NanoReefBlog » Curvball

First look: ATB Multi Use Cone Protein Skimmer

Curvball — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:07:09 +0000

On my previous 12g system, I ran a Tunze 9002 protein skimmer and it did a great job of removing some generous amounts of foul smelling DOCs. However when I switched over to the ZEOnano9020, I found that the Tunze just didn’t want to perform as I wanted it to, no matter how much I tweaked it… I’ve always liked the idea of running an oversized skimmer on my tanks, although for the nano side of the hobby, most decent skimmers are bigger than the aquariums themselves. I toyed with a few options, threw caution to the wind and opted for the ATB Multi Use Cone. My main reasons for going with this exact model are as follows:

1. The feed pump is located externally
2. Size wise it was about right for my tank (physical, not filtration capacity) and the space available
3. ATB are world class skimmers
4. It is one of the only cone style hang on skimmers
5. Easily allow upgrading of the tank without upgrading the skimmer
6. I had a choice of colours… is that really a valid reason?

What follows is a selection of photos of the unboxing, setting up and a few photos of some really scary skimmate produced after only 48hours on my tank.

I will put together a more detailed review of the skimmer in the next few weeks as right now I’m still seeing how it’s performing and what affect it is having on the ZEOnano9020.

But before I leave you, I would like to say that this is one solid bit of reef aquarium equipment, the craftsmanship is outstanding – overall the skimmer is just downright good looking, and I’ve seen a fair few skimmers in my day. I do wonder what it would look like in red instead of the plain black I opted for…

Wear your hobby on your sleeve

Curvball — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:11:01 +0000

Want something else to buy for your tank? Well not strictly your tank but for yourself instead? Why not grab a shirt declaring your love for this hobby? You can thanks to Brett at Fishbrains.net

Check out the first two available prints.

'Make a window' print

'Clean up crew' print

Fishbrains.net is a new website selling aquarium and reef-related t-shirts to fellow hobbyists. For many years I wished I had some hobby themed shirts to wear around and show off my pride for reef-keeping. With so few options available I decided to take a shot at designing and selling them myself. The very small initial offering will grow as fishbrains gathers steam. Show your passion for the hobby and look stylin’ at the same time!
- Brett Hendricks, Fishbrains.net

Shirts cost $24 each with XXL shirts selling for $26. You can order directly off the fishbrains.net website.

Shirts are available to everybody around the world, for those outside North America, please email Brett for shipping costs.

First look: ATI 6 x 24w dimmbar Powermodule T5 lighting unit

Curvball — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:33:48 +0000

By now many of you are familiar with the ZEOnano9020 reef system I’m running and if you’ve seen those posts, then you’ll have seen that the tank is lit by an ATI T5 unit. The exact model is the 6 x 24w ‘dimmbar’ Powermodule.

The dimmbar model makes use of dimmable electronic ballasts instead of the standard ballasts found in these German T5 units. The 6 x 24w Powermodule consists of two channels, one for 2 T5 lamps, the other controls the remaining 4 lamps. The ‘dimmbar’ function allows the lamps of the Powermodule to be dimmed by the GHL Profilux computer. This is extremely handy for sunrise/sunset cycles and of course to adjust the intensity of the light provided when adding new corals and other light sensitive animals.

What struck me about the ATI T5 Powermodule was how extremely well put together it was, the quality of materials used it outstanding. I had seen many images, read loads of reviews, but when I pulled the unit out of the box, I was completely in awe. The matt finish contrasting with the polished edging, the ATI branding on the cooling fans – this is one stunning bit of aquarium equipment. It’s as if the Apple Mac designers drew this light up, I’m sure the longer bigger units would look great in a design studio dominated by Apple hardware… but I’m getting off topic here.

As I mentioned, the Powermodule has cooling fans, one for each pair of lamps. These lamps are controlled by an adaptor allowing you to switch up the speed at which you need them to run at. I still don’t understand why some lighting companies forgo active cooling since it’s been proved that T5 tubes produce the most amount of light at a certain temperature (35C if I’m correct?)… does the ATI Powermodule 6 x 24w unit deliver on the lighting front? A quick measurement revealed (that with my lamp configuration), I was getting over 600PAR at the water surface with the unit roughly 5″ above – I was impressed.

