d2mini's "Essential Focus" Mixed Reef Build
- Thread starter d2mini
- Start date
Very nice job Dennis.
Here in Italy we are all looking a you
I've read from your post that you have found the manual for the cabinet a "little bit too hermetic" ! We definitely need to work at that.
I hope you have appreciated the shipping service. We have agreed with Fedex very good conditions and we have decided to offer this service to all our customers and Scott, at Aquarium Specialty, has immediately accepted to offer this service to you. Convenient and fast as far as I've seen.
Shall you need any further support, don't hesitate to ask.
Nick
Here in Italy we are all looking a you
I've read from your post that you have found the manual for the cabinet a "little bit too hermetic" ! We definitely need to work at that.
I hope you have appreciated the shipping service. We have agreed with Fedex very good conditions and we have decided to offer this service to all our customers and Scott, at Aquarium Specialty, has immediately accepted to offer this service to you. Convenient and fast as far as I've seen.
Shall you need any further support, don't hesitate to ask.
Nick
d2mini
Premium Member
Thanks for posting in my thread, Nick!Very nice job Dennis.
Here in Italy we are all looking a you
I've read from your post that you have found the manual for the cabinet a "little bit too hermetic" ! We definitely need to work at that.
I hope you have appreciated the shipping service. We have agreed with Fedex very good conditions and we have decided to offer this service to all our customers and Scott, at Aquarium Specialty, has immediately accepted to offer this service to you. Convenient and fast as far as I've seen.
Shall you need any further support, don't hesitate to ask.
Nick
Yes, the issue I had with the instructions for the manual was that the illustrations for each piece didn't match up with what I had, and one piece seemed to be missing entirely. It all had to do with the way the side panels were connected together via the rear support. But once I figured out which piece went where, it went together very easily.
The shipping service was AWESOME.
So easy, and considering the distance, the price was very fair as well.
It is very common for large items that are shipped within the United States to be shipped via independent freight services. Once the item makes it to your local area, a trucking company calls the customer and sets up a delivery date. But having FedEx delivery it directly was very fast.
I'll be posting some nice detailed photographs of the tank this afternoon.
But I may also send you a private message later with a few random questions I had.
Thank you!
d2mini
Premium Member
UPDATE 4-11-16
When I first spoke with Scott at Aquarium Specialty about the Elos, I expressed concern that there was no bottom in the stand. It was explained to both of us by Elos Italy that it's designed this way to keep sound/vibrations from transferring through the stand. This is understandable and a great thought, but I wasn't fond of putting my sump directly on my wood floors. If I had tile or concrete, it would have been fine. So Nick at Elos graciously offered to make me a false floor that could be inset into the stand. It arrived and was very nice. Made out of the same thick materials as the rest of the stand, and they had large, heavy duty feet to keep it raised off the floor. But being that I've made idiot mistakes in the past and I'm not always that careful when removing reactors and doing other maintenance, I was still worried about saltwater spills damaging the floor. So I decide to have my local acrylic smith (www.buildinganobsession.com) build me an acrylic tray. It fits perfectly and I added a dozen or so felt pads to the bottom just to make sure it has airflow underneath in case any moisture was to make its way under there. And now any spills will be contained inside the tray.
Once that was done, it was time to finish unpacking the tank and move it inside and on to the stand!
I have to say, the clarity of the glass is AMAZE-BALLS.
The build quality of the entire tank is top notch.
Subtle beveled and highly polished edges, really clean silicone work... very nicely done.
Lets start with some pics of the overflow that we are all curious about.
I am still unsure of exactly how it works, but I'll let you at least see what I'm seeing.
(and mind you, I hadn't cleaned the dust and fingerprints off everything)
Here is the complete overflow.
As you can see, the water enters from all levels of the aquarium.
It goes through the vents, up a channel to the top, where it overflows into the rest of the overflow.
There is a cap that sits on top.
Notice that there is also an optional return spout at the bottom. It's currently capped off.
This seems quite low to me, if you have substrate on the bottom of your tank.
I'm also not sure what would happen in the event of a power failure? Back siphon??? I would think Elos has thought of this. Maybe they can offer some insight.
