Eric's Elos Mini

[E.intheC]

The Tank
Over the past 5 years or so, I've had a number of different tanks. I've had full blown reefs and FOWLR tanks as well. The smallest tank being a 10 gallon nano, and the largest being a 90 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump. I had the 90 up for a relatively short time, at just over one year. Although it was a nice tank, it was never quite up to my standards. There was just simply not enough time or money (not to mention space in our living room) to get things the way I wanted. (Yes, I'm slightly OCD). With a lot of thinking and talking with my wife, I (we) decided on a much smaller tank.

I'm a big fan of cube tanks, and have had both a 30 and 45 cube tank previously. I knew a cube tank was in order, but figuring out which tank specifically though would prove to be a difficult decision. I looked at everything from a Deep Blue 60 gallon rimless to a custom 22 gallon acrylic tank, and almost everything in between. However, my decision was ultimately pretty simple. When an excellent deal came up on a slightly used Elos Mini... I had to jump on it. I have always loved Elos tanks, having seen many different models in person at my LFS in Manhattan. After thinking about it for a few days, I knew this was the right choice.

Here's a (horrible iPhone) pic that I took right after initial setup:

 

[E.intheC]

Equipment
Here's a brief run-down of my current equipment list:

• Tank: Elos Mini. 20 gallons. Aprx. 17x17x16High Starfire front pane
• Stand: Elos Mini Stand. White w/ a Dark Brown Door
• Sump: Custom Acrylic Cube by Jeff, AKA CustomKing
• Lighting: AI Sol Blue Nano
• Skimmer: Elos PS200. For now. Probably going to change this out for a Warner Marine MF 121
• Flow: Vortech MP10WES
• Return Pump: Stock Elos Mini Return Pump
• ATO: Avast Marine Works Pressure Sensor
• Controller: Reef Keeper Lite. (Will eventually upgrade this to an Apex Lite)
• Misc. Filtration: Fuge w/ Chaeto. Carbon and GFO used in a small bag in my sump
• Live Rock: about 10-15 lbs in the display and another 5 lbs in the sump.

 

[E.intheC]

Theme
This is going to be a mixed tank. I'm going to start with zoas, lps, ric's, and some softies in the beginning, and slowly add SPS and clams as the tank matures and stabilizes. My rockscape is what I consider minimalist. I like open space, and leaving room for corals to grow. This is tough, especially in such a small system.
Overall, I'm going to try and balance coral colors, shapes, textures, and movement to give a nice, relaxing mix.

Livestock
I've had these two Black Saddlebacks for a while now. I bought them when they were each just under an inch, and they've grown quite a bit since then. The female is much larger than the male, and she definitely lets him know who's boss . They're a great pair who really showed their personality in my 90. They've started displaying initial pairing and mating behavior. The mail is being submissive to the female, and they're both clearing out an area of sand right next to the rock.

 

[E.intheC]

This is a cool picture, IMO lol2

Warner Marine K2 skimmer that's from my old 90 gallon setup. Yes, that's my Elos Mini stand. I think it captures the scale of my downgrade. Hopefully I'll be able to run a scaled down Warner Marine skimmer on the new setup.

 

[mbgrubb15]

Nice tank. I have pretty much the same set up. Same light as well. Just a 25g

 

[E.intheC]

Nice! How do you like the light so far?

 

[mbgrubb15]

The light is amazing. so much fun. Thunderstorms and everything. the royal blue is so nice too. i have the controller i would suggest getting it. im sure you can find a used one online. a new one is about $70

 

[E.intheC]

Yeah the controller is nice for sure. I have it on this tank as well.
What is your highest setting right now? My tank is mostly lps and zoos, and I have it set at about 40% for the blues and 35% white at its max. I am slowly ramping up though.

 

[mbgrubb15]

At its highest my whites are 60 and my blues are 90. I had it lower buy my zoos were not looking too good. My tank is 25gl. 18x18x18

 

[E.intheC]

At its highest my whites are 60 and my blues are 90. I had it lower buy my zoos were not looking too good. My tank is 25gl. 18x18x18

Wow, that's more than double what I have. Sooner or later mine will hit the higher numbers. No rush really.


As for my tank.. this weekend was pretty exciting for me actually. How often does it work out that a Blue Hammer, Orange Hammer, and a 15+ head Green/ Pink Tip Torch show up at my LFS's? AND on top of that, this is one of the two months of the year I get a third paycheck.. :Yikes: