Hawaii Joe's Elos 100 Build

Hawaii Joe · Apr 27, 2016

Hello all, I've been on R2R for or a short time, and wanted to post a long overdue build thread of my Elos 100.

A little background on my progression in the hobby: i started with a BioCube 14, upgraded to a RSM 130D, followed by an RSM 250D all of which I bought second hand off Craigslist.

I got my current tank at MACNA 2015, which was one of the display tanks in the Elos Aquastudio New York Booth. Thankfully I got it at for good price, and the Elos sump and skimmer were an upgrade from what would have been traditionally offered with the Elos 100 setup.

The tank has been running since September 2015 and the current equipment in the tank is as follows:

- Tank: Elos 100 (39"x22"x20")

- Sump: Elos Sump 1000

- Skimmer: Elos PS2000

- Return: Ehiem Compact 3000

- Heater: Marineland 250w

- Circulation Pumps: EcoTech MP40 (2x)

- Reactor: Vertex 1.5L Zeovit Reactor

- Lighting: EcoTech Radion XR30 Pro

- ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155

akma · Apr 27, 2016

Nice. I love my elos 100. Wasn't a fan of the sump so I ordered a synergy cl-22 and I love it.

revhtree · Apr 27, 2016

Following!

Hawaii Joe · Apr 28, 2016

When I picked up the tank at MACNA with a friend we found out it was surprisingly heavy, so a fellow reefer helped us load it in my truck. First two pictures are of the tank and sump following a good cleaning. I ended up throwing out the sand it came with, as it was to fine of a grain for my taste. Please excuse the poor quality photos as I have taken all record of the progress through the cell phone. The tank also came with the Elos Osmo Controller Digital, unfortunately it never worked correctly, and I have yet to get a return on it in regards to the two year warranty Osmo's are covered by. I ended up throwing in my Tunze Osmolator which I got with my RSM 250 when purchased used.

I put together the stand, and begun work on the plumbing. I decided to hard plumb the system (as it came with flexible PVC) this delayed the set up of the tank as I had some issues finding the correct fittings for both the overflow and return nozzles. Both fittings I had to modify for them to fit correctly into the threaded holes within the overflow. This was my first real attempt at plumbing a system as my previous three tanks were AIO's (BioCube, RSM 130D, RSM 250D). All fittings were purchased at Lowes.

Don't mind Ms. Buttersworth

I didn't get things right the first time, so a little lessons learned for me was to obviously dry fit everything before glueing PVC and joints together. Small errors like that made the process more frustrating. But in the end I became very knowledgable as to how things should work when it came to a reef system involving a sump. The picture above shows the finished product, initially I decided to run a filter sock (as the system came with one) that was latter removed about 4-5 months later. to make more room for the Vertex 1.5L Zeovit Reactor.

The filter sock holder is just a generic brand acrylic holder I got off eBay, as you can see there isn't much room in the sump when the skimmer is installed. In the photo above the return pump, ATO sensor, and heater have yet to be installed. Additionally i was planning to remove the sheet of glass separating the ATO compartment to open up the sump, thankfully I changed my mind and kept things the same after seeing other Elos owners have success in their tanks with an un-modified Elos sump.

Hawaii Joe · Apr 28, 2016

Once plumbing was completed I worked on mounting the switch panel in the upper left corner of the cabinet. This was secured to the cabinet by fitting two pieces of wood between the upper bracing of the tank and I drilled screws through the top portion of the switch panel.

Second photo shows how I mounted the switch panel. I had to take the panel cover off and secure the panel right side up. Mounting the power panel this way also meant the face plate had to be removed to fit accordingly. The I chose to use is a Technical Pro PS9U DJ power panel off eBay. It had (9) ports as apposed to the (8) offered on other similar models.

