freph's Mini M
 

So, I finally decided to spoil myself a bit and get a Mini M setup with all the bells and whistles (well, mostly). I've got some pretty sweet manten stone and am currently just waiting on a few more items that were on backorder etc. to get to the good stuff. Here's a teaser shot, though.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...1/IMG_1173.jpg

Very nice!

How do you like the AQUASKY?

I haven't had a chance to see its effect on plants yet or the illumination of the tank when filled/planted/scaped, but I like it as far as first impressions go. It's bright without being too bright and is very aesthetically pleasing. The light concentrates itself pretty well also. My only real quirk about the unit is the orientation of the transformer that plugs into a power outlet. It's kinda like this and the way my timer/power strip is oriented I can only use my solenoid adapter and it (I have need for another timed outlet for the lighting on the 10g and don't really want to buy another timer for the strip) at the same time (2 out of 4 sockets). I really wish they made transformers more compact or at least oriented more conveniently. Otherwise, I'm quite pleased with the fixture at current. Very reasonable for the price as far as quality and tank pairing is concerned.

By the way, all of the additive boxes (Green Bacter, ECA, Green Gain, Phyton Git) smell like hickory smoke bbq sauce to me. Dollface wasn't kidding. Hickory smoke and...radiation. Mmm-mmm good!

Looks great so far. In every picture a member has posted of the AQUASKY, the color looks so perfect. It's a shame I really don't like the actual design. Is it possible to take the legs off? I assume not, at least if you don't break them off but I would serious love to retrofit this light into a Solar fixture, not that I have an ADA tank yet anyway lol.


Look forward to your work.

The heatsink is detachable but none of the acrylic parts are. I'm sure you could retrofit the heatsink into the Solar housing.

Great to know. That light just became way more appealing to me...not that I can afford it right now.

Getting impatient so decided to fill it with water and give the Eheim 2211 a spin. Flow is a lot better than I expected. Having a smaller outflow than intake has an impressive effect.

Tank will probably be planted and filled next week since I'm waiting for aquariumplants to get some E. tenellus in stock then I'll do the plant order.

Plant plans:
Eleocharis acicularis
Glossostigma elatinoides
Echinodorus tenellus
Riccia fluitans
DHG Belem

Fauna plans:
Boraras urophthalmoides
Otocinclus sp.
Caridinia japonica

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2...IMG_1189-1.jpg

Looks great, even with the Eheim inlet. The light looks more appealing with water in it, even just water, it somehow doesn't seem as "bulky". Sorry, not trying to hate on the light, I just love the previous ADA lights and don't really get the changes.

Why glosso? I love the plant but in a tank this nice, I just feel you could do something more "exotic", plus I don't like the scale for small tanks. It's actually my go to for non CO2 injected tanks as it still works pretty easily, just doesn't spread well compared to with CO2 and higher light.

It is a nice setup but I find the green distracting so far but it may just be there are no plants so my eye goes right to the Eheim inlet, I'm painting some black today to hide them a little, there's no way I could keep clear pipes clean.

The plant list looks good to me, some tall hair grass for hiegt in one corner might look nice, I just saw this at club meeting last week and it looked nice, UG is another one that looks nice and maintenance free, good luck.

That light is awesome and even at a low angle doesn't bother you to look at it so it wust just disappear from above.

By the way, all of the additive boxes (Green Bacter, ECA, Green Gain, Phyton Git) smell like hickory smoke bbq sauce to me. Dollface wasn't kidding. Hickory smoke and...radiation. Mmm-mmm good!

I'm want to try all the additives so badly but the cost is hard to get past, now that I know it can be sprinkled on my ribs I might go for it.

Glosso stays smaller under high light and if it's well trimmed....but I could always do Elatine hydropiper...I just really don't like the price point it's at right now. Thanks for the compliments on the tank. I didn't see an issue with the previous lighting system either, but I'm certainly not opposed to this new fixture (plus it's a bit cheaper).

The green tubing and inflow are being replaced with the Mini V-1 and clear tubing set. The pipe is on backorder and the tubing (along with my substrate additive pack, which is why it's got just water in it and not a rockscape) hasn't been shipped yet. Getting a spring washer for the pipe cleanliness as well. For how long they last, the additives are pretty cost efficient for the nano tank. I'm sure they'd make some pretty B.A. ribs to boot! :hihi: The ferts are as well....it's like 4 cents a day on a tank this size.

Have you tried anything like this?

http://uneasysilence.com/2007/08/maximize-your-power/

You can get them at walmart for a dollar or two.

Can't want to see that light in action.

I was just going to use a couple of spare single->double extension cords but that looks like a much better option...thanks for the link! I'll definitely pick up a couple next time I'm in town. I currently only have the light on for aesthetic viewing pleasure (risk of algae and such) so there's no rush. The light is...very nice in water. I love the shimmer effect.

I use them on both of my tanks and in my office. :)

Actually, forget the trip to Walmart...just snagged a 5 pack of them with my Discover Rewards Points ($1:$1 on Amazon). I wish I would've invented these things...holy cow. So simple yet so ingenious!

As far as foreground/carpet plants are concerned, I can either do HC, Glosso, or Elatine hydropiper. Keep in mind that it'll be intermingled with Riccia and DHG Belem.