# Other Aquarium Forums > Marine Tanks >  RE: Recent Photos

## Cedric

Hi,

taken a few recent photos of my tank, feel free to comment!

















Thanks!
 :Smile:

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## juggler

Impressive!
I didn't know marine tanks require so much &amp;quot;life support systems&amp;quot;!

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## Simon

nice tank u got, impressive equipments too.. is that yr chiller hidden below the cabinet?

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## wangzx

Wow!!!!!Very nice tank and well setup!!!!!Good combination of corals and fishes...... :Razz:

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## Spiff

wa cedric very pack n nice....long time no go so diff liaoz

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## Hon

Wah..nice nice .... Must go your house take 1st hand look at the tank manz.

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## kelstorm

impressive!!!!... nice setup... cedric.. perhaps u can give a talk on what equipments are there in your fitration system and what the CO2 system is for... i figured taht the electrical parts are DIY??? 

mind.. the look blow my mind off....  :Razz:  keep it up.. and post it on the forumer's tank..

when i setup my tank.. can i ask you for help?? hehehehe[ :Grin: ]

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## nivlac

> ----------------
> On 8/14/2002 4:13:08 PM 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> taken a few recent photos of my tank, feel free to comment!
> ----------------


Beautiful tank you've got Ced. Looks like you're running a double calcium reactor and a denitrator? Any feedback on the denitrator? Is it easy to use? Easy to adjust the input?

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## Cedric

Hi everyone!

many thanks for your positive comments!!!  :Smug:  

To those who had quired regarding the tank; yes, that is indeed my chiller which I stripped and hidden at the bottom of the cabinet. And yes, I DIY most of the electrical component of the system including the MHs, FLs and PL, etc. Come to think of it... almost everything... :Cool: 

Some of the stuff I'm using includes:

1. 2 x 150w MH 10K
2. 2 x 30w Actinic FL
3. 1 x 9w PL (moonlight)
4. 2 x Aquamedic Calcium Reactor (in series)
5. 1 x Aquamedic Denitrator
6. 1 x Tunze 220 Protein Skimmer
7. Return Pump: 4850 l/hr
8. Chiller Pump: 1300l/hr
9. Dedicated reactors feed pump: 800 l/hr
10. 2 x Circulation pump 1600 l/hr (inside tank)
11. pH Controller
12. Solenoid
13. 6 in 1 cooling fan (for tank)
14. 1 AC fan (for cabinet)
15. Chiller

The denitrator is very good for reducing the nitrates. Mine kept hovering at 100+. I gave up trying the natural way and opted for the &amp;quot;unnatural&amp;quot; way. Onli problem was it needs a high pressure dedicated pump to ensure constant flow rate. I use a tee-off from my chiller line previously and it always needs adjustment. Now its tune and forget! 

I belong to the old school for filtration. I have a sump tank with bio-balls, protein skimmer, denitrator, 3&amp;quot; sandbed and plentiful liferocks. 

The CO2 is needed to feed the CA reactor. I have a pH controller with solenoid to controll the CO2 in the unlikely event that pH in my tank crashes. Tank pH hovers between 8.14 ~ 8.28

Anything else you might want to know? I'll be glad to share! :Smile:   :Smile:   :Smile:  

And yes I'll love to help you kelstorm but I think you're pretty good yourself :Wink:

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## Tigger

Very professional looking. Mind giving me yr email address so that I can seek some advise from u when need be. Thanks.

[email protected]

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## kelstorm

To those who had quired regarding the tank; yes, that is indeed my chiller which I stripped and hidden at the bottom of the cabinet. And yes, I DIY most of the electrical component of the system including the MHs, FLs and PL, etc. Come to think of it... almost everything... :Cool: 

Some of the stuff I'm using includes:

1. 2 x 150w MH 10K
2. 2 x 30w Actinic FL
3. 1 x 9w PL (moonlight)
4. 2 x Aquamedic Calcium Reactor (in series)
5. 1 x Aquamedic Denitrator
6. 1 x Tunze 220 Protein Skimmer
7. Return Pump: 4850 l/hr
8. Chiller Pump: 1300l/hr
9. Dedicated reactors feed pump: 800 l/hr
10. 2 x Circulation pump 1600 l/hr (inside tank)
11. pH Controller
12. Solenoid
13. 6 in 1 cooling fan (for tank)
14. 1 AC fan (for cabinet)
15. Chiller

The denitrator is very good for reducing the nitrates. Mine kept hovering at 100+. I gave up trying the natural way and opted for the &amp;amp;amp;quot;unnatural&amp;amp;amp;quot; way. Onli problem was it needs a high pressure dedicated pump to ensure constant flow rate. I use a tee-off from my chiller line previously and it always needs adjustment. Now its tune and forget! 

