Austin goes Rimless - Dudester's 203g mixed reef

[Dudester]

Thanks everyone! GSMguy, the wavebox goes at the top left, toward the front. The rock work is very low at that region, which should allow me to create a nice unimpeded wave.

[erics3000]

Dude looks great,,

[GSMguy]

i really love your tank Dude. the wave action on the rimless tanks is so japanese, and just a killer idea.

I had seen this design in invincibles thread he linked to a wavebox rimless in japan since then i was wondering when someone would build something like that.

you get a 10 for design with this one, it it in no way distracts from naka or invincables sweet tanks.

[GMFett]

Mike- looks awesome man. Can't wait to see it!

-Marcus

[melev]

Originally posted by Dudester
Thanks everyone! GSMguy, the wavebox goes at the top left, toward the front. The rock work is very low at that region, which should allow me to create a nice unimpeded wave.

I wonder if you could create an acrylic panel in the back left corner that hangs on the tank at a 45 degree angle. Then you could mount the wavebox with the magnets, and let the wave flow toward the front panel and bounce off the glass toward the rear right corner.

Not seeing it in the front corner would be my goal, with such a beautiful tank.

Btw, have you read that build thread in the DIY forum where the closed loop pump uses a controller to make it 3-phase? He's creating tons of flow with a maximum of 80w. It cost him roughly $1000 to make the pump work like that, but the payoff in low wattage power consumption should pay off if the pump lasts for a few years.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...9#post10535159

[Bax]

Wow! You've done a lot since the last time I checked in. Really clean job on all the plumbing. Aquascaping looks great too! You'll be stocking in just a few weeks now!

[pcostanzo]

The scape looks great dude!

[mcrist]

Nicely done...

[Dudester]

erics3000 - Thanks man!

Originally posted by GSMguy
i really love your tank Dude. the wave action on the rimless tanks is so japanese, and just a killer idea.

I had seen this design in invincibles thread he linked to a wavebox rimless in japan since then i was wondering when someone would build something like that.

you get a 10 for design with this one, it it in no way distracts from naka or invincables sweet tanks.

That's the nicest compliment anyone could have given me. When we eventually run into each other, the drinks are on me . I was definitely inspired by naka's and invincible's tanks (obviously), but I didn't want to copy their designs or their strategies. Now that this system is finally getting off the ground, I think the differences in our systems are starting to unveil themselves, and when it's all said and done, the only thing that will be similar about our tanks will be the glass and where they were made. Whoa, but I need to pull on the reigns, I just realized that I'm discussing my tank in the same sentence as James and Edward - I'm not even close yet.

BTW, I don't recall the rimless Japanese tank with the wavebox that you referred to. I'll have to go back to the beginning of Edward's thread - unless someone out there has a link??

GMFett - Wanna see it? What are you doing today?

melev - I don't think the wavebox would work at that kind of angle. As I envision what you describe, it seems to me that the pulse would be too chaotic and difficult to dial in to achieve a reliable wave. I could call Roger and ask him, but then again, the acrylic panel you mention would also take up space inside the display, no? I agree that the wavebox will potentially be an eye sore, and I wouldn't have even considered using it in this tank if I hadn't seen Ching's tank (I'm sure you know the one, in Thailand). But he was able to put 2 waveboxes in his tank, along with what, 4 Tunze streams, and his reef is so nice that you almost don't even see them. That's what I'm shooting for!

Thanks for that link, too. I've only scanned a few of the pictures but I'll read it later today. I'll tell ya, those engineers are incredible DIY'ers.

Bax - A few weeks 'til stocking would be nice. I still need to come up with a temporary lighting solution until my T5's arrive, and I'll be away the last half of this week. If I get started with the ZeoVit soon after I get back, which would speed up the tank's "readiness," then I should be able to move a few corals over from my 30g. There are only 2 corals I plan to move over, since the others have bryopsis.

pcostanzo and mcrist - Thanks, guys!

[new_world_disor]

well done mate. the tank is impresive. ive just read all 14 pages. very neatly done. love the tank. wish i could have a tank that big. haha. livivng at home leaves no room for anything

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[cbui2]

nicely done, your plumbing look awesome is it possible to get wave action on video? also what type of live sand was used?

