Sneak Peek! ArtFully Acrylic Drop Off - Reef Crest AIO!

[jan4scuba]

Hi Adam,

I really appreciate your attention to detail and follow thru.

So far so good on the answers. It seems to be coming together.
Thanks for the compliment.

I'm not sure about my style but after viewing thousands of aquascape designs and pieces of coral over the last 18 months or so, i do have some visions I'm starting to pull together. I'm viewing all the major forums and believe it or not Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr have some amazing photos as well. So many choices and so much to think about. I'm having a ball.

As for the lighting I guess you could look at it a couple of ways. One long strip with the coral needing higher lights as you mention on top closer to the light source and less light demanding coral in the drop off.

The other way would be 2 separate spot lights so you can vary the height on the 2 different parts of the tank. One could be hung further away from the surface and one closer. In this way you can mix and match at will. Ceiling and tank mounts will also give more options as to how much light each part gets.

I've attached a couple of pics of my first Nanos. These have changed some what over the last few months as I play around with the scaping, lights and different corals. As you can tell I like a full thriving tank. These are both 9 gallons and sit next to each other on my desk. Since I see them all day I'm very in tune with how the coral look and behave and can tell when I need to do maintenance.

Still it's a large learning curve especially starting with small tanks where disaster can happen quickly. I've been lucky, other than some carelessness in handling and cave ins everything seems to be growing nicely.

Just added my first SPS and am excited to see how they react.

I'll be in touch again after I see the pics of the 35 or if I have more questions. I'll also start putting some pics together that fit my vision.

Thanks again.

Regards
Jan

 

[Mirya]

As another thought for lights... Dave of NanoBox mentioned that he could do a custom build for these tanks. For example making a Duo light for the RC17 that would have each light puck individually controllable. So, if you did want a higher intensity light over the drop off, you could accomplish that.

Personally, I like the thought of keeping the lower light LPS in the drop off section.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

As another thought for lights... Dave of NanoBox mentioned that he could do a custom build for these tanks. For example making a Duo light for the RC17 that would have each light puck individually controllable. So, if you did want a higher intensity light over the drop off, you could accomplish that.

Personally, I like the thought of keeping the lower light LPS in the drop off section.

Thanks Mirya, I was about to post about the NanoBox light mods . It's so awesome Dave can do that. Further, you can even color coordinate your lights with your Reef Crest

 

[jan4scuba]

Hi Mirya, would you mind keeping me in the loop if and when you talk to Dave. Sounds like an awesome idea. Thanks so much.

 

[Mirya]

Hi Mirya, would you mind keeping me in the loop if and when you talk to Dave. Sounds like an awesome idea. Thanks so much.

I had started a thread on another forum about lighting these tanks with NanoBox. This is what Dave had to say:

Small would be Tide, medium Duo and then the large the Quad. It will be dependent on your stocking plans but I could make the Quad and Duo more custom with each puck individually controlled ( Duo ) and each section controlled ( Quad ). My friend runs a Quad with two sides that are separate so the right side is VERY blue for LPS and the left side 1:1 with heavy SPS. I can do it.

Cool tanks too!

He also mentioned that if you are going to view the tank as a peninsula, you would likely want the wire hanging kit. On the Duo and Quad he is unable to have the gooseneck come off the end of the light.

 

[jan4scuba]

Thanks for the reference. I need to read it more carefully and then look at the NanoBox website. Like he said I guess a lot will depend on how you plan on shocking it. I just started with my first SPS birds nest. This tank will be a big leap for me. I want to make sure I know what I'm getting into. Haven't even broken the news that I'm doing this to my better half. She will freak out. I will never be out of my office. I have some great pix I took while diving in Cozumel as well as in the Red Sea that had awesome ledges. I would love to replicate and combine some of those looks.
Besides the lights have you given any thought to other equipment? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I will also followup with Dave at NanoBox and let him know I am interested in a custom light as well. He seems to have a strong following.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

As promised everybody, here are the dimensions for the Reef Crest 35 gallon model!!



And for easy thread reference, here again are the dimensions for the Reef Crest 9 and Reef Crest 17 gallon models.

 

[Macropora]

As promised everybody, here are the dimensions for the Reef Crest 35 gallon model!!



And for easy thread reference, here again are the dimensions for the Reef Crest 9 and Reef Crest 17 gallon models.

