Aquatop 40g Recife ECO AIO(1st Saltwater Tank)

[JL15219]

Everything is different so take a pic and also maybe move it somewhere else and see what happens.

These 2 pictures are the best I could get camera gets too blurry....

 

[mherb24]

Well since you have more experience than me with an AIO... how should the water level be in each chamber? Should there be a big difference between the water level? I upgraded the pump to Jebao/Jecod DCS-2000 Nano DC

I purchased an AquaTop Recife 40g and set it up 2 months ago today. Came across your build. Interesting seeing progress so far.

I came back into tanks after 25 year break.

These AIOs are very nice tanks to get people into the hobby. BUT!!!! AquaTop really let us down with lack of anything other than a piece of paper with instruction on building the stand. Nothing about the set up of their equipment and the lfs had no interest in helping. I have three broken parts with no response from AquaTop or dealer.

It has been trial and error thus far, and the errors haven’t been bad but frustrating.

I didn’t know squat about how to set up the back compartment. Just looked at the photo on their website that showed the back and duplicated it. What each media did? When they should be changed? They would have sold more media if I had known.

As far as water levels, my return area and the media box area appear to go down equally. I add back in water as needed to keep the level in the return/media area to be just under the level of the top media box. Why? I have no clue, just sounds like that’s the way it should be. The engineer in me coming out.

I dislike the whole return pump contraption they have going on and I did not know to drill out a bulk head before setting up. So trying to make the best of it. I will look into the pump you are using. But I just upgraded my lights, so might go with that brand instead. When you upgraded your pump, did you have to change the plastic uplift tube to a flexible one? And what about that elbow at the top?

My first upgrade was a new light. I’m just not happy with the controls of the stock light. If the white/actinic of the stock where on different plugs I could have had them on timers and been happy. I wanted a light that I could ramp up and down thru settings. Could not afford some of the new high end stuff for a first tank. Went with Current USA Orbit Marine IC Dual Pro Bluetooth. I had no confidence in the par with the stock light and have not found anyone that had tested it. The Orbit lists their Par ratings, so I know I’m getting 115+ at the sand bed.

I added the matching eflux wave pump under the overflow about 1/3 down.

Now either going to add a second wave pump on the right down low, or upgrade the return pump to the eflux dc flow pump, not sure if it’s really meant in the back of an AIO though.

But it would make it easy to hit one button on my phone to shut off all pumps together and have them turn back on 10 minutes later by themselves. I figure the easier I make it in every aspect the more likely I’m adding more tanks in the future.

What did you ever do about the lid? With the stock lighting my spotted mandarin would shoot to the top. With the new lights he just settles in on a rock as it gets darker. But I’m going away for 2 weeks soon, so need something. I could pull out the old glass but the new lights would have to sit over them.

I just updated my media last night for the first time. Took out the charcoal out of the top box and it now has...1/3 of the old charcoal, bag of chemipure elite 11.74oz, and topped off with purigen 100. Too much for one media box? If not I’m doing the same with the next box down next month. That way I can rotate out depleted ones but still have works product too.

I’ll try to get a photo up tomorrow of my progress so far. Battling diatoms right now. And my nitrates are stuck at 20 ammonia at barely .125. Reading just a tad off yellow. Of course I’m color blind, so maybe it is yellow. Haha.

Keep up the great work, I’ll let you now if I make any other mods.

 

[JL15219]

I purchased an AquaTop Recife 40g and set it up 2 months ago today. Came across your build. Interesting seeing progress so far.

I came back into tanks after 25 year break.

These AIOs are very nice tanks to get people into the hobby. BUT!!!! AquaTop really let us down with lack of anything other than a piece of paper with instruction on building the stand. Nothing about the set up of their equipment and the lfs had no interest in helping. I have three broken parts with no response from AquaTop or dealer.

It has been trial and error thus far, and the errors haven’t been bad but frustrating.

I didn’t know squat about how to set up the back compartment. Just looked at the photo on their website that showed the back and duplicated it. What each media did? When they should be changed? They would have sold more media if I had known.

