Orphek Atlantik Compact and OR2 Blue Plus Reviewed by Dommy Italy
I began to get interested in aquarium filed many years ago, first with fresh water and then with the marine.
In the 80s I started with the first reef, and in 2006 I did the last one, because for work reasons I started traveling around the world and therefore I could no longer had time to follow my hobby.
At that time was the era of Frank de Graaf, Peter Wilkens, Rovero, and so on, the time of the “miracle mud” and systems like that.
I have always used the Berlinese system, kalkwasser, percolator, refugium with caulerpa, tube neon lamps before and HQI later.
I also had quite large aquariums, 800 liters was the largest.
In those days there were no smart phones and even digital cameras, so the photos were all from 35 mm analogic camera.
For this reason I have few photos of that time, I have only some of the last reef that I done, it was 2006.
I have recently finished the working period of my life, now I am retired … and so I decided to do a new little reef, small reef because the apartment where I live does not allow me anything more big.
I put in it enough technology, including some components and controller I had kept from before.
The tank is a 60x60x60 cube, Berlinese system, the replenishment of the “triade” was made with doser pump, there is a fluid bed filter for carbon and, when needed, but only when needed, various type of resins, there is also a Tunze skimmer, a couple of movement pumps and a return pump, all is from Tunze.
The light was made from an incredible Orphek Atlantik v4 Compact + Orphek OR60 Blue bar lighting.
There are also some automation for control and safety, the reintegration of evaporated water and the continuous measurement of fundamental parameters with an Atlas Scientific system.
Everything was made at home, really everything, from the aluminum support structure to the various supports for the probes that were designed with CAD and then printed with a 3D printer, that is also home made.
It’s not the best, I know that, it’s still maturing, it’s a young system, but I like it and I hope it will become more and more beautiful.
I started the project at Christmas 2018, at the end of February 2019 I had finished drawings and project and I started the construction, at the end of April 2019 I put the first fresh water just to check everything and in early May 2019 I put the salt water and started the adventure again.
In practice, to this day, the first of December 2019, the tank has only six months of life.
The pictures I am attaching gives an idea of the current state.
I want to congratulate Orphek for the incredible quality of their lamp light, I believe my corals are happy to have this light on their head.
Have a nice reef.
Dommy
2019.12.01