New custom 10 GAL nano design !! with pics

[NM1975]

I am contemplating a fairly ambitious design for a nano - like most of you, the fun part of the hobby is the design stage - the drawing, the dreaming, the building, the walking up and down the plumbing isle at home depot (ha ha, i love home depot), after a while, all the thinking gets to me and i pull out the google sketchup and start drawing-

I have a 29g that is all set up and stable, and it looks great, but im bored with it. I cant do anythign else with it,its all filled in and grown in and I cant help myself - i need another tank. - im going to build a desktop nano to sit right next to my computer monitor. I think this will be an increased challenge to my skill level, and presents lots of interesting design problems.

I invite ideas and comments and warnings from everyone! Please comment. If you see a bad idea in the pictures or description, i want to hear about it, and why. Please post your feedback -

Ok, onto my key criteria, in no paticular order:


- Due to the close quarters with my electronics, It has to be completely and entirely self contained within the tank itself - no hang on back fuges or skimmers, no sump, no plumbing, no risk, no nonsense. The tank will be split into three compartments by a false wall , the main compartment is the display area, the other two are for chaeto, and carbon and phosban bags, and for a skimmer. a heater might also go in the skimmers compartment.

- it HAS to be quiet. This is a fairly serious criteria, and one i wont budge on until i get it right. Since i sit at my computer alot and will be 12 inches away from this thing, it has be really quiet.

- I want it to be stained oak. maybe a cherry color to match my table. I want it to be entirely waterproofed with a marine grade varnish. I tried this on a tank before in the past and it was a toxic disaster. I want to try again and get it right this time.

- I want all of the equipment, literally everything, contained inside the canopy. LOL. the filters, skimmer, light timers, lights, fans, everything has to be contained on the inside of the wood cabinet. This is undeniably the biggest design challenge of all.

- I want it to have a custom skimmer. I am considering designing a micro-verison of my modified air-stone powered CPR which works wonders on my 29.

- I dont want any visible equipment inside the display section of the tank when the lid is closed. maybe a return line or locline spray coming out of the false wall for the return water.

- want the display area viewable from 3 sides.

- the lid will be hinged from the top and will be easy to open and stay in place easily at its topmost position for feeding, water changes, top ups.

- top off will just be done manually i guess. this part sucks, but i cant see hooking it up to a resovour under my computer desk.

- I am going to go with mini PC strips (18 or 32watt) to cut down on heat. no metal halides on this one.

- I want a unique rock structure in the middle of the tank - something really different, kind of like a tower but with lots of little shelfs that stick out.

- I mainly intend to keep small soft corals, zoas, palys, mushrooms, these kinds of things. maybe some green stars. maybe 1 or 2 fish max. id like a yellow goby.

- Considering black sand?


Ok, here are some rough design pictures. I dont have allthe stuff modeled onto the top panel. the lights and timers will be up there, and maybe one air pump for the skimmer.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs248.snc1/9529_1103257556104_1666680267_286385_7206716_n.jpg

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs248.snc1/9529_1103257596105_1666680267_286386_6643328_n.jpg

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs248.snc1/9529_1103257636106_1666680267_286387_1815591_n.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs268.snc1/9529_1103257676107_1666680267_286388_1310028_n.jpg



So what do you think, can it be done?

[iFisch]

Looks similar to this one:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1699956


Just bigger.

[NM1975]

yep, mine is almost just like his - the hinge will be different, thats the only big difference in the cabnetry.

i considered doing one this size, but that is just too small to put anything in-

[FishyBiz]

I dig it. Dont go cheap on the wood. Do something exotic.

[cody6766]

haha, i was going to post my tank and say "just like this?" but i"ve been beaten to it

one thing I did on a previous tank was install a wall outlet on the back end of the tank to make easy plug and play power cords.
I bought a wall outlet set up and cut the metal bar that joins the two plugs together. Removing that will allow each plug to function independently. I used one for the lighting and one for the power for the rest of the tank. On the inside, I cut the heads off of several cheap extension cords and joined them to make multiple power dongles for the return pump, etc. To make the cords to go to the wall, just use 2 heads from the cords you hacked to make the power dongles. I didn't do this on the 2.5g because it needed to sit closer to the wall.

If you want more room, consider building a compartment below the tank as well as behind. This could be your 'power center'

Also, I'd highly recommend using the CFL PC ballasts I'm using. They work like a champ and take up next to no room

[NM1975]

what did you do for filtration?

[cody6766]

I have 2 chambers in the back of the 2.5g, one holding a ball of chaeto and heater, the other with a return. There is about 2lbs of rock in the tank and a VERY low bioload. Just a few snails right now. There is room for a carbon or phosban bag if need be, but it's cruising right along for now. I did a 2.5g in the past and didn't use anything aside from LR and sand and it was very successful until it was absorbed into my 33g.

A 10g tank would give you the room to install a little air stone skimmer if you wanted. The 2.5g just doesn't have the room.

[NM1975]

why did you take the tank down ?

Do you have any other shots of it? what livestock did you keep in it? any mushrooms or zoas ?

[cody6766]

I took it down because I was in the 'busy' part of setting up my 33g, working on my Biology degree full time and waiting tables 4 nights out of the week. I noticed it wasn't getting the care it needed, so I took the livestock from it and moved it to the 33g. I still have several corals from that tank. The 2.5 was actually my first reef tank and I'm proud to say it was successful and was broken down healthy.

Here's the last FTS when it was really up and running
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/cody6766/Fish%20Tanks/2g%20Nano%20Reef/100_0603.jpg

It was lit with 2 coralife screw in 9w 50/50 bulbs. It was a little dim, but kept everything alive. There just wasn't a lot of propagation under that light.
I kept candycane, zoas, shrooms, xenia, and a favites cluster (for a while) with no trouble. Daily top offs and weekly waterchanges made live pretty damned easy actually.

I set up the new 2.5g that was posted above because I missed the challenge of a pico reef. I also wanted a fully established tank that I could use as an office tank if my future work place will allow it.

[NM1975]

so no other comments or ideas on this build ? anyone ??? :(

[1blackchicken]

I think that it will look great once you get it all done. Good luck.

[iFisch]

so no other comments or ideas on this build ? anyone ??? :(

I would contact Cody, above, because he has a similar tank build. Your's is just 7.5g bigger and has a skimmer.

[NM1975]

made some great progress on the canopy today. make from pine 1/2 in sheets, and trimmed with corner round, and some "corner" trim. tomorrow will probably stain it.

The viewing window is offset, but the false wall inside the tank will be flush up against the viewing window edge, - all the equipment, skimmer, and filter media will be in the area right behind that-

More to come. Hope you like-


getting the basic shape
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/newtankcanopy2.jpg

here it is with all the trimwork done-
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/newtankcanopy.jpg

[NM1975]

as you can see i made a big change to the design - i eliminated the "view from 3 sides" plan, and decided to frame in the back wall to make the canopy alot more rigid and stable.

I am also going to try a foam rock wall so it will cover up the back pane anyways-


This was a fun stand to build, and pretty easy- I made it this afternoon in about 5 hours or so.

[mr86mister]

Wow, nice looking!

[iFisch]

as you can see i made a big change to the design - i eliminated the "view from 3 sides" plan, and decided to frame in the back wall to make the canopy alot more rigid and stable.

I am also going to try a foam rock wall so it will cover up the back pane anyways-


This was a fun stand to build, and pretty easy- I made it this afternoon in about 5 hours or so.

Very cool. Things are looking good. :)

[cody6766]

there was a 5.5g with the same viewing angle as yours that has an awesome foam/rock wall posted in the DIY section a little while back
read up on it here
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1375191&pp=25

I love the 'stand' design you've gone with. The trim looks great. I still need to trim the bottom of mine. I'll get to it some day.

[NM1975]

Cody, yousmellfishy's rock wall is my singular inspiration to try that technique - i think his is one of the most natural looking that ive ever seen anyone pull off. Alot of people have done this technique, but in my opinion most of them look terrible, and really artificial. His looks fantastic - i have studied his thread closely. I am going to try something similiar to his, but with more peaks, valleys and caves- I have never done the foam rock wall technqiue before so i will probably do 1 or 2 practice runs before the real thing-

I didnt get much done on the tank today because it rained all day.

I got the holes drilled out in the back for the fans. i will probably have one pointed in, and one pointed out. and the hole in the middle for the power cords. I also got the lid mounted on and hinged. it fits absolutely perfectly, and will sit upright without assistance when opened.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3526.jpg


I got the joints puttied up. I used plastic wood, and im sure you allready know this, but people - please, do not use this inside your house, DO IT OUTSIDE. It smells so horrible, and is extremly toxic. And for the love of god wear gloves.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3529.jpg




I will sand it tomorrow. probably stain it maybe tomorrow, or maybe thurs if i have time and weather is nice. I am going to try for 2 coats of stain (red mahogany) and 2 coats of semi-gloss poly coat.

Should be a beauty when its done

[NM1975]

i am also considering some kind of trim for the sides of the top lid, and very bottom panel. it looks kinda crappy as is - maybe some quarter round? maybe when stained it wont look too bad, but not sure-

I need to decide that before staining it i guess huh -

[NM1975]

Got the stain put on tonight! I am pleased with the results

Put on 1 fairly heavy coat. then came back with some brown acrylic paint to touch up my gluespots ( i had more of them than i realized) then i wiped in one more coat of stain. I used a paper towel to wipe in the first coat, and on the second one i used a soft shammy rag and had much better results-

The inside will be painted white. maybe tomorrow. My house smells like a chemical vat right now-

Hows it lookin!?

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/newtankcanopy3.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/newtankcanopy4.jpg

[clayw]

thats sweet...taggin along

[Snow Leopard]

Very nice, good wood work btw!

[NM1975]

thanks guys!


I almost have the inside painted white, then it is on to the poly coats.


Does anyone have any general advice for doing the polyurethane coats? As i understand, its best to brush it on, very thin. Let dry for about 12-24 hours then sand down with 400-600 grit, wipe clean. Then repeat either 1 - 3 times. ??

Whats better to brush it on, or buy a spray gun? or use the poly in a spray can? ???

kind of nervous about this next step - This is where i ruined my last canopy.

[sabazerehi]

wow i wanna buy one from you!! really nice, wish i could build something like that.

[NM1975]

why cant you build one? this one was pretty easy - all it is 5ply treated plywood board, and then trimmed around with quarter round, and then some corner round for the window. putty up the joints, sand it down real good, then stain it. seal it. Ok, nevermind - this is a hell of alot of work. Im probably allready 30-40 hours of work into it :eek1:

[fox2589]

nice woodworking!should look great im looking forward to the finished project!-drew

[FishyBiz]

thanks guys!


I almost have the inside painted white, then it is on to the poly coats.


Does anyone have any general advice for doing the polyurethane coats? As i understand, its best to brush it on, very thin. Let dry for about 12-24 hours then sand down with 400-600 grit, wipe clean. Then repeat either 1 - 3 times. ??

Whats better to brush it on, or buy a spray gun? or use the poly in a spray can? ???

kind of nervous about this next step - This is where i ruined my last canopy.

I have a "little" experience. (8 years in the commercial coatings industry) ;)
Personally I would use Varathane "Diamond" polyurethane (satin or semi-gloss) Its waterbased and will be easy for you to work with. You can brush it on but don't keep brushing it once you put it on. Give it time to "lay down". The first coat will look terrible because the wood will soak up most of it. Light sand with 320 to get the high spots or nubs out and then hit it with another coat, sand again and one more finish coat.
Personally I like to spray the stuff but if you dont have the equipment it really makes no sense to make that kind of purchase if that's all you intend to use it for. Let me know if you have more questions.:beer:

Where yo located at? I could spray it for you if your close.

[Johnny C]

COOL! Definatly keep us posted, I think that looks awesome! :D

[NM1975]

I have a "little" experience. (8 years in the commercial coatings industry) ;)
Personally I would use Varathane "Diamond" polyurethane (satin or semi-gloss) Its waterbased and will be easy for you to work with. You can brush it on but don't keep brushing it once you put it on. Give it time to "lay down". The first coat will look terrible because the wood will soak up most of it. Light sand with 320 to get the high spots or nubs out and then hit it with another coat, sand again and one more finish coat.
Personally I like to spray the stuff but if you dont have the equipment it really makes no sense to make that kind of purchase if that's all you intend to use it for. Let me know if you have more questions.:beer:

Where yo located at? I could spray it for you if your close.


