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Old 25-05-2012, 11:20 PM   #21
Jon-san
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Originally Posted by JadeIceGreen View Post
In the next update, I will introduce the lighting unit I chose for the Mini S, which will be housing a low-tech aquascape.
Arcadia Eco Aqua LEDs?
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Old 26-05-2012, 12:30 AM   #22
JadeIceGreen
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Arcadia Eco Aqua LEDs?
The Eco Aqua LEDs are not good for a rimless tank. They don't come with stands and not designed for aquascapes. But you're right in saying that it's an LED light.
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Old 26-05-2012, 10:58 AM   #23
conchabullosa
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I am so happy u are starting a nanos project. I am in the midst of taking down my two office tanks and your projects have always been a great inspiration.
Your note about the curved tanks is absolutely true. Somehow, when I walk into my office, I always feel things are distorted!
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Old 26-05-2012, 11:55 AM   #24
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Cool! Finally new updates from you! =)
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Old 26-05-2012, 01:15 PM   #25
JadeIceGreen
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I am so happy u are starting a nanos project. I am in the midst of taking down my two office tanks and your projects have always been a great inspiration.
Your note about the curved tanks is absolutely true. Somehow, when I walk into my office, I always feel things are distorted!
Thanks for the encouragement and compliment! I'm glad that this project will be of some help to you. Yup, the last tank I aquascaped for a friend was a curved tank and the distortion was distracting.


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Cool! Finally new updates from you! =)
Hi Bro, thanks for viewing. I'll try to do the updates as fast as I can!
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Old 26-05-2012, 07:23 PM   #26
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Ecoxotic LED Aluminium Arm

Approx Measurements: 10 inches long | 3 inches wide | 4.5 inches tall
Total Watts: 9 watts, will be increased to 27 watts.
Light Spectrum: 12,000K White

The Ecoxotic LED arm is for aquariums that are around 30cm in size. LED arms for such nano tanks exist, but as LEDs are still not as cheap to produce as the common fluorescent light, some companies have decided to use vastly inferior LEDs in order to price their products cheaply. This has created quite a fair deal of discontentment with aquarists who have used these inferior products, as they expect LEDs to last the usual 50,000 hours and not to lose lighting intensity after 500 hours. The LEDs found in the Ecoxotic are of good quality, able to output optimal lighting intensity for 50,000 hours. With a photoperiod of 8 hours a day, that works out to slightly more than 17 years!



The LED arm comes with one LED strip, and every LED strip is 9 watts of light. Ecoxotic smartly engineered the LED arm to have space for another 2 strips, allowing a total of 27 watts of light. Some aquarists have gone even further and have proven that it is possible to squeeze another 2 strips at the edges for a grand total of 5 strips or 45 watts of light. At the start of Nano I, I mentioned that it will be a low-tech aquascape, however, a high-tech aquascape will do all the equipment better justice. I have thus decided to go that route and have ordered two more LED strips which will boost it to 27 watts of light.



The Ecoxotic LED arm’s main strength is its design. With today’s popularity of rimless aquariums that emphasises a minimalistic and clean look, aided by unobtrusive equipment, a lighting unit which takes the conspicuous spot on top of the aquarium requires an appropriate design to fit into that minimalistic concept.

Some aquatic companies have also hopped unto the LED bandwagon, but they seem to be happy to house them in housings that will hold a compact fluorescent tube. In contrast, the Ecoxotic LED arm is sleek and metal sheet thin, with the advantage of the minute size of LEDs played fully.

When using the Ecoxotic LED arm with the Mini S, the combination works perfectly. The structure and thickness of the LED arm flows with the similar structure of an aquarium and the choice of a curvature, rather than a right angle, takes away the tension in design that is critical as it occupies a conscious space.



At the legs of the LED arm, where the arm grips the tank, Ecoxotic has used good quality rubber to prevent the aluminum legs from damaging your tank wall. The black rubber matches the LED arm perfectly and I didn’t realised the use of rubber till I inspected that area. As, rubber is waterproof there will not be any degradation of the material over time. This is unlike other light units which utlise plastic to hold their light units to the tank wall, as the paint on the plastic often comes off because of its constant contact with the aquarium’s waters. The width of the rubberize aluminum legs have been designed to fit aquarium walls of thickness 6mm or less. On the Mini S which is just 5mm thick, the arm fitted nicer, there is no need to use the provided screw arm.

The intensity emitted by the LED arm is good and it does look brighter than 9 watts from a compact fluorescent tube, partly due to the pinpoint nature of LEDs. When I get my hands on the extra 18 watts of LEDs, it's going to be dazzling. The combination of a top end LED light unit, coupled with a masterly crafted tank is just spectacular. I can't wait for the tank to be filled and to have the aquascape shimmering!

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Old 27-05-2012, 01:21 AM   #27
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Aquarium: ADA Mini S
Specifications: 31cm x 18cm x 24cm
Materials: Low Iron Glass
Thickness: 5mm
Capacity: 13 litres



ADA tanks are no strangers to any of us. They are well known for their quality, but more than being the benchmark of aquarium tanks, they are more famous for their seemingly outrageous asking price.