I ended up placing the tank in the kitchen. Not a bad spot as the wife wanted to leave the living room area open and free from fish stuff. The RSM 250D was still set up at this point, there was not much of an upgrade length wise as the RSM 250D is 36" long and the Elos 100 is 39", however the debt of the tank left me with a lot of room to work with aquascape wise

I ended up not using the second rear panel in the Elos 100 stand just to open it up a bit. Also, using the top rear panel of the sump meant that I would have issues wiring and mounting the Radion. Initially I bought a RMS with the Radion XR30 Pro but quickly realized it wasn't capable of holding the weight of the light appropriately without sagging. So I bought a different mount

Hawaii Joe · Apr 28, 2016

I ended up getting rid of the EcoTech RMS and ordered a new mount from reeflightmounts online. I didn't like the fact that the EcoTech RMS had a slight sag, and I was worried it could support the Radion XR30 Pro's weight long term. Eventually plastic fittings will develop stress fractures and the last thing I wanted was my XR30 falling into the tank. Additionally you can't really adjust the XR30's height above water when using the RMS. The picture below is that of the XR30 with the EcoTech made RMS.

I was very happy with the quality of the reeflightmounts product following the decision to change the RMS out. The rail had an integrated groove specifically to hide the power wire of the EcoTech Radion XR30 Pro which was a plus satisfying my OCD.

I decided to use only one Radion XR30 Pro with the wide angle lenses to increase the spread. The light itself is 12" above the waterline. Since new Radions are so expensive I had to settle with one for now until I could save enough for another. Also, if I don't find success with the Radions I will most likely be switching back to T5s as I've had no issues working with them in my RSM 250D. The other two fixtures I was weighing in on were the Kessil AP700 and the ATI Sunpower (6) bulb 36". I chose not to get the AP700 as it was relatively new and nearly $1000. I decided on the XR30 Pro as I wanted to make the jump into LEDs, did not want to run a chiller, and there were a number of successful reefers already having success with the fixture.

Once lighting and plumbing were complete I did a final check on everything before adding sand and water. Nothing is worse then filling a tank and realizing you missed something and have no way of moving or changing things unless you empty out the tank. I also added a 36" LED strip from Lowes on the inner support beam in the tank stand for lighting. I may possibly add a second strip later.

Begun filling the tank and started with new sand. I chose not to transfer the live sand from my RSM 250 as it didn't really suit my taste. Sand is a mix of Hawaiian Puka and crushed coral, it is pretty corse which is a positive as I won't have issues with sand shifting due to high flow/current.

Tank cleared up in a day and I added the live rock from my RSM 250D. Initial aquascape was a little minimalistic compared to how I traditionally did things. This was also the first time I ran the MarinePure ceramic bio balls following a hands on review of them at MACNA 2015 I was sold.

revhtree · Apr 29, 2016

Looks good!

Hawaii Joe · Apr 29, 2016

Thanks revhtree! That was the start of the aquascape. Things slowly progressed and I begun transferring over all livestock from my RSM 250D into the new Elos 100. I was very happy with the rimless look (which I was traditionally not fond of), and the fact that I did not need to run a chiller with the system.

Process didn't take me to long to get everything transferred. I was in a bit of a rush because the wife wanted me to get rid of the RSM 250D ASAP as both tanks were taking up the majority of the space in the small kitchen. I ended up losing a few SPS frags to RTL and early on in the process I could not figure out the appropriate settings for the Radion XR30 Pro (mainly because I didn't do a thorough research), so for a while I ran the preset settings at various intensities until I had time to program an actual schedule. All lessons learned of course.

Added a few new fish on top of what I had in the RSM 250D. New Potter's Angel who never really ate anything but was healthy nonetheless just picking on the LR. Potter's are one of my favorite species of Dwarf Angelfish. Unfortunately the Potter passed due to flukes and now I have a pair of Flame Angelfish among other fish in the tank.

