New 6 Gal. Edge Tank Build [Archive] - Reef Central Online Community

Lavish62

02/08/2010, 02:44 PM

Hey guys wanted to start a build thread for the new office tank. Starting out with a Pewter Fluval Edge and building from there.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0716.jpghttp://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0724.jpghttp://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0727.jpghttp://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0729.jpg

Obviously if you have seen the Edge, the first thing to go is the 10 watt Halogens. I found some MR16 LED replacements that directly plug in. I will have to cut a little of the ceramic shielding off of the Bi-pin base in order for them to fit. The bases are universal for the MR11, and MR16, just different shielding. The lights are from LEDwaves.com: http://www.ledwaves.com/Athens-MR-16-LED-Light-Bulb-5-Watt-3x-Cree-XLamp-XRE-LEDs-p-19684.html I am also going to put a Coralife 10watt 50/50 bulb in, starpped on the front of the light bar with a retro socket. That should give me the blue I want.

I am ordering a custom hang on sump from a LFS and should be in very soon. This will get me allot more room without having to do a sump and overflow box together. It will have two chambers, one for intake and the sponge, and the other for filtration and a fuge. I will be putting a sponge, rubble, Chemipure elite, and then some Chaeto with a small JBJ LED fuge light. We'll see how this filters soon.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0741.jpg

Other plans are for a Elos ATO, MP10 and sooner or later a RK light if I can find one cheap enough.

Lavish62

02/08/2010, 02:55 PM

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0739.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0744.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0745.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0749.jpg

Here it is with some crappy LED lights I found, they are MR-11 bulbs.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0751.jpg

FishyBiz

02/08/2010, 04:10 PM

Looks PIMP.
Good call on how you filled it up. I would have made a mess filling it up.

Post the new pics with the new lights dude!

Lavish62

02/08/2010, 04:14 PM

Thx Dude, I'll post some more pics soon with the new lights that came in today. Way brighter, better color, and spread. They're sick lights

40rimless

02/08/2010, 08:07 PM

Looks SICK!!!! way cool office tank !!!

Lavish62

02/08/2010, 08:14 PM

Thanks Bro, when you coming down to check it out? You've got to see these new lights they are way sick.

Lavish62

02/08/2010, 08:16 PM

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0753.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0754.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0755.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0756.jpg

inTankLLC

02/08/2010, 10:22 PM

Ikea office!

Lavish62

02/08/2010, 11:21 PM

Nice Observation:thumbsup:

Theres a tank in there too!!!

yongpanda

02/09/2010, 12:18 AM

I love this tank! looks like i'll be looking foward to more updates. might be doing somethign similar!

oldblu

02/09/2010, 07:31 AM

love the fluval edge tank design, even thought of trying to do one myself, will be following thread in mean time, great start.

Lavish62

02/09/2010, 05:50 PM

Thanks guys, the tank has been up and running since Saturday. I haven't had too much time to play with it so its just been running. I've notived the overflow put's allot of bubbles in the top of the tank and the MP-10 blows them all around. Not sure how I'm going to overcome the bubble problem.
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0759.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0760.jpg

FishNutty

02/09/2010, 07:30 PM

cool tank! i was just wondering what a fluval edge would look like with SW :P

NaturalReef

02/09/2010, 08:02 PM

Nice tank!
I have the Fluval Edge as well. I purchased MR11 smd Led's for it and like them so far. They put out 160 lumens each with a 140 degree beam. I don't see the spot light effect like the halogens and light is reaching all four corners. I'm curious is you see spot light effects? and is there good coverage throughout the tank with them? I may grab them for more power.

I also just received the Mp10 and love it! best pump I have ever used and it is perfect for the fluval. As far as the bubbles, I had them too because of the edge filter. I just turned the filter to the lowest setting and took a mag float to get rid of the remaining bubbles and now I don't have any more bubble problems. I will replace the filter with a different brand eventually..that way I can crank it up without fear of bubbles. None of my other filters did this.

NaturalReef

02/10/2010, 10:14 AM

Lavish,
Still curious about the New LED's you bought. How is the spread of the lights? do you see spot light effects with them? Also do you think moisture will affect them? It looks like they are open on the side of the fins for ventilation which could be a problem with moisture? Thanks for the reply!

Lavish62

02/10/2010, 08:39 PM

NaturalReef, thanks for tuning in. I like the lights however, if you have 140* spread thats great. There is a little spotting do to the location of the lights. I am going to put in a 9 watt 50/50 power compact to try and combat those outer spots. I am not sure about the moisture getting in yet. They do look like they are open to the elements. All in all I'm pretty happy with them. Powerful and they create shimmer.

As for the bubbles I just added more water so that the fall wasn't as much and that did the trick. Where did you mount your MP-10, I would like to put it on the side so I can raise the strength although I don't want to see it on the outside. The tank is too clean.

I've been getting asked about how I put the mr-16's in, in an mr-11 socket. The sockets are the same, just a different heat plate. I took an exacto knife and cut the lower hole bigger so the the wider pins would work.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0765.jpg

I picked up the 9 watt Coralife bulb today, but they didn't have the retro kit in stock, I'm hoping to get it tomorrow.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0766.jpg

I also plan on mounting a reflector on the light bar for the power compact.

Lavish62

02/10/2010, 08:45 PM

I'm also thinking about adding another one under the light bar in back of the LED's.
I just don't know if I should get an actinic only, 50/50, or a 10k only.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0767.jpg

NaturalReef

02/10/2010, 09:09 PM

Thanks for the reply Lavish....Nicely done! I put the Mp10 on the back wall left side and in lagoon mode I have it turned up a 1/4 way and I'm getting perfect flow throughout the tank. I can see the undertow it creates as well. I love this flippin thing:) I also want a clean tank and I'm keeping it on the back wall. I also believe by having it on the back wall you can cater to different corals. Those needing more flow stay closer to the left side and those needing less stay on the right side. At least thats my opinion:) I just purchased a new stand for the Fluval next to my bed and am in the process of mounting the wave box and getting the wires all neat. I should have pics up next week after I transfer my live rock and corals. I'm getting really good spread from the led's. They are advertised as powerful as a 3 watt luxeon each, so I'm anxious to see how my corals respond.

Lavish62

02/11/2010, 12:38 AM

That's great, I would love to see your tank and your plans for it. It sounds like you have some of the same ideas as I do for your tank. I'm curious what LED's you have, can you post a link for them?

br3nt

02/11/2010, 12:43 AM

following along to this. I really like the tanks look and looking forward to see how the Mp10 works out.

NaturalReef

02/11/2010, 08:35 AM

Here is the link to the mr11 led's.... I'll post pics early next week. Also here is a link to a video I shot with the new led's doing a water test.

http://s739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/?action=view&current=DSCN2309.flv&newest=1

http://www.amazon.com/Brightest-LED-Angle-Lumen-1113WW/dp/B002L4L606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1265898714&sr=8-1

Lavish62

02/11/2010, 10:42 AM

NaturalReef thanks for sharing your tank, it looks very bright. I wonder if it is because you pointed your koralia up towards the surface, and you don't have sand in the tank yet. Either way those bulbs look nice.

Is that a Koralia nano, it looks bigger?

I'm debating on trying these lights, really nice spread and super bright. They are just like yours however the version MR-16, 15 LED's = 240 Lumen. I just like the spread.
http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=537

NaturalReef

02/11/2010, 11:26 AM

Hi Lavish,
Yes, this was before the mp10 and adding sand in the tank. After adding sand it meelowed out the brightness. And the koralia in my opinion was huge and didn't provide flow to every corner. The mp10 is perfect. I'll post pics soon with all the new stuff. I may just order those mr16 bulbs as well. Thanks for finding those!

Lavish62

02/12/2010, 10:42 AM

Very excited, I found out last night that 13 watt PC's will fit under the hood. I picked up two crappy fixtures yesterday from an LFS and two 50/50 bulbs. It should have great color and very bright. I want to do the calculations properly but I think I will have about a 100 watts of light or so. That should be plenty for one or two sticks of SPS:) I don't want to put allot but I thought a stag and maybe a lokani would look reel nice in there.

I'm bummed because I'm not going to be at work till Monday to retro fit these lights on:( I'm really excited to see how it will look.

I'll keep you posted on the build and pics to come.

FishyBiz

02/12/2010, 11:52 AM

Dang dude. This this thing is gonna have so much light.
You should see if you can fit a 400watt Radium in the hood. :spin2:

NaturalReef

02/14/2010, 10:43 AM

Lavish, that's an awesome find. Post pics as soon as you finish the upgrade. I ordered the mr16's that you posted from ledwarehouse.com They should be here in a few days. I'm also going to order a mr11 blue led and mount it in the middle of the light bar. I ordered some mr11/mr16 sockets. I really like this tank and the mp10 was by far the best purchase I have made since becoming a nano-reefer! The different flow selections along with the low in tank profile makes this a superior pump for small reef tanks. :) Here is a recent video of my tank in the bedroom. Sorry for the poor video, still messing with settings to get clear video. I mounted the wave box controller under the night stand with 3m velcro that peels off easily. I have the heater in the tank, but am moving it to the filter area as it fits perfectly. and the lighting is currently mr11 smd led's. I will be replacing them with the mr16 smd led's in a few days. Cheers!

http://s739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/?action=view&current=DSCN2362.flv

Lavish62

02/14/2010, 11:12 AM

Finally got some time to post the pics of the up grade. It didn't come out as clean as I wanted, its hard when the tank is at the office and you are either not supposed to be there, because the wife gets mad or you are not supposed to be working on it during the week. You are supposed to be working.

The upgrade is awsome though. the color of the tank is night and day different. I should have plenty of light to keep pretty much what ever I want. Maybe even one or two pieces of SPS.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0774.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0775.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0776.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0781.jpg

I got all the wiring tied down today and it looks pretty nice, althouh I don't have any pics yet. I think I am going to redo the reflectors and mounting brackets soon.

Lavish62

02/14/2010, 11:15 AM

I have some pics of the tank although I don't think my phone really does justice to the color change.

Just LED's
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0782.jpg

One 50/50 with LED's
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0783.jpg

Two 50/50's with LED's
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0784.jpg

I am going to take my other camera and I will post some better pics. Hopefully the color will come out better on that camera.

Happy V-day, got to go before the wife KILLS me...

NaturalReef

02/14/2010, 11:23 AM

Lavish, Looks great! Retro looks very clean, nice work. I'm laughing about the wife bit, fighting the same battle as you my friend! lol

JasonBJones

02/14/2010, 08:40 PM

Ever since I first saw one of these I have wanted to make a little nano out of them. You guys are making this very tempting. Did you get the sump yet, curious to see it

jbray84

02/14/2010, 09:01 PM

Mini carpet anenomes thats all I was thinking when I saw those top downs

Lavish62

02/15/2010, 10:19 AM

Well I came in to the office this morning and the tank is starting to cycle. I have brown algae all over the rock where its getting most of the light. I didn't think it would take too long since the only thing that needed to cycle was the sponge I put in. Everything else was established.

JasonBJones I have not gotten the sump yet. The guy that's building it made it wrong, and is now dragging his feet. Hopefully this week though. I'll post pics as soon as I get it.

Lavish62

02/15/2010, 10:25 AM

jbray84, I do have to agree with you a mini carpet anemone would be awesome, with a pair of baby clowns.

I really want a pair however I'm not sure what type of clown. I love black and white Ocellaris, I like how they have they orange face more than the black and white perc.

Lavish62

02/15/2010, 12:23 PM

Already cycling...

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0787.jpg

NaturalReef

02/16/2010, 02:44 PM

Led's came in today and the mr16 led's are sooo much brighter than the mr11's. The mr16's have 15 smd's while the mr11 had 9. So better coverage and twice as bright. There is not a shadow in the tank from side to side. I'm VERY happy with these $12 led's. I plan on wiring up some blue led strips I received as well tonight. I changed out the sockets and put in dual type mr11/mr16. That way you can use either mr11 or mr16. The pics look incredibly dark because of my camera settings. I just can't capture how bright these are! Someone give me a tip for my camera setting so I can post a pic showing the brightness. These new bulbs make my tank look brighter than my Biocube 14. Also the 6500k temp looks very crisp white. We're getting there nano-reefers:)

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/DSCN2366.jpg?t=1266353278

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/DSCN2371.jpg?t=1266353334

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/DSCN2372.jpg?t=1266353362

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/DSCN2367.jpg?t=1266353407

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/DSCN2369.jpg?t=1266353433

username in use

02/16/2010, 02:49 PM

See if you can manually adjust the exposure, what you want to fool with the +/- stops. which will over/underexpose as desired. You want to overexpose the picture because the camera is not staying open long enough to capture all of the light.

NaturalReef

02/16/2010, 02:54 PM

Thanks Joshua!

I'll mess around with the camera after dinner and see if I can come up with better pics. I bought some clear coat engine enamel spray. I'll spray the led's and let it cure for a week and it will protect them from the salt environment. It is heat resistant to 500 degrees, so I should be covered since these led's only get warm to the touch. I'm just curious if the clear coat enamel will mess with the kelvin temp?

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/DSCN2375.jpg?t=1266354787

Lavish62

02/16/2010, 04:27 PM

Awesome, I'm glad it worked out for you. I may have to try them, although I'm happy with the one's I have at this point. The PC's did wonders. The tank looks nice so far, let me know your build thread when you get it up.

I went to pick up my mini sump box yesterday and no surprise it was the wrong size... They are supposedly rebuilding it. I did pick up my ATO and it should work fine, we'll see this weekend.

I found a source for black and white baby Ocellaris clowns and they are local, I'm super excited to pickup a pair of babies for the tank. Can't wait for it to cycle. Not sure what I should put in the tank for them to host in, but I'll figure that out later. Heres the link to their website for the breeder:

http://bluewateraquaculture.com/Bluewater_Aquaculture/BWA.html

Lavish62

02/16/2010, 04:30 PM

That's an interesting idea about the paint, I wonder how that actually will work??? Has anyone ever done that before and tested it?

NaturalReef

02/16/2010, 05:10 PM

Alright,
I fixed my camera settings and was able to catch the brightness that these led's put out. Let me know what you think:)

http://s739.photobucket.com/albums/xx37/naturalreef/?action=view&current=DSCN2377.flv

NoobySWkeeper

02/16/2010, 05:17 PM

Nice! It was this and the picotope 3 gallon for my starter tank... I picked picotope! Im looking forward to updates thoe, Happy Reefing!

NaturalReef

02/16/2010, 06:09 PM

Sweet Lavish, I'm very curious about your sump. I can't wait to see pics of it....addictive little hobby eh' ? :) My wife isn't buying the "Honey, it only cost me $20" bit anymore:)

euphoricgear

02/17/2010, 02:52 AM

nice leds. just curious how these are mounted? i was thinking of putting one in my picotope and was wondering if they have a 50/50 white and blue.

nice tank. saw one like this at the lfs and was wondering if it would be a good nano tank.

do they have leds that fit in a standard light socket and can handle zoas and acans? no sps at all. thanks

triton77

02/17/2010, 03:25 AM

Hello Lavish62 / Can you tell me where I can get the retrofit for the 9 watt coralife bulb?......

boodlefish

02