Miniature .75g 11/3/02

[brandon4291]

internal refugium sealed tank

 

[brandon4291]

about ten inches long, three inches wide, and five inches tall.

 

[brandon4291]

this angle is from the left side, nearest the reefbowl. The tank is divided so that about 25% of the left rear portion is sectioned off for housing macro algae, lit from behind by a palm light 24x7.

 

[brandon4291]

from the rear, notice the cables entering the tank through tight-fitting grommets to avoid salt creep at the entrance point. Half the water from the minijet pump is routed to the refugium (through aiming) and half is routed to the reef face, making quite a turbulence in the tiny tank. heater is a 6 inch 25w submersible

 

[brandon4291]

this is the tank after I got home, ready to start the new project. It took from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon to complete. This is the canopy just after I affixed an azoo galaxy light to the underside. It stuck too far down into the tank, so wooden extensions had to be made for the sides of the canopy.

 

[brandon4291]

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[brandon4291]

this is the sealing approach for the plexiglass lid. The weight of the canopy sits on the lid, pressing the seal into place allowing no evaporation. This is a completely unfiltered, sealed reef that should go weeks in between water changes when matured

 

[Anonymous]

Let me be the first to say I love your work.


It is a very Bonsai approach you are taking. Have you thought of doing Bonsaid trees or having a one coral bonsai tank. That is where you sculpture the growing coral to look like a 2 ton real coral out on the reef, but it is actually tiny?

Doesn't work well with LPS or soft corals.

 

[brandon4291]

Thank you much Dr. Reef.

I have never kept a bonsai tree but they are nothing short of fascinating, some of the better ones I've seen even have very thick bark and are contorted just like giant juniper. Now that you mention it, they may like sitting near a reef due to the lighting scattered... great idea I will likely try it soon. wouldn't effluent from a planted tank be a nice source of weekly watering for the small tree> thanks for that suggestion!

 

[brandon4291]

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[brandon4291]

up close front view 11/02/02








Next Picture is March 21, 2003.

<edit: 5 month update, the system is a success. Sps corals plate over the rocks and structure and even grow out of the water. it has taken many shopping hours to locate all these sub-inch frags of LPS and SPS corals. careful shopping and luck is all it takes...

 

[beerbaron]

absolutly amazing. that last pick looks like it could be from a 75 gallon tank. 2 thumbs up here.
BB

 

[Dumb Guy]

really cool. are there any inverts in there? would you be able to put a fish in it? i don't know anything about nanos so this might be a dumb question.

 

[Mouse]

Nice one!!

 

[brandon4291]

Thanks Mouse and Beer Baron, I thought the little canopy that came with the tank also made it look like a mini 75 g. I think the tank is made by a company called R and J, or R and R, Ill have to ask the person I bought from.

No crabs or other inverts yet, but maybe a small emerald when I find a tiny specimen. Do any of you keep boxer crabs, (sp?) I like them, if they arent hard to keep in a nano reef. Its mainly for housing corals. I dont think there are any fish that would work, but a dwarf seahorse or two would live in there, I bet, if it were modified -significantly- ie no LR and less current

Brandon

 

[rbaker]

Very cool... I think I can see one in my future...

Ryan

 

[shalegac]

How much did everything cost? Have you ever thought about making and selling these little bad boys. They are impresive to say the least.

 

[shalegac]

I want one!

 

[goldenboy]

Brandon as far the dwarf seahorses go, I would say that you could not keep them long term in a reef tank. You see they are very suceptable to being stung and kiled by hydroids which are abundant on live rock. You also have to decap bs eggs to kill off hydroids and have two batches going at all times with each batch hatching evey other day. Its a real pain in the neck. In the set up of a dwarf seahorse tank you cant use any live rock or sand for fear of inroducing hydriods. If your interested do some research at seahorse.org

 

[goldenboy]

incredibally nice tank BTW.