Excellent! Thanks for the specs on the RC35. Now I can figure out what size skimmer I can fit in the overflow chamber and a few sponges to polish the water. Best place for the heater would be in the overflow chamber.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

Excellent! Thanks for the specs on the RC35. Now I can figure out what size skimmer I can fit in the overflow chamber and a few sponges to polish the water. Best place for the heater would be in the overflow chamber.

You got it Macro! Tunze 9004 or Ghost Midsize would probably give you room for your heater also in the center chamber. Otherwise, the best spot for the heater is the narrower chamber on the left of the diagram. Just make sure you watch your water level or have an ATO if your heater is particularly tall and being placed in the side chambers.

The Tunze 9012 and IM Ghost Fullsize were spec'd to fit in the center overflow chamber also for those that want super high capacity skimmers in their RC35. Want a reactor too? The Aqua Gadgets reactors will fit in the side chamber also!

 

[jan4scuba]

Thanks for the great info.. I'm wondering if anyone can help me out on a few other questions:

1- if I order the draw what ATO will fit in there and how does it hook up?

2- where would you put a dosing pump?

3- I've been reading about reactors but do you need separate ones for different purposes or do you switch media as needed.

There seems so much out there and so many different opinions it gets a bit confusing for someone just getting involved with all this new equipment. Thanks for helping out. So far everyone has been really terrific.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

Thanks for the great info.. I'm wondering if anyone can help me out on a few other questions:

1- if I order the draw what ATO will fit in there and how does it hook up?

2- where would you put a dosing pump?

3- I've been reading about reactors but do you need separate ones for different purposes or do you switch media as needed.

There seems so much out there and so many different opinions it gets a bit confusing for someone just getting involved with all this new equipment. Thanks for helping out. So far everyone has been really terrific.

Your welcome Jan (on the PM). I like your questions back out here as it helps everybody else out too =). I'll give a little input here, but all others are of course welcome to chime in as well!!!

First, let me address your very last sentence about the confusion with all the different options...NONE of these things are needed for a thriving happy system. And, if you do add a reactor and dosing equipment you won't likely need those things up front. Our in-store Reef Crest 17 Nano doesn't even have a skimmer on it and it's absolutely thriving. But, most of the coral we have in there tends to thrive in higher "nutrient" water anyway. In fact, if it were my RC35, I would add a skimmer and an ATO...that's it. I MIGHT add the cool Aqua Gadget mini max reactor down the line when I felt the ecosystem or maintenance time would benefit from it, but that'd probably be a little while (stocking dependent, mileage may vary).

For dosing, there are a million schools of thought here and it all boils down to personal preference. Generally, with smaller systems, water changes are more frequent than larger systems and a good salt mix will have much/most of what your corals will need. Your system will need a good level of growth and maturity with most mixed corals for them to out compete the elements coming in with a good salt mix and water change. For this reason, periodic manual dosing is generally sufficient if needed at all in most systems. If your system if super LPS or SPS dominant then this may be different of course.

1 - Check out the thread linked below. This is the Pico version of the Reef Crest and the way jaugermeigster has setup his ATO is great! You can use the same ATO. The mod he made to the ATO return line isn't necessary, but saved him a bunch of space in the back of the much smaller pico Reef Crest. You wouldn't need to make such a mod and it would work right out of the box perfectly. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/shh-santa-came-early.226591/. IM's Auqa Gadgets line also has their Hydro-Fill ATO setup which uses a remotely located pump for drawing the water. In this case, you would only have a single 1/4" line coming out of the drawer...super easy to "hide". Here's a link to the Hydro-Fill pump's info. http://innovative-marine.com/auqa-gadget/ti-ato-return-pump.html AND http://innovative-marine.com/auqa-gadget/ti-ato-controller.html.

2 - A dosing pump would generally be located remotely to your tank...so under your tank in a stand or in a cabinet nearby. The lines for your doser would be directed into either of the side chambers in the back compartment of the Reef Crest.