Before giving you my review of the unit and how it has been performing, I wanted to share a collection of images highlighting this beautiful lighting fixture, from unboxing through to setting it up over the tank. Enjoy the images.

Look out for the upcoming review of it’s performance and my overall thoughts on the 6 x 24w ‘dimmbar’ Powermodule.

Thank you to Alex @ Empac and ATI Aquaristik. for allowing me to review this unit.

The ZEOnano9020: Tank details

Curvball — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:13:12 +0000

It has been a while since I posted the first few photos of the ZEOnano9020 and today I will share some the system details with you.

The ZEOnano9020 roughly 2 months old

Overview

The ZEOnano is an all-in-one (otherwise known as a AIO) aquarium basically meaning that the display and sump system share the same main tank area. On the ZEOnano, the entire back wall is the sump area.
The sump is divided into 3 main chambers. First chamber is where the water enters the ’sump’ and primary pickup area for the protien skimmer. The water then flows over a set of baffles, and then up through the 2nd chamber which houses a built in ZEOlith reactor. The water then flows into the final chamber which houses the return pump, heater, probes and dosing pump outlets.

Decisions

I considered numerous options for this tank in terms of glass, but knew that normal, um green glass, wasn’t an option. Low-iron glass was what I wanted, and wanted the tank to have at least all three sides in this ultra clear glass… and somehow I ended up going acrylic. Who knows how that happened, but all I can say it that it is incredibly clear, acrylic clarity is just stunning, glass doesn’t even come close. I may never go glass again. What about the scratches I hear you cry – yes, it scratches easily, but the trade off is well worth it, even if it means just being the extra bit more careful inside and outside the tank.

I would like to thank David at Fistafiltration for all his input and help with putting this and the previous ZEOnano system together. If you’re interested in a ZEOnano system, please get in touch.

Vital Stats:

Tank size: 600mm long x 600mm wide x 350mm high – water level sits at 310mm
Sump area: 600mm long x 100mm wide x 350mm high
Material: 10mm acrylic with the rear/sump wall being in 10mm black acrylic
Return pump: Tunze Silence 1073.008 @ 50%
Filtration: ZEOvit method, ATB Multi-Use protien skimmer* and roughly 5 gk’s live rock
Main circulation: 2 x Tunze 6055 controlled via GHL Profilux
Lighting: 6 x 24w ATI ‘dimbar’ Powermodule (click to read review), 2 x IceCap Lunar LED Lights*

The stand is a modified/reinforced Ikea kitchen base cabinet with a beech or birch door – which ironically matches the bookshelves that flank the system (that was just a lucky coincidence). All in all I think I have achieved the modern look I wanted, it’s not quite an Elos quality system, but it’s close enough for me… besides, there is always the next reef to improve the skills on.

* reviews on these products coming soon.

Photos:

Reef Bowl videos – pico reefs in vases and jars

Curvball — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:55:06 +0000

Since Brandon Mason published History of Pico Reef Biology here on nanoreefblog.com -- many more hobbyists have attempted the ‘reefbowl’ concept.

In this HD video Mark Krieg shows off his 5 month old reef in vase:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPleEReXxfs

1.5g Cookie Jar reef by mecamind

www.youtube.com/watch?v=StO0MZ-IyyM

Another Cookie Jar reef by flyboy318

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yHpW-Apg40

Know of any more reef bowls? Please let us know in the comments below.

8g Biocube nanoreef captured in HD video thanks to iPhone 4

Curvball — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:58:56 +0000

I’m sure most of us would love to have a little system on our desk at work. Take a look at Jason G’s video of his 8g nano reef through the lens of Apple’s iPhone 4.

Office Saltwater Reef Aquarium [iPhone 4] from Jason G. on Vimeo.

