Zero Edge (ZeroEdge ) - 30 gallon square

My Zero Edge reef up and running after about five weeks. The core guts are functioning and the shell needs to be built around it.

The pump is an Iwaki 30XRLT, 1200GPH @ 0 ft. I made my own return nozzle out of a Sched. 80 PVC cap with holes drilled into it in intersecting angles, so that all streams converge and create chaotic flow about 4 inches from the outlet. The SPSes love it.

Skimmer is way over sized ( an Aqua C 180 ) but I've found that a way big skimmer properly tuned to produce dry foam works much better than the recommended size for any given tank.

Sump is a DIY based on a 25 gallon tank. Auto refill system - absolutely essential to a Zero Edge due to their high evaporation rate - is a Kent mechanical float switch with two electrical float switch emergency cutoffs. These switches are in serial to the 24 V solenoid valve ( a regular sprinkler valve.)

On top of that, the solenoid power is energized only for 10 minutes 4 times a day.

Fresh water filter is 5 micron mechanical, GAC, and nu-clear DI beads. Source water here ( Reno, NV ) is good enough to not need paranoid RODI; plus, no way to accommodate waste water anyhow.

Here is a list of '+' and '-' aspects of owning this tank :

Good :
- Temperature stays *exactly* the same as the surrounding air in summer, regardless of the tank's light output.

- Gas exchange is probably at 100%. Great for O2 saturation and getting rid of CO2, and other bad gasses. I wish I had a similar system for my Q-Doba eating coworker.

- Scratches on both inside and outside of tank walls are highly washed out from the water flow, compared to regular acrylic tanks, where the outside panels scratches stand out.

- Very easy to get into the tank and work on it.

- Looks like a chunk of ocean reef just sitting there in your living room ...

Bad :
- REEF JERKY !!! - I've had 15 out of the 16 fish that died in this tank do so because of leaving the water and ending up "dried and died" on the floor. Self-jumpers are the biggest problem; firefish are the worst, IMO. Fish that are easily startled and chased up and out are a close second : the Evil Tomato Clownfish Mated Pair ( ECMP ) caused any number of fish to commit air-suicide, especially after the ECMP had spawned and were protecting their eggs. A distant third are fish that just get sucked out over the edge ( surface-fish like the Chinese Banded Bar Goby ), end up in the drain pan ( still OK, lots of water there ), but then they flail and jump about to get into more comfortable water, and end up joining the mummified reef squad. Non - fish creatures seem OK, even though urchins and snail-type critters frequently leave the inside of the tank and crawl to The Other Side (of the tank wall.)

- Evaporation : Not really a pure bad, as this is the method that heat and bad gasses are peeled off of the tank water in real time. But, especially in the summer, you *need* some kind of auto fresh water re-filler, even if it means an unemployed, bad - tempered 13 year old kid who refills the tank under threat of You Tube Removal ( worse than Threat Of Death.) This 30 gallon tank lost about 3 gallons per day in the hottest part of summer.

Cheers

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• reef
• tank
• zero
• edge
• zeroedge
• nano
• aquarium
• fish

[28GallonBowfront]

hey did any of your fish ever jump out? did u hav to add ur clonfish at the same time

[scouncil2028]

@28GallonBowfront : Too many fish jumped out. This is the #1 problem with fish mortality and this kind of tank. Clownfish were from previous 140 gallon reef, added together, in 2004.

[mbfishes]

ive been wanting to get one how much was that?

[scouncil2028]

@mbfishes Tank alone was $499 + shipping from Chicago

[scouncil2028]

sirberner12 : At 0:43 is a Lysmata amboinensis - a white striped cleaner shrimp. I recommend them for most reef tanks without hesitation. They will not only clean willing fish but willing humans as well ... stick a clean finger in the tank and hold it still for a few minutes and see what I mean.

Chill out bananatree94, this is the most relaxing hobby out there ( except for smoking medicinal herbs ) and no need for getting your knickers tied up in a bunch ( British saying.)

cheers

[scouncil2028]

@pyropuffer Seriously! Thanks. There are so many YouTube trolls out there on the interwebs that can inject flaming comments about the most innocuous of topics. It's a fish tank, made out of a labor of love. It's not a political statement or anything involving a Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Egypt, Obama, the economy or music.

The entire world needs to chill.

Good luck with your hobby - your videos are outstanding.

slc

Medicinally Herbed

[MrBelly209]

How did u the overflow like that? On top I have 40 gallon and it doesnt flow like yours on top

[edancolorguru]

Beautiful tank...you should be very proud! ;)

[iczerone2000]

awesome tank man! i guess the evaporation level must be a problem and fish jumping out?

[John8785]

I'm guessing you've had a bar goby jump out before right?

[AweSomo84]

@MrChrisDilly not in the netherlands :o , that rock only will cost that

[pyropuffer]

@scouncil2028 ( this is the most relaxing hobby out there ( except for smoking medicinal herbs ) ) best comment on the subject ever lol nice tank btw

[hotdoghee123]

these tanks are so sick

[illestG35]

Clean ass tank dude