Howdy

[BigAl07]

Wow! How did I miss this thread?

I am always in AWE of Z-E tanks! Saw one a while back and I just had to stand there and wipe my DROOL up! They are GREAT show pieces but I would love to know just how MUCH work they really are.

I did talk to the guy about "Flow" and this guy said, "It's the FLOW that makes the Z-E work so well. The extreme flow actually pushes the water up higher and quicker over the edge helping to break the surface tension and maintain the beauty of a Z-E system."

Can't wait to see your pics!

Welcome to RS!!

[Reefwerks]

Originally Posted by BigAl07

Wow! How did I miss this thread?

I did talk to the guy about "Flow" and this guy said, "It's the FLOW that makes the Z-E work so well. The extreme flow actually pushes the water up higher and quicker over the edge helping to break the surface tension and maintain the beauty of a Z-E system."

Can't wait to see your pics!

Welcome to RS!!

Thats accurate. What your going for is enough flow to have a layer appx 3/8" of water above the aquarium itself. This eliminates the salt creep myth / problem, the cause of salt creep is micro bubbles poping so with enough flow you have none. The other thing I hear alot is lot of evaporation. This is only partially true. For some thing close to a 50g tank evap is only about 1/3 higher than it would be for a standard tank of equal size. That not to bad concidering it has almost triple the surface area.
As far as cleaning goes. Its not that bad and with a mag float your cleaning both sides at the same time. Just slow th flow and go to it just like a regular tank but you get your hand wet. Algae thrives on c02 the surface area is great enough that co2 is reduced so film algae is not near as big of concern as most think. Ph stability is a sure sign that co2 is at a minimum. You do have to mod a mag float so that you have soft outside and inside. Also a good valve that allows easy flow adjustment is a big plus. Ball valves are not that great but jandy pool valves are perfect for this application. When I get time I'm adding a actuator to the valve so that it will close in event of a power failure and so that I can reduce flow at the touch of a button to clean the tank.

[BigAl07]

Originally Posted by Reefwerks

..... I'm adding a actuator to the valve so that it will close in event of a power failure and so that I can reduce flow at the touch of a button to clean the tank.

now THAT would be COOL!! Maybe make it remote controlled and really add to the WOW factor (like that tank will NEED any more).

One drawback I did see was a snail climbed up to the edge and MAN did it disrupt the nice smooth flow of water. While it was there at JUST the right point it shot a GEYSER of water out! Was comical to say the least.

[lcstorc]

That does sound funny AL.

How do you keep your fish from going over the edge?
When I saw the big one they had at MACNA this year there was this poor little clown fish that kept going over the edge every couple of minutes. Since it was the same one time and time again I assume it was not in the best of health but I would think it is a concern.
Now if I didn't have pets and was going to have a clam tank or tank with no fish it seems like a great idea.

[hma]

Welcome to RS

[Reefwerks]

Everthing I do is always automated to one extreme or another, automation is another one of my hobbies. This system is fully automated right down to the water changes. You of course have to be careful with fish selection and no snails are allowed. The design is pretty new so there isnt alot of info, truthful info anyways. Wide body fish is a good rule of thumb. Tangs of course a good choice, sand sifters and mandarines. Clowns will work as long as you provide something for them to host in. I'm not a fan of anenomes in small tanks but big mushrooms and soft corals work just as well. feeding is another issue. I have feeding timer on the return pump built into the ranco in the above picture. It shuts down the system for hand feeding otherwise its fed pods, zooplankton and phyto that are injected into the continuous water change via peristaltic injection pumps.

Don

[BigAl07]

Don I like the sound of that "Total Automation". I'm all about that and plan to do that with my new house (Tank included).

Can't wait to see this one come into function!!