As far as water levels, my return area and the media box area appear to go down equally. I add back in water as needed to keep the level in the return/media area to be just under the level of the top media box. Why? I have no clue, just sounds like that’s the way it should be. The engineer in me coming out.

I dislike the whole return pump contraption they have going on and I did not know to drill out a bulk head before setting up. So trying to make the best of it. I will look into the pump you are using. But I just upgraded my lights, so might go with that brand instead. When you upgraded your pump, did you have to change the plastic uplift tube to a flexible one? And what about that elbow at the top?

My first upgrade was a new light. I’m just not happy with the controls of the stock light. If the white/actinic of the stock where on different plugs I could have had them on timers and been happy. I wanted a light that I could ramp up and down thru settings. Could not afford some of the new high end stuff for a first tank. Went with Current USA Orbit Marine IC Dual Pro Bluetooth. I had no confidence in the par with the stock light and have not found anyone that had tested it. The Orbit lists their Par ratings, so I know I’m getting 115+ at the sand bed.

I added the matching eflux wave pump under the overflow about 1/3 down.

Now either going to add a second wave pump on the right down low, or upgrade the return pump to the eflux dc flow pump, not sure if it’s really meant in the back of an AIO though.

But it would make it easy to hit one button on my phone to shut off all pumps together and have them turn back on 10 minutes later by themselves. I figure the easier I make it in every aspect the more likely I’m adding more tanks in the future.

What did you ever do about the lid? With the stock lighting my spotted mandarin would shoot to the top. With the new lights he just settles in on a rock as it gets darker. But I’m going away for 2 weeks soon, so need something. I could pull out the old glass but the new lights would have to sit over them.

I just updated my media last night for the first time. Took out the charcoal out of the top box and it now has...1/3 of the old charcoal, bag of chemipure elite 11.74oz, and topped off with purigen 100. Too much for one media box? If not I’m doing the same with the next box down next month. That way I can rotate out depleted ones but still have works product too.

I’ll try to get a photo up tomorrow of my progress so far. Battling diatoms right now. And my nitrates are stuck at 20 ammonia at barely .125. Reading just a tad off yellow. Of course I’m color blind, so maybe it is yellow. Haha.

Keep up the great work, I’ll let you now if I make any other mods.

Yeah the instructions that come with the tank are horrible but when I bought the tank the owner of the LFS warned me about it, so I was ready for it. The pump that I ended buying was the Jebao dcs-2000 nano anything would definitely not have fit. I did replace the plastic uplift tube to 3/4 inch flexible tubing and it actually fit right into the elbow that it already has. The pump does come with 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch fittings so if you decide on the 1/2 inch fitting you will have to have the appropriate tubing and elbow.

I'm actually using the stock light since I haven't been able to hang my Reef Breeder photon 24-V2 still need to figure it out, but I only have zoas so far but the LFS had one setup stock and it was growing softies. I actually still have the stock lids as well but as soon as I get the photon mounted I will probably be getting a lid from Kraken Reef.

AQUATOP Recife ECO 40 Gallon Lid

Kraken Reef aquarium lids are designed with your tank inhabitant's safety in mind while keeping your aquarium's stunning ascetics. Our lid frame is proudly machined in the USA by Kraken Reef by CNC from a single sheet of clear polycarbonate.

www.thekrakenreef.com

As far as the media is concerned I took out the sponge from the 1st chamber and purchased a filter floss holder from

inTank Filter Floss Holder for Waterbox Cube | Waterbox Marine | Waterbox Marine X | Waterbox Peninsula

inTank Filter Floss holders are upgrades to expensive and dirty branded filter socks. Create easier and better filtration.

intankaquatics.com

In the media baskets I did not use the stock carbon took that out and just left the Nitrate/Phosphate sponges and bio media that it came with. In the very 1st basket I also use a little more filter floss. The chemipure and purigen sound good but wouldn't use the charcoal that it came with. You want to make sure to use high higher quality like that in the chemipure.

Yeah I had diatoms well still do but think the blenny I got has been eating it. Also have astrea snails but never see them move much so I give the credit to the blenny lol

Yeah start a build thread if you haven't already....so you can use it as a journal of your progress. Actually haven't even updated mine need to though....