(Please note: you’ll need to visit Vimeo to see the actual HD version)

Gramma dejongi in hi-definition

Curvball — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:21:18 +0000

There isn’t much I can say about this striking new Caribbean basslet that hasn’t already been said (here and over here), other than I’m trying to track one down -- anybody in Europe able to help me out? Any UK retailers able to source me one from Dejong Marinelife?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH95Dry5Iao

Untouched coral reef system discovered

Curvball — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:13:13 +0000

It brings a smile to my face when I see news like this. According to Practical Fishkeeping Magazine’s website, scientists have discovered a ‘near-pristine coral reef’ in the middle of the Pacific Ocean known as the Millennium Atoll (formerly Caroline Island).

An expedition to Millennium Atoll, a remote coral atoll in the Central Pacific, has uncovered an almost completely undisturbed underwater ecosystem that could serve as an important reference for restoration projects throughout the Pacific Ocean.

Millennium Atoll from above © earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center

Coral cover in the lagoon exceeded 62% of the benthos and was found to be dominated by Acropora, with some colonies exceeding 3m in diameter. Corals from the genera Montipora, Fungia, Pavona and Leptastrea were the next most abundant.

Millennium Atoll below the water © Looking for nemo expedition

You can read the full PFK story here.

Other links worth checking out relating to the Millennium Atoll:

Did we mention this atoll was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Take a look for yourself!

Just about as central as you could get really?

Justin Parco’s 9.9g SPS dominated nanoreef

Curvball — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:41:02 +0000

When you look at this tank, it is hard to believe that it’s not even 10g in size. Perhaps, 0.1g off the 10g mark doesn’t mean anything, but maintaining, growing and keeping SPS corals in such a relatively small amount of water is no easy task. However it doesn’t seem to be an issue for Filipino hobbyist of 6 years, Justin Parco. Now we just need him to get some fish into this tank.

Impressive isn't it?

It is such an honor to be featured here in this website. First of all, I would like to thank God for He is the One who provided us with all the necessary things( especially living things) in order for us to prosper in our hobby. I also would like to thank nanoreefblog.com for giving me a very rare opportunity to be able to talk about my system and to be able to discuss with other people all my success and failures in reef keeping.

Saltwater aquariums were reallysomething that I had been dreaming of since I was a kid and that dream materialized only when I started a saltwater tank around the year 2005 when I was in my first year High school. During those times, reef-keeping in the Philippines is still in its infancy when it comes to equipments and knowledge. The only available skimmers we had before were air-driven skimmers. The very first tank I had was powered by an overhead filter, a couple of liverocks, and an Orca air-driven skimmer. I frequently visit the lfs during those times in order to ask information from store owners and staffs. But it seems that even if I follow their advices I still lose a lot of fish. So I decided to go and join a local aquarium forum and where I found people who were very kind and patient in answering all my questions. After a few years, we had our very first reef-keeping club in the Philippines. Since the start of the local club which is named Reefphilippines, exchange of information and techniques were greatly improved.

After gaining enough knowledge on reef keeping, I then decided to set up a nano tank that will be a frag tank for sps. But turns didn’t came out as planned and it was converted into a sps dominated nano tank. The colors of the sps really turned out very well which is mainly due to the vodka dosing keeping my nutrients low. This success inspired me to give more time and effort on this tank. Until one day, 2 of my fans stopped working, and the water temperature peaked at around 36 degress Celsius. This bleached all of my sps and this really devastated me at first. But I decided that I would continue this tank and bring it back to its former glory. Then I worked on it slowly, I made water changes more frequently and dosed vodka consistently which I was not able to do in the former set-up. Diligence really pays off and instead of just bringing it back to its former state, which was my primary goal, it even surpassed the success that I got from the previous system. I also added another fan in the sub tank to be safe from fan failures.