This is what you see when you lift the cap off.
The large adjustment dial is for dialing in drain flow, and the small dial is for dialing in the return flow.
An acrylic "key" is included to make turning both dials nice and easy.
Removing two small hex bolts will let you remove the trim around the dials to reveal the interior of the overflow.
And the front wall with the all the drain vents lifts straight up and out.
The standpipe (the outer portion) is removable for maintenance. It lifts right out.
So now you can see the 1.25" drain standpipe and the 3/4" return behind it.
There actually seems to be two of the smaller pipes but I do not know what the second one does.
Under the tank, there is only one drain hole and one return hole.
And as far as I can tell, that square box over the return is completely sealed and not removable.
The Elos mystery continues!
When I first spoke with Scott at Aquarium Specialty about the Elos, I expressed concern that there was no bottom in the stand. It was explained to both of us by Elos Italy that it's designed this way to keep sound/vibrations from transferring through the stand. This is understandable and a great thought, but I wasn't fond of putting my sump directly on my wood floors. If I had tile or concrete, it would have been fine. So Nick at Elos graciously offered to make me a false floor that could be inset into the stand. It arrived and was very nice. Made out of the same thick materials as the rest of the stand, and they had large, heavy duty feet to keep it raised off the floor. But being that I've made idiot mistakes in the past and I'm not always that careful when removing reactors and doing other maintenance, I was still worried about saltwater spills damaging the floor. So I decide to have my local acrylic smith (www.buildinganobsession.com) build me an acrylic tray. It fits perfectly and I added a dozen or so felt pads to the bottom just to make sure it has airflow underneath in case any moisture was to make its way under there. And now any spills will be contained inside the tray.
Once that was done, it was time to finish unpacking the tank and move it inside and on to the stand!
I have to say, the clarity of the glass is AMAZE-BALLS.
The build quality of the entire tank is top notch.
Subtle beveled and highly polished edges, really clean silicone work... very nicely done.
Lets start with some pics of the overflow that we are all curious about.
I am still unsure of exactly how it works, but I'll let you at least see what I'm seeing.
(and mind you, I hadn't cleaned the dust and fingerprints off everything)
Here is the complete overflow.
As you can see, the water enters from all levels of the aquarium.
It goes through the vents, up a channel to the top, where it overflows into the rest of the overflow.
There is a cap that sits on top.
Notice that there is also an optional return spout at the bottom. It's currently capped off.
This seems quite low to me, if you have substrate on the bottom of your tank.
I'm also not sure what would happen in the event of a power failure? Back siphon??? I would think Elos has thought of this. Maybe they can offer some insight.
This is what you see when you lift the cap off.
The large adjustment dial is for dialing in drain flow, and the small dial is for dialing in the return flow.
An acrylic "key" is included to make turning both dials nice and easy.
Removing two small hex bolts will let you remove the trim around the dials to reveal the interior of the overflow.
And the front wall with the all the drain vents lifts straight up and out.
The standpipe (the outer portion) is removable for maintenance. It lifts right out.
So now you can see the 1.25" drain standpipe and the 3/4" return behind it.
There actually seems to be two of the smaller pipes but I do not know what the second one does.
Under the tank, there is only one drain hole and one return hole.
And as far as I can tell, that square box over the return is completely sealed and not removable.
The Elos mystery continues!
d2mini
Premium Member
Here's some more detailed shots of the tank.
The side and back of the overflow are covered in a vinyl with a mesh print.
There is a viewing window on the side so you can see the water level inside.
Ultra clear "Diamond" glass!
Hopefully not to easily scratched... time will tell, but you can be sure I'll be extra careful.
This is the base of the overflow and rear top corner of the stand.
At the very right you can see there is a vent that runs all the way across directly under the rear of the tank.
There is also a larger vent that runs across the very bottom of the stand.
Look at that gorgeous edge.
Since we had our donuts laying around, I grabbed one of the napkins with the the Shipley's logo on it and place it behind the glass, about 12" behind the front pane.
Notice that there is basically zero color cast on the napkin from the glass.
