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Chris' Elos 160 (1 Viewer)

A few photos from the build thread made their way to the Neptune WAV packaging that was just released. A mix of zoanthids, a macro of a bonsai acro from our local swap, and a scooter dragonet (RIP little guy)




The flap also opens to reveal a sexy shrimp on the anemone back when it used to bubble.

 
No pictures of this big girl yet, the Bimaculatus female. I lost the male some time ago due to some intestinal problems but she won't transition without another female. I really miss having a male.. maybe Marty is willing to pimp out some of his females for awhile to force the change? :redhat:




"Radioactive Dragon Eye" Zoanthids


"Scrambled Eggs" Zoanthids


"Fire and Ice" Zoanthids


Xenia


Toadstool Leather polyps


Cleaner Shrimp station
 
I'm intrigued about the wav. Not much out there yet on feedback. Interested in what u think. I know u like to keep your tank clean of wires though!
 
deneed4spd said:
I'm intrigued about the wav. Not much out there yet on feedback. Interested in what u think. I know u like to keep your tank clean of wires though!
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I only ran them for a few days but they're definitely a top-tier pump the likes of Vortechs and Gyres. They have significantly more high end power than the MP40 QD and the ability to pivot is really nice. For every flow mode the Ecotech has, there's an analog in Fusion and they can be scheduled to change throughout the day. The cords running underwater and the much bigger in-tank footprint is really what will prevent me from using them.
 
Nice pics; again....
Top down pics can be a challenge with avoiding the reflections from the lighting fixtures. Since my canopy does somewhat move, I can adjust their postition so I can get the shot I'm after.
Another challenge is that most of my fish tend to hide when I get above the tank; nothing a few pieces of food can't help encourage them to come out though.

You should be able to come up with some incredible top down pics of your corals!
It really shows a reef tank from a new perspective.
 
The anemone has grown to about an 8" diameter. I got this guy at Discovery Aquatics as a tiny thing, and it hasn't moved since I placed it. I took some photos under 100% UV, Royal Blue, and Blue.




I never target feed, but I think it catches food often where it is. Here's a slightly disturbing photo of that action.




The speckle pattern starts at the base and goes up until the tentacles transition into orange/red.




Some nice wide open aperture bokeh.

 
Chris, your tank has without doubt the most natural looking aquascape of any I've seen and is currently the blue print for what I am hoping to achieve with my build-in-progress. Read through your R2R thread also and have some questions about your set up if you don't mind. First, looks like we share a disdain for coraline on the tank glass but it looks like your tank is very tight to the wall. How do you keep the back glass so clean? In retrospect would you give yourself any more room behind the tank? I also love the clean lines of rimless but am so concerned about jumpers, any problems with that? Do you screen the top when you're not taking photos (which you know are on par with your gorgeous tank!)? Last, not too familiar with Elos tanks but what is going on in the overflow? Just a single Durso type outflow with a return? What are the slits in the side of the overflow for?

Thanks for any inputs, your tank is a dream....

Chris R.
 
CJR said:
Chris, your tank has without doubt the most natural looking aquascape of any I've seen and is currently the blue print for what I am hoping to achieve with my build-in-progress. Read through your R2R thread also and have some questions about your set up if you don't mind. First, looks like we share a disdain for coraline on the tank glass but it looks like your tank is very tight to the wall. How do you keep the back glass so clean? In retrospect would you give yourself any more room behind the tank? I also love the clean lines of rimless but am so concerned about jumpers, any problems with that? Do you screen the top when you're not taking photos (which you know are on par with your gorgeous tank!)? Last, not too familiar with Elos tanks but what is going on in the overflow? Just a single Durso type outflow with a return? What are the slits in the side of the overflow for?

Thanks for any inputs, your tank is a dream....

Chris R.
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Thanks Chris. I don't like algae on the back panel for a few reasons.

  1. It detracts from the shapes that we create with our aquascapes. We spend a lot of time creating interesting formations only to have them get lost as they blend into a background with a similar pattern.
  3. It adds chaos to the viewing experience. The eye is drawn to contrast and detail and by creating areas of empty space, viewer attention naturally falls where we want it to.
  5. It supports the illusion. Everyone knows that the movie they're watching isn't real, but the building that just blew up looks exactly like what we imagine it would- because suspension of disbelief is an important part of the experience. A fish swimming against a uniform background looks a lot like what we image it would in the ocean. Algae on the panels is a reminder that we're looking into a box. This philosophy extends to having equipment visible in the display, not hiding wiring, etc.

I don't use magnet cleaners for the glass, so clearance isn't an issue for cleaning. I have a set of three algae scrapers of various lengths from Continuum and I reach in from each side to scrape the rear panel. In my scenario, I don't regret having tight spacing against the wall because the room is small and access to the stand is limited by our furniture choices. With more space, I would definitely move it away a few more inches.