Hey another Neal! im Neal too, nice to meet ya-

I am going to take your advice and look into the varathane. Also, another question - since its being done outside, how do i keep dust and bugs and stuff off of it while the poly coat is drying? :idea: Do i just suspend a plastic sheet over it? I cant imagine doing this indoors, im sure its going to smell awful

[FishyBiz]

Hey another Neal! im Neal too, nice to meet ya-

I am going to take your advice and look into the varathane. Also, another question - since its being done outside, how do i keep dust and bugs and stuff off of it while the poly coat is drying? :idea: Do i just suspend a plastic sheet over it? I cant imagine doing this indoors, im sure its going to smell awful


Sweet. And spelled Ne(a)l and not Ne(i)l. :D

There really is no way to keep the bugs and dust off of it unless you are in a controlled area. If I want to be picky I will hose down my warehouse before I spray so it doesn't kick up dust. Also, Varathane smells just like water based paint. There is hardly any smell to it. If your gonna brush it you could do it in the house. The only problem I may see is you said you "touched up" the glue with paint. The Varathane (any poly for that mater) MAY have a negative reaction and look shinny or dull in those areas. This is just a possibility but a small one.
Again, if you are going to brush it: use a good brush, not a throw away because the hairs will come out and get stuck in the finish. Wet the brush prior to use and shake the excess water out. Lay the poly on trying to get it even but don't be alarmed when you see all the brush strokes. If you try to keep brushing them out you just start to remove the material and it will set up with the brush strokes in it. It sounds complicated but its really easy to work with. Sometimes when I do samples for customers I will even put it on with a sponge! I dip the sponge in the poly and drag it across the wood. In minutes it will level out and look smooth. ;)

[cody6766]

Lookin great so far!

I do think you should trim the canopy. If you don't add trim, at least buy some iron on birch veneer to hide the ply edges.

[Jadams]

This is a very cool build! Im totally diggin' the wood work you've done!

Great job :thumbsup:

[NM1975]

Sweet. And spelled Ne(a)l and not Ne(i)l. :D

There really is no way to keep the bugs and dust off of it unless you are in a controlled area. If I want to be picky I will hose down my warehouse before I spray so it doesn't kick up dust. Also, Varathane smells just like water based paint. There is hardly any smell to it. If your gonna brush it you could do it in the house. The only problem I may see is you said you "touched up" the glue with paint. The Varathane (any poly for that mater) MAY have a negative reaction and look shinny or dull in those areas. This is just a possibility but a small one.
Again, if you are going to brush it: use a good brush, not a throw away because the hairs will come out and get stuck in the finish. Wet the brush prior to use and shake the excess water out. Lay the poly on trying to get it even but don't be alarmed when you see all the brush strokes. If you try to keep brushing them out you just start to remove the material and it will set up with the brush strokes in it. It sounds complicated but its really easy to work with. Sometimes when I do samples for customers I will even put it on with a sponge! I dip the sponge in the poly and drag it across the wood. In minutes it will level out and look smooth. ;)



Great advice, i am going to consider all of this.

That is my main concern - i touched up several areas the size of quarters or bigger, with some acryllic paint to hide the glue blemishes - i hope that the poly does not dissolve the acryllic paint. :sad1:

How about a thin coat of spray sealant before brushing on a polycoat?

Also, the varathane is oil based, or water based? I cant see how a water based sealant would make a good choice to seal against . . . water. ?

[NM1975]

one other question -


If you are brushing on a runny polycoat, how do you apply it to a vertical service and avoid runs and streaks down the side?

[cichlidtx]

Great design and woodworking. I agree with finishing the edge on the canopy. Thanks for sharing your design, may have to make one similar for a 10gal I have sitting in the garage.

[iwishtofish]

NM1975, that looks fantastic so far. I'm eager to see it progress to water-in!

By the way, did you use a special program to "draw" your initial plans?

[FishyBiz]

That is my main concern - i touched up several areas the size of quarters or bigger, with some acryllic paint to hide the glue blemishes - i hope that the poly does not dissolve the acryllic paint. :sad1:

How about a thin coat of spray sealant before brushing on a polycoat?
I wouldnt do that. Just proceed as planned.

Also, the varathane is oil based, or water based? I cant see how a water based sealant would make a good choice to seal against . . . water.
Varathane is waterbased. It just means that the "water" is the "vehicle" for the polyurethane. Its still a poly and will protect. There may be some solvents that could attack the coating but saltwater wont be one of them.

If you are brushing on a runny polycoat, how do you apply it to a vertical service and avoid runs and streaks down the side?
There's a line between runny and heavy. Dont let it run. Im just saying don't put it on "dry" and try to brush it out. Just go for it and you'll be OK. Just remember, you can always sand it and do another coat so dont be scared.

[NM1975]

NM1975, that looks fantastic so far. I'm eager to see it progress to water-in!

By the way, did you use a special program to "draw" your initial plans?




I use google sketchup, and i have to reccomend it to you right away if you like to build things. Or even if you just like to draw. Plus its free (well, the lite version is)

It is very easy to use, and has some great features that make designing something like this easy, and very easy to dimension. I am a novice with it, but thats why its so great - you dont need any drafting or autocad experience, you can teach yourself the program basics in 4-5 hours.

I drew the 3d model and cut all the pieces from the dimensions from the model and all my pieces fit together within the thickness of the sawblade (1 mm or so), which putty fills in. Theres no way in hell you can do that from a rough drawing on pen and paper-

[iwishtofish]

I use google sketchup, and i have to reccomend it to you right away if you like to build things. Or even if you just like to draw. Plus its free (well, the lite version is)

It is very easy to use, and has some great features that make designing something like this easy, and very easy to dimension. I am a novice with it, but thats why its so great - you dont need any drafting or autocad experience, you can teach yourself the program basics in 4-5 hours.

I drew the 3d model and cut all the pieces from the dimensions from the model and all my pieces fit together within the thickness of the sawblade (1 mm or so), which putty fills in. Theres no way in hell you can do that from a rough drawing on pen and paper-

Thanks for the reply! I'm going to download it and give it a try.

[NM1975]

I made some good progress today on the stand. I did a little more touchup work, and got all the inside painted all white. I am pleased with the results so far -

Here is a progress shot
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3546.jpg


You can see that i left the bottom panel on the inside of the cabinet brown, so that when you look into the tank you wont see a distracting white wall on the inside. it will look more or less like the wood.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3547.jpg


One more detail shot. How do you guys think it looks? I am going to try and get it poly sealed tomorrow, if weather is good. we havent seen the sun in about a week where i live (augusta)
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3548.jpg

[induetime79]

Thats a great stand. Wish I had the time and patience for something that nice. LOL. Patience is a must with this hobby. Can't wait to see updated pics.

[NM1975]

Thats a great stand. Wish I had the time and patience for something that nice. LOL. Patience is a must with this hobby. Can't wait to see updated pics.


induetime, thanks!! patience is definately a must in this hobby- my patience is fine, its my free time that is lacking.

I have to just do a little bit here and there, and I cant stand having to start and stop in the middle of things. So far though everything is going great, my goal is to have water in it by the end of the month, and fish and corals by the end of the year :spin1:

I might put on the first coat of poly on in a little bit-

[NM1975]

I completed the stand tonight. 3 coats of poly. well just 2 on the inside.

But 3 on the outside. 1 coat, then sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. then another, sand with 600 grit paper, and then some 000 steel wool, and then one final coating.

It could probably use one more overall coat, but to be honest - im really really needing a break from working on it. It completely consumed my last two weekends.

but i got it finished, and am really happy with how it turned out.

Progress pic:
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3549.jpg

[clayw]

looks great! waiting to see it filled!

[Marchingbandjs]

sweet cant wait to see it... subscribed

[FishyBiz]

Looks great!

[underwaterfirefighter]

Great looking start. Keep up the good work.

[NM1975]

Thanks everyone!!! I appreciate all the positive comments - there will be lots more updates to come, stay tuned

[NM1975]

Thanks for the reply! I'm going to download it and give it a try.\


Did you draw anything ? :bigeyes:

[iwishtofish]

\


Did you draw anything ? :bigeyes:

Only got as far as downloading/installing it. I will try soon, though! Maybe I'll practice this evening.

All right...good-looking stanopy! When's the water coming? :rollface:

[WI reefer55]

wow excellent craftsmanship!!!!

that a rly cool tank perfect for the office

[EWC88]

Wow that is amazing!

[NM1975]

Thanks everyone for the nice feedback!! :) :)

Yes, this will be a "desk" aquarium. I always wanted one right next to my computer monitor, but wanted something special and different. I dont like the open-topped AIO tanks since i like my office dark, so i knew that wouldnt work well-. I want minimal light leaking from the top or back, if any at all. As well, i am going to try and get away with minimal or only moderate lighting. maybe 2 18 or 32 watt pc strips at the most.

it has been 4 days now since the final clearcoat, and it still smells awfully bad. I put it in my office for about an hour and i have a headache. I am hoping that within the time i want to put water in the clearcoat will be completely cured and completely odorless. I am making myself sound very intolerant, lol. I dont like light, i dont like unpleasant smells, i dont like this and that, ha ha

My other concern is wondering if i need to reinforce my desk any. its pretty sturdy, but i wouldnt want to be even 1% concerned. I am guessing the tank will weigh about 80-90 pounds when complete and full. maybe i need to reinforce it on the underside with a piece of metal bracing? maybe an "L" joint to add reinforcement to each table leg?

Here are some pics of it on my desk and my home office:


http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3555.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3553.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3557.jpg


for size comparison
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3559.jpg

[iwishtofish]

My other concern is wondering if i need to reinforce my desk any. its pretty sturdy, but i wouldnt want to be even 1% concerned. I am guessing the tank will weigh about 80-90 pounds when complete and full. maybe i need to reinforce it on the underside with a piece of metal bracing? maybe an "L" joint to add reinforcement to each table leg?

I can't say for sure, of course, not being there and all, but I have seen pictures of much bigger tanks on much flimsier stands....not that they were a good idea, but they were still there (at least for the picture :) ).

Can you sit on the desk, wiggle around a bit, and not worry that it is going to collapse beneath you?

[clayw]

tank looks great when will you have it filled? is it water tested yet? what are your stocking plans? i dont think you will need to reinforce it at all. your tank is rather small and 100 lbs on that desk is perfectly fine.

[NM1975]

tank looks great when will you have it filled? is it water tested yet? what are your stocking plans? i dont think you will need to reinforce it at all. your tank is rather small and 100 lbs on that desk is perfectly fine.


I am hoping to start on the rock wall this weekend- I give that project maybe 3-4 days? maybe while it is curing i can set up the partition, pick out my lights, skimmer, powerheads, etc.. I have a lot to do on the research / shopping side right now unfortunately - im ready to get back to getting my hands dirty and building stuff-

speaking of skimmers - would anyone reccomend the tunze 9002 for this tank? i hear great things about it, but the price seems a little on the high side (150). Anyone have that skimmer?

I am also considering trying to fabricate a ghetto DIY skimmer just as a will-this-work type project. :crazy1:

[clayw]

the tunze from what i hear is great. if i decide to get a skimmer for my tank i will definitly go with that. however im probably going skimmerless with weekly water changes, at least until january or something. if you could get a vortech powerhead that would be rad! wish i could bring myself to spend the coin for one of those but it just seems unnecessary for me. when i put a powerhead in (beginning of november) im going to add a K2. DIY skimmer sounds really interesting. cant wait to see pics of the rockwall. I just finished scaping the rock work in my tank, no rock wall, but i do really like the way they can turn out! yours im sure will look rad.
-clay

[NM1975]

this is a very rough idea for the skimmer i was considering building-

Id love to hear ideas suggestions or feedback on this. If you think i need to put the crackpipe down, please say!

Because of the reduced size of my tank, and even further reduced size of the sump area i have to consider all of the very tiniest of skimmers, or consider building my own, or consider having someone out there custom build one for me. I have considered trying to make one with a waterbottle and airstone. I also read lots of threads about mesh wheel mods on venturi skimmers, and i want to try that as well- I want it be ecconomical though, but work well-

With this kind of design, i was considering building it with cheap lexan sheeting that i see at home depot. its cheap $10 a sheet, and pretty thin. so maybe it wouldnt be hell on earth to custom cut all the pieces out and glue them together and everything. My rough plan was to cut out all the pieces and glue the entire "box" together and silicone that, and then get all the baffle walls just right, then glue the side panel on and silicone it in place. Would this work? Trouble is - if i dont get it right on the inside, theres no way to undo it-

Pictures of idea:

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/skimmeridea2.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/skimmeridea.jpg

[NM1975]

i did some experimenting with hand cutting the lexan sheets tonight, and it would be an understatement to say the results were poor.

it is just too flimsy and bendy for the blade to stick, it locks up and it chips and cracks and is just overall extremly difficult to manage.

might try to pick up a sheet of acryllic or plastic somewhere.

Can someone make other reccomendations for the material to use for the partition? plastic, acryllic? etc... and where to buy?

[firstsalt]

sorry for going of track but that is a nice computer. did you make it or made for you
Plus nice tank so far

[NM1975]

sorry for going of track but that is a nice computer. did you make it or made for you
Plus nice tank so far


that is ok! i scratch built this machine in late 07, so it is starting to show its age in games. but everything still runs really well i guess. the mobo and videocard needs an upgrade, but not bad enough for me to throw down the cash. my next upgrade for it is windows 7 and SSD hard drive, and ATI 5870 vid card. So that is if i can ever stop daydreaming about my new nano tank!
My monitor badly needs an upgrade too, but not bad enough for me to drop 1k on a 30" . i might get dual 24s pretty soon though. i dont feel like tieing up too much more money in it until some really bigtime games come out (diablo III, new crysis, etc..)

The case is AWESOME and one of the best computer parts ive ever bought. it is a thermaltake armor.

sorry i got carried away there -

[NM1975]

Ok, i have thrown out the idea of the "box" shaped skimmer with acryllic or lexan. It is way too complicated and too much work and cutting.

I am going back to straight ghetto plan. This is going to be a ghetto-fabulous skimmer.

I walked around target and looked at bottles and i found one that is really nice. good shape, and the plastic is alot sturdier and thicker. The middle section of the neck is a little tiny bottle that i had that i cut the bottom of out and put it ontop of the water bottle. i will silicone that in place. so those two pieces will be the skimmer. the the collection cup with be a regular medicine bottle with the bottom cut out, and then one of those tiny tupperware dishes with the lid. Ill just drill the input hole down at the bottom somewhere, and not too sure yet where the return hole will be, i dont know how high up to put it.

So hopefully with some rubber bands or an o-ring it will allow the collection cup to adjust inside the neck part of the skimmer.

What do you think?

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3563.jpg

heres the idea for the collection cup
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3564.jpg

[firstsalt]

nice idea

[cody6766]

ghetto fabulous! Fire it up and see if it works! I've also seen some built out of a couple smart water bottles that worked well.

[NM1975]

i turned it on tonight twith the venturi and it is just way too loud. I am going to have to resort to airstones. i will run two air stones down into the bottom, through the neck, and run them on two pumps connected to the top of the canopy airbubblrs forthe win

[NM1975]

i got the skimmer all epoxied and glued up tight, but hagve changedmy plans for the skimmer - i an going to resort to airstrons tomake the bubbles. they will driven by who queit air pump what twill be mounted into the top of the canofpy

[crsaz]

if the venturi is too loud make a silincer

[iwishtofish]

i got the skimmer all epoxied and glued up tight, but hagve changedmy plans for the skimmer - i an going to resort to airstrons tomake the bubbles. they will driven by who queit air pump what twill be mounted into the top of the canofpy

You ever consider working for NASA? :)

Your skimmer plan drawing is awesome - did you use Sketchup for that, too? I just started learning the program last night. It's pretty amazing, and not terribly hard to learn, which is really good where I am concerned!

Regarding the airstones for your skimmer...I read somewhere on RC that the wood ones work best for skimmers. Apparently they generate finer bubbles, or something like that.

Still following along!

[NM1975]

if the venturi is too loud make a silincer



i tried - it either cuts off the airflow too much (and is quiet), or wide open airflow is too loud. I just couldnt quite get the "sweet spot". I am going to experiment more with the venturi mod though, becaues i think if its set up just right it has the best potential for efficiency and production.

Does anyone run a modded maxijet with venturi? or have done a mesh modded maxi impeller? would love to see your handiwork and how you got creative to solve this interesting little design problem-

[NM1975]

You ever consider working for NASA? :)

Your skimmer plan drawing is awesome - did you use Sketchup for that, too? I just started learning the program last night. It's pretty amazing, and not terribly hard to learn, which is really good where I am concerned!

Regarding the airstones for your skimmer...I read somewhere on RC that the wood ones work best for skimmers. Apparently they generate finer bubbles, or something like that.

Still following along!


Yep, sketchup is the straight up BALLS. its so easy to use, and a must have if you ever are building something like furniture or a cabinet. it starts to suck a little bit though when your model gets extremly detailed or complicated. it gets a little stuttery and flickers.

There is a 20 part video course on youtube about sketchup that will increase your skill with it ten fold. Check it out if ever get stuck on anything in the program

[crsaz]

I have made a needlewheel/venturi MJ before. what are you using for the venturi? any pics? also for the skimmer body I would suggest a length of 2" pvc necked down to 1" then a union then a modded 2"-1" reducer for the cup

something like this but smaller and with a union between the body and the cup
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/diy3inskimmer.htm

[NM1975]

I have made a needlewheel/venturi MJ before. what are you using for the venturi? any pics? also for the skimmer body I would suggest a length of 2" pvc necked down to 1" then a union then a modded 2"-1" reducer for the cup

something like this but smaller and with a union between the body and the cup
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/diy3inskimmer.htm


if you use PVC you cant see inside the skimmer? i want it to be clear so i can check on bubbles and water level, etc.. -

i checked out your page, awesome stuff!!! everyone go have a look

[fishoutawater]

Just run your air line into the top of the lid in your collection cup. It will silence it and keep your air line from ever getting restricted from salt creep.

[crsaz]

you could use clear pvc for the body

[OkR33Fer]

Very Similar to how I did mine a year and a half or so ago.
Mine was a custom made acrylic 6 gallon.

http://gvr4.org//files/1/Saltwater/Nano/nano-1.jpg

http://gvr4.org//files//1/Saltwater/nakeds.jpg

It housed a small pair of nakeds for a couple months till they went into our other tank. I used a couple of little pc fixtures and didnt have any problems keeping anything in the Nano. On the next one I will be doing a 70w MH.

I am going to do another one to setup on my desk at work.

[NM1975]

cool nakeds! I dont see those two often, they are cool- Good looking tank-

Curious - what is that device sitting on the table to the left of the tank?

[james3370]

i have toyed w/ doing a similar tank/surround like the original sketch in all kinds of different tank sizes. i really like the change you made to the 2-sided design

i like AIO tanks & think my final plan will be like the original sketch, but mine will be a 36x24x24 tank. there will be 12" for the fitration chambers, leaving a 24 cube for display. skimmer will probably be a tunze 9005 or possibly an i-tech 100 cone skimmer :D

i want to put mine against the wall in the area where a couch & loveseat would normally have an end table when they are put in an L-configuration so you have views of it from all 3 sides

watching yours to see the end result, but me likey so far ;)

[OkR33Fer]

Lol, its an extension cord I uSed for a while.cool nakeds! I dont see those two often, they are cool- Good looking tank-

Curious - what is that device sitting on the table to the left of the tank?

[NM1975]

havent posted too many shots lately, here are a few!!





Been tinkerin' :hammer:

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3579.jpg


I made my media basket- maybe some chaeto will sit in the top section, and then a filter pad, and then some carbon in the big one below that, and then maybe some crushed rock in the bottom?

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3567.jpg

After much deliberation and trial and error, i settled on these items for the main skimmer components. The main chamber is a . . . . *wait for it* a tennis ball package (4 pack) !!! It is absolutely perfect for this skimmer and size. The return line is a "repair valve", it will collapse or expand up to 3 inches so i can adjust the level of the return pipe. Everything will be mounted to a little eggcrate chasis - very simple, very ghetto

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3573.jpg

Ok now here is the collection cup. it is just a pepsi bottle , like the top 1/3 of it, and a little plastic cup i found in my closet with a lid. you might could use a butter cup or cool whip cup or something like that. it works and fits perfect!

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3572.jpg

another shot
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3571.jpg




and now the moment i had been waiting for about a week - . . . does it actually work!?

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3593.jpg

ITS ALIVE!!! muaa huaa huaa ha haa haaaaaa

I poured in about 12 ozs of skimmate out of my other skimmers collection jug, and man it skimmed it out in about 20 minutes-

It foams great, and is very quiet, almost silent.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3588.jpg

The foam is produced by 2 oceanic airstones and a crappy 10 dollar airpump that you can get at wallmart.

The great thing about the design so far is the collection cup height is very easy to adjust and it will stay firmly in place. The bad thing about the design is the cup is extremly sensitive to the height adjustment, if its too high at all, the foam wont crest, if its too low the cup will fill up completely in 10 minutes. I plan to run a drain line out of the tank and into a 2 liter bottle on the floor, just in case.

So far pretty happy with it, just needs to be tweaked and dialed in just right.


what do you guys think?


Oh one other question - since it is going to be submersed , the top of the return pipe must stick out of the water right? Will this affect the pressure on the water inside the the return pipe? maybe i will have to set up the sump section so that the water level is always below the tip of the return pipe? any advice greatly appreciated=

[crsaz]

are you using a MJ to power it? if so check this out(link) nw + stone = ultimate diy nano skimmer
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3663324#post3663324
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://home.comcast.net/~jennyleep/images/Mods/MaxiJet_Venturi_Mod01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D68297&usg=__snIUjkpkiolGEIDEIt02ua7klsw=&h=600&w=800&sz=71&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=ANK5jDbJxZZLAM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddiy%2Bmaxi%2Bjet%2Bneedle%2Bwheel%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

[NM1975]

are you using a MJ to power it? if so check this out(link) nw + stone = ultimate diy nano skimmer
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3663324#post3663324
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://home.comcast.net/~jennyleep/images/Mods/MaxiJet_Venturi_Mod01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php%3Ft%3D68297&usg=__snIUjkpkiolGEIDEIt02ua7klsw=&h=600&w=800&sz=71&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=ANK5jDbJxZZLAM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddiy%2Bmaxi%2Bjet%2Bneedle%2Bwheel%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1

i actually did look at that mod, i wish he went into more detail about how to attach it to the impeller wheel. looks like it works great-

[iwishtofish]

I still think Apollo 13 would have got home a lot quicker if you were on that team! ;)

Skimmer looks great! I hope you can tweak it to where you want it to be. I'm not sure I understand the media basket...there won't really be anything to force the water through the media vs. around it, will there?

[NM1975]

I still think Apollo 13 would have got home a lot quicker if you were on that team! ;)

Skimmer looks great! I hope you can tweak it to where you want it to be. I'm not sure I understand the media basket...there won't really be anything to force the water through the media vs. around it, will there?