Lastly, I would like to thank my fellow club members and LFS owners, without which this tank wouldn’t have been successful. Jeffrey (random), a member of our reef club who inspired me to make my tank a success, Peter (Aquariatech) and Paul (PETSNEEDS), who were the ones who supplied most, if not all, of my aquarium equipments and needs, Boch (Marine quest) who supplied me with Kent products, Eddie (Tropical Brew) who gave me a chance to sharpen the my reef keeping skills, Randell, Wiley, and Edwin(Marinehub) for making high end products available to every reefkeeper in the Philippines, Mike Beltran , the founder of our local reef club, without which reef keeping in the Philippines wouldn’t experience such tremendous advancement, my family who always supported me in this endeavor, and all the other people that I haven’t mentioned but has taken part in the success of this tank. I also believe that everyone who would want to make his/her tank beautiful would be able to do so with adequate patience. And once again, I would like to say thank you for this wonderful opportunity and for reading about my tank. Happy reef keeping!

Tank size: 24”x12”x8” (9.9 gallons) and it is made of 3/16 glass, it is currently around 7 months old
Filtration: 10 gallon sump with 3 chambers, one for mechanical and chemical filtration. 2nd chamber is for chemical pads, and 3rd chamber is for the skimmer pump and return pump.
Media: GAC, PhosZorb, , Phosphate and nitrate pads, Ceramic rings
Additives: Kent liquid reactor, Kent tech-M, Kent strontium and molybdenum, Kent Chromamax, Sera Coraliquid, Coral Frenzy, Vodka
Skimmer: Macroaqua protien skimmer rated for 150g

Target feed with coral frenzy, chromamax and coraliquid every other day. Liquid reactor around 20 drops a day. Tech M is used when needed, Strontium and molybdenum 5ml per week and 8ml of vodka daily (4ml in the morning and 4ml in the evening. This high dosage of vodka is mainly due to my habit of target feeding corals often.

Got to love the open top view of this nano reef

Lighting: 150w g12 metal halide 20,000k 6-8 hours per day
Waterflow: Seio m620, Resun waver-2000 (Total turn over rate of 145x per hour)
Cooling: 3x 220v fans
DIY gravity driven auto top off
Water change 25%-50% once a week

Is that an encrusting montipora sp. in the back there?

Left hand view of this 9.9g reef

One for the LPS lovers out there

Corals

Rose Acropora millepora
Green Acropora millepora
Pink Lemonade acropora
Blue Stylopora
Blue Distichopora
Blue Green Acropora humilis
Bright green Acropora granulosa
Yellow green millepora
Purple Turbinaria
Purple Acanlord
Scolymia cubensis
Bowerbanki acan
Tricolor Aussie acan
Inferno Aussie acan
Joker palythoas
Green star polyps
Yellow polyped/ green montipora
Violet haze montipora
Pink elkhorn
Pink pocillopora
Green pocillopora
Pink birdsnest
Green birdsnest
Green acropora
Yellow tubeworm
Coco Worm
Orange plate corals
Red cyarina
Scolymia cubensis
Yellow closed brain
Green and red fusion open brain

Inverts

Nassarius snails
Porcelain crab
2x Blood shrimp

Fish

none

A beautiful photo to wrap things up

You can find Justin on Reefphilippines.com, Pinoyreefers.org, Mypalhs.com, Nano-reef.com and Reefcenral.com as seriousreefer91

New Sponsor: Premium Aquatics

Curvball — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:26:35 +0000

Please join me in welcoming Premium Aquatics to Nanoreefblog.com as our newest sponsor. Most hobbyists will know their name, they are a highly respected aquarium retailer based in the state of Indianapolis in the USA. Their online catalogue offers all the goods a nanoreef aquarist could want and more.

Premium Aquatics is a family owned and operated aquarium business. We have been in business since April 1996 and we are dedicated to serving the aquarium hobbyist. We started this business in a 10×12 room in our house, then expanded to a 600sq foot detached garage. Now we have moved into a 10,000 sq foot commercial warehouse, we have 5 – 600gallon pools for live rock & sand, 6 – 6 foot x 2 foot x 16″ tall coral tanks that total 2800 gallons. We have approx 1000 feet of shelved inventory stacked from floor to ceiling. So we have just about anything you would need for your hobby. I think our success has come from hard work, good prices and honest answers and service, plus a personal touch, which we will always strive to keep.

Please do take a look through their extensive catalogue of reefkeeping goods at PremiumAquatics.com, I’m confident you’ll find something that your tank will need.