And it's little wonder. For the price of a Mini S, you can get at least 5 tanks of the same measurements. So why do some of us still willingly pay such a premium for their tanks? It's a difficult rational to explain if you have never owned an ADA tank before, but I will do my best.

Throughout the year, because of the work I do, I come into contact with numerous nano tanks in every price bracket. Some tanks are decently made, reasonably priced while others are horrible in quality and priced beyond what they are worth.

Purchasing a tank with good qualities is more important to an aquascaper, than it is to the fish keeper. We spend time, effort and finance on our aquascapes and we want them to be viewed in the best way possible. If the aquascape is housed in a tank that causes the aquascape to be visually compromised in any manner, than that tank is less than ideal.

Here are 5 qualities that I feel are essential for a nano tank housing an aquascape.
- Squared edges.
- Neat and minimal clear silicon work.
- Low iron or crystal glass.
- As thin as possible glass walls.
- Ideal tank measurements.

1. Rounded edge tanks sell well because they appeal more to the general consumer than square edge tanks. Because they are good for the bottom line, companies that mass produce aquarium tanks have made them to be available in many sizes. If you're on the look out for a squared edge tank, they exist, just in a smaller volumes and sizes. I have noticed that rounded edge tanks are usually better in construction and one particular brand has very neat silicon work. However, rounded edge tanks should be avoided as they distort the view of the aquascape when it is viewed through the edges. Also, rounded edges makes it difficult for the aquascape to be framed within the tank, which is important for visual impact.

2. Neat and minimal silicon work are more essential in a nano tank than in a larger tank. In a nano aquascape, space is so limited that a strong attention to details is needed to create a good aquascape. Clear silicon, applied in a sloppy manner will cause a distraction to the nano aquascape. A tank's most visible lines are the edges of the tank walls, excellent silicon application will ensure that the walls stay as inconspicuous as possible.

3. Low iron or crystal glass should be embraced by every aquascaper. When such glass tanks are teamed with lights of the right colour temperature and good filters, the tank walls seem invisible and the aquascape shines. Even in nano tanks with thin glass walls, the greenish tinge found in normal glass is visible. Another reason to use such glass are for aquascapers who are keen on aquascape photography.

4. The thinner the glass walls, the more optically accurate your aquascape will be. Yet, the walls have to be strong enough to withstand pressure from the allocated water volume. Although 4mm to 5mm thick glass is safe enough for 13 litres of water, local nano tanks are usually found with 6mm to 8mm thick glass because it is easier to manufacture and cut thicker glass.

5. The length of a tank is well established. With usual sizes ranging from 30cm, 45cm, 60cm, 75cm, 90cm and 120cm sizes for aquascapes. However, what is not well establish is the depth and height of such tanks. Tanks that are made for aquascaping need to have measurements that are well suited for housing an aquascape. Only in such tanks can an aquascape truly stand out.

Till date, I have only found one tank that excels in all these qualities, and it's tanks that are made by ADA. My nano aquascapes usually last for about 1.5 years before I rescape or upgrade them. In that time period, they are placed in areas of visible prominence. The tanks holding the aquascapes need to be strong, of quality and yet be as invisible as possible.

Because of these reasons, some of us have paid, and will continue to pay the premium for an ADA's tank. Not every LFS carries ADA's tanks and for those that do, most will only bring them in when you place an order. This is understandable as demand is low as compared to other tanks and stocking ADA products are expensive. But because of this arrangement, some LFS charge an even higher price than what is usual, so don't fall for that trap. It's important to shop around and not pay any more than what you have to.

In the next update, I'm going to show off the Mini S a little.

v good knowledge for read-up. well -done
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Old 27-05-2012, 01:33 AM   #28
vannel
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Ohh. You decided to reuse the old LEDs from your previous scape. I was hoping to maybe see a different set of premium LEDs from another maker.
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Old 27-05-2012, 03:14 AM   #29
cherabin
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Hi JIG, has the same observation that you're using the same light set from previous projects of yours. It must mean the light really cut it may I enquire the price and availability of the Ecoxotic LED? Via PM if it's sensitive, many thanks
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Old 27-05-2012, 08:41 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by kskhonda View Post
v good knowledge for read-up. well -done
Thank you! I'm glad that it was helpful to you.


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Originally Posted by vannel View Post
Ohh. You decided to reuse the old LEDs from your previous scape. I was hoping to maybe see a different set of premium LEDs from another maker.
You have brought up a good point. In my sights are another set of premium LEDs, however, stock for that will only arrive in July, so I will only be using them for Nano II. For the Mini S, there is really no other LED light set more suitable for it than the Ecoxotic LED arm, they just fit perfectly. I should be getting a new LED arm from them on Monday with 3 strips of LEDs.


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Hi JIG, has the same observation that you're using the same light set from previous projects of yours. It must mean the light really cut it may I enquire the price and availability of the Ecoxotic LED? Via PM if it's sensitive, many thanks
I've not tried the Ecoxotic LED arm for high-tech yet. However, there should be no issues as I'm upgrading it. Sure, I will PM you after I find out the new prices on Monday.

Last edited by JadeIceGreen; 27-05-2012 at 08:42 AM.
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