I belong to the old school for filtration. I have a sump tank with bio-balls, protein skimmer, denitrator, 3&amp;amp;amp;quot; sandbed and plentiful liferocks. 

The CO2 is needed to feed the CA reactor. I have a pH controller with solenoid to controll the CO2 in the unlikely event that pH in my tank crashes. Tank pH hovers between 8.14 ~ 8.28

Anything else you might want to know? I'll be glad to share! :Smile:   :Smile:   :Smile:  

And yes I'll love to help you kelstorm but I think you're pretty good yourself :Wink:  
----------------
well.. as u know, me not really a hard coral person..and thus i doubt i need those CA reactor and CO2 system... and was talking to spiff last night abt my 6ft divider tank for my new house.. (now, still on drawing board.. no money and house yet.. :Sad:  ) likewise, me belong to old school of filtration methods.. but i have never used a denitrator b4.. is it DIY??? also.. being hopeless in electrical stuff, i usually buy stuff that can simply plug and play.. if u know what i mean.. and now my tank looks like a xmas tree with all the little gadgets.. would love to have everything hidden.. hehehe.. will contact u again when everything is falling into place.. need help on DIY stuff.. hahaha.. from the last conversation we had, u are really into that.. thanks in advance.. oh yes.. spiff, u are in the list too.. hahaha.. (better mention his name.. yesterday complain to me already.. hahahaha)[ :Grin: ] [ :Grin: ]

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## ws

Truly a beautiful display. Made me so &amp;quot;gian&amp;quot;. I would love to learn on DIY from you too if it is not too much to ask. Would sure like to meet you and the rest of the pros here one of these days.

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## kelstorm

we are not pros.. but we are willing to share our knowledge.. [ :Grin: ]

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## bawater

1st pic look like poster! actually i think will sell better than LH poster...
how u get the glass so clean, i think i buy brand new also not so clean &amp;amp; clear.

r those the DIY MH from the place u mentioned?- looks good.
i got the go ahead(was measuring space)for another 4ft in my in-laws hse on the other side of the country(but have to be reef),now gotta scrounge enough $$ for a system,going without calcium reactor for soft corals but MH is a must cause sick of FL.
My question: is the PL 9w blue moon tube enough?i sure itchy &amp;amp; sure wire up some PL to squeeze in.
i had a 36w FL blue moon tube which blew within 3mths-never touch moon again,it was a Azoo tube.

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## Cedric

Hi Hi,

many thanks again for all your comments! The MH is pure DIY with a old 3 feet FL housing. Bought reflectors, MH bulb holders, ballast, DC fans x 4 (for cooling), tempered glass for sheild and stuff. All the ballasts and transformers along with all electrical stuff (minus pumps and skimmers) are housed in the cabinet beside my tank.

Regarding my 9w PL, please do not confuse it with actinics. It is purely for night time viewing only. It comes on first, followed by actinics, followed by MH. Shut down is in reverse order. In other words, I'm trying to simulate moon, dusk and dawn... I think...

I would love to share my DIY experience to those interested. Not a problem, so long as you are not afraid of tripping your house and getting electricuted a couple of times... :Evil:   :Evil:   :Evil:  But hey, its worth it! :Razz: 

Cheers!  :Smile:

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## kingpin

Beautiful tank Cedric. BTW, which digital camera are you using? Very sharp pics.  :Razz:

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## nizz

When i die, i wanna come back as a marine fish &amp;amp; live in ur tank Cedric (hope ur feeding time is regular)....fantastic...absolutely fantastic...

Nizz

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## vinz

I'm gonna show your tankn to my boss and watch him die of envy...

Beautiful.

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## Cedric

Someone asked me about my lights, so I guess some pics will explain much better...


This is the DIY light hood using a old FL casing. In it is 2 x 3ft FL, 2 x 150 DE MH and 1 x 9w nightlight for viewing. Can see?


This is a close up of all the electronics... The various ballast for the different lights, etc...


See the grooves cut into the hood? Those are for the dc fan inlet and exhaust. Very hot!!!


Just a parting shot! :Smile:  

I hope this will help the guy![: :Smile: ]

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## limpc65

One question, what's the tumbler behind the light ?

Lim

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## Cedric

Hahaha,

that tumbler is for me to drip kalk at night! :Wink:

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## ach

It that a temperature controller? If it is where can i get it?

Thanks in advance

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## Killerwhale

It is indeed a masterpiece tank. Very nice. 

One question, where can I get de-nitrator locally in singapore ? And what is the price for that ? And is it suitable for small tank with many fish ?

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## Cedric

Hi,

it is a temp controller, can get at Sim Lim Square basement. As for the Denitrator, it will definitely work on a small tank. Mine is a 55 gal with pretty high bio-load, 14 fishes, inverts and lots of corals. Nitrate dwon from 100+ to nil. I got mine at Aquamart, its a Aquamedic brand for around $245/-. Must watch the drip rate very carefully when setting up!

Cheers![: :Smile: ]

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## kelstorm

very chiem... [: :Smile: ]

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## Killerwhale

Just to confirm, is Aquamart beside Reborn ? And is there any danger to use denitrator or just a simple process by controlling the drip rate ? Please enlighten...thanks :Angel:

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## Cedric

Well,

usage of a denitrator must be done carefully. For it to function properly, it must be in the zone where there is &amp;quot;almost&amp;quot; no oxygen in the water for it to convert nitrate to hydrogen gas. Too much oxygen, you get back your nitrites from nitrate, no oxygen and you get hydrogen sulphate[ :Knockout: ] , just nice, you get zero nitrate :Angel: . So you must adjust your drip rate to suit your tank. My advice is to use a high pressure dedicated pump to feed your denitrator to ensure continuous trouble free flow of water. Previously, I used a tee-off from my chiller return before I bought a dedicated pump. Quite often, I came home to a near non-dripping denitrator with horrible rotten egg smelling hydrogen sulphate going into the tank. Luckily, my tank has close to 20X turnover so everything was still ok.

Er... I hope this helps![ :Grin: ]

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## neubie

cedric: i'm in luv wif ur tank.... wish mine looks half as gd as urs....

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## Killerwhale

Cedric,

Do you have other denitrator brands that you strongly recommend ? [ :Grin: ]

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## Cedric

There are quite a few brands in the market. SERA, AZOO, Macro, etc. The reason why I choose Aquamedic is the use of Deniballs over daily feeding of the bacteria for other brands.

 :Smile:

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## Killerwhale

That mean use aquamedic with the deniball, you don't need to feed the bacterial. Another words, once set up the denitrator, nature will take it course and no further maintenance is needed ? 

Can I have the full name of the model you are using. I'm keen to give a try.

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## Cedric

It is more or less maintance free. However, you still have to watch the drip rate. The model is Denitrator 400. Should be around $230+/-

Cheers! :Smug:

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## Killerwhale

Cedric, what is the recommended drip rate after you have experienced for your set up? Or what is your drip rate now per minutes ?

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## Marlin

Hi Cedric,

- Simply amazing ! I was initially into Planted Tank, have 2 of them. Now, I have decommissioned one of them and is going to start a Marine Tank soon. I think I really have alot to learn from you, all the 'Terminalogy' used in Marine is different from Planted Tank. Guessed it would take me some time to figured out how your Marine Tank works ! 

Cheers
Marlin :Razz:

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## Oleta

Absolutely beautiful, Cedric.. Very good job..

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## Cedric

Hi Clownfish,

the recommended drip rate Aquamedic was 1 drop per sec. However, I realised that it varies with your bio load. I had to increase mine to 3 drops per sec. The way I fine tune is to adjust the drip rate just above getting hydrogen sulphate. Er... you understand?

Hope this helps! :Smile:

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## Killerwhale

Not so. Do you have the actual picture of your denitrator and if you are free, can you scan the instruction to let me take a look ? 

Me really keen getting one (but will be my late pay day). The reason I need denitrator because you just imagine the bio load I have:

1 x flame angel
1 x majestic angel (juvenile)
2 x GS maroon clown (potential pair)
3 x normal pecular clown
1 x dotty back
1 x yellow tang (about 2 to 2.5 inches length)
1 x fat blue devil damsel (ha ha ha...)

1 x cleaner shrimp
1 x blood shrimp
1 x boxer shrimp
1 x purple lobster

about 5crabs
1x star fish

few mushroom
1 hammer
few star polyps
25 kg live rock

And all that in a 30x18x18 inches volume tank but I use 2 filter to do the job

All my parameters are OK except nitrate which made me change water every weeks and now the nitrate is about 20 to 30 ppm.

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## Cedric

Here it is!

Operation manual 
for the AQUA MEDIC Mini Nitratereductor


Denitrification filter for sea and freshwater aquaria up to 200 litres.

With the purchase of this Mini Nitratereductor, you have selected a quality instrument. It has been developed especially for aquaristic purposes and has been tested by professionals.

With this filter, you will be able, if used correctly, to diminish the nitrate content of your aquarium water to a harmless level.



1. Product description

The AQUA MEDIC Mini Nitratereductor consists of 

the reaction vessel (height = 30 cm, volume approx. 1.5 l). 

The reaction vessel is filled with AQUA MEDIC Bactoballs. In the top of the filter, the recirculation pump (300 l/h) is placed.

