and allowed water to just leak out all over. A new one should be in either today or tommorow. Also I made a boo boo, the tank is actually a little larger than 35 gallons +/- a gallon or two. Live rock tub has cleared out and and the Euro-Reef is doing a stellar job. I have to say I was very surprised at just how quite and efficient it really is. The tub is sitting next to the Aqua Pod and the CSS65 makes 5 times more noise than the Euro Reef...I guess that makes sense since the CSS65 made more noise than even my ASM G3. At any rate they are all great skimmers but the Euro-Reef is what I call the next step above. Link to comment
kc350twin Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 I am actually getting ready to a very similar set up. I am going to do the 22 gallon and was debating on the Outer Orbit light. I was exactly like your friend when I saw this at Pacific East Aquaculture I was hooked. I am still considering a 30 gal. but the prices on these are three times as much as any other aquarium. I'm tagging along to watch the progress. Can't wait. Kc3 Link to comment
Nick's Reef Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 You guys are totally full of it. I think it is awesome that your friend is keeping it in a reef. Obviously he knows what he is doing, that tank looks bad arse. If only more people were into keeping groupers in reefs, they are awesome fish. I have kept several panther groupers, from small to large, and have grown several from tiny to huge. It takes many years for a small fish to out grow a tank, atleast 2 or 3 years. Even if you have a 100 gallon tank, the fact is the fish will eventually need to be given to an aquarium if you keep it long enough. As will many other types of fish we all love, if we keep them long enough. They do not eat everything, the CUC is usually fine, in fact they are rather docile around other fish of equal size, I even kept shrimp with one of mine. I know someone who put a big purple tang in with a big panther and they grouper got whooped on by the tang. They are only messy if you get carried away with showing your friends how the grouper eats every time they come over, just feed on a schedule and dont over feed. IMO one of the reasons why it is acceptable to keep a small panther grouper in a reef is that is is very easy to keep, and easy to catch them once they get too big, with almost no stress on the fish or the reef versus tearing apart a reef to catch a small fish. Ok thanks! I may have to get one for my next reef cause they are so dang cool. Link to comment
Toomin Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 i loved the grouper too. dont worry. it wont grow that fast. Link to comment
Whitten Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 Due to the interest in the grouper I wanted to make a few notes that I have compiled over the past couple of years: Groupers are a very close cousin to the common Bass. They behave very similarly and also have very similar needs. Don't really know if any of ya'll have any expereince with Bass, so I will stick with grouper specifics. They are beautful and are very personable. Typical behavior can consist of begging for food, eating from your hand, and will exibit a very curious and bold nature even when new to a tank. They are carnivores, that will feed on anything that remotely resembles food. I have never had any problems with them eating corals, but have seen them lay waste to scarlet cleaner shrimp, gobys, wrasses, and even pygmy angels. Also on the list of possible food sources are crabs and even a snail from time to time depending if the snail stares at him the wrong way. Another note about feedings is that you do not need to feed them everyday, and to be honest I strongly discourage it because it will accelerate their growth. In the wild groupers and bass alike, will go days until they snaga bite to eat. Often the weather and water temps can dictate their feeding habits but fo the most part they will sit either suspended in the water column awaiting a potential meal or under cover shielding their eyes from sun light. Groupers are fun and beautful that they require several things, one of which is large tank. Typically people tend to want to keep their fish over a long period of time, but if you are a nano owner that is not possible with a grouper since they will indeed out grow the tank in a relatively fast manor as compared with smaller reef fish. Another consideration is that of their waste. You can assume that what you feed them is basicly like putting dead animals into your tank and so it is a good idea to have the ability to purchase enough hermits to assist in the clean up of larger solids. If you can, it is also a good idea to vacume it out if at all possible. Water flow and over all water volume play a big role in dealing with the increased bioload as well as skimming and refugium capacity. You can assume that bigger is better in this case. So as you can see there is alot that you have to consider while making a decision on a grouper, and I really haven't gone very deep into their care. Basicly here is the checklist for having one. -Large overall system or the possibility to move the fish into a large tank after it begins to outgrow the current system. -Large skimming/biological filtration capabilty(tank turn over fits in here too) -Ability to replace hermits and clean up crew if they should fall victim to the flaring gills of the fish. -No ability to have other fish unless they are large than the mouth of the grouper. Even then it is not a good idea to keep them with other fish because belive it or not the groupers are typically very passive and will get bullied by other fish(I know I didn't belive it either until I saw a wrasse beat the crap out of a large blue spotted. Like any marine animal they have very specific needs that need to be heavily weighed before deciding to purchase any grouper or any reef tank purchase for that matter. Let me know if anyone is interested in getting one, and I can try to help you set up for one. Link to comment
SeeDemTails Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Awesome synopsis. Groupers are really cool fish and do require special care on the reef part of things. The fish are nearly impossible to kill, but they are a little needy. Mr. Petman used to have a 8 inch long coney grouper in their long reef tank. Link to comment
kc350twin Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I went ahead and ordered mine. Should be here next week. I'm a little worried because the 22zr Package comes drop shipped from all the Manufacturers. Kc3 Link to comment
Orange Crush Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Hay I remember you. Nice start. Keep us posted Link to comment
kc350twin Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 My Zero Edge came today. Super fast shipping. Shipped out on Friday and got it on Tuesday. Kc3 Link to comment
Whitten Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 Ours has unfortunately not been shipped yet. Last we talked to Brett, he was filling an order for some clients in Greece. We are hoping that with the changes that we made to the sump, and the stand that is being built for it that it shows up here in the next week or two. Waiting for this thing has been agonizing. I have started another project during the waiting period that ya'll might like. I'm not going to say much more than this...Bastardized Nano-Cube 12 gallon. I promise as soon as this sucker comes in we will be rolling with some updates. on a small note we did pick a frag of Bird's Nest last night from the Atlanta Reef club meeting it will look really nice once we get it into the new tank. Link to comment
seagul Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 HURRY UP ALREADY! haha, cant wait to see the new tank. someday i will have a zero edge. i just downgraded to a 12g nc HQI, i love it. Makes nano reef keeping a breeze (compared to my previous army of tanks haha) Link to comment
kc350twin Posted March 27, 2008 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Sorry to hear it. As a current Zeroedge owner I feel your pain. The micro bubbles are still there for me to. Brett is currently working on a new sump design but with a 900gph+ moving through the sump it's going to be hard to stop. After being up for nearly two months the bubbles are 80% gone. I don't know if I could go back though. The view from five sides is incredible. KC3 Link to comment
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