The media rack will sit inside its own partition and be closed off except for a 1 inch opening at the very bottom. i am hoping that there will be enough flow created to cause some downdraft so water will flow through all the media, and not around it? this will take some experimentation, as always ;)


the project is taking me a lot longer than i was expecting, im allready a month into it and no water yet :sad2:

[clayw]

I really like the media basket I think its a cool piece of equipment and can help out a lot. I dont think you should have an issue with flow going through that. as long as your chambers are filled and your return pump is kicking, it will suck the water from your overflow through it all. let us know how it works. how far out is the water do you think?
-clay

[james3370]

check out www.mediabaskets.com he makes them out of acrylic w/ 1 side that slides off for easier access & then the eggcrate shelves. that way the water HAS to go thru the media on the shelf. granted, some will still flow around the media bag.....unless you get a BIG bag that "seals" off the entire shelf.

might be worth giving a try out of an inexpensive piece of acrylic

[clayw]

I like those as well, Im going to attempt to build one in the next week or so =] but mine will only be to house filter floss, a sponge, and carbon
-clay

[james3370]

I like those as well, Im going to attempt to build one in the next week or so =] but mine will only be to house filter floss, a sponge, and carbon
-clay

you could order the underwater LED from him & also add a ball of cheato to the rack :)

[clayw]

I won't need a section for cheato because I have a full size refugium for my second chamber. I own a 22g Cadlight. And my 3 chamber is the return pump.
-clay

[NM1975]

check out www.mediabaskets.com he makes them out of acrylic w/ 1 side that slides off for easier access & then the eggcrate shelves. that way the water HAS to go thru the media on the shelf. granted, some will still flow around the media bag.....unless you get a BIG bag that "seals" off the entire shelf.

might be worth giving a try out of an inexpensive piece of acrylic


wow they make some really nice stuff - looks well made. has anyone ordered from this website?


everytime i see different ideas it makes me 2nd guess my plans- there are just so many ways to skin this cat :wildone:

[NM1975]

I like those as well, Im going to attempt to build one in the next week or so =] but mine will only be to house filter floss, a sponge, and carbon
-clay


are you gonna make one out of eggcrate?

[james3370]

wow they make some really nice stuff - looks well made. has anyone ordered from this website?

the site owner posts alot over on nano-reef. that is where i 1st saw his stuff. alot of people over there have purchased from him & i've never seen any bad remarks

his username there is steviet

[clayw]

I was thinking about that, because it seems easiers than buying silicone and acyrilic. I could just use epoxy or zip ties to make it with egg crate. And I need some eggcrate anyways, but I'm not one hundred percent sure. more than likely I'm going with eggcrate, I think it will work fine. Ill just fit it to the exact size of chamber 1
-clay

[NM1975]

the eggcrate , i think was $10.00 for a 2 x 4 sheet of it at home depot. it is in the lighting section, i think its called light grid, or grid paneling, something like that?


man i wish they had it in black! does anyone know if its made in black???

anyone out there?

[james3370]

the eggcrate , i think was $10.00 for a 2 x 4 sheet of it at home depot. it is in the lighting section, i think its called light grid, or grid paneling, something like that?


man i wish they had it in black! does anyone know if its made in black???

anyone out there?

best price on full 2'x4' sheet of it is HERE (http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Lighting_Diffusers/B-EGG-375X2X4) but because of the size, shipping will eat your lunch on just 1 sheet. i ordered (5) & got a decent shipping rate + a lower per unit price :)

now if you want a 2'x2' piece, you can't go wrong w/ Bulk Reef Supply (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Fragging-Tools/c119/p731/BLACK-2&%2339;-x-2&%2339;-Squares-of-Egg-crate/product_info.html)

[clayw]

hey how does the media basket seem to be working for you?

[NM1975]

hey how does the media basket seem to be working for you?


sadly, the lil nano tank still has not seen water yet, so i dont know if the basket will work yet or not. - my other tank and main tank, my 30g has developed some problelms and i needed to give it my full attnention until it is settled back down again. that took about a weekend or two- I ripped out the skimmer and all the air lines and air pumps and replubed the entire thing. it is working optimally now. The configuarion that i had the best results with on mny airmoded cpr bakpak is to run 2 oceanic airstones down there in the chamber powered by a million air 600. This thing packs then entire chamber whith with micro bubbles - really pulls the junk out of the tank. I love looking down undearneath the tank and seeing an entire gallon jug full of dark brown fish ****-

Ok, how are a few pic updates ! wooooo


starting otu to make the eggcreate skeleton.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3598.jpg


Checking the fit inside the tank
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3595.jpg


Anther angle
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3596.jpg

And the rocks i picked out at the store. i think i paid about $15 or so-
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3597.jpg

More shots of the eggrate wall if you look very carefully you can see the tube-caves i have plannded for the wall-
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3599.jpg

Here is is with the rockwork and the foamwork started
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3600.jpg

this was a messy messy process. Imagine trying to build a sandcaste with a can of squirt cool whip, oh but the cool whip is toxic and will become welded permanently to your hands if you touch it. !!! If you are going to make a foam wall for a tank, please read this next sentence very carefully * DO * NOT * GET * THIS * STUFF * ON * YOUR * HANDS * !!!! it pernamently bonds to your skin and you can NOT get it off. i got some on my fingers and it shows no sign of coming off.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3600.jpg

My hands! :eek2:

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3602.jpg

trying a test fit in the tank!!
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3609.jpg

This isnt a good shot, but just showing how it might look with the tank in the canopy

[NM1975]

a shot looking down into the tank
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3612.jpg

Trying to hide the return lines in the rockwork
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3613.jpg



so that is the first phase of the rock wall. I will have to trim the excess foam and then prepare the epoxy resin and gravel slurry. I might buy a bag of crushed coral for this . For the resin i am going to use loctite two part epoxy resin. I hope there will be enough for the job. I went through the entire can of great stuff foam on this tiny little 14 x 11 wall.


well what do you guys think so far? water is right around the corner hopefully!!!


one other thing, i was contemplating putting in 3 18w pc powercompact short strip ligh 2 actinics, and 1 white. im rethinking this though that it might not be enough light. maybe it needs a 70w metal halide ?

ANy ideas?

thanks everyone for your comments and following along! I hope to have more progress to show soon - stay tuned:D

[fox2589]

looks sweet well thought out!Liking the skimmer hopes it efficient for ya...and i second the 70 watt halide(heat may become an issue)-Drew

[SolidDetail808]

I really love this build! I say go with the MH if you can keep the tanks temp cool.

[NM1975]

thanks guys -

i would love to put in a MH light, but i think the heat might be too much for such an enclosed canopy. maybe if i have the two holes in the back blowing in colder air, and then have one or two fans on the top blowing out air?

[james3370]

this was a messy messy process. Imagine trying to build a sandcaste with a can of squirt cool whip, oh but the cool whip is toxic and will become welded permanently to your hands if you touch it. !!! If you are going to make a foam wall for a tank, please read this next sentence very carefully * DO * NOT * GET * THIS * STUFF * ON * YOUR * HANDS * !!!! it pernamently bonds to your skin and you can NOT get it off. i got some on my fingers and it shows no sign of coming off.

i used disposable surgical gloves when i did mine ;)

thanks guys -

i would love to put in a MH light, but i think the heat might be too much for such an enclosed canopy. maybe if i have the two holes in the back blowing in colder air, and then have one or two fans on the top blowing out air?

i think the 70w MH from www.fishneedit.com would work fine. as far as the fans, 1 or 2 on the back of the canopy blowing inward would be good. you don't want the fans in the top (if you even use any there) blowing outward....the moist salt air will kill them in no time. the hot air will naturally rise to the top of the canopy, so you just need some holes for it escape. you could even mount a few pieces bigger than the holes & mount them hanging down to still allow airflow, but block alot of potential light spill out the top. something like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v501/james3370/tank/temp/untitled12.jpg

i think a single fan mounted on on the side of the canopy (like around the refugium area) placed on a 45degree angle at the water surface will provide more than enough cooling for the water. the fans pulling cool air into the canopy will cool the overall interior temps of the canopy & i have seen my biocube8 drop 3-5 degrees w/ just a 120mm fan propped up on the feeding door pointed at the water

[NM1975]

James thanks for your insight! I am strongly considering the MH. I will have to give some careful thought to the ventilation because my canopy will be almost completely sealed up. maybe the two fan holes in the back can be used for air coming in, and i can drill some vent holes in the top? It seems like it would be a shame to drill out the top of the canopy though- any other ways around this design problem?

Also, i think my next stage is to trim the foam, and then coat it with resin and sand/gravel. Has anyone done this? what did you use?

Pics?


thanks everyone for your comments and interest in my build- i wish it were coming along faster, but my job is really getting in the way of it lately - id kill for a week off right now!

[james3370]

i think if you cut (2) 3" round holes like i showed in the pic above & then used some nice pc mesh grills in the top on the outside like THESE (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350257135453) & maybe router the top out so they sit down flush &/or painted to match it would be highly funtional & asthetically pleasing :D

or you could drill alot of say 1/4" or so holes in a circular pattern like car speaker grills & then use the blocks inside like i showed in the pic to block the light coming out

either way should look pretty good from the outside once painted or stained

....all depends on your skills LOL

[NM1975]

James do you have a tank?

[james3370]

James do you have a tank?

i got rid of everything cause i am going to basic training in feb. you can click my name which drops down to show my "homepage" which is the build thread i was working on till i got out. i was doing something very similar for the top venting

[NM1975]

theres 5000 + views and only 2 regular people that post in my thread - c'mon guys! anyone out there that has any ideas for me? suggestions, advice? Critiques?

anyone have any feedback on switching out the 18watt pc strips for 70w MH light ?

[JarekS]

How about LED's
here is a great info about DIY LED's
no heat issues, very long lasting and you can make it to fit the tank any way you like it.

[blue710]

I have LED's on my 2.5g pico and I like them alot, they seem to have a high light output, and no heat at all, but they dont spread well, so you would need a lot on a 10 gallon, I have a 10 bulb fixture on my 2.5g and I need another, but they are awesome, small, and have a sweet color

[JarekS]

my bad here is the link
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1569377
seems the new 3 or even 5w led's are quite good and would not need that many for 10g

[NM1975]

How about LED's
here is a great info about DIY LED's
no heat issues, very long lasting and you can make it to fit the tank any way you like it.


how do they compare in cost though? to pc strip or mh bulb ?

[NM1975]

Making good progress on my foam/rock wall - id say im about 90% done with it.

Today i get the rest of the foam trimmed up, and got the foam areas sealed up with epoxy resin and gravel.

I used model railroad ballast and crushed rock. I wanted it to be a muted grey, but it turned out a shade or two darker than what i wanted. im still ok with it though -

I used this brand of epoxy resin and it works very well- it mixes to about the consistency and appearance of honey. and you just brush it on then sprinkle on your texture material. easy and fun-

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/headerimage/Z-PoxyFinishingResinFZPOXY1913.jpg


Here is an update shot of the wall - it is getting there!!


http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3621.jpg

side shot- you can see some of the caves i made. also you can probably see the two return lines in the top left side -

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3622-1.jpg



pretty stoked about it so far! Decided to take a quick break for some ice cream!

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/14vojso.gif

[JarekS]

The wall looks great!

[JarekS]

how do they compare in cost though? to pc strip or mh bulb ?

exact prices are in the link. And initial cost of LED's is higher than MH, not that much higher but it is. However, no more bulb replacing, no need for a chiller, smaller monthly electric...
That link is a very long read, but very informative.

[Kamao]

Thats one sweet design! Rock wall lookin fine also.

[NM1975]

Guys thanks for the kind words!!

I have tap water in the tank right now just doing a stress test on the seams and return lines and bulkheads. tomorrow ill drain it out and let it dry out for a day or two, and then run another test with RODI + salt for the skimmer break in-

its getting closer!! woooooooOooo

[james3370]

Guys thanks for the kind words!!

I have tap water in the tank right now just doing a stress test on the seams and return lines and bulkheads. tomorrow ill drain it out and let it dry out for a day or two, and then run another test with RODI + salt for the skimmer break in-

its getting closer!! woooooooOooo

take ya a powerhead & really blast the rock wall. that'll get any loose stuff off before final setup

[NM1975]

well, i have had a pretty bad setback with the tank lately.

This is 100 % my fault and a result of not testing my materials better.

I decided to use model railroad ballast for the texturing of the rock wall, this seemed to be great at first, and looks great dry, but then 2 days later turned out to be a complete disaster. the railroad ballast very slowly , and subtlely releases some kind of pigment or residue in the water. I dismissed it at first just thinking it was the current stirring up all the dust from the dead rock, etc, but after 24 hours it didnt change much. I wondered why the tank still had a very light gray color to it after 48 hours of hard skimming and filtering - thats because it was never taking all the residue out of the water


So, - there, i have confessed. I F_cked it up good and proper. This weekend i am going to tear the wall out seams and all, and completely rebuild it from scratch with new materials that will be tested out first.