I continued to add corals and additional live rock. I was never really satisfied with the aquascape but I knew I was limited due to the fact that I only had one Radion XR30 Pro over a 39" area. The two island concept remained the same and has been revised and or re-scaped from time to time. Initially no LR was laying on the back panel glass and both islands were self standing pieces. I changed that shortly after realizing that the debt of the tank would only be realized if I pushed the scape closer to the back pannel. This gave me much more real state in the front of the tank.

Hawaii Joe · May 2, 2016

Doing an update on the list of livestock in my tank. Went through some fish since losing many to ich. Mainly I buy my fish through a LFS or the Petco close to my home. Current stock is as follows:

Fish:

- (1) Blue Hippo Tang
- (1) Small Yellow Tang
- (1) Flame Angelfish
- (1) Flame Hawkfish
- (1) Pygmy Angelfish
- (1) Lubock's Wrasse
- (1) Whip Tail Fairy Wrasse
- (1) Yellow Watchman
- (1) Stripped Shrimp Goby
- (2) Spotted Mandarins (pair)
- (5) Blue Chromis

I was able to get my clowns to host 3 separate anemones (GBTA, RBTA, and a Green Carpet Anemone). Following some mishaps of my Carpet Anemone eating a Tang and a few other fish, I decided to move the clowns and the Anemone into my IM10 so there's no threat to the Anemone eating anyone else. It also opened tank up. My Clown pair are the basic Snowflake Clowns, and were one of my first purchases in the hobby. I have had these clowns for 2 years and have moved them across state lines in my recent move.

Inverts:

- (1) Tiger Pistol Shrimp - paired with Yellow Watchman Goby
- (1) Candy Cane Pistol Shrimp - paired with Striped Goby
- (1) Halloween Hermit Crab
- (1) White Stripe Hermit Crab
- (1) Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
- (1) Rock Urchin
- (1) Pin Cushion Urchin - in sump

CuC not listed on above invert list consist of various Nassarius Snails, juvenile Sand Sifting Stars, Nerrite Snails, Astraea Snails, Margarita Snails. I used to have a number of Mexican Turbo Snails but I removed them as they were always knocking down frags and my friend and I are under the assumption that at some point they scratch the glass of the tank because they're so large and their suction is so strong.

Of course I must add the typical shots of the Mandarins. Male only likes flaring at night when the moonlights are running for some reason. I purchased both Mandarins together, and was fortunate enough to find a female. They both eat frozen food, the female Mandarin actually eats pellets. Mandarins spend most of the day looking for pods, but what is most interesting is at night the pair actually sleep together in the same spot under a rock. Any other reefers who keep Mandarin pairs experience this from their fish?

Last picture is a shot of the left column in my tank. I am constantly rescaping, but I believe I have finally found a happy medium in regards to the debt of the tank and the amount of rocks in my aquascape. Now time to sit back and watch things grow out.

A full tank shot with the EcoTech Radion XR30 Pro at around 12.5k Spectrum. I currently ramp up from 20k to 7k peak with 1 hour intervals. Not sure what to gauge my success at as the tank has only been running for 10 months. Any input on lighting schedules for a single Radion over a ~40" tank would be appreciated! [emoji51]

Top down view of the tank at the same spectrum.

revhtree · May 3, 2016

Looks good! Man that is some purple rock!

Hawaii Joe · May 3, 2016

Thanks Revhtree. The rock I'm using is gen 1 Real Reef Rock I got when I purchased my previous RSM 250. The gen 1 rock is definately dense, and heavy, not nearly as porous as the latest RRR version. When I re-started the tank I did a Muric Acid bath and all the Real Reef went white. Before I acid bathed my LR things were extremely healthy in my tank, I believe mainly because the LR I purchased had been in a tank which was running for at least 3-4 years. I decided to nuke the rock because there were so many Vermetid Snails (thousands) covering the rock which really took away visually from things. I was also tired of being concerned whether or not I'd be impaled by a Vermetid Snail when aquascaping. The rock now has been wet for about 9-10 months.

