AJ_Tsin's Zeo 47g Shallow. NEW FTS

[AJ_Tsin]

Also as a note the Vertex IN-100 has been performing exceptionally well. I have read a ton of mixed reviews and I can say it is a great skimmer with an amazing price.

[Dkike]

do whichever millimetres have the crystal? and why you put vodka in the tank?

Edited April 7, 2010 by Dkike

[sammy113]

I was dosing vodka as well but had to cut a little the dose. Also adding some amino acids. Just got my stuff to set up the NP bio Pellets very soon. Just need some time and the water pump.

[AJ_Tsin]

do whichever millimetres have the crystal? and why you put vodka in the tank?

I have no idea what your first question is asking so I apologize you will have to rephrase. Are you asking how think the glass is?

 

As for the second question... I put vodka in the tank to help reduce Nitrates and Phosphates, it is a more advanced method and good way to reach a ULNS. The Vodka Feeds bacteria which then cleans the water and is evacuated by the protein skimmer. Heres a good article to get you more informed: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php its a staple in understanding the method.

 

 

 

 

 

I was dosing vodka as well but had to cut a little the dose. Also adding some amino acids. Just got my stuff to set up the NP bio Pellets very soon. Just need some time and the water pump.

 

Awesome let me know how it goes. I have been looking into this method but so far the vodka is doing the trick. We shall see especially into the summer months as vacations etc. become more frequent.

[Crackerballer]

Good call. Thankyou for the advice it seems once you look at something for long enough you don't notice those things anymore. I agree it definitely needs those cords hidden. Cheers, and thanks for the "Perfect" statements.

 

Yea man I am serious, I call it like I see it, and your tank is perfect. A friend emailed me the link to the glassbox video which was before I knew you were on here.

 

Perfect example of a tank that doesn't have a *ton* of money thrown at it, but still blows away some of those 200 gallon+ tanks and $5,000+ budgets.

 

You almost inspired me to have a custom 36x36x12 made, but I just got a Solana and don't have time to manage a large tank right now.

[AJ_Tsin]

Yea man I am serious, I call it like I see it, and your tank is perfect. A friend emailed me the link to the glassbox video which was before I knew you were on here.

 

Perfect example of a tank that doesn't have a *ton* of money thrown at it, but still blows away some of those 200 gallon+ tanks and $5,000+ budgets.

 

You almost inspired me to have a custom 36x36x12 made, but I just got a Solana and don't have time to manage a large tank right now.

 

Well thanks I appreciate it. Keep following here there will be way more to come.

 

Here's a couple more photos.

 

This Birdsnest was brown a month ago (pre vodka)

 

and the Acro was a yellowish colour a month ago (pre vodka)

 

It works...

Edited April 8, 2010 by AJ_Tsin

[nanoreef-R]

Wow your tank is beautiful!

 

I'm really looking into starting vodka dosing and just wanted to know, did you get burnt tips from your SPS?

[AJ_Tsin]

Wow your tank is beautiful!

 

I'm really looking into starting vodka dosing and just wanted to know, did you get burnt tips from your SPS?

 

Not at all. However my alk was low when I started and I took it really slow. In my opinion if you have any attention to detail this method is easy.

 

Thanks by the way

Edited April 8, 2010 by AJ_Tsin

[opraider36]

Im shooting a movie with a RED ONE right now with my school. Absolutely amazing camera i would love to see you make a video with one.

[AJ_Tsin]

Im shooting a movie with a RED ONE right now with my school. Absolutely amazing camera i would love to see you make a video with one.

 

 

I will be shooting something soon. Short and sweet.

 

Good luck with your shoot.

[AJ_Tsin]

A few more shots tonight... you can see a bit of Diatom growth on the sand bed. This occurred a few days after I added a new fish a week or so ago. It is already going away as quick as it came.

 

Official April 2010 FTS:

 

Some others:



 



 



 



 

Edited April 8, 2010 by AJ_Tsin

[Rehype]

Beautiful shots!You did an amazing job AJ

[AJ_Tsin]

Beautiful shots!You did an amazing job AJ

 

Thanks glad to hear it.

[spanko]

:wub:

 

[AJ_Tsin]

:wub:

 

 

This is LA Lakers Scroll Coral. Its gorgeous and its actually growing pretty fast.

 

Glad I added this one...

 

Thanks for the post Spanko you've been following this thread for a while. Cheers.

 

- A.

[spanko]

Yup, ya got me hooked alright!

[AJ_Tsin]

Yup, ya got me hooked alright!

 

Good to hear.

 

Thanks again...

[Dkike]

I have no idea what your first question is asking so I apologize you will have to rephrase. Are you asking how think the glass is?

 

As for the second question... I put vodka in the tank to help reduce Nitrates and Phosphates, it is a more advanced method and good way to reach a ULNS. The Vodka Feeds bacteria which then cleans the water and is evacuated by the protein skimmer. Heres a good article to get you more informed: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php its a staple in understanding the method.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome let me know how it goes. I have been looking into this method but so far the vodka is doing the trick. We shall see especially into the summer months as vacations etc. become more frequent.

 

Sorry but i speak a little english and i use the translator haha, the milimeters of the crystal?

[AJ_Tsin]

Sorry but i speak a little english and i use the translator haha, the milimeters of the crystal?