I am also suspcious that the "dead rock" i used may have contributed to the water coloring.


Well, at least i caught the problem before going any further and putting live sand and animals in the tank - that would have been a full on train wreck disaster.

Very dissapointed. but will rebuild -

[sailoracu2]

[this was a messy messy process. Imagine trying to build a sandcaste with a can of squirt cool whip, oh but the cool whip is toxic and will become welded permanently to your hands if you touch it. !!! If you are going to make a foam wall for a tank, please read this next sentence very carefully * DO * NOT * GET * THIS * STUFF * ON * YOUR * HANDS * !!!! it pernamently bonds to your skin and you can NOT get it off. i got some on my fingers and it shows no sign of coming off.


Use acetone that you can buy at the auto part store or the old type of nail polish remover.

[onionbagle]

ha, been there

[NM1975]

Use acetone that you can buy at the auto part store or the old type of nail polish remover.


I tried both, and neither helped. Believe me the great stuff is amazingly hard to get off your hands, it was like it was fused with my skin. I finally made some progress with hot water and a brillo pad. Anyways, i have the experience and trial and error part down and am going to build a new wall this weekend that will be much better i think-

ITS ON NOW ! :bigeyes:

[james3370]

go get some rubber gloves this time LOL

[NM1975]

go get some rubber gloves this time LOL



[x] Rubber gloves
[x] foam
[x] rocks
[x] glue
[ ] spare time

[james3370]

[x] Rubber gloves
[x] foam
[x] rocks
[x] glue
[ ] spare timethere's always some kink LOL

[NM1975]

I have made some great progress on my tank in the last couple days -

I completely trashed my setup, and started over. New tank. New bulkhead. New media rack. New wall. The only thing i didnt change is the skimmer, and i did have some minor tweaks for it to fit in the new sump area-

I experimented more with materials and tried new techniques. It paid off bigtime-

I made the bulkhead with a rigid 3/16 black plastic - i made the pieces for the media rack and bulkhead walls by scoring them out with a ruler and xacto several times, and then putting pressure on them till they 'pop'. it pops absolutely perfectly on the line giving you a laser straight edge that you cant even get with a table saw. Not only did it pop off perfectly on the line, but the breaks were perfectly perpendicular and square to the plane.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/plastic.jpg

So i used this material and technique to make the sump wall. Turned out very good. nice and sturdy. Drilled out the return holes with 3/4" bit. you can see i reinforced the joints with epoxy.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/newbulkhead.jpg


Ok, time to build a new wall!! I used similar rock to the last wall, but this rock has a bit more texture and features to it. it is a little more craggy and jagged which i like. I also decided that i wanted to see a little bit of the blue color for the backwall. not much, but just a little canyon in the back is nice i think. gives the tank more dimension and depth. There is a guy on the forums that has a new 20L nano and has a little canyon at one corner that inspired me to try it on mine-

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/buildnewwall.jpg


I threw out my technique and materials from my last effort, and decided to actually construct the wall IN THE TANK instead of on a eggcrate rig . The reason being that i couldnt get the sides of the old wall to line up well with the tank. it just didnt quite fit. So i was taking my chances this time by building it directly onto the walls of the tank. (i supposed the drawback to this battleplan is if for any reason the wall needs to come out of the tank, the whole thing is ruined basically). You can see that i just picked out a piece and started by cementing it in place with epoxy putty, and then would fill in areas behind it with foam.

*a word of caution if you try this - if you use the beckett foam it expands so much that it can rip apart the seams of things its pushing against - it is so strong that it pushed back on the black bulkhead so much its bowing backwards about 1/2" !!! I reinforced the back of the bulkhead with extra epoxy.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/buildingnewwall.jpg


This time around i used Beckets Pond Foam. And it is by far superior for this application than the great stuff. Great stuff is nowere near great, i dont know how it got a good reputation on this forum for being used in tanks, but i thought the product was terrible. it continually breaks down and you can see thousands of little tiny pieces of foam in your tank water. Use the becketts pond foam, it is rock solid!! Its more expensive than the great stuff, but this is not a good spot to save $7.00 on.

The beckett foam expands alot more than the great stuff, but you can come back later with pliers or the sculpting tool of yoru choice and easily pull away the excess and shape it. it is very sturdy.


I got the wall finished last night!, i think it turned out good. I like having some blue in the background as well - i think it will add a little bit of depth to the tank. I picked out a deep blue-green color - i just picked out what i thought an underwater color looks like.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/newtank.jpg

I textured the wall with bits of crushed coral rock. I just laid it out on the floor and bashed it with a hammer until i had a nice variety of pieces. one medium size rock gives you an about a cereral bowl full of crushed coral pieces for your texturing. I apllied the texturing by coating the desired areas with zpoxy liquid resin and then just sprinkling the bits of crushed coral on it. It seems to be holding very well so far.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/newwallshot.jpg

I have the tank full of water and have the skimmer on it and everything looks solid! The wall is looking great under the water, i cant wait to see it in the canopy with lights on it!

Also i have to give big credit where it is due - to "yousmellfishy". His 5.5nano thread was the sole inspiration for this build, and i "borrowed" heavily from his research and ideas. So thanks yousmellfishy!

More pics coming soon! I have blabbed on for long enough here -

[Johnnydee]

Looks amazing so far!! Nice job!!

[biocube386]

Tbh! i like the new idea alot better =) i think when ppl make the rock wall just rock and not put the sand on it makes it looks soooo much better and natural and when the coraline takes off it looks pretty sweet!

[clayw]

wow very well done, this looks much better IMO than the previous tank. Looking forward to seeing updated pics. What are your stocking plans for this tank?
-clay

[NM1975]

Clay, thanks!! there are more pics on the way-

Right now I am working on lights. I am going to DIY a 70w Metal Halide, and put in two 18w PC actinic strips. Thats alot to cram in a hood this tiny, but i am going to give it a shot.

Havent decided on stocking yet. mostly softies - mushrooms and zoas, gsps, palys, etc.. maybe 1 or 2 small fish, and 1 or 2 shrimps and crabs-

it will be at least another 2-3 weeks before i can consider putting in any animals.

Im getting close though. I just need to wire the lights and plumb in the return pumps and we're gonna be up and runnin

[clayw]

Very cool stocking list sounds good. A couple sexy shrimp would be cool! It's always a good time for sexy time, that's the name of the game in my aquarium or at least that's what the sexys seem to be insisting. Why not try an easy SPS since you'll have the MH like a chalice or encrusting monti that'd be awesome in such a small tank!

Do post pics of the lights. I'm interested in seeing how you will place all this. And te price of your diy MH. I want todo one myself eventually. Your build thread is great
-clay

[NM1975]

Very cool stocking list sounds good. A couple sexy shrimp would be cool! It's always a good time for sexy time, that's the name of the game in my aquarium or at least that's what the sexys seem to be insisting. Why not try an easy SPS since you'll have the MH like a chalice or encrusting monti that'd be awesome in such a small tank!

Do post pics of the lights. I'm interested in seeing how you will place all this. And te price of your diy MH. I want todo one myself eventually. Your build thread is great
-clay


So far, i think my DIY MH is going to be around $80.00 or so

$10.00 for a walmart halogen enclosure (those yellow ones with handle)
$25.00 for 70w 14k MH bulb on ebay
$35.00 for 70w ballast (also found on flea-bay)
$10-$20 : unknown (wiring, mounting hardware, etc.. )

I also need to rig up some kind of UV glass shield to protect da fishies :fun5:


pics soon

[clayw]

oh wow thats a good price. Im stoked to see it finished and in action. I may need to follow your lead on this.
-clay

[james3370]

So far, i think my DIY MH is going to be around $80.00 or so

$10.00 for a walmart halogen enclosure (those yellow ones with handle)
$25.00 for 70w 14k MH bulb on ebay
$35.00 for 70w ballast (also found on flea-bay)
$10-$20 : unknown (wiring, mounting hardware, etc.. )

I also need to rig up some kind of UV glass shield to protect da fishies :fun5:


pics soon

you realize, by the time you get the UV glass, for about the same price total invested, you can get THIS (http://www.fishneedit.com/75w-metal-halide-pendant-ligh75.html) one. it's $110, but that includes a choice of bulb

[NM1975]

Yes, and that would be much better choice than my DIY attempt,

but . . .

it wont fit. It 'might' fit as is, but then i wont be able to cram the pc actinic strips in next to it- if it werent for that i would probably consider a pendant.

I only have about 9-10 inches to work with on the underside of the hood, things are gonna be tight up there

[NM1975]

Gentlemen,

I have many spare parts i would like to unload. If you are interested - holler at me
I would trade all for some frags. This is a GOLDMINE of spare parts, all kinds of good stuff

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/partslist3.jpg

[cherubfish pair]

How did you do that in your last post???

[NM1975]

took a picture of everything - put it on a black background. typed white text on it. upload picture to internet. post picture in forum.

[cherubfish pair]

What program???

[NM1975]

Adobe Illustrator

[NM1975]

anyone have good success with joes juice on killing palythoa?

I have a nice hammer coral that is taking off and making new heads but it is being overrun with these 'trash palys" that have just gone crazy in my 30g nano tank. i have never seen anything grow so fast. too bad they are hideous looking.

I am trying some of the joes juice on them.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/joesjuice.jpg



While i wait on that, i am reinforcing the desk with some "L" braces i found at home depot. hopefully that will be enough to support the weight. Should i do anything else to reinforce the table?

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/braces.jpg

[DannyHennig]

Im sure the desk will be fine. Id bet that my old 22" CRT monitor weighed more than your tank will :)

[NM1975]

Im sure the desk will be fine. Id bet that my old 22" CRT monitor weighed more than your tank will :)


well im thinking the tank is probably going to weigh about 80-90 lb.

maybe 10 for the stand, 10 for the tank/equipment, maybe 9x8 for water (70). at least 80-90 or so-


you cant be too careful -:worried2:

[DannyHennig]

Ah oh course. I always get my litres to gallons and kg to lb mixed up. I was using thinking that 2.2l = a gallon, but thats the kg-lb ratio. I guess my monitor wasnt that heavy! Nonetheless, your desk should be able to hold 40kg/80lb easily enough. The L brackets should help distribute the weight :thumbsup:

[salmonshutters]

Gentlemen,

I have many spare parts i would like to unload. If you are interested - holler at me
I would trade all for some frags. This is a GOLDMINE of spare parts, all kinds of good stuff

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/partslist3.jpg

Would you ship some of it out?

[NM1975]

Would you ship some of it out?


maybe, depends on your offer-

i am looking for frags for this, not cash

[NM1975]

I havent updated my page in a week or so, im getting slack!

Ok - have made some great progress on the tank this week, especially over the thxsgiving break. I got all the lights wired up and skimmer tweaked in, and all systems go except for some minor electrical stuff that im going to fix next weekend.

After much deliberation, i decided to stick with my original plan of using 18w PC strips. About 2 weeks ago i decided to go for 70w metal halide, but changed my mind due to heat concerns and just a lot of extra hassle and construction work. I am very glad I went with the 18w PC strips, (i have four mounted in the hood, and they look fantastic i think), and dont put off that much heat at all.

Ok, on to some pics allready-

Here is a current progress shot of the tank
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3712.jpg

a side angle
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3713.jpg

with just the actinics
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3710.jpg

inside shot
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3717.jpg

skimmer and collection cup
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3718.jpg

shot of the top of the rock wall
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3719.jpg

the overflow and some filter media. the new media rack i made fits absolutely perfectly into its hole. water is moving over the overflow teeth nicely, but i might cut them a little deeper for extra flow. i think i cut mine about 3/4 " deep or so.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3721.jpg

Here you can see the return pipe from the skimmer. the water just flows over this and down into the sump area. any microbubbbles pop at the top. There are absolutely ZERO microbubbles in the tank which im thrilled about, even the skimmer is packed milk white with microbubbles!!
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3722.jpg


Here is a shot of the 18w ballasts mounted in the top of the hood. I need to address some waterproofing options for these -
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3723.jpg

IT WORKS !!!! yeaaaah baby
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3725.jpg



what do you guys think? lookin good?