There's a tank at my LFS (House of Tropics) that has a thriving RSM with massive SPS colonies that has absolutely no coraline algae growing on the LR or glass. I know this tank has been running for years, and I really like the marble appearance of the 1st gen Real Reef Rock. If only I could achieve the same results. Anyone have thoughts to how that happens?

Picture above is of my completed power station for the Elos. I pealed one of the switch labels off the tank before selling it and repurposed the labels to fit my current setup. For all you DIY guys/gals I had put double sided tape to place the labels on the associated switch. I wish Red Sea sold those labels individually because if they did I'd buy a few more to fill in then blanks. Below is an example of the accessory labels found on the RSM products which I removed before reselling.

Currently the power station holds the following accessories

1: ATO
2: 1.5L Vertex Zeovit Reactor
3: Ehiem Compact 3000 Return Pump
4: #1 EcoTech MP40
5: Vacant
6: Marineland 250w Heater
7: EcoTech XR30 Radion Pro
8: Elos Skimmer
9: Under Tank Cabinet Light

I had to do a little electrician work and shorten certain power cables to make things fit well under the tank. All wires are concealed with cable hiders double sided tapped to the stand in various areas.

Above picture is a shot of some of the residents of the reef. The pair of Flame Angels got along extremely well. I added the large male and smaller Flame in at the same time. Unfortunately I had to remove the larger male last night because he was pecking on my SPS and Acans [emoji30]. He is currently on sale at a local forum. I wish he did not pick on the corals as he probably would've been my last addition to the tank.

Hawaii Joe · Sep 4, 2016

Tank is going to turn a year old in a couple days. Like stated before, I got my Elos 100 at MACNA 2015 from Elos Aquastudios NY. Here are a few updates on the tank.

Top down shot, currently running 1 EcoTech XR30 Pro at 100% intensity at 13.5k spectrum.

Various Acros and Sunset Montiporas

More of the same from a different angle

Full tank shot.

All photos taken from my iPhone. Sorry for the poor quality pictures. I may one day take photos with my wife's actual camera. Let me know what you guys think!

mmw64 · Sep 4, 2016

What kind of sand did you use? Maybe I would relax more if I used something like that instead of white that isn't always white, drives me crazy!

Hawaii Joe · Sep 4, 2016

mmw64 it is a mix of Florida crushed coral from Petco and some generic brand that called the coarse Hawaiian Puka. I really like the larger coarse sand, it's easy to clean, lots of spaces in the sand for Microfauna to live and breed.

revhtree · Sep 5, 2016

This looks great man! Beautiful!

Hawaii Joe · Sep 5, 2016

Thanks revhtree. More photos from today. Tweeked the settings on my Radion. I was initially running the Coral Lab AB+ setting. I've slowly raised the intensity of white, green, and red spectrums 5-6% every two weeks to a 13.5k spectrum. The Radion runs at 100% intensity for 8 hours with a 1 hour ramp up on both ends. Corals seem to like it, but the Radion fan is screaming.

My Duncan which started from a 3 head frag 1 year ago and my Dendrophyllia which I got from a local frag swap. One of my Potter's Angelfish as well who is named Harry Potter.

A close up photo of the Dendrophyllia which I try to feed everyday. It currently has one large head and three babies sprouting from the sides. My female Mandarin Goby photo bombing.

What the left island aquascape looks like from the side. The majority of my SPS are on this section of the tank, and all pieces are situated near the center of the left puck on my Radion.

Smite · Sep 24, 2016

Gorgeous tank! I'm contemplating trying to keep a potters angelfish in my 100g system. Any tips for acclimation & diet? I ask because yours looks extremely healthy & happy.

Hawaii Joe · Sep 24, 2016

Smite, when I first got them the two Potters Angels did not eat prepared food for some time so what I did was remove the majority of my snails and CuC so they would have more algae to graze off and nip off on the LR. This kept them healthy and alive long enough to first start eating frozen brine soaked in garlic, eventually mysis. Definitely one of the better looking Angels which are still reasonably affordable!