16 gallon bow reef wall biotype - dialup beware

[masterswimmer]

Originally posted by cmondo
Ahh gotcha, I haven't read too much on the lions, but i know that the dusters live inside a tube (as i am sure u already know) and they might not be able to get to them cuz of that. But like I said I don't know much about the lions.

I know that the dusters are actually tube worms. But just like you, I just don't know about the lions, so before I do it, I'd be researching it first. If anything I'd like a coco worm.

Thanks for all the feedback,
Russ

[cmondo]

Those are real nice too. A little more pricey though, but they would look nice in there too, possibly at the bottom of the wall.

[brandon429]

Masterswimmer I've shown this thread to several of my friends, I think it's the single coolest aquascaping I've ever seen. What you've done is effectively pack a lot of surface area in this tank, eliminate dead spots that eventually contribute to eutrophication and breakdown in the aged system, and create tons of open swimming space relative to tank size. If this was entered in a nano contest you'd have a hands-down ranking for sure. Doesn't it make your reef look huge? I hope you won't mind if I borrow some of this idea for a pico reef soon, I'll be sure and give due credit to MS on RC for the inspire! Good job Sir
B

[masterswimmer]

brandon429, wow, thank you. If you've got some time would you mind being my PR representative . You or anyone else is more than welcome to utilize any/all of the ideas posted. That's why I post them. I believe in helping whenever possible. That is the true spirit of RC, isn't it?

Again, thank you for such accolades,
Russ

[charlesgage]

I am doing a 20 gallon long and wish to do the rock wall as well. But my main question is, how would you rate your skimmer on a scale of 1-10? Did you research it before you bought it? If you like it i think i may buy the same!

[Broodingwolf]

I love the effect!! Really impressed and going to enjoy watching this tank unfold. If I could make a suggestion, some Gorgonians in the sand bed might really add a cool effect!

[masterswimmer]

charlesgage, I actually researched this skimmer to the N'th degree. I was originally going to go for the Remora and then the Remora Pro. After doing a lot of reading on RC and nano-reefs dot com I came to the conclusion that I would have better success with the CSS 65, PROVIDING that I did some modifications. People were extremely happy with the skimmate produced by this skimmer but there were some performance issues. If you've been diligent and read this thread then you'll see all the mods I did. These mods ALL contribute to what I would consider one of the best HOT, inexpensive skimmers I've seen. Remember, these mods can't be done halfway. Either all of them or you will experience various issues, whether it is low skimmate production, flooding, microbubbles, leaking or a combination of these things. With all the mods, I love the skimmer.

Broodingwolf, thank you for the kind words. And if I didn't get suggestions from people, then it would be up to me to think of all these things on my own! Your suggestions are always welcome, as are anyones. Gorgonians in the sand could be a really interesting idea. With a few of them protruding upwards it would almost be like a kelp forest, but with Gorgonians. If this idea does come to play, I will credit you with the idea. Thanks.

Russ

[charlesgage]

Does the skimmer run in-sump? or tank only?

[masterswimmer]

Originally posted by charlesgage
Does the skimmer run in-sump? or tank only?

Either way. Mine is HOT.

Russ

[Jimsmowen]

Amazing looking tank!!

I love the idea of a rock wall!!!

[MiddletonMark]

Really inventive thinking + design.

Very impressive ... even if just stocking it.

[jap1]

Wow! That looks amazing! Great job! Looks like you have a much better imagination than I do. That wall was quite an undertaking.

[masterswimmer]

Jimsmowen, thank you for the kind words.

Thanks Mark. Took a looong time with this......in my head. Tried to think of all the things that could go wrong. With your experience you know that could take forever and still never think of it all!

jap1 the undertaking was more than I thought, and it's only a 16 gallon. I've had people ask me to design one for them in much larger tanks. The thought of that was so daunting I broke out into a sweat

Thanks everyone. I will keep updating pix. I try to be patient and methodical when I execute these things and sometimes the next step takes a little while. So pix can obviously take some time too.

Thanks for taking the time to check this out,
Russ

[cmondo]

Hey swimmer, just curious if u have any updates?

[masterswimmer]

Hey cmondo, actually I just added some coral this week. I'll see if I can get some decent pix up. I haven't added any fish yet. I'm still the patient type. I like it to mature and go through most of its algae cycles before I add any fish.

Russ

[cmondo]

Good choice...what did u pick up? I just got some micromussa this past week, I have been a big fan of them, and finally found some cheap ones.

[masterswimmer]

I got a superman danae (color is slowly coming back), a purple rimmed cap, a beautiful echinata (one of only a couple of LPS going in) and I transfered in a Cali Tort from my 75.

Russ

[masterswimmer]

Originally posted by cmondo
I just got some micromussa this past week, I have been a big fan of them, and finally found some cheap ones.

I am also a fan of the micromussa's. Would love to see a pic.

Russ

[cmondo]

No problem, I will post some of the micro's and my tank as soon as I find a camera.

[ReefWreak]

Beautiful setup. Now if only we could advance time to see how things fare when grown out.

Keep up the awesome work. BTW your experience has given me a much greater lean towards getting the CSS 65 instead of another remora or maybe the Berlin Turbo HOT. I had a Remora Pro w/ bubble trap/surfaceskimmer and a Mag 5, but it was WAY too big for my 24g nanocube.

Keep up the good work!

[masterswimmer]

cmondo, looking forward to it. Make sure you come here and post me a link to it.

ReefWreak, thank you very much. If you do go with the CSS 65, there are definitely mods that must be made for it to perform as a HOT skimmer. When done though, it works like a champ.

Russ

[Zoalander]

Out of all the threads I've read and all the pics I've seen this is the greatest. My "Bears" hat off to you MS. What you did just looks so cool and your step by step instruction about everything, including the mods, is excellent. I showed it to my wife and she is extremely impresses, I think you have rekindled her love for this hobby. Thanks.

[masterswimmer]

Wow, Vetter1980, I don't know what to say other than thank you. You're too kind.

I see you have a 10 in the works. It's funny how I found that the smaller the tank the more planning it takes. Less real estate to work with makes it that much more valuable. Makes you really want to do the right thing and stock it with a lot of forethought. Hence my year of planning this little thing.....ughhhhhh!

However, the nice thing about these little nano's is that you can stock them with such exotic frags to make it different and 'out there' that it won't necessarily break the bank either.

I mentioned prior to this what I've got for corals so far. I've got some nice stuff coming this week as well. The frags are tiny, so posting pix just doesn't do it a whole lot of justice yet. Upon growout though, I'm crossing my fingers that it'll all come together.

Please make sure you link me to pix of your 10 when you are ready to show it off to the world!

Thanks again for such kind and encouraging words,
Russ

[angelfishlover]

WOW! LOVE THE ROCKWORK!

[Bret61081]

very cool...I am intereted in seeing this dwarf flounder....have you found one yet?