[cherubfish pair]

What is that white disk thing between 21 and 23?

[NM1975]

Ill be adding aragonite probably tommorrow -


Someone please talk me out of using the black aragonite sand. I have always wanted a tank with a black bottom, but i know it is not as good for the tank (less reflective light)

Does anyone have any thoughts on the black vs white sandbeds ? pros / cons ?

[NM1975]

What is that white disk thing between 21 and 23?


Oh, i forgot to list that in the drawing-

i was starting to make a bubble plate. i got about half way through and got sidetracked and didnt finish it. has potential to make a great bubble plate-

[NM1975]

Here is another FTS. you can see that i have the water level up a bit too high, so it shows the bracing/paintline. that doesnt look so good.

But everything else im pretty happy with
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3726.jpg

[NM1975]

another shot of the rockwork. you can see the mounts that i made for some of the rock columns with "Aquamend". pretty standard-issue underwater epoxy. works fantastic-
What i like about my wall is that most or almost all of it is rock, there isnt that much visible foam. I used the foam mostly for structural support between the rocks and the backwall. I left some nooks and crannies for the fish to swim into-

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3727.jpg



4 18w PC mini-strips. (made by current). These are so simple, and easy, and crank out the light with minimal heat. only $16 bucks ea too. Currently i have 1 full daylight, 2 actinics, and 1 460nm actinic. I also have a moonlight mounted on the side-
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3724.jpg

[NM1975]

This pic of the moonlight didnt come out too well, but you get the jist of it-

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3729.jpg

[chasekwe]

Ah crap just found this tonight after about 6 hours playing with sketchup for the first time... I'm one of those people who likes to find the thread after it has run it's coarse so I can see progression from start to finish. Now I have to keep coming back, you're at quite the exciting part in your tank progression IMO.

Looks great btw, makes me want to build a desk tank. Then again the smallest tank I have sitting around is a 20... might be a bit much desk real estate.

How quiet did the tank end up being btw, can't hear it at all, close to silent, or louder? Also, why'd you decide to pass on LEDs... they seem to most obvious choice to me but maybe I'm missing something.

[NM1975]

How quiet did the tank end up being btw, can't hear it at all, close to silent, or louder? Also, why'd you decide to pass on LEDs... they seem to most obvious choice to me but maybe I'm missing something.

The tank itsellf is completely silent, and there is just a barely audible "hum" from the airpump that powers the skimmer. I intend to make a soundproof box for the pump that will rest under the desk.

I went with PC strips mainly for lower cost, and ease of wiring, and ease of replacement and swapping. if i want to swap out or move the bulbs around i can.

Plus, just from reading threads here and there, i was never convinced they were a good option for the amount of light you get per cost. I invite anyone to lend some more info and cost analysis on this of course-

[NM1975]

[QUOTE=chasekwe;16117339]Ah crap just found this tonight after about 6 hours playing with sketchup for the first time..QUOTE]


got any pics of what youve drawn?

[chasekwe]

I have a relatively detailed machup of a nano I'm planning but I wanna keep it under wraps until it's becomes a bit more than a google sketchup. ;) Plus, I got my scaling slightly wrong so the tank is about 10 gallons larger than the intended reality.

I'll let you know when I get it right, and thanks for the interest. Now I've got to go through a few more of the sketchup lessons, I've only watched 1-3 so far and what it covered was pretty basic. Not having to draw 30 overflow teeth 1-by-1 would be nice if it's possible to expedite that process.

[NM1975]

no other comments at all from anyone? ? ? ?

thread got kinda quiet-

[NM1975]

I have a relatively detailed machup of a nano I'm planning but I wanna keep it under wraps until it's becomes a bit more than a google sketchup. ;) Plus, I got my scaling slightly wrong so the tank is about 10 gallons larger than the intended reality.

I'll let you know when I get it right, and thanks for the interest. Now I've got to go through a few more of the sketchup lessons, I've only watched 1-3 so far and what it covered was pretty basic. Not having to draw 30 overflow teeth 1-by-1 would be nice if it's possible to expedite that process.


C'mon chase, lets see the drawing. - I am the only one reading my thread anymore anyways :lol:

Are you watching those sketchup video series on youtube? that is how i learned to use the program, it is really fantastic. i want to work with it some more and try to design some buildings, or furniture maybe.

I think the only thing with the program that needs work is the texture editor, it was hard to use i though. i cant ever get textures sized right

[clayw]

im reading it =]
-clay

[iwishtofish]

Wow - you've made a lot of progress, and things are looking VERY good! Sorry I lost track of your thread. I've been concentrating so much on getting all my equipment compiled for my own build. Spending WAY too much money...

Have you stocked anything yet?

[NM1975]

Hey IwanttoFish, whats up!!! Nope, no stocking yet - it is in a holding pattern while i observe the skimmers effiency, the plumbing, the lights, and flow rates, etc...

its kind of just in a fine tuneing phase- not much new to report.

I did get an American DJ switch box, so i hope to get all the wiring done up nice pretty soon under the desk.

Ill post some progress shots when CUC start going in-

[NM1975]

actually, i have to make a confession on this build.

I kind of am feeling some buyers remorse and regret for making it. I mean, it turned out really nice, and the canopy and rockwork and all looks nice and la-di-da, but - it hasnt been worth the cost, and the time, and the anguish and stress i went through (so far). Maybe it will turn out really nice when i put animals in it, but so far i just cant help but feel some regret over it, and a little dissapointed at how much time i poured into something that is so insignicant and small. I could have built a friggin 200 gallon full setup in the same amount of time- . Maybe i poured lots of free time into it because i didnt have anything else to do - sometimes I latch onto ideas that I have a vision of, and i just cant let go no matter what - no matter if thousands of dollars and hours and being poured into a black hole.

I do that really bad with computer games too - I will sorta check out from reality and wake up 2 months later realizing i ignored everything else in my life.

Im not sure why i dont feel more excitement about it anymore - now that the work is over, I just cant get excited about it. Im bored with it-

[ChloroPhil]

actually, i have to make a confession on this build.

I kind of am feeling some buyers remorse and regret for making it. I mean, it turned out really nice, and the canopy and rockwork and all looks nice and la-di-da, but - it hasnt been worth the cost, and the time, and the anguish and stress i went through (so far). Maybe it will turn out really nice when i put animals in it, but so far i just cant help but feel some regret over it, and a little dissapointed at how much time i poured into something that is so insignicant and small. I could have built a friggin 200 gallon full setup in the same amount of time- . Maybe i poured lots of free time into it because i didnt have anything else to do - sometimes I latch onto ideas that I have a vision of, and i just cant let go no matter what - no matter if thousands of dollars and hours and being poured into a black hole.

I do that really bad with computer games too - I will sorta check out from reality and wake up 2 months later realizing i ignored everything else in my life.

Im not sure why i dont feel more excitement about it anymore - now that the work is over, I just cant get excited about it. Im bored with it-

I totally understand, I'm the exact same way. Why don't you try selling it to a local store? You won't get what it's worth in your time invested, but perhaps you'll recoup some of the money and be able to do it again. :) THAT's the hobby part of it. You enjoyed the time you spent making it; and it's time well spent IMO. It's like those guys who refurbish old cars just to sell them. The enjoyment is in the journey, not the destination.

I've been using foam and wood to make freshwater backgrounds for years. You've inspired me to build a 20 high with a rock and foam background. :)

BTW, what version of Sketchup did you use? I'm having a hell of a time making turning my 2D light reflector arcs into 3D.

Cheers,
Phil

[NM1975]

I totally understand, I'm the exact same way. Why don't you try selling it to a local store? You won't get what it's worth in your time invested, but perhaps you'll recoup some of the money and be able to do it again. :) THAT's the hobby part of it. You enjoyed the time you spent making it; and it's time well spent IMO. It's like those guys who refurbish old cars just to sell them. The enjoyment is in the journey, not the destination.

I've been using foam and wood to make freshwater backgrounds for years. You've inspired me to build a 20 high with a rock and foam background. :)

BTW, what version of Sketchup did you use? I'm having a hell of a time making turning my 2D light reflector arcs into 3D.

Cheers,
Phil

Hi Phil, thanks for your comments -
I actually considering selling it, but I know that id only get a tiny tiny fraction of the total cost i put into it. Not to mention, if i could bill my employer for all the hours (as work or overtime) that i put into this tank, . . . it would be thousands, literally. So, thats why i feel like im locked into it, and cant sell it - all that time would be wasted. Im just going to forge ahead and make the absolute best of it and enjoy it.

But, i definately just enjoy the "building" part the best. Once its all done and finished, im bored very quickly. I did the same thing with some RC cars - I would spend days building them and get so involved in it, and then take it outside and drive it for 10 minutes and be bored LOL

I used the google sketchup free version - Also, dont forget to check the online 3d library for other components people have allready modeled. ALWAYS check first, it will blow your mind how much stuff is in the library, all kinds of pipes and plumbing and aquarium parts and stuff. people even have things like maxijet powerheads and bulkheads and you name it-

[NM1975]

I put the sandbed in a few days ago, it is finally getting settled down. After some self-debate, i decided (because of the size of the tank) to use sugar grain size live sand. I was and am concerned about the upcoming sandstorms from waterchanges and unbehaved tank mates, but wanted to take the chance anyways - it really does look nice! It looks like a real natural sandbed, not gravel. But to be honest, it looks like absolute hell if you disturb it at all, it makes a masive sandstorm.
I have read that it is actually better to *NOT* wash your live sand when you put it in - the superfine dust particles are loaded with the natural ingrediants and trace elements (calc, magnesium) that you are paying for, and if you wash it - your washing all that down the drain. or is it all the same? I figured it will be filtered out anyways-

I also read that the fine grain oolitic sand has higher surface area and more filtering benefits to the water and inhabitants. I might also add some crushed live rock pieces to variety and texture-
a couple pics-

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3733.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3732.jpg




Here is a shot of the media rack with everything in place. It is made from black plastic sheet, and solid on 3 sides, and open on one for access. I made the "partitions" with egg crate.

A filter pad for fine particles at the very top, then a rough foam underneath, then there is some more of that below (this helps to minizie some dripping sounds) (but i will be replacing this foam with a bag of phosban i think), then it goes into a bag of carbon, then below that it goes into a bag of crushed live rock, then exits through a 1 inch hole at bottom and flows by draft into the sump area and gets skimmed. The foam is slanted slightly at the top to help the water flow down over the pad a bit-

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3731.jpg

[iwishtofish]

Your filter mechanism looks great! If you do use the phosban, though, make sure you rinse it well before you introduce it. That will get the fine particles out of the way - the ones that might otherwise make it into your tank and irritate things.

I really like the look of the sand, although you might want to stir it a bit to run the particulates through your filter floss prior to introducing animals. I doubt you will affect any bacteria negatively if you do that. I think people do that all the time to shallow sand beds, as part of their maintenance.

I think your tank is looking beautiful.

I also think I understand where you are coming from regarding your "buyer's remorse." You obviously do put everything you have into a project (and have the terrible by-products of doing things very well, making mistakes you can learn from, and learning new things you can apply elsewhere! :) ). Maybe things just became a little anticlimactic. Regardless, I bet if you put a few pretty corals and a tiny goby into that awesome little setup, you'll begin to enjoy it again immensely!

[SaltHammerX]

very nice setup

[cherubfish pair]

I did get an American DJ switch box....
Is this their power panel with switches, or is this something else?

[DAS140]

Very cool setup. This is inspiration for my nano. Thanks.

[clayw]

wow bro, dont sell that tank. Its way to trick to just pawn it off now. I love it, and would love one. That rocks wall looks great. Awesome job, cant wait to see it stocked. Have you made any changes to your stocking ideas? What are you thinking again?
-clat

[NM1975]

very nice setup

Salthammer, thanks man!

[NM1975]

Very cool setup. This is inspiration for my nano. Thanks.

Thank you so much! Please post your progress in a thread to let us see how yours goes-

[NM1975]

wow bro, dont sell that tank. Its way to trick to just pawn it off now. I love it, and would love one. That rocks wall looks great. Awesome job, cant wait to see it stocked. Have you made any changes to your stocking ideas? What are you thinking again?
-clat

Hey Clay, thanks!