[danskim]

So did you decide to wait for the 10-bulb or stick with the 8-bulb?

[Dudester]

Cheers, new_world_disor and thank you my friend.

cbui2 - It's CaribSea Ocean Direct, 120 lb. There's no wavemaker as of yet, but I just installed the drum to the 4-way and holy moly is there some flow in this tank! I had to dial down the Barracuda for fear of water flying out over the back lip of the tank. The 4-way is dead silent - I love it!!!!

danskim - I'm waiting for the 10-bulber. Go big or don't go, that's my credo.

[danskim]

Haha I must be a bum because I settled for 8-bulbers.

[GSMguy]

Originally posted by Dudester
[B]
BTW, I don't recall the rimless Japanese tank with the wavebox that you referred to. I'll have to go back to the beginning of Edward's thread - unless someone out there has a link??

well he has started lots of threads and it was in one of them, or i found a pic via a link from his threads im not sure where i saw the tank. Cheers

[Milleme]

Check it http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1053276 ! I believe this is the thread being refered to.

Dude, this is one gnarley tank. Keep up the excellent work.

[Dudester]

danskim - if you've got a PowerModul, you're no bum no matter how many bulbs are in it!

GSMguy - I'll keep looking

Milleme - Welcome to the thread! The link you gave is to Ching's tank, in Thailand. That was definitely an inspiration for my system but it's not the Japanese tank that was referred to earlier. Thanks anyway, I'll take any excuse to look at that tank again.

[Dudester]

First tests. Guess I was a little tardy on this stage of the game. Keep in mind I haven't added any bacterial source (like a raw shrimp), only the live sand and rock that have had some die-off, I presume. I've also not added anything else to the water with respect to supplemets, buffers, etc. This is straight TM Pro. All test kits are Salifert.

T 79.1
salinity 1.026
pH ~8.2
alk 7.4
Ca 410
Mg 1290
Nit 2.5
NH3 0

The only result I don't trust is the ammonia. The test kit expired 9/06. I've decided to use ZEOvit to initiate the cycle instead of a shrimp or fish, so I'll have to order that stuff right away. I leave town tomorrow and I'll be gone for 5 days, so hopefully the products I need will greet me when I get home.

[thedude15810]

Those results are dead on what I would expect from TM Pro.

Kudos to Tropic Marin!

[Dudester]

Hi all, just got back from a little R/R. I was happy to see that the tank is crystal clear, but disappointed to see the skimmer collection cup nearly dry. There was a very thick layer of the sand "dust" lining the walls of the lid and cup, but no real nog to speak of and very little odor. This means that either the rock I added was super cured, or I have some skimmer adjustments to make. I think I'll have to raise the water level in the skimmer a bit so it runs wetter, even though I have it at the recommended level.

I also placed an order for my ZEOvit supplies, as well as my sump return pump. Unfortunately the ZEO reactor that I wanted is no longer available, so I'll have to choose another one. This is disappointing since the sump return chamber was built to accomodate that reactor, but I should be able to find another one that will fit. Another problem is that the distributors seem to be out of ZEO reactors, so even though I'll have all of the liquid reagents and ZEO liths, I probably won't have a reactor for several more weeks.

[erics3000]

R/R sounds nice. i was looking forward to seeing your Zeo in action. What are your plans for the next couple of weeks? Adding anything?

[Dudester]

I was hoping to initiate and complete the cycle with ZEOvit, which would supposedly make the tank hospitable to corals and such after about 3 weeks. I can't really start using the ZEOvit until I have the reactor, so therefore I'm essentially handcuffed. So to answer your question more directly, I guess the only thing I'll be adding for the next few weeks will be top-off water .

[erics3000]

At least your tank will have more time to stabalize. Any fish to start adding a little more bacteria?

[Dudester]

Naa, the ZEOvit contains the bacteria that is needed, and I certainly don't want to put my only existing fish (a true perc pair) in there as test subjects.

[erics3000]

Got yeah....