Austin goes Rimless - Dudester's 203g mixed reef

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GSMguy - I'm not sure if I had any significant algae before starting ZEOvit, certainly nothing I'd consider a nuissance. The thing that made the most impact was a complete clearing of the water after using it for only 3 days, which I think is more a function of bacteria as opposed to algae. I currently have diatoms on the rocks and sand surface, and I'm really in need of a clean up crew and a good siphoning of the sand.

Sorry for the delay on the update, guys (funny emoticon Marc!), I was dead tired last night. But before crashing, I did manage to get a few things done ...




IT'S UP!!

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You can see that it's not exactly square over the tank, and it is quite a bit forward of center. I'm not happy with the fact that it's not square, but it's tough to see if you're not looking for it. I am happy with the fact that it's tweaked toward the front a little, as the light does not hang over the overflow box at all. This does mean that the rear of the tank is somewhat poorly illuminated, but I'll just keep corals there that require less light.

Here's how the tank looks. I think the light helps you to appreciate the depth of the aquascape much better in these photos than the ones I originally posted. Hope you like them!

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Same angle as above, but with dusk/dawn effect (super actinic in front, ATI blue plus in back)

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Here's the side view.

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And the same view with the dusk/dawn configuration.

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I hope everyone enjoys the pics. I need some help from the Rimless club - how do you keep the upper 'dry' glass clean? There are tons of smears on mine, which really detracts from the photos.
 
Paper towel baby! :lol:

Reef looks really nice. I think having the light forward can only be a good thing. It's much easier to keep the front clean than the back. Your aquascaping is excellent. :thumbsup:
 
How easy is adjusting the height of the fixture (for maintainence)? I'd think that you'd have to raise one side, then the other? How are the mechanics of the wires and the sliders? You've got me thinking about this fixture, though I'd have to get a new tank to justify the fixture, and a new skimmer to make sure it was as clean as it needs to be...and and and...
Matt
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10953936#post10953936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fisheebill
That is such a sweet fixture!
I love the bulb choices.

I know why. Look at the spectrum in your avatar. ;)
 
Chrisrush - The water is 3 1/4 inches from the top of the glass. I'm hanging the fixture 4" above the water line.

jnarowe - Thanks, glad you like the 'scape.

hansmatt - I've read others say that the included hardware is easy for adjusting the height of the light. I must admit, it is doable alone, but it takes some getting used to. Those who have no troubles are certainly dealing with a lighter fixture, since there aren't many of these 10-bulbers in the U.S. as of yet. You are correct in that it has to be raised/lowered 1 side at a time. With practice it's getting easier, and it's not so difficult that I'd want to install a more obtrusive-appearing pulley system. The hardware is quite solid, however, and I feel confident that it won't come slamming down on my tank some day.

Everybody Else - I'm glad you all approve! I wasn't too thrilled with the aquascape as I looked at it for weeks and weeks in the dark, but under the light it has everything I was hoping for when I put it together. In the photos it appears I may have too much rock, but in person I like the look a lot.


I encountered a little problem last night. It seems, I learned, that my 30g cube tank shares the same electrical circuit with this system. When I tested out the newly-hung lights, the chiller kicked in. No problem. But when the MJ 600 that feeds my ZEOvit reactor turned on (it's on a 3-hr on/3-hr off cycle) the circuit tripped. Unbelievable that I had been teetering on the edge, only to be pushed overboard by a little'ol Maxijet. At any rate, the tank tests 0 for ammonia and nitrate, and I've been circulating with cured LR and live sand for around 7 weeks already. Add that to 2 weeks of ZEOvit, and I felt the easiest solution to my electrical problem would be to shut down the 30g and transfer critters to the 203g.

I moved over a green-polyped ORA toadstool, a small frogspawn frag, a green/purple favites, some green/purple rics, a green plate coral, and a red open brain. My other corals and 2 clams have bryopsis on them, so they won't be transferring. I put a post on our local club site offering them up for free for anyone who wants them.

Next came the fish. I didn't want my clownfish pair to be test fish, but I was feeling confident and I went for it. I left the light off and they hid behind the 'scape. After a couple hours I turned the dusk/dawn lighting on, then went out for dinner. When I returned, they were hanging out together at the front of the tank over their host frogspawn frag, looking as happy as ever. The female ate readily, but the male did not. I'm sure he'll come around.

I also moved over some nassarius snails, but the astreas won't go. They all have bryopsis on their shells and they look like mini-Don Kings.

Currently I'm working through a problem with my OM 4-way. Previously I had the Barracuda CL pump dialed down a bit, and with the anticipation of adding corals I opened it up full bore. This caused some sand to fly, which resulted in a clicking sound from the 4-way. I figured some sand got in the drum, but when I tried to take it apart I couldn't get the drum out of the unit. I spoke with Paul on the phone (great guy) and he gave me some tips, but no success yet. I'll work through it again tomorrow at a better hour when I can call him again for more assistance.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10955425#post10955425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dudester
Currently I'm working through a problem with my OM 4-way. Previously I had the Barracuda CL pump dialed down a bit, and with the anticipation of adding corals I opened it up full bore. This caused some sand to fly, which resulted in a clicking sound from the 4-way. I figured some sand got in the drum, but when I tried to take it apart I couldn't get the drum out of the unit. I spoke with Paul on the phone (great guy) and he gave me some tips, but no success yet. I'll work through it again tomorrow at a better hour when I can call him again for more assistance. [/B]

I had the same problem with my 4-way and sand. So much so that I removed the drum and had the unit off for several months. I felt that it was a total waste of money then someone on Reef Central said that I should call Paul again. I did and he sent me a new drum free of charge. I haven’t had a problem since. Now I love the unit and Paul has great customer service.
 
Now that you've got light it'll be fun watching all the stuff you don't want in your tank grow out of nowhere!

Of course, the only way around that is to cover up every square inch of your rock with frags! :)


On the OM 4-way: I've got one of the earlier versions (before Paul re-designed the drum) and I haven't had any problems at all. Of course, I don't have any sand in my tank either...
 
The tank looks great and I love the aquascape. For the problem with the OM I've found that using a wooden dowell inserted into the bottom then push down on the outside of the OM and the drum pops out the top. I used a 12" long piece of wood and it always pops right out. That is the biggest pain with the OM. I'm taking all my sand out because of the same issues. And More Pictures!
 
Post more pics please!!!

I love the tank...I am contemplating going rimless with my nano, but am having a hard time finding a dealer around here who can order ADA, and I really can't afford to do anything custom at this point...perhaps i'll just have to drool over yours in the meantime :)
 
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