# Ocean Free Tank



## Marc (Oct 13, 2004)

Hey Eric- nice tank...whats the lighting setup like?


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## lamthuyduong (Aug 1, 2004)

Ibn,
Is Boun's in San Jose? I've been looking for an Ocean Free tank for a very long time now. Ocean Free tanks are rimless and corners are curved inthe front?


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

The tank is lighted by 2x9W PC bulbs in an enclosure. It's actually the mini aqualight with 2 10,000k bulbs in it. Fits just about right over the tank with about 1" left in the back. Just waiting to verify if a Red Sea filter will fit in the space back there and if it does, it's going in. :tongue: 

Boun is actually in Oakland and not San Jose. I believe he got them from El Cerrito or somewhere out there. The tanks are rimless but don't have curve corners in the front. They make two different kinds of tanks and this one has the straight corners. Come to the open house next week and you can see a couple more of these. I helped him set up two of them over at his place. :wink:


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## platinumpete (Sep 10, 2005)

I live in oakland and san jose, is petco still having them on sale? I heard it was like 4 bucks! the original price was like 14 dollars. If their not on sale I might just spend the 14 bucks......


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Not quite sure myself. I got mine a couple of months before they went on sale and have been using it for a photography tank of sorts. The one that Boun gave me was from the sale and he did pick it up for a great price. That was about a month ago and I'm guessing that it's no longer for that price.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

any details on the plants/rocks IBN?


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

The rock looks an awful lot like and ADA rock.

Did you make a purchase over at Aqua Forest, Eric????  

Mike


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Haha, good eye, Mike! That's a piece pf ADA rock there and costs is on the order of $3.99/lb. That piece there was an even $5 courtesy of Aqua Forest. roud: Underneath the substrate is a single piece of ADA Iron Bottom broken up into four pieces (each stick is supposed to cover an area of 6x6) and is supposed to last 2 months. Just making a venture on some ADA products for the moment (also bought one of their diffusers, which might make it's way into a new reactor). :wink: 

Plantwise, in front it's Utricularia sp. To the back left corner is Blyxa japonica, courtesy of Marcel. roud: No idea about the moss on top there, but if Steve (scolley) sees this, hopefully he'll chime in. Steve sent it to Boun, who I got it from.


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## JBN (Oct 31, 2005)

Great IBN roud:. I'm not sure if the tank is still on sale at Petco. I recently bought one and it was great though someone already stole the light  It was the last one so I just grabbed it. Cost me $3.97 including tax.


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## tessoci (Dec 9, 2004)

JBN said:


> Cost me $3.97 including tax.


Rats...looks like they marked them down even more! I bought several this summer, on sale, for like $4.89! Plus tax. :icon_neut 

Still beats $14.99 though! roud: 

--Rebecca


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## gw11ucb (Jan 3, 2004)

I was at petco at El cerrito a couple weeks ago and they didn't have any. I think I bought all of theirs when they were on sale. I have two set up right now. I even set one up for my mother in-law  

Here is a picture of mine:


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Ibn said:


> No idea about the moss on top there, but if Steve (scolley) sees this, hopefully he'll chime in. Steve sent it to Boun, who I got it from.


Wow! It is a _miracle _ that I stumbled on this thread... Interesting looking and attractive tank BTW. roud: 

If you got the moss from Boun, who got it from me, according to my _very _ loose records, it should have hitched a ride on the Java Fern covered driftwood he was foolish... I mean KIND! Right... that he was _kind _ enough to buy from me. :wink: 

In which case, it is either not a fern at all, but a type of benign algae that was growing on the driftwood, ala Gomer's entry in AGA 2004. Otherwise it could _possibly _ be some garden variety Java Moss.

But as I recall, I sent the driftwood with some moss attached that had been given to me by John P. (I think). And I belive John indicated that the moss was Taxiphyllum alternans (Taiwan moss), but after reading the TAG v18 #3 moss article, I really, really suspect it is actually Vesicularia ferriei (Weeping moss). I'll see if I can get my 10 yr old to whip out his microscope and ID it for us.


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## gw11ucb (Jan 3, 2004)

scolley said:


> If you got the moss from Boun, who got it from me, according to my _very _ loose records, it should have hitched a ride on the Java Fern covered driftwood he was foolish... I mean KIND! Right... that he was _kind _ enough to buy from me. :wink:
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> Steve you are too kind! Steve gave those plants to me for the cost of shipping. It will be one of the center piece for my rescaping of my 100 gallons tank this weekend with the SFBAAPS members.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

If you could get your kid to ID it, that would be great, Steve.  

I'll pull it out of the tank and take some closer shots of it later on tonight. The fronds on it are very interesting looking to say the least.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

OK, it's your thread about Ocean Free tanks Eric, so I'm not gonna feel like this is thread-jacking since you asked...

If the moss you are referring to came from my tank, and looks something like the pic below, then I think I have an answer.









The aforementioned TAG issue compares the dramatically similar Java, Christmas, Erect, Singapore, Taiwan, and Weeping mosses.

At the macro level, it appears similar to Java moss, and very similar to Taiwan moss. But at the microscopic level, Java moss is eliminated due to the lack of fine "teeth" along the entire length of the leaf edges, possessing instead "teeth" only near the apex.

Also at the microscopic level it distinguishes itself as Weeping moss due to its lack of slightly elongated and pointed leaf tips, possessing instead slightly more abruptly pointed tips. This last call is a subtle one, and I wouldn't be willing to go way out on a limb over. But it is reinforced by having larger, and more pronounced, leaf cells than Taiwan moss, which clinches it.

So thanks to my son Mickey and his microscope, IMO this is Vesicularia ferriei - a.k.a. Weeping moss.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Steve, here are some shots of the moss. Let me know if it looks similar to the fronds on your weeping moss.