One package of Denimar + Ca is delivered with the filter to feed the bacteria. 
Fig. 1: Mini Nitratereductor


1. Inflow

2. Opening for redox electrode and feeding

3. Deniballs

4. Circulation pump

5. Outflow with drop counter



2. Theory

Nitrate is coming into the aquarium via 2 different paths:

- with the tap water, with every water change or with the replacement of the evaporated water

- by biological reactions in the aquarium.

These biological reactions are responsible for the farmost biggest part of the increase of the nitrate level.

How is nitrate produced in the aquarium?

When the animals are fed with dried, living or frozen food, proteinaceous substances get into the aquarium. These are the basics of the diet for the animals. A big part of the nitrogen, from the food is however excreted into the water. This nitrogen is metabolised by bacteria, living in the aerobic filter via the toxic intermediate substances ammonium and nitrite to the less toxic nitrate. These biolochemical reactions take place in the presence of oxygen:

The bacteria Nitrosomonas oxidizes Ammonia to Nitrite, the bakterium Nitrobacter the Nitrite to Nitrate.



Ammonium + oxygen ----- &amp;gt; Nitrite + oxygen ----&amp;gt; Nitrate

(Nitrosomonas) (Nitrobacter)



In most aquaria, nitrate is the end product of bacterial metabolism and accumulates in the water.

Only higher water plants and algae are able to remove this nitrate from the aquarium water.

What is the effect of nitrate in the aquarium?

1. Overfertilization/Eutrophication. The aquarium is overfertilized, the algal growth increases and cannot be controlled any more.

2. Toxic effects to the animals. Many invertebrate animals in sea water tanks are very sensitive to higher nitrate levels.

3. Working principle of the Mini Nitratereductor

In the AQUA MEDIC Mini Nitratereductor the water is treated anaerobically. In the absence of oxygen, many bacteria are able to use nitrate as a substitute for oxygen for their metabolism.



2 NO3 ----&amp;gt; 3 N2 + 3 O2

2 Nitrate -----&amp;gt; 3 nitrogen gas + 3 oxygen



The oxygen is used for the metabolism, the nitrogen is excreted into the water. Nitrogen gas is a natural compound of the water and totally harmless.

It is however necessary to increase the metabolism of the bacteria, so that they can reduce enough nitrate. For this reason, the nitrate removing bacteria have to be fed with organic substances. The tablet feed Denimar contains organic substances, that can be used by the bacteria totally. The only waste product is CO2 .

The flow rate through the Mini Nitratereductor is very slow. This is a main difference to other aquarium filters, where the water is often treated once per hour or even more often. The water in the Mininitratereductor should have a retention time of 2-4 hours. It is however sufficient to treat it once per week. If the filter is adjusted correctly, the water leaves the filter nearly free of nitrite and nitrate.



4. Set-up of the Mini Nitratereductor

The AQUA MEDIC Mini Nitratereductor consists of a reaction vessel of 1.5l volume. To provide surface material for the bacteria, the filter is filled with AQUA MEDIC Bactoballs. They create an ideal microclimate for denitrification. 

To avoid dead zones, th

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## Cedric

Ok, let me try to explain again by giving an example:

If at 4 drop/sec I get no smell, I lower it...
If at 3 drop/sec, I still get no smell, I lower it...
If at 2 drop/sec, I smell faint hydrogen sulphate (rotten egg), I increase it back to 3 drop/sec and leave it there. 

This is how at get my drip rate. This I'm sure is easier to understand rite?

 :Smug:   :Smug:   :Smug:

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## Killerwhale

Hey Cedric, million thanks for your advise.  :Angel:

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## anakjoh

Wow! cedric's tank is lau chui nua - today I went to a marine shop n come out totally dazed n now u guys talking marine really makes me envious.
i don't have marine tank, just planted aqua.
I saw a simple 1.5 ft marine tank with love corals n fish just using external hang-on filter, marine lights n cooling fan. can meh? how come no need all those marine eqps?
Any comments?[:0]

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## kelstorm

the concept is the same as FW.. i.e.. the bigger the tank.. the lesser the maintenance.. (once everything kicks in that is..)

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## Cedric

Hi anakjoh

if you ask me, I would say cannot! I suspect those 1.5feet tanks will not last very long. Otherwise, you will need to keep up with frequent water changes!

Hope this helps! :Smile:

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## Peaceful

Beautiful and inspiring. How much does the whole set up cost you?

Can I do it cheaper with a smaller tank? I am thinking of setting up a marine tank about 2 ft wide. Can it be done and how much will it cost? Is it compulsory to have a chiller/
And where do you buy the fish, corals etc?

Sorry for bombarding you with questions but your tank is truly inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

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