For my stocking, i am going to pick out 1 or 2 fish - i want to have a green goby, and maybe a goby/pistol shrimp combo-, or maybe a bangai they are peaceful fish. not sure yet about what fish-

Going to go with mushrooms, zoas, palys, maybe a small hammer or frogspawn, and would love some ricordias as well - just really want it to be easy, and colorful, and pleasing to look at. there are so many choices though!! I hope to start putting animals in in about 2 weeks -

now the dreaded waiting begins

[kenhuang6269]

looking very good,stucking here to see it progress...

[clayw]

that sounds like a good stock list for the size youre working with.

[Snow Leopard]

Tagged along a while back, I like your rock design and woodwork a lot. Looks good! Hope the corals will look good also.

[NM1975]

Just for the fun of it - guys here is a shot of my 30g. it sits on top of my fireplace mantle and is eye-level height so you can walk right up next to it and relax and just stand there and look into the tank. it is about 1 year old now, and doing pretty well, everything is healthy. the back wall is really dirty, and could use an overall, but all the corals are growing nicely and i dont want to disturb them too much.

I started feeding a food called coral frenzy about 2 months ago and am having very good growth since then i think

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/30g19092009d.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/30g19092009b.jpg

from the side
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/30g19092009a.jpg

[NM1975]

Here is an old progress shot to show far its come! I think this is around 6 months ago if im not mistaken, maybe around june?

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3337.jpg

[NM1975]

shot of living room with tank -

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/IMG_1166.jpg

[6-line]

hey--that's real nice. First when I read fireplace mantle I was think of you conventional/traditional fireplace mantle and I though "ugh...300 lbs on something mounted on the wall..." but now I see it's stand alone and matches rather nicely--almost like a piece of artwork and much better than the mirrior and pictures of the kids on/above our mantle!

[rehype]

Beautiful tank!

[Neogenocide]

Great Job and a beautiful Tank. I just read your entire thread and I'm considering going a bit bigger than a 10 for my first tank, but it will still be ranked as a nano. I have been messing with LED lights on my 125G freshwater setup and have be honest, I don't think I'll even go down the road of T5, PC, or MH. They are super simple to setup, and for a small tank, $120 should be enough to get you going, even less for a 10G. It all comes down to picking the right equipment, and making it work for you.

Just curious, what are you thinking of stocking in there?

Scott

[chipnamanda]

Great tank

[Rixar]

Very nice your project! because they use mechanical filtration? "U.S. you do not use the system berlin? will be a large store of nitrates. greetings

[NM1975]

Very nice your project! because they use mechanical filtration? "U.S. you do not use the system berlin? will be a large store of nitrates. greetings

I am trying to decipher your message, can anyone help with this?

what will be a storage of nitrate?

:sad2:

[Rixar]

Mechanical filtration produces nitrates. excuse my English

[NM1975]

Mechanical filtration produces nitrates. excuse my English

as i understand nitrates are caused by excess nutrient and undissolved organic matter in the water - why would a filter not help reduce nitrates? I have a cannister filter on my 30g and nitrates are usually 0-2 ppm

if the filter is working properly and doing its job, it should always be helping to lower nitrates in the water. the skimmer as well-

only time will tell if my design accomplishes this or not

[Neogenocide]

Mechanical filtration produces nitrates. excuse my English


I don't believe this to be true. I would state that improperly maintained mechanical filtration can cause high nitrates. By looking at the OP previous tanks that are just a few posts up, I believe he is making sound judgments as his has kept a absolutely beautiful tank in the past.

*edit*
Sry NM1975, posted the same time as you did.


Scott

[Rixar]

all mechanical filtration you use? that time to clean the filters?

In Spain it is little used, only liverock and powerful skimmer. I show photos of aquariums with this system if you want

[EliWhitney314]

man there are so many impressive tanks on this site.

[NM1975]

all mechanical filtration you use? that time to clean the filters?

In Spain it is little used, only liverock and powerful skimmer. I show photos of aquariums with this system if you want



I have had great success with this paticular filter:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Marineland_Magnum_C_Series_Canister_Filter_Canister_Filters_for_Tanks_Under_100_Gallons-Instant_Ocean-AS3511-FIFRCFUH-4-vi.html

there are some reviews from people that say over time, the gate valve will begin to leak, and mine did exactly the same thing, but i just put a new one on there. its just a garden variety defect that almost all pieces of filter equipment will experience sooner or later-

but this negative cannot detract from the unbelievaable amounts of detritus, fish waste, and undssolved particles that it pulls out of the tank. once or twice a month i swap out the filter pad, and it is absolutely coated brown with junk. In my mind, all that material would have been left in the tank if it werent for the filter.

So yes, if you maintain and service them regularly, clean the pads, change the carbon once a month - then cannisters are great. if not, they will slowly become nitrate factorys.

Like almost everything in this hobby, it requires some consistent maintenance and checking.

[Bulldog0407]

I want your tank build it for me LOL. Great design, could you maybe PM me on how your skimmer works? I cannot grasp how you have it running pump wise. Thanks.

[NM1975]

Here is a shot of my DIY skimmer

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/skimmer.jpg

It sits almost completely submersed in the back corner of the sump and draws water in through the maxi 400 down at the very bottom, and it runs up the line, and into the side of the chamber which was very crudely cut out and expoxied, but it works. The main chamber is a tennis ball can, and the collection cup is a little plastic butter tub, with a pepsi coke bottle top cut out for the neck. it runs off of 1 airpump, pushing air through two lines that insert into the side, and pumps through 2 oceanic airstones.

so far it is working awesome!

[cherubfish pair]

^Does that have an adjustable output pipe height?

[powers2001]

Can we see the skimmer in action?

[NM1975]

^Does that have an adjustable output pipe height?



yes that is a good eye you have. the return pipe adjusts up or down about 3-4 inches. comes in handy with tuning the skimmer

[NM1975]

Can we see the skimmer in action?


I dont have any video of it, but there is a picture or two on page four i think?
maybe page 3, dont know-





Right now though, the tank is torn apart. I made a tragic mistake with the fine grain oolitic sand - it just makes way too much of a messy sandstorm any time you disturb it. so im in the process of extracting as much of the sand out of the tank as possible, and that isnt easy believe me. i am goingto replace it with shell and crushed coral-

what a trial this thing has been

[XtremeFromHell]

this may be a dumb question but what did you use as a return pump? is it the same one that drives the skimmer?

[NM1975]

this may be a dumb question but what did you use as a return pump? is it the same one that drives the skimmer?

i had started off with a maxijet400 but i dont think it is enough, and am about to swap it with a maxi 900. well see how that is. if its too much, i just trim off a tiny bit of the impeller blade.

[NM1975]

Just a quick update, and i wish it were a good one, but its not.


This tank is more or less an ongoing disaster. I have had another big setback that is testing my resolve and patience much more than the previous problems.

I put sugar-grain sized oolitic sand in my tank for the sandbed, and it was a huge mistake. It looked beautiful at first, but i quickly realized that any disturbance at all or anything touching the sand makes a sandstorm. if a hermit crab crawls across the sand, it makes a sandstorm. if the bottom is stirred even the very slightest bit to remove detritus, it makes a sandstorm.

To make matters worse, it turns out that the dead rock that i used for my back wall had all kinds of dried mold spores on it. I didnt pay it that much attention at first and left it in there, but realized after about 3 weeks that the crabs were eating these things and it was realeasing toxic debris and garbage into the water. my water and sandbed after about 3 weeks smelled worse than you can imagine - it smelled like a sewer outside of rosie o'donnels house after a barbeque. yeh - that bad.

This is bad because the rock wall is permanently epoxied into and onto the glass tank itself. The glass tank is permanently siliconed into the canopy. So either i work around the problem and just scrub or nuke the rocks with bleach, or this whole thing is phucked-
I had not started to add any livestock yet, just hermit crabs - who , to their credit did a awesome job of working to pick off the dried mold spores or fungus.

So my efforts lately have been to completely remove all of the sand, which in a tank with this much rock in this tight of a space, - thats not easy. Actually its not easy in ANY tank to literally remove the sandbed - you have to carefully siphon it out.

So as it stands right now, the tank is empty, no water, no sand. And i feel kinda 50/50 with whether or not i should march on, or throw the entire thing in the trash and be done with it. Just really really frustrated, and dissapointed.

Any advice or inspiration?

[Kengaroo131]

i love the setup man cant wait to see it really in action. what do you plan on putting in there?

[NM1975]

what do you plan on putting in there?


I am going to drain the water out, and fill it about half way up with gasoline, and the rest of the way with despair, and top it off nicely with anguish, and a generous sprinking of $100 dollar bills.

then light it on fire.

[Kengaroo131]

hahaha why do you say that?

[NM1975]

hahaha why do you say that?



this tank is a mess-
it looks cool from a couple of the photos, but its got all kinds of problems.
I dont know why, but my 30g is perfectly behaved and takes care of itself it seems. everything went together like a snap.
but this thing has been a constant struggle for me. much much harder to work with than my other tank, and my older 75g

im still working on it. check back in a few weeks or a month, hopefully ill have all the kinks worked out and start adding some cool critters! :artist:

[Kengaroo131]

dont sweat it man. smaller tanks are always alot harder to maintain. the 30 or the 75 virtually will maintain itself for a good few days (minus top offs) with out you doing a darn thing. the hardest tank i have ever kept was my custom made .5 gallon cube and i just couldnt do it. well i could do it but it was just to much work for what it was. do you think your epoxy had something to do with the reaction its having? what are your parameters?

[XtremeFromHell]

i hope everything turns out for the better!, did you use the return pump as the same pump to run the skimmer? or you have 2 different maxijets in the sump area?

[Smith62]

Here is an old progress shot to show far its come! I think this is around 6 months ago if im not mistaken, maybe around june?

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3337.jpg

:idea: Thanks! you just inspired me to do a new aquascape! :bounce3: I really like the look of this, I'll get started tomorrow I think

[NM1975]

i hope everything turns out for the better!, did you use the return pump as the same pump to run the skimmer? or you have 2 different maxijets in the sump area?


thanks man! me too - ive put so much effort into it.

i use a seperate pump for the return, a maxi 900. the skimmer has a maxi 400 and seems jsut right fior it.

[cherubfish pair]

Do you have coralline growing? I'm still waiting for mine to start.

[NM1975]

not a drop of coraline yet.

I have got the tank running stable though. temp is stable, and salinity and ph pretty stable. i am going to try and add some stuff from my 30g into it soon, maybe this will help get the ecosystem running-

there isnt that much new to report on it.

if i can just stop playing COD: Modern Warfare II for a while maybe i could work on my tanks!! :blown:

[jbrown11352]

Very nice!!

[NM1975]

Update 1/17/2010


Ok guys - this little ten gallon nano has been doing alot better lately. It seems to have stabilized and i have worked out most of the kinks and growing pains. Temps are stable 80-81, and i have come up with a trick to perfectly balance the temperature and evaporation. I put a 6 " piece of plexi on top of the tank which i slide towards (underneath) the fan for less evaporation and increased temperature or slide it away from the fan for more evaporation / lower temperature.

So far no fish. just mushrooms, rics, zoas, 1 small hammer which is happy so far, some green buttons polyps which look terrible, and some grey stars and green star polyps. and a red sponge which i put in strictly for color. the only moving inhabitants are 2 hermits.

next thing to add probably are pistol shrimp goby combo, and a yellow goby or clown goby. also an anenome crab for the hammer.

everything is working good - the MJ900 turned out to be just right for the job. my custom skimmer is dialed in and working just right. salinity stays around 1.024 - 1.025. nitrates are low <5

couple of pics

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3753.jpg

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3749.jpg

a view of my office desk at night

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3754.jpg

[cherubfish pair]

Nice colors.

[DannyHennig]

Woo looking good mate :)

[NM1975]

thanks guys !!

Here are a couple more pics of the inhabitants so far-


http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3762.jpg

my red legged hermit inspecting some new star polyps
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3758.jpg

my fav ricordia
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3765.jpg

just a random mushroom i found one day in my 30g. i decided to put him in the 10g
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3767.jpg

hammer coral. this is a frag from the larger hammer in my 30. he seems to be doing well in this tank so far.
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3769.jpg

another ric shot
http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk47/Neal999/DSCN3770.jpg

[salt4life8]

wow awesome job on the tank! that takes skill! Wish I could build something like that! It looks great and also looks like a larger tank than it actually is! Loving the rock wall and the corals growing on it. *has inspiration now*

[Surf&turf]

Looks great, glad you didn't sell it!!!:beer:

[lanespd200]

Great looking stuff there.......now I know what project to start! :)

[danoreef]

Nice job! Great DIY skills! awesome little tank! How long did it take you from start to finish? more importantly how much? $$$$$$.... be honest. ;)

[Bigjoe2531]

Nice tank..Built with "grit,spit and a whole lot of duct tape" - quote from Matagascar, the movie...Sorry I couldn't resist..one of my 4yr olds favorite sayings....

[Bigjoe2531]

I took down my freshwater tank last month, have done so much reading and pondering about jumping into reefing and will make the jump soon. I feel burnt out though, just from research. One thing I've decided is to do a nano first. Water changes and maintainence are easier on a smaller system.

[DAS140]

Nice setup. What did you use to model the graphics?

[NM1975]

Nice job! Great DIY skills! awesome little tank! How long did it take you from start to finish? more importantly how much? $$$$$$.... be honest. ;)


thanks!

I think a conservative estimate is about 500-600 dollars. that might be higher than it had to be becuase i made several big mistakes during the construction that set me back a bit. half of the money i spent was for "tinkering" id go buy parts, and test, if it didnt work, id go right back out and buy more parts. repeat, repeat. i wasted alot of lots of little parts like plumbing pieces and odds and ends, etc.. -

if you know exactly what your doing you could probably build this setup with 400 dollars

[NM1975]

Nice setup. What did you use to model the graphics?

thanks! i used google sketchup. free 3d drawing program, check it out

[boodlefish]

thanks!

I think a conservative estimate is about 500-600 dollars. that might be higher than it had to be becuase i made several big mistakes during the construction that set me back a bit. half of the money i spent was for "tinkering" id go buy parts, and test, if it didnt work, id go right back out and buy more parts. repeat, repeat. i wasted alot of lots of little parts like plumbing pieces and odds and ends, etc.. -

if you know exactly what your doing you could probably build this setup with 400 dollars

if you know exactly what your doing it wouldn't be any fun or worth doing :D you have a great little tank there!

[NM1975]

what do you guys reccomend for the 1st fish?

I want something that is an active swimmer and curious, and interesting to watch. but tiny.

i want a shrimp / goby pair too, i think it would be perfect for this tank.

maybe a yellow goby?

[clayw]

shark nose goby, or hectors...both of those are cool, but the hectors will pick up sand idk if you want that.

[Bernie_Mac]

Hey dude I found your thread a couple of weeks ago and loved your design so I tried it on a 5.5 and it came out awesome but I won’t be able to fill it for another couple of week cause I am goanna be going out of town on a vacation but hears a pic of how it came out !!!!

[zach jay]

what do you guys reccomend for the 1st fish?

I want something that is an active swimmer and curious, and interesting to watch. but tiny.

i want a shrimp / goby pair too, i think it would be perfect for this tank.

maybe a yellow goby?

like a yellow clown goby? my brother kept a few and they really just perched on places and didn't move much. for a pistol/goby pair, I have a yellow watchman goby and tiger pistol. I really like the interaction, but have some problems. They typically move everything around. I made the mistake of putting my sand down first and they move rocks around almost daily (but for you this doesn't look like a problem). Also my goby is incredibly shy. My aunt has one that is always out and hanging around, but mine only comes out to snag food and dive back in. So I guess it depends on the fish's personality.

In my 20 I have a purple firefish that looks pretty cool. For the first 3 weeks I thought it was gone, but it slowly came out. Even though it doesn't swim around like my perc, it moves around a little and comes out and lets everyone watch it.

I'm real glad you kept at it and got this tank up. From the beginning it looked like a great idea and the end result looks definitely worth it. And what kind of sponge is that? Have any more info. on it? Thanks!

[mltnguyen]

I'm getting ready to do something like this on a 10 gallon. I just wanted to ask... If you where to do it again what if anything would you do different?

I have been pondering drilling the tank and having a sump but not sure if it’s worth the risk. I then saw your posting and thought wow that just might work.

Thanks for your post and any more info you can provide.

[cman_pogey]

wow man just thread through the entire thing, and I must say that you did a dam good job! It gives me inspiration for my own nano like this, so thx lol

[cherubfish pair]

NM1975, didn't I see you have a 30 gallon tank too? Do you have a thread on that one?

[Rickinferno]

Very nice work! Colors are nice and bright.

[NM1975]

Hey dude I found your thread a couple of weeks ago and loved your design so I tried it on a 5.5 and it came out awesome but I won’t be able to fill it for another couple of week cause I am goanna be going out of town on a vacation but hears a pic of how it came out !!!!


BernieMac, that looks really nice! Please post more shots of your tank - do you have a thread on this build? How did you do the sump? look forward to seeing it up and running

[NM1975]

I'm getting ready to do something like this on a 10 gallon. I just wanted to ask... If you where to do it again what if anything would you do different?

I have been pondering drilling the tank and having a sump but not sure if it’s worth the risk. I then saw your posting and thought wow that just might work.

Thanks for your post and any more info you can provide.


Biggest regret of all was making an extremly poor choice of materials for the first rock wall. You can scan back through the thread and see that the first one i made was an epic disaster. I used the yellow great stuff foam, lace rock, and model railroad ballast - it was a MESS. DO NOT USE THE REGULAR GREAT STUFF FOAM, it disinegrates over time, or at least mine did. Use the black becketts pond foam.

Also regret putting in sugar grain size oolitic sand, that was a very bad choice. It looks beautiful, until something disturbs it - then you have a sandstorm.

I would not try to drill a 10gal glass tank, it would probably shatter. just put the sump inside the tank, its so much easier that way, and safer. you dont have to worry about all the plumbing, and leaks, etc..

[NM1975]

NM1975, didn't I see you have a 30 gallon tank too? Do you have a thread on that one?


yep, ive got a 30 gallon and it is much better behaved than my 10g nano. I used to have a thread for it, but lost it. i might make another one soon if i go through with an extensive remodeling of that tank. it needs some work to the filters

thanks everyoen for the kind words. ill post more updates soon

[NM1975]

Hey dude I found your thread a couple of weeks ago and loved your design so I tried it on a 5.5 and it came out awesome but I won’t be able to fill it for another couple of week cause I am goanna be going out of town on a vacation but hears a pic of how it came out !!!!

Also BernieMac what light did you put in yours ? Post more details -:dance:

[Bernie_Mac]

No I don’t have a thread going yet because I am leaving on a surf trip to Costa Rica this weekend and I’ve been really busy getting ready for it, but when I get back I will be starting one. My sump area is the same as yours I’ve seen other AIO with the same design so I decide to keep it the same. I am going to be ruing a Rio 600 for my return and I also made a media rack that will hold some filter floss and some activated charcoal. As for lighting I am planning on going with 2 18w pc because, I didn’t make the cabinet big enough for t-5’s (wish I would have). I also thought about going with one of those viper MH because I had one laying around but it gets way to hot for that little tank so that not happing. I am planning on putting in some black sand because I think it will look really good with the black from the rock wall. What do you think I am open to any suggestions ????? Thanks again for sharing your design… Here are some more pics!!!

[Bernie_Mac]

here is a pic of the water test!!!!

[longboarder324]

WoW! These are some nice tanks. I'm not into the rockwall scene but I can appreciate it. The carpentry skills are superb. Good work.

[NM1975]

here is a pic of the water test!!!!


oh my lord, why did you cut the bracing off the bottom??? arent u scared that that is a stuctural problem?

:bigeyes:

[Bernie_Mac]

I cut the brace because this is actually the second time I build the tank the first time I build it and finished it and when I went to put it in the cabinet I cracked it so I had to cut the wall out and buy a new 5.5 tank and re-glue it in and for some reason the trim on this one was bigger and stuck out I didn’t like it so I trimmed it a lil I asked if it were ok to do this on the nano forum and people said it was fine because there wasn’t much water pressure in a 5 gallon tank I have also seen people remove the brace on 10 gallons with no problems I’ve water tested it and haven’t had any problems. Also it fits so tight in the cabinet that it pretty much dose the same job that the brace will be doing.

[NM1975]

i know what you mean, mine BARELY bit inside the canopy. it had literally about 1/8" clearance on one side only to slide down into the canopy. I was even worried that with the 2 layers of paint and 2 layers of clearcoat it might not fit, but it just barely did.

Well i hope that yours works out ok for you. id be scared to death to know the bottom rim is cut off like that, but i guess it will be ok as long as the silicone is good and all. should not be too much pressure in a 5 gal anyways.

keep up the great work on it, and make a thread for us, it will be a sweet tank.
:dance:

[NM1975]

I cut the brace because this is actually the second time I build the tank the first time I build it and finished it and when I went to put it in the cabinet I cracked it so I had to cut the wall out and buy a new 5.5 tank and re-glue it in and for some reason the trim on this one was bigger and stuck out I didn’t like it so I trimmed it a lil I asked if it were ok to do this on the nano forum and people said it was fine because there wasn’t much water pressure in a 5 gallon tank I have also seen people remove the brace on 10 gallons with no problems I’ve water tested it and haven’t had any problems. Also it fits so tight in the cabinet that it pretty much dose the same job that the brace will be doing.


did you have any backwash into the sump area where your return hole is? mine always leaked back into the sump, and i actually wound up just running the return line up and over the rockwall, and back down into the tank. this was to ensure 100% of the water passed through the filter media.

i need to go and pick out 2 fish for my tank, if i ever get any free time

[Bernie_Mac]

I had a lil leak but once I foamed my wall in the tank it stoped the leak. what are you runing in your media rack????? do you have any cheato??

[NM1975]

in the media rack, at the very top i am running pillow stuffing. i know that sounds crazy, but it has been awesome for me so far. it pulls an unbelievable amount of junk out of the water, and then you can just pull it out, and put a new piece in like 5 seconds, or hose it off.

after that its a piece of foam. after that it is a piece of real filter media, fine mesh filter pad. then after that it is a bag of carbon, then after that it is a bag of crushed coral/live rock. then the water moves into the sump, gets skimmed, and then goes back into the tank.

i do need to add some chaeto. i might put some in the sump, but im too concerned about it getting clogged up in the return pump or the skimmer pump. i do have that on my to-do list somewhere though

[Bernie_Mac]

wow that is a good idea with the pillow stuffing i also wanted to add some cheato but had the same consern about it getting stuck in the return i thought i might just devide it with some egg crate or something.

i would also like to add a skimmer to it later on down the line the one you made came out awesome!!!

[NM1975]

wow that is a good idea with the pillow stuffing i also wanted to add some cheato but had the same consern about it getting stuck in the return i thought i might just devide it with some egg crate or something.

i would also like to add a skimmer to it later on down the line the one you made came out awesome!!!



with as much junk as my skimmer pulls out, i just cant believe there are people that run nanos skimmerless. mine pulls out horrifying amounts of brown gunk, and i dont even know where its coming from as i barely put anything in the tank, and there are 0 fish in the tank so far. i occasionally, like twice a week, put a tiny pinch of coral frenzy powdered food. thats about it. maybe a teeeny tiny pinch of cyclopeeze

[NM1975]

wow that is a good idea with the pillow stuffing i also wanted to add some cheato but had the same consern about it getting stuck in the return i thought i might just devide it with some egg crate or something.

i would also like to add a skimmer to it later on down the line the one you made came out awesome!!!



added in any livestock to your tank? or have started a thread on yoru build?

[Bernie_Mac]

no i just got back from costa rica but i was able to bring back some cool lava rocks back from the beaches over ther that will look good with the rock wall.

[bigworm175]

I took both the top and bottom braces of my 10g. It's completely rimless. I did some looking around and have found several people who've done it with success for years. I also found instructions on how to do it:

http: (http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/How_to_Remove_the_Rim_off_a_Standard_Rimmed_Tank.pdf)