I lost a number of fish to jumping early on and reluctantly added screen tops. They are on over night and while I'm away, but always off if I'm home.

The overflow is pretty unique from standard designs. Once water in the tank reaches a certain level, it drains directly into a drain pipe. There isn't really an "overflow area" where water collects, which is why it can be so small. Normally one drain pipe is considered risky as a single clog can break the system. ELOS avoids this by completely sealing off access to the drain pipe both from the top and the side from objects large enough to cause a clog. Water enters the drain pipe through the teeth in the shroud. In the event that this becomes clogged (very possible) there are four backups below the water line to allow water to continue. Future ELOS tanks may be slightly different as they released a new overflow design at MACNA this year.
 
Hi Chris,

I cam over from R2R and your tank looks awesome! Hoping to replicate some of your ideas.

I have a 120g with one corner overflow, and haven't seem many with a similar setup. They either have center overflow or both corners. I had 2 MP40's, but tried the Gyre 150, but now thinking about going back to MP40's. I haven't tried a circular motion like yours, but had them facing straight at each other, which caused the center sand to shift outwards.

I was wondering what your MP40's scheduling is as far as mode, time, and strength? Are they being controlled by the apex, or reeflink? Did you get rid of your Gyre?

"Vortech modes vary during the day from Reef Crest to Nutrient Transport to Lagoon and then run in Constant mode throughout the night."

Also, are you still running BioPellets? Any problems with clumping or any other problems?

Did you ever solve your bubble algae problem?

Thanks!
 
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yellojello said:
Hi Chris,

I cam over from R2R and your tank looks awesome! Hoping to replicate some of your ideas.

I have a 120g with one corner overflow, and haven't seem many with a similar setup. They either have center overflow or both corners. I had 2 MP40's, but tried the Gyre 150, but now thinking about going back to MP40's. I haven't tried a circular motion like yours, but had them facing straight at each other, which caused the center sand to shift outwards.

I was wondering what your MP40's scheduling is as far as mode, time, and strength? Are they being controlled by the apex, or reeflink? Did you get rid of your Gyre?

"Vortech modes vary during the day from Reef Crest to Nutrient Transport to Lagoon and then run in Constant mode throughout the night."

Also, are you still running BioPellets? Any problems with clumping or any other problems?

Did you ever solve your bubble algae problem?

Thanks!
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Pumps opposing each other do probably create more chaotic flow, but they'll throw random eddies into the sand bed like you experienced. MP pumps working together can be pushed harder without throwing sand around. I use a Reeflink and ESL to schedule the pumps through the modes you quoted. I stopped using the Gyre myself but the extra flow from the newer Quiet Drive model makes up for it.

I do still run biopellets. No issues with clumping but I have either hit their nutrient processing limit or they're not working quite like they used to. I'm finding it harder to keep nitrates near zero which is still an unsolved mystery. I still have bubble algae here and there but it's under control. It's resilient stuff.
 
My Royal Gramma, exactly one year apart:






Replaced my circulation pumps with the newer MP40 Quiet Drives. They've been really solid the past six months, but now the protein skimmer seems louder... :confused:

 
Awesome picture of the Candy Basslet! I'm very slowly working on my small collection of rarer fish.

I just finished a freelance project for an aquarium company. Hopefully others will get to see it soon. I'm thinking this will go towards a new camera. I'm pretty set on switching to a Sony fullframe mirrorless but your 5D + Macro shots really want to pull me back
 
Chris,

I just purchased an Elos 120XL and wanted to do hard plumbing like you did. Any advice you can give. The 3/4" inlet seems to be BSPT with an 0 ring and the outlet is 1 1/2" BSPP. These are all barb fittings. How did you changed to straight pipe?
 
kevindo123 said:
Chris,

I just purchased an Elos 120XL and wanted to do hard plumbing like you did. Any advice you can give. The 3/4" inlet seems to be BSPT with an 0 ring and the outlet is 1 1/2" BSPP. These are all barb fittings. How did you changed to straight pipe?
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You probably know more about thread standards than I do. I found out the hard way that they weren't NPT, but decided to make it work anyway. In my experience, NPT will thread into the British Standard but won't create a tight seal.

For the ¾" return line, I used a pipe adapter that I had in the plumbing parts pile (that we all have). I think it originally came with a return pump for the output side. To my surprise, it threaded in and had a seated o-ring that created a tight seal.

The 1½" return is easier just because there's no pressure there. I used a male pipe adapter from Bulk Reef Supply. I remember it not sealing straight away and had to undo everything and add an o-ring or a little thread seal tape to prevent dripping.


Edit: Hard to get a photo but here's a rough idea:
 
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