Pics of new reef ceramic rocks.....

[nbd13]

Hey guys,

Today i just got 5 more pieces of reef ceramic rock to "finish off" the tank. I am going to start curing them in a few minutes, but thought i would post a few pics.

These are going to be used to cover strainers on the bottom of my tank that are for closed loop intakes. I have 3 strainers to cover.

I am going to use 2 per strainer so i get 360 degree coverage, but on 1 strainer in the back middle of my tank right infront of the overflow i am only need to use 1 of these ceramic pieces....

anyway here are 4 pics of on of the pieces.

Here's the front, (i stuck a bottle of start2 and a bottle of PFI for comparison purposes.)



heres the left side



the right side



and finally the back



like i said i am starting the curing process today and hopefully when i get back from my trip to Colorado (going to ski for 5 days) i can put the first set of these in the tank.

I am going to put them in the tank in stages 2 at a time.

incase anyone would like to know the procedure i am going to use to "cure" these this is what i am going to do....

1. Rinse with tap water in the shower for a few minutes
2. Put in RODI and throw a pump in there
3. Change the RODI water every 2-3 days swishing the rocks before i change.
4. Then use a slicate remover for a couple days.
5. Then i am going to take 2 pieces at a time and put them in my sump. I will leave them in there for about 1-2 weeks so they can get "seeded" with the LR that is in the sump.
6. Finally i will put 2 at a time in the tank.

when they are all in the tank i will post some updated pics....

these should really put the finishing touches on my tank.

Nick

[scottw]

Great looking Nick the guy that picked those out must have great taste

Can't wait to see them in that killer tank of yours!

scott

[The man]

You must be rich. Can i have your addy? LOL
J/k nick nice stuff there.

[nbd13]

Thanks Scott, yeah that guy must actually know what he is doing, haha

the man- if you ever want to come over and check it out just shoot me a PM....

thanks guys.

i just cant wait to get this stuff in the tank.

Nick

[Paintguru]

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what it looks like....I still dont *get* the point of ceramic reef rocks.

[slojmn]

I think the point can be that no evil hitchhikers or unwanted algae gets put in your tank right from the start. There is also the pourousness factor, not as many hiding places for the detritus and nasty stuff. I am sure there are other good reasons as well from those who actually know more about this stuff than me .

[nbd13]

Paint- any time you want you can come check out my tank; i have 3 pillars and 1 mini-reef in there now. It looks exactly like LR.

The main thing is you cannot re-create these pieces with LR, no matter how many zip ties you use; you can never get this look.

Also there are so many spots to put corals, the possiblites are endless....

after 3-4 months this stuff looks exactly like LR.

There are so many different reef ceramic pieces also. Anything you can think of there is probably a piece that is made.

I really love this stuff.

i think every tank i have from now on will have this stuff in it....

let me know if you want to come down and check out the tank, or if you are still on the fence abotu zeo come down and check out the colors i am getting...

Nick

[Paintguru]

Paint- any time you want you can come check out my tank; i have 3 pillars and 1 mini-reef in there now. It looks exactly like LR.

The main thing is you cannot re-create these pieces with LR, no matter how many zip ties you use; you can never get this look.

Ahhh now I see the appeal. I just ordered some acrylic for a new sump, so once that is made I will start saving up for the Zeo reactor.

[nbd13]

Sounds good,

just give me a shout if you want to head out, or have any questions about zeo.

if you ever want some frags i will give them to you at a good price...

Nick

[purplereef]

With this stuff being ceramic, can you drill it like real live rock? Dan.

[The man]

Now i have heard all the pro's, and i do think they look nice! BUT i dont think they have the same or close to the filtering ability that LR has i dont think house the same amounts of bacteria and other micro organism's can populate this like they can livrock.
I dont know the buffering ability of it also has there been tests on this product to varify the claims?

Now i heard that you wont introduce bad stuff into your tank with it, But you wont add nasties with dry baserock either so the point is moot.

[nbd13]

Purplereef- you can drill into it, you might want to use a cement bit for the drill though. I am actually going to do this when i get back from my vacation and will post about how it goes. I need to create some holes to allow for water to get to the intake and maybe provide another hiding place for fish...

the man- it's all personal taste, everyone who has seen my tank likes to look. I mean it's a different look. I am not going to say you are wrong, because again personal taste.

On the issue of filtering abilities i think after 3-4 months it is right up there with LR. Again come look at it in person, it looks exactly like LR. It actually has more crevices and holes than some LR i see....

over time it will house just as much bacteria and micro-organisims that a piece of LR would.

It's just like base rock, you need to seed it with LR.... again it's personal taste, if you like base rock then that's what you like.

I like the 'different' look of the ceramic pieces.

The thing is you will never be able to have LR and be able to mount corals as easy as i can.

BTW have you seen the mini-reef and pillars i have? do you not like them also? Just curious.

(this post is not in anyway intended to me mean, rude, or vulgar; just emphasize that it's all about personal taste.)

oh BTW the man- any of those corals still available that you posted about over on Michiganreefers?

thanks

Nick

[The man]

Yes i did see the rock in person a friend bought some off scott a few mos ago. I am sorry i am not trying to down the rock, It does have its own flavor, and i am sure the people that have it love it.
I am more of a devils advocate, and like to see both sides of an argument brought out.
I just think its more of a luxury than a necessity. IMO
It may be easier for the initial setup, but a creative mind and a little elbow grease can work too.

[nbd13]

I agree with you about that.

hey shoot me a PM if you have any nice SPS frags for sale. i might be intrested in somethings.

thanks

Nick