 

If you are asking about the glass thickness. Its 10mm or 1cm or 0.39 inches.

[Dkike]

If you are asking about the glass thickness. Its 10mm or 1cm or 0.39 inches.

 

The bacteria and Vodka method is only for reef tank or you can use it on fish only..??

[Justice]

1: I have a couple clowns, a Juvi Atlantic Blue Tang, and I will be adding a butterfly at some point. With a shallow tank many "minimum gallon" requirements kind of go out the window, because the tank is so shallow and fish generally don't care about depth they need space to swim laterally, you have a ton of area to work with. Although this tank is only 50 gallons it is about half of the height of a typical reef meaning the actual tank footprint doubles and is somewhat comparable to a 90 gallon tank. This combined with the open concept of my aquascape means there is a ton of room for any fish to swim.

 

This doesn't mean you can get anything you want, but I think fish that are rated for 75-100 gallons will do fine in my setup because of its shallow wide nature.

 

It is also incredibly important to regulate bioload. I will be adding a 50 or 30 gallon frag tank in the basement soon increasing my total water volume and this combined with the Vodka MB7 Method means my water is crystal clear allowing for a bit more bioload and a very stable system. Unless you have pristine water I wouldn't recommend putting tangs or butterflies into a shallow cube.

 

2: That site is perfect and probably has the best info on Carbon Dosing. If you are new to the hobby I recommend reading a ton first. Vodka is a controversial additive in this hobby. I would argue its more natural than GFO or similar Resins however that could be easily debated.

 

When you add vodka you are basically stimulating and feeding bacteria. This bacteria consumes the carbon source from vodka while simultaneously consuming almost equal parts of Phosphate and Nitrate. Then as the cultures grow the skimmer removes the bacteria promptly from the water column leaving you with crystal clear water and Ultra Low Nutrients. It is very natural and in my opinion feeding the bacteria is no different than feeding the fish or the corals. The bacteria is an essential part of the reef just like all the other livestock and dosing carbon is just a natural way to biologically fight nutrients.

 

3: Not sure it should be ok, but I cannot guarantee. I thinkt he major concern you will have is area coverage not brightness. From what I have seen most LED lights have a very unidirectional beam of light and with a wide shallow reef you may need more fixtures.

 

I can however say that my 250 halide is almost too bright and I am in the market for a ATI T5 or LED fixture. I love the shimmer and look of the Halide, but I can barely keep LPS and Ricordias or other lower light corals because this light is just too bright and with a 12 inch deep tank which is actually less than that with the sand bed a halide is a bit overkill. Once I started Vodka I had some Corals bleach because the combination of the ultra clear water and the brighter tank just burnt the corals. As of now my halide is sitting about 28 inches above the tank and the brightness seems ok. I still have my Acans in the shadows but everything seems to be doing ok.

 

I am not 100 percent set on an ATI and I am totally looking at LED's for the future but we will see.

 

Thanks for the questions and compliments. I hope this helps feel free to ask more and anyone else with questions I will do my best to answer.

 

- A.

 

 

Thanks for responding to my questions. Are you happy with your Vertex IN-100? A great skimmer is the last major piece of equipment I need for my build. There are sooo many skimmers out there and I'm not sure what to get.

[AJ_Tsin]

The bacteria and Vodka method is only for reef tank or you can use it on fish only..??

 

I suppose it could be for fish only, but I am not sure why you would really want to do it. The primary effects are for enhanced coral colouring and growth. To me, it seems like a lot of work for fish that will be already be happy in a Low Nutrient System, no need for the "Ultra Low."

 

 

Thanks for responding to my questions. Are you happy with your Vertex IN-100? A great skimmer is the last major piece of equipment I need for my build. There are sooo many skimmers out there and I'm not sure what to get.

 

The Vertex is great for the price. If you have a lot of money to spend then there are definitely better choices Deltec, ATB etc... but for the price and value its a good skimmer and I would recommend it to anyone.

[TheNordCelt]

did i miss something? where are the LED's? And the tanks is looking great, I've been following this since you first set up the biocube blog.

[AJ_Tsin]

did i miss something? where are the LED's? And the tanks is looking great, I've been following this since you first set up the biocube blog.

 

Thanks for following. I might actually set up the biocube in my studio in a month or so. We are building an incredible interactive media production studio in St. Catharines Ontario, and I think a Nano would fit perfectly.

 

As for the DIY LEDs...

 

Heres a link to the original post.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=229976&hl=

 

And heres a little summary of what that post details:

 

Today I decided to add some DIY LED accent lights.........

 

 

 

 

Again thanks for following along. It's great to be able to share this stuff.

Edited April 13, 2010 by AJ_Tsin

[AJ_Tsin]

I am currently writing from a hotel room in the MGM Grand on the Strip in Las Vegas.

 

Myself and the Co-Owner of my company have come to this crazy city for a Conference regarding Broadcast and Film production, (NAB SHOW).

 

Anyways for relevance to aquariums: I got a chance to check out the Mandalay Bay: Shark Reef Aquarium.

 

It was a $17.00 entry fee which is a bit pricy for what it is, but everything is pricy here. The sharks were pretty interesting but the exhibit was just ok. There is no "Reef" at "Shark Reef" all of the coral looked fake and was growing nuisance algea but there were some cool creatures.

 

Heres a few crappy iPhone Pictures enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Vegas,

 

-A.