3 - Your best option for reactors on the Reef Crest would be the Aqua Gadgets line by Innovative Marine. These will fit in one of the side chambers of the Reef Crest. Here's a link for you. http://innovative-marine.com/auqa-gadget/mini-max.html. I'm sure a lot of the info you are reading on reactors pertains to full size reactors that are used in a sump for a larger system. In these cases some will have multiple reactors for multiple types of media at once.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

 

[jan4scuba]

Thanks for the detailed answers. That solved some issues for me. I love the video as well as the mix you have in the tank. I'm used to doing water changes and I usually enjoy the time to take stock of each tanks and see what else needs to be done. I'm glad not to have to deal with dosers and reactors and such right now. It's interesting to note though that as the equipment gets more and more sophisticated the hobby gets more and more complicated and more and more opinions come out on how to take care of problems that come up. I can't decide if it's a good thing or not.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

Thanks for the detailed answers. That solved some issues for me. I love the video as well as the mix you have in the tank. I'm used to doing water changes and I usually enjoy the time to take stock of each tanks and see what else needs to be done. I'm glad not to have to deal with dosers and reactors and such right now. It's interesting to note though that as the equipment gets more and more sophisticated the hobby gets more and more complicated and more and more opinions come out on how to take care of problems that come up. I can't decide if it's a good thing or not.

The mix works well so far as intended =). And let our little RC17 demo be an example of said simplicity for you. Currently, the only thing we are running in the back chamber is some added well seeded and mature rock from our main system. The first piece of equipment I would add to the demo system if it were my personal system at home would be an ATO and that's simply because I'm not home enough and I'd worry lol.

Since you like the connection you have with your system and livestock during regular water changes, in my humble opinion, you can forego much of the added complexity and sophistication you mention from the industry...at least until you are ready to work with something you feel (knowing then from experience) that you need.

 

[David M.]

Hey quick question for y'all. Are y'all located in gorgia? And second, how viable would a cold water reef be in this tank? I'm worried about the thickness of the glass. Do you sell chillers or ice probes that could be used with it?

 

[VelasCorals]

Hey quick question for y'all. Are y'all located in gorgia? And second, how viable would a cold water reef be in this tank? I'm worried about the thickness of the glass. Do you sell chillers or ice probes that could be used with it?

We are located in Manassas, VA. The acrylic isn't think enough for a cold water tank. We could easily upgrade the thickness for you to give you the insulation required.

We don't sell chillers but there are lots of companies online that do like premium aquatics.com.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

Hey quick question for y'all. Are y'all located in gorgia? And second, how viable would a cold water reef be in this tank? I'm worried about the thickness of the glass. Do you sell chillers or ice probes that could be used with it?

Hey Kirby, it seems I missed your question and one of our other guys responded to it for you. They were right in part, but I'd like to elaborate here...

The RC9 isn't quite thick enough for Coldwater. The RC17 is borderline OK for Coldwater setup. The RC35 is quite well fitted for it. They are the following thicknesses...RC9 is 3/8" Acrylic, RC17 is 1/2" Acrylic, and RC35 is 3/4" acrylic. These tanks will work far better for Coldwater than glass would due to the superior insulation factor of Acrylic vs Glass.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

Now that is taken care of....It's only fitting that we get a few teasers of the RC35 out there FINALLY for you all. It's so fitting right now as this thread is now only one view away from it's 10,000th view!!! Thanks for all the interest and support so far everybody!! It has been, and continues to be, a dream come true to see our vision accepted so well by the Reefing Community!!

Without further delay...here are a few pics of the Reef Crest 35 Gallon model (RC35). This demo model with replace our RC17 demo model in-store so look out for new demo videos soon! Our RC17 demo model will be heading into the capable talented hands of one of our favorite customers...even though she is mainly a "freshie" keeping freshwater fish . She will be turning it into a freshwater fish paradise and we can't wait to see the freshwater perspective too!!

 

[jan4scuba]

Haven't heard anything more about pre-order pricing, production schedule, etc. How about some updates. Can't wait to see the 35 video of working tank.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

Haven't heard anything more about pre-order pricing, production schedule, etc. How about some updates. Can't wait to see the 35 video of working tank.

Hi jan4scuba =). Good to hear from you again. Hope it's been a good new year so far.

Pre-order pricing ended as scheduled on 12/31/15. However, we are currently offering FREE SHIPPING on the site for new orders. Free shipping is technically "beta" right now and being offered potentially only for a limited time so take advantage while you can!!

As for production, materials have been ordered and delivered for the first run. The first run is expected to start shipping by the end of the month. We have a second run scheduled that will begin shortly thereafter too!

The RC35 demo is sitting on a freshwater test right now as the custom stand we built for it gets its final coats of paint. The paint can't dry fast enough! We are just as excited to get this one up so everybody can see!!

Please do let us know if you have any other questions! We are putting info out as quickly as we can all while handling all of the fun and chaos behind the scenes.