480gl elos braceless earthquake trap

Closer look:
P1010680.jpg
 
Cycle is going slower than I'd hoped, despite putting in some live rock from my existing tank. Nitrites still hanging in there a bit. I think part of the problem was that I've had the heat too low (by accident), at a little over 70 degrees.
 
I think it'll look better once it's covered with corals. One underlying principle is that no rock rests on any other rock. Thus, i can pull any rock out without affecting the structure. With all the trouble i've had with fireworms, bubble algae, nasty crabs I like this concept. Also, the structure is hollow. I have one closed loop in each blowing straight up from the CL boxes to keep crap from settling on the rock and i can also blow out the inner structure with a MJ and hose. No sand gets past the PVC bottom pipes so easy to keep clean. More function than beauty i suppose.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11434954#post11434954 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tylorarm
I think it'll look better once it's covered with corals. One underlying principle is that no rock rests on any other rock. Thus, i can pull any rock out without affecting the structure. With all the trouble i've had with fireworms, bubble algae, nasty crabs I like this concept. Also, the structure is hollow. I have one closed loop in each blowing straight up from the CL boxes to keep crap from settling on the rock and i can also blow out the inner structure with a MJ and hose. No sand gets past the PVC bottom pipes so easy to keep clean. More function than beauty i suppose.
Click to expand...

That's a great concept. To expand on it, if you look down the top of the aquarium, try not to have any rock covering any other. This keeps all rock exposed to the light and greatly increase the potential mounting spots for corals. It also generally insures an open aquascape, but it's best attribute is lots of extra real estate for corals.
 
Thanks, that's a very good point. I don't have any rocks directly on top of any other rocks vertically, but there's some rock slope at the sides I could better arrange. Maybe I'm better flattening the slope into more mini ledges, easier to attach corals and get some direct light. This might sacrifice a bit of open sand though, but i think it'll be worth the effort once corals start growing, especially as 28" deep so might need as direct of light as possible.
 
That aquascaping is awesome. I really like it. I have a tiny tank compared to your beast, so I only used some plastic rods to hold the rock together.
 
I love the scaping as well....surely this tank is the king of all elos rimless tanks! Tagging along on this project....
Thanks for sharing!
 
just wonder how much water do you have to top off this tank??/
you must have an airexchanger in this house or some thing else,,
 
hi are you sure the side glass is 19mm?? i though rimless is thicker glass,,,i has told by jessie is 25mm,,,??
very scare if its 19mm with that big tank,,

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11121236#post11121236 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tylorarm
Yes, they do custom work but don't play it up. Tank is 84"x48"x28". Glass is 4 sides starfire (or Elos equivalent) with 19mm sides and 38mm bottom (about 1.5" thick bottom).
Click to expand...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11436004#post11436004 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by khoivo1
hawaiianwargod how much water do you have to top off your?? my tank is gonna be the same size as your,,,thanks
Click to expand...

Khoivo,

Sent you a pm...don't wan't to HJ tylorarm's thread.
 
Pretty sure it's 19mm, a little thicker than 3/4" as i measure it. The bottom being 1.5" helps as sides are siliconed to the bottom (ie sides go all the way to the stand), more siliconed area. Seems pretty solid, but I'm trusting Elos on the construction.
 
Khoivo, i don't have an air exchanger, but i do have a huge attic fan that i haven't had to use yet. Attic fan vents air from top of the stairs at house center out through the attic, just no heat exchange. I'm going to monitor closely and then maybe have to make adjustments. I have 3 hygrometers in various points. So far I'm running both tanks and the 125gl is fan cooled with a full canopy puts out quite a bit of moisture. Once i switch over I'll only have the 480gl but will be running my lights much harder than i am right now. However, i don't plan on using any fans on the 480gl's water, all cooling done in fish room.
 
Quick reply, but definitely something I'll be worrying about for some time once fully up and running. At least our climate here is pretty warm so can always open up some windows. However, that doesn't help if it's raining outside, but if i understand correctly, neither would an air exchanger if high humidity outside.
 
Nice job on the aquascaping! I wouldn't worry about your rocks being too symmetrical. A few overgrown colonies can fix that in a hurry. :lol:

BTW, I really like the entire setup, very nice! It also looks like your lights have an even spread throughout your tank. That would be hard to do in a tank that is close to 500 gallons!
 
Nice work on the scaping. I am a fan of the islands myself. Some how i knew booze would have a post on this thread :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top