Rimless Aquarium Club

[customdusty]

This thread is really terrific, it has helped me hone in on my new tank a lot. I am going to join the club - simple as that. I would like some advice (all opinions welcome) on what I'm considering:

Dimensions 48x24x20 or 48x22x20 Starphire Rimless

I have gravitated to the Elos 120 for two reasons:
1. It is beautiful design, super clean, and the right size for me.
2. Elos provides the entire system (my tank experience is very limited having just bought a 29g biocube 3 months ago).

Downside is cost, so I'm considering a few options:
a. Elos 120 tank, either buying the Elos cabinet or finding one locally, buying my own sump, skimmer, et al.
b. Miracles/AGE tank with the same dimensions, pre-cub holes, and a cabinet, sump, skimmer, separately.

I'm not considering building the tank or the cabinet myself; I'm interested in best of breed; but I also don't want to overpay.

Has anyone gone down this route and bought an Elos 120 w/a different cabinet, sump, skimmer, etc? How much work was it?

Has anyone gone down the Miracles/AGE route and had a tank designed that mimics the Elos tank style (internal corner overflow/return system)? How do I spec out the holes required (one overflow, two return?) and sizes, the right location, etc?

I see a lot of different T5 lighting options, 6, 8, 10 lights, different wattage, these Stealth systems, etc. Is there a definitive comparison guide somewhere that I can refer to that allows me to get a better feel for what would be right for my tank (it'll be mixed LPS/SPS/A few Fish).

And last question (for now!), has anyone had a lot of experience trying to find cabinets that were solid enough to hold the tank/water, and the sump, that weren't build by these aquarium companies, or is that just a useless line of thinking on my part?

Thanks,
Shane

The Elos route is a good way to go if you want an all-in-one like solution, but keep in mind it doesn't include tons of other support equipment that you will find that you need. For example, heaters, calc reactors, other reactors, RO/DI, powerheads, etc, etc. It just simplifies the plumbing, sump, tank, and stand decisions. The bottom line is that you'll need more stuff, a lot more stuff, that isn't included out of the box with Elos - and quite frankly, you can buy better equipment for equal or less money if you do things separately.

As far as overflows go, I'll never own another tank with an internal overflow, whether it is a corner or even the small glass holes one that I have. If you have the space and cost isn't that big of a deal, get an external horizontal overflow so there is NOTHING visible inside the tank. Acrylic overflows also get covered in coralline and just show their age over time.

Also, be careful about putting AGE tanks in the category with Miracles, you'll find out why when you get the quote. $$$$

Stands are an interesting animal in this hobby, there aren't too many off the shelf type solutions, most people will have them custom built to match unique tank sizes and home decor style. Using another type of furnture as a tank stand is ok with small tanks, but probably not advisable for larger ones.

With lighting, you'll find that people swear by each and every type of light out there. You have to decide what look you like and what is important to you, and then come to a solution on your own. I can help you along with that should you need it, but I think it's something to discuss outside this thread.

 

[gillies]

Set up for a week.

 

[SWINGRRRR]

Can I play too? I'm sure its buried somewhere in this thread, but how far down do most run on a rimless? I'm am shooting for 1 1/4" but not sure.

 

[henrystyle]

48" x 18"x 10". I purchased it from a local reefer. The best I can tell is it's a glasscages build with glass overflow. Here is how it looked July 5th 2010.

I'll try and add a cleaned up fts in the next couple days.

Nice shallow tank. Sump looks bigger than the tank. lol

 

[JG1]

Been running for 3 weeks now without lights. Will be going ZeoVit on this tank and will add the zeo reactor next week along with the basic 4. Still need to add the two vortech's and program them to my WXM module.

 

[SunnyX]

My 3rd miracles tank, this time a much larger Rimless , will be arriving this coming week!
72*36*22 starphire.

 

[slovan]

Aside from the Elos 120XL, I added a 40 gallon frag tank. It's a 3-sided starfire tank from Miracles.

 

[Texsun]

Aside from the Elos 120XL, I added a 40 gallon frag tank. It's a 3-sided starfire tank from Miracles.
]

Slovan, that's a great looking frag tank. How did you hide the AI cables.

 

[HiImSean]

mine, yet to be setup 18x18x18 25g Mr. Aqua

 

[slovan]

How did you hide the AI cables.

Texsun, I used cable covers and zip ties. From the picture, you can see where I used zip ties on the rail towards the back. Then the light rack was black so it is easy to conceal the zip ties.

 

[WhoDey64]

Checking in x3

 

[mudskipper1]

Whodey64, that setup is ridiculous...incredible~

 

[WhoDey64]

Thanks mudskipper.

It's in that lovely diatom stage at the moment.

 

[SunnyX]

The eagle has landed!

Im gonna have fun scaping this bad boy! Detachable overflow skin for easy cleaning.

Miracles Rimless Shallow Starphire Reef(72Lx36Wx22H)

Bullet Proof Starphire!

External coast to coast overflow.

Build thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1922169

 

[Jay4Robin]

My New Elos 160XL
This week I fill with water and do my rock work.

 

[Baldwin]

48" x 18"x 10". I purchased it from a local reefer. The best I can tell is it's a glasscages build with glass overflow. Here is how it looked July 5th 2010.

I'll try and add a cleaned up fts in the next couple days.

I'm very interested in your sump design, do you have any current pics,and the idea of the design, as well as maybe a walkthrugh of the waterflow?

 

[Baldwin]

The Elos route is a good way to go if you want an all-in-one like solution, but keep in mind it doesn't include tons of other support equipment that you will find that you need. For example, heaters, calc reactors, other reactors, RO/DI, powerheads, etc, etc. It just simplifies the plumbing, sump, tank, and stand decisions. The bottom line is that you'll need more stuff, a lot more stuff, that isn't included out of the box with Elos - and quite frankly, you can buy better equipment for equal or less money if you do things separately.

As far as overflows go, I'll never own another tank with an internal overflow, whether it is a corner or even the small glass holes one that I have. If you have the space and cost isn't that big of a deal, get an external horizontal overflow so there is NOTHING visible inside the tank. Acrylic overflows also get covered in coralline and just show their age over time.

Also, be careful about putting AGE tanks in the category with Miracles, you'll find out why when you get the quote. $$$$

Stands are an interesting animal in this hobby, there aren't too many off the shelf type solutions, most people will have them custom built to match unique tank sizes and home decor style. Using another type of furnture as a tank stand is ok with small tanks, but probably not advisable for larger ones.

With lighting, you'll find that people swear by each and every type of light out there. You have to decide what look you like and what is important to you, and then come to a solution on your own. I can help you along with that should you need it, but I think it's something to discuss outside this thread.

Interested in seeing which one is typically more expensive? I'm getting quotes at the moment.

 

[canesfan44]

Interested in seeing which one is typically more expensive? I'm getting quotes at the moment.

Make sure to get a quote from Reef Savvy. I was going to get an Elos until I got a quote from Reef Savvy. I had them build me the tank and custom sump and I built the stand myself.

 

[Logzor]

Here is my new rimless from Miracles, 150g 3/4" starphire (48x30x24). Sump was also custom built by them.

I have an MP60 attached to the glass for reference.

 

[Anemone0524]

that's a beauty logzor. an mp60 is going to blow the fins off your fish in that size tank!! good dimension choice - 48" will give you plenty of lighting options and 30" of depth is going to make all the difference for aquascaping.

How did you find the build quality of Miracles?