And finally, the first full tank shot!
I don't have any T5 bulbs yet, but turned on the center row of LEDs.
So that is all for now!
Next we are working on the sump.
While I wait for that, I have some other random things I need to do.
Stay tuned...
The side and back of the overflow are covered in a vinyl with a mesh print.
There is a viewing window on the side so you can see the water level inside.
Ultra clear "Diamond" glass!
Hopefully not to easily scratched... time will tell, but you can be sure I'll be extra careful.
This is the base of the overflow and rear top corner of the stand.
At the very right you can see there is a vent that runs all the way across directly under the rear of the tank.
There is also a larger vent that runs across the very bottom of the stand.
Look at that gorgeous edge.
Since we had our donuts laying around, I grabbed one of the napkins with the the Shipley's logo on it and place it behind the glass, about 12" behind the front pane.
Notice that there is basically zero color cast on the napkin from the glass.
And finally, the first full tank shot!
I don't have any T5 bulbs yet, but turned on the center row of LEDs.
So that is all for now!
Next we are working on the sump.
While I wait for that, I have some other random things I need to do.
Stay tuned...
tommyboynj
New member
That tank is a thing of beauty even before it's got water in it.
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
mark54321
New member
Elos tanks are amazing, that new diamond series looks even better! As usual Dennis, you have great sense of beauty, everyone of your builds matched perfectly with your home style and decor. I can't wait to see how you will aquascape it ,and what livestock you will put in there, I am sure this will be another " magazine" tank . I would suggest that you run the power cord from your Powermodule it to the wall, but I am sure being perfectionist like you, you did already think of it .
. I would suggest that you run the power cord from your Powermodule it to the wall, but I am sure being perfectionist like you, you did already think of it .
d2mini
Premium Member
Thanks, guys!
Thanks!Elos tanks are amazing, that new diamond series looks even better! As usual Dennis, you have great sense of beauty, everyone of your builds matched perfectly with your home style and decor. I can't wait to see how you will aquascape it ,and what livestock you will put in there, I am sure this will be another " magazine" tank
I do want to eventually swap out the furniture to something that leans a bit more mid-century modern, but for now I'll let the kids destroy what we have from the previous house.
But I think that would help balance the clean lines of the stand with the more traditional lines of the rest of the cabinetry.
I DID think of running the cord straight back and into the wall, but I'm unsure of what would be the cleanest way to go about it.
Suggestions?
tommyboynj
New member
What about running the cable up the hanging cables into the ceiling. I'm sure you could find some kind of low profile conduit to go over the cable and power cord. Then you could just do the same thing in the other hanging cable to match.
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk
d2mini
Premium Member
Thanks, but I like how the thin wires almost completely disappear and I'd like to keep it that way.
The power cord is always an eyesore. Not much can be done IMO that looks much better than just letting it hang out of the way the best you can. Too my eye.... up the hanging cables, straight back thru a hole in the wall, conduit, etc. doesn't improve the look any more than just hangin' free. One thing that I did do to my ATI to clean up the hanging cables, is drill a very small hole in the top of the light directly beneath the gizmo that adjusts the height. The extra cable can slip in the hole, stays straight and doesn't lay on top of the light or chopped off short and sticking out at some weird angle. Looks nicer to me.
Awesome setup so far....as usual.
Mark
p.s. I dont understand the lower hole return either.
Awesome setup so far....as usual.
Mark
p.s. I dont understand the lower hole return either.
d2mini
Premium Member
Thanks!
I also may wrap the cord in some of this in gray to better blend.
Will be better than stark black.
http://www.amazon.com/TechFlex-F6N0-50PG25-Braided-Sleeve-Platinum/dp/B00RO8DGBQ
Vinny Kreyling
Premium Member
The white item in the Baltic ad on the right side of the page looks better.
drummerboyevil
New member
I was going to suggest this stuff. Somehow the texture of that wrap makes everything look like it's supposed to be there :lol:
d2mini
Premium Member
Thanks, Brandon!
The what? :uhoh2:
Yeah, that stuff is cool.
Interesting.
I can buy aluminum square bar at home depot.
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