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

another case of fissidens in the aquarium!

probably anyway. 

This is definitely not a Vesicularia like weeping moss or singapore moss (vesicularia ferrieri and vesicularia dubyana respectively).

Also not a taxiphyllum like Taiwan or Java moss . . . yeah, I'm just being annoying to remind people that Java is NOT a vesicularia. :icon_redf


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Ibn said:


> Steve, here are some shots of the moss. Let me know if it looks similar to the fronds on your weeping moss.


Well, I'm afraid we have a wild goose chase going. That looks nothing like anything I've ever seen in my tank. Sorry.

I can't tell you were that came from. But I don't think it was me...


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Ack, thanks for the trying to verify it, Steve.  

Think that you're right, Steven. Looks like some sort of Fissidens sp., haha.


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## gw11ucb (Jan 3, 2004)

scolley said:


> Well, I'm afraid we have a wild goose chase going. That looks nothing like anything I've ever seen in my tank. Sorry.
> 
> I can't tell you were that came from. But I don't think it was me...


Hey steve.. it is from you. I don't remember attaching any moss onto your driftwood. It's at the very top of the driftwood. unless, it just landed on there by accident. I dont know


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

One time, after returning from a business trip, my wife handed me a business card with a woman's name on it, and a phone number scribbled on back... and not the "business" number from the front of the card. "Honey, really! I don't know who that is, or even where that came from. Honest."

It's kinda feeling like deja vu all over again. :hihi:


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## Steven_Chong (Sep 14, 2004)

If there's ever enough around IBN-- I'd love a sample. I bought some of a different fissiden species from another member here (from singapore) that would be cool to swap a few strands of. Otherwise, I could swap you a few strands of the native Hawaiian fissiden which I can collect when I get back home.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Sure thing, Steven. I'll let you know as soon as there is enough of it. Looks like a good size mop of it in the picture, but the actual size of it is around thumbsize. :hihi:


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## platinumpete (Sep 10, 2005)

The ocean free tank is still on sale for 4 bucks! Get it while it's still hot!

P.S they didn't post the price so get a price check before you buy one!


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Redid the Shulfert's dwarf crayfish tank last night and snapped these (sorry about the quality; it was late). Installed an Oceanview black background and replanted some glosso that was kicked up the the crays. Also attached some taiwan moss to the branches.


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## Gmoney (Apr 13, 2005)

Ibn,
I would love to set up one of these Ocean Free aquariums at my office, but I can't find anything about them online. I checked Petco's website and couldn't find them there either. Any info on where to find them? I will be in CA next week (if the stores out there sell them) and might be able to bring one back on the plane. Thanks.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Petco has been liquidating these things for awhile now. This last one was picked up from a store in Redwood City and was the last one in stock. Total price paid for it was less than $4 after tax (their original price is about $16). Best thing to do is just to call some Petco's around and see if they have any in stock.


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## Gmoney (Apr 13, 2005)

Thanks,
I'll be in San Diego next week. There are a lot of Petcos down there. Hopefully I'll find one or two.


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## scrimp (Oct 20, 2004)

Are these <ocean free> the nano cube tanks I see in pet stores or are these the small 1 liter tanks? And where can i buy some x-mas moss? Or does someone want to donate some to me LOL.


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## krazykidd86 (Jul 27, 2005)

Did the red sea nano fit the tank within the space that the mini coralife light left in the back?


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## jgc (Jul 6, 2005)

The ocean free is a cute little glass tank that petco liquidated last summer. Mine is about 4x8x6 (from memory, please forgive if I am a bit off)- not a cube. It is easily twice the volume of the red sea cubes. I got mine for about $4 - but without filter and not much of a light. At the time they also had one with a filter (and perhaps a better light) for a few bucks more (should have gotten both, oh well).


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

The red sea nano filter fits perfectly in the back. The mini aqualight then sits in front and you have about 1 mm of overhang from the trim, but that's just the molding on the light. It's about as clean as you can get and have everything contained in such a small space. 

The deluxe cube is basically with the addition of a filter. Other than that, there is no difference (both of them have the same lighting).


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## krazykidd86 (Jul 27, 2005)

I like the look of the tank with the white sand substrate. What is that substrate exactly? It looks great!


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Just coarse sand that was picked up at an aquarium store. Nothing fancy.


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## krazykidd86 (Jul 27, 2005)

Any updates on this? How'd the glosso fill in?


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Never did fill in. Tank substrate was removed and replaced with Aquasoil. Glosso kept on floating to the surface as the crays were walking through and I eventually just pulled all of it out. Tank is really no maintainance nowadays and only food and top off water is added. 

Will post an updated picture later on.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Here's what the tank currently looks like.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

that looks really nice with all the moss... and are those cristal reds i see?

-=- fish newb -=-


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## krazykidd86 (Jul 27, 2005)

looks great! Those are Bee shrimp, nice. 

Complete turn around, too bad you didn't keep the white sand, but the new setup looks quite nice anyhow.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Yup, those are bee shrimps in there. I pulled the sand out of that tank, but I have another setup where the sand is still in there (cherry shrimps in that one). The picture was snapped about 10 minutes after they were in there, so they were swimming more than usual. 

Here's a few of them lined up.


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## Ibn (Nov 19, 2003)

Here are the new picks from 2 of the 3 Ocean Free tanks. 

#1









#2. The second tank is basically the same tank that I've been posting. I've yanked all the wood with the moss out and they will be used in the 3rd tank eventually, when I get around to redoing it (it's just used as a holding tank for now).


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## fresh_lynny (Mar 9, 2006)

Looks great....that does it..I am doing a nano this weekend!


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