Aaarrrggg's Elos Mini Build

[Aaarrrggg]

First a little background...

My first SW tank was a 55g, started in Dec '06. It was softies/LPS, a RBTA (which turned into several) and through it's life an assortment of fish (to mixed success)... oh and a dragon skull!

For a first tank I think I did pretty well, mistakes were made and I learned a lot, but on the whole, nothing too drastic occurred.

I had to part ways with it at the beginning of 2010 when my husband and I moved to the US. I probably could have made some money by selling off all the bits, or putting it on eBay... but I didn't have the time for the former and I really didn't want my beloved tank going to someone who wouldn't know how to keep it. In the end I gave it all away to a nice chap that worked in my LFS. Funnily enough he was the same guy that sold me the tank as a FW system years ago. It somehow seemed "right" that it was going back from whence it came, and I knew he was going to take good care of it. So I was happy.

Fast forward a year and I'm living in Austin TX and bugging the heck out of my poor husband with some pretty crazy tank cravings. I signed up to the Live Aquaria Divers Den newsletter years ago and their constant awesome updates have been driving me a little loopy. At least when I got them in England I knew I couldn't buy anything... now I'm here it's so tempting! :hmm4:

We closed on a house last weekend so I've finally got the all clear to start a new tank! Woohoo!! I learned a lot from my last tank and am willing to take things super slow and spend that little bit extra at the start so I have everything running the way I want from the get go.

Planned setup...
- Tank: Elos Mini 20g (I love these things!)

- Lighting: AI Sol Nano Blue LED (with AI conntroller OR ReefKeeper)
- Sump: Elos standard (really excited to have a sump this time around!)
- Skimmer: Elos standard (maybe a different one if I end up getting microbubbles)
- Powerhead: Vortech MP10 (I hear good things!)
- Auto Top Off: Elos Osmocontroller Digital OR ReefKeeper
- Thermometer/Heater: Reefkeeper or ???
- Sand: Unsure on brand. Something fine and light colored (ended up not liking my dark, larger grained sand from before)
- Stand: White Elos standard

The specs get a little hazy and I'd love some advice. The AI Sol Nano lights don't come with a controller, and as much fun as it sounds to play God with the touch interface... I can imagine it getting old fast having to do it everyday! So I need some sort of controller. The AI controller is cheaper than the RK Lite, but obviously the RK could do other things like the ATO and temp. The Elos Mini doesn't come with an ATO, but someone on here mentioned the RK ATO isn't that great. So I'm not sure what the best way to go is with this one, buy all the bits separately, or have RK control everything? I don't want to spend a fortune, but at the same time I'll kick myself later if I just end up having to replace it all with a RK.

Fish wise I have 2 options:
Option #1
- 2 Onyx clowns
- Yasha Haze Goby
- Maaaaybe another Yasha sized thing? It's ok to say "NO!"

Option #2
- Yasha Haze Goby
- Several other mini fish... suggestions? Not sure how many Yasha sized fish would equal 2 clowns?

I LOVE clowns but I'm quite interested in the idea of a mini reef, with mini fish to match. I figure keeping everything small will end up giving the illusion of things being bigger than they are. I'm worried though that only so many would get along, could I even have 2 gobies in a 20g without them fighting? Any advice/suggestions on this is appreciated.

Inverts:
- Randalls Shrimp for my Yasha (had this pairing in my old tank and they were amazing!)
- Sexy Shrimps (not sure how many?)
- Halloween Hermit
- Electric Blue Hermit
- Pom Pom Crab
- Squat Lobster? (They look interesting on LA)
- Emerald Crab
- Snail Cleaning Crew ...?

Forgive me, it's been so long that I can't remember what a good CUC would be! I usually entrust cleaning to snails, but like having single examples of various crabs so I can play "Where's Wally" with them! (Sorry that should be "Waldo" now I'm in the States! :spin1 Suggestions welcome!

Coral:
Softies (zoos, mushies, small leather) and some LPS (candy came, frogspawn etc.) Who knows, maybe I'll try a SPS frag down the line, but I really like how softies move in the flow. I love RBTAs but 20g seems a little small for them so if I go the clown route they'll just have to settle for hosting in something else.

