What is an Eclipse tank?

[Cyberkiller]

Whats all this I hear about 12g Eclipse tanks? What exactly are these? Are they the Eclipse show tanks you can buy at the store? Doesn't the filter in the hood create a bad filter setup for a SW tank? How does one keep one of these stable?

 

[Len]

Yep, the Eclispe tanks are the ones you hear in the tank. I think the people in the Nano forum would be better able to answer questions about this type of tank.

 

[Anonymous]

For salt setups, they can be done (I've used an eclipse 10 before), but they're not ideal. The lighting is usually not nearly enough or the right spectrum, and the biowheel is counterproductive when ti comes to nitrates--they tend to keep a pretty steady, but readable, level of nitrates. Not good for a reef.

Like I said though, it CAN be done, I just wouldn't recommend it for anyone other than an advanced reefkeeper that is experienced with all the different sorts of animals that could be kept in such a system, as well as the system's limitations.

 

[Anonymous]

I think I could prety sucsefully set up a nano in an eclipse. Right now I have a 10 gallon setup with a HOP penguin mini (removed the biowheel) powerfilter, one power-head, titanium heater, 10 lbs of live rock.

Colt coral,
Some Mushrooms,
Star polyps

Clown Gobi
blue-yellowtailed damselfish

It first I did not have LR, and had the biowheel in place. I was never able to get nitrates under control. I added the rock, and that helped, then I removed the biowheel, and everything balanced out in about a week after that.

I do weekly 25% water changes for nutrient export, since I do not skim. and am running 50/50 mini-compacts by coralife for lighting.

It can be done, but I do not think my setup would be any good for stonies or more light loving corals.