So that's where I'm at right now. I'm still in the planning phases so everything is subject to change and I'm very happy to alter things if necessary for the good of my reef and its inhabitants. We still have some things to work on at the new house, which could kick up a bit of dust, so I'm not going to order anything until that's all out of the way. The AI Sol Nano isn't out yet either, so there's no hurry.

Furniture permitting, here's where it will be going...

(The blinds and solar screens for this room are on order; another reason to wait before setting it up... don't want a hair algae species tank!) :bounce3:

 

[Misenplace101]

beautiful house... awsome tank as well.

 

[Aaarrrggg]

Thanks Misenplace! We got really lucky with the house, I can't wait to get all our stuff (and tank!) over there and make it feel like home.

Does anyone have any feedback/advice about my plan?

 

[philosophish]

Regarding comparing waste and fish sizes, I have read and spoke to many that study marine biology, and they all agree fish size (weight) is the deciding factor on the relative waste it will produce.

So think about how heavy a fish is compared to an other. Im sure my chubby percula female consumes and produces far more than a trio of firefish.

Remember, species compatibility and space requirements aside, your filtration system will decide your max bioload.

 

[Aaarrrggg]

That makes sense, thanks philosophish! Hmmm, so a couple of Percs could equal quite a few little fish in that case... that could be pretty interesting.

I was having a look about for potential lil' fish (not necessarily all in there together)

Yasha Goby (Max 2.5")
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=01-2745&Category=Fish:.Nano Fish&SortBy=Price
A MUST, I love these guys!

Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse (Max 2.5")
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2124+3043&pcatid=3043
Found this chap on LA and they seem to tick all the boxes. They're a wrasse but LA claims they won't bother anything. My husband is already picking out names for one too, which is dangerous. :lmao:

Flaming Prawn Goby (Max 1")
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Exp...2744-10&Category=Fish:.Nano Fish&SortBy=Price
Love the look of these guys, but I know they are pretty small. It sounds like if you have a quiet tank with a lot of hiding places they can get a little braver in time. The price is pretty, well... ow... but who knows, maybe one day?

Tiger Blenny (Max 2")
http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=111014
Looked pretty cute. If they act like a bicolor blenny but smaller that could be cool. I'll investigate further.

Red Scooter Blenny (Max 2.4")
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=01-1619&Category=Fish:.Nano Fish&SortBy=Price
Love these little guys, but I know about the pod situation. Does anyone know if I could set up a fudge in one of the Elos sump compartments? Maybe add some chaeto and some live pods to establish them? There's no way these little guys can need as many pods as a mandy so maybe it's possible... at least he'd have some pretty docile tankmates. Has anyone managed to ween them onto frozen? Certainly wouldn't even consider it for some time at any rate.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for little fish... or feedback on these?

 

[Aaarrrggg]

A few more contenders...

Green Clown Goby (Max 1¾")
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1926+159&pcatid=159
Would be nice to have a different shape in there. Great colors too, and it looks like it's not such a serial hider!

Red Head Goby (Max 2")
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=01-2729&Category=Fish:.Nano Fish&SortBy=Price
Great if it looks like the pic on VA... not so enamored by the LA pic, the colors aren't nearly as exciting.

Tail Spot Blenny (Max 2.5")
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+2229&pcatid=2229
Charming little fellow, gotta love that makeup!

Greenbanded Goby (Max 2")
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=01-2736&Category=Fish:.Nano Fish&SortBy=Price
Like the redhead, great if I can find one with bright colors.

I'll keep investigating...

 

[philosophish]

In a small tank, try and focus on "squatters" and avoid swimmers. Even a small wrasse like a tanaka is better left to aquariums where they can swim freely.

There are quite a few small "rock hoppers" that have large personalities. A tail spot blenny is perfect. Eats algae, stays small, and likes to dip in and out of the rock work.

Yashas are beautiful, but tend to be on the larger size compared to similar gobies/dartfish. Ive seen them in person larger than 3 inches. I fear most "max sizes" found on the web tend to error an inch or two on the small size, maybe to help market the fish.

Greenbandeds are great, and beautiful. Their tiger stripes are very nice, and they are an active little fish that likes to dart around and cling to all surfaces, glass included. I love mine and cant imagine a tank without one.

Have you seen barnacle blennies? A group of these little guys would make a great active display.

Good luck.

 

[Aaarrrggg]

Well the wait is finally over, my Mini arrived!!

I figured I'd be smart and set up the cabinet first, so I opened that box up to find the instructions. None there so I cracked open the tank box...

I could see them tucked away between the sump and tank, so I had to unpack virtually everything before I could get my mitts on them. The funny thing is, once you do, there's step by step instructions on "Unpacking the Aquarium!!"

You can see in the background how much of it I had to unpack before I could actually read about how to unpack it. It even has a step at the end directing you to read the instructions that you're currently reading...! Best not to dwell on that one too much, it could break your brain. :hmm3:

OK, so despite the tank manual directing me to read the cabinet assembly instructions, they were nowhere to be found. No problem; after just moving I'm pretty well versed in Ikea furniture construction, and after some Googling I found some diagrams from Elos in this thread. Unfortunately by that time Smokey had made off with one of the wooden peg things and chewed it to oblivion.

 

[Aaarrrggg]

Luckily for me (and him!) it turns out Elos include way more wooden pegs than you actually need, so the construction went along smoothly.

Then it came time for the sump...

Here's where the trouble started. The instructions are TERRIBLE! They say things like "Assemble the pot, the outlet valve and the T plumbing"...without actually telling you what's what. There are 2 pictures to go by, which as well as being horribly printed to the point where you can't make out what the heck is going on... they are also taken from the side and back of the sump, which is really confusing! :sad2:

I muddled my way through it with the help of the equipment forum and Googling pictures of other peoples Minis. I think I have it mostly set up... but I have a problem. My Mini seems to be from Bizarro world... it's backwards!

Mine:

Someone else's I found online:

As a result the pipe doesn't seem to fit in the outlet and the tank to sump pipes don't line up.

I know I could rotate the tank clockwise, but as it is going to be viewable from 3 sides I really wanted the black panel this way round. So question...

Is it OK to have the pipes going across from the left of the tank to the right of the sump? Will that affect flow or anything??

I'm going to paint the back of the tank, (well I'm going to make my husband do it!) so I really need to know asap which side is the back.

I'm also a little worried about the gap between the skimmer outlet and the filter sock:

I've seen pictures where the grey tube goes down further into the T tube, but mine has a plastic lip on the inside that makes it impossible. Even if it could, it would end up blocking the outlet off completely. Has Elos changed the design?

The rocks arrived too and they're beautiful... more on them shortly. :lol2:

 

[Aaarrrggg]

Thanks for the advice philosophish! I've decided I am definitely going to go for some smaller fish, rather than the usual clowns route.

A Tail Spot Blenny might be the first inhabitant as they seem to be pretty readily available on Divers Den. Although I'm going to see how long I can go on just a cleaning crew (after cycle of course!) I really want to take tank #2 nice and slowly.

 

[Jay-sun]

The way you have your tank set on the stand in the picture, the right side panel will be the front. The overflow box should be on the right side of the tank. So rotating it clockwise would put the correct panel in the front. You can tell which is the fron panel by looking at the edge of the glass. You will see a green tint on all edges other than the front pane. It will be basically clear looking compared to the others. The picture you have of someones elses tank is the original design for the overflow. You have the newer model/overflow design.
HTH's
Jason

 

[Aaarrrggg]

Oh frak, I forgot about the crystal clear glass on the front pane. So I have to have the wide part of the overflow on the side of the tank...smeg! Why on earth did they change it? That's going to look really ugly.

Sorry to sound bummed, just miffed at Elos for changing it around. Many thanks for letting me know though Jason! At least we can get on with painting it now. :artist:

 

[6Speed]

They changed it so that the overflow box didn't show as much when viewing the tank from the front pane. You see the thin side of the overflow this way. Looking through the sides you see the wide side.

To fix your return pipe, just pull the elbow off and flip it around.

 

[cman_pogey]

Hey there Arg, thought I would say that the tank is looking great. Also, I am actually in Austin right now, and I have fallen in love with the place My just moved down here last year, and this is only my second time being here, and its just awesome.

Just curious if you have found any other saltwater places other than AquaTek over on Burnet?

Once again, good luck, and the tanks looking great!

 

[Aaarrrggg]

Ah I see!! Yes that totally makes sense that they changed it then. Still, it's a shame for me because the right side of the tank is going to be next to my chair in the lounge, so I'd wanted a good view. Oh well, I'll get over it!

I emailed Elos last night asking about my various queries and Jesse wrote back immediately, which considering it was silly-o'clock in the morning here, was pretty incredible! Here are the answers I got, just in case they're handy to anyone else down the road...

Overflow tubing:
The outlet with the small siphon break is three pieces (2- 90 degree and 1- threaded lice with o-rings to slide into the overflow). You can unscrew them all and reassemble them so the small siphon break is away from the glass.

Skimmer to filter sock:
The skimmer you can add a piece of tubing to go farther into the sock, just give ms a call at the office and I can help with this. While it does make for less splashing, it makes changing the sock a bit more difficult.


Now... next thing I'm not sure about is my rocks. We got a bit excited when the tank turned up and might have jumped the gun a little by going out and buying the water and rock.

I have ~15lbs of (beautiful!) dry rock from Macro Rocks and 5lbs of live from the LFS. With the tank taking longer to set up than I initially planned... and with friends coming over from England for SXSW, I might have to hold off getting everything going until I have a bit more time.

So my question is... what do you think I should do with the rock? Will it be ok in the bag or should I get it set up in a plastic trash can with the water? If I put the LR in there would it be beneficial to add the dry rock too? Is it possible to start the cycle in a bucket and then move it over to the tank later?

Basically what's the best thing I can do to keep it all happy for 2 weeks or so?

 

[Aaarrrggg]

Hey there Arg, thought I would say that the tank is looking great. Also, I am actually in Austin right now, and I have fallen in love with the place My just moved down here last year, and this is only my second time being here, and its just awesome.

Just curious if you have found any other saltwater places other than AquaTek over on Burnet?

Once again, good luck, and the tanks looking great!

Austin is awesome isn't it?

I love AquaTek, those guys and gals really know their stuff! There's also River City Aquatics further north and AquaDome in the south I think. River City are good, haven't been down to AquaDome yet, but I hear good things. Have you joined the Austin Reef Club forum? They post all the specials and whatnot on there and there's meets every couple of months. I haven't been to any yet, but I definitely will once I have some frags to swap.

 

[JasonBJones]

Dont forget Fishy Business over on Burnet as well. He has the healthiest livestock in the city. Really knowledgeable guy but doesn't take well to people who don't follow his advice.

Aaarrrggg, the tank is looking great.

 

[JasonBJones]

Does anyone know if I could set up a fudge in one of the Elos sump compartments?

I am not sure how helpful setting up fudge in your sump would be, but looking at the pictures of the sump you should have no problems setting up a fuge.:beer:

 

[MrIcky]

I know next to nothing about Elos's, but that is one cool room. GL on the build.

 

[Jay-sun]

Now... next thing I'm not sure about is my rocks. We got a bit excited when the tank turned up and might have jumped the gun a little by going out and buying the water and rock.

I have ~15lbs of (beautiful!) dry rock from Macro Rocks and 5lbs of live from the LFS. With the tank taking longer to set up than I initially planned... and with friends coming over from England for SXSW, I might have to hold off getting everything going until I have a bit more time.

So my question is... what do you think I should do with the rock? Will it be ok in the bag or should I get it set up in a plastic trash can with the water? If I put the LR in there would it be beneficial to add the dry rock too? Is it possible to start the cycle in a bucket and then move it over to the tank later?

Basically what's the best thing I can do to keep it all happy for 2 weeks or so?

Yes you should set it up in a trash can or the like and let the live rock seed the dead rock in there. A heater, power head and some salt water and you are good to go. You dont want to leave the live rock just sitting around or all the good stuff will die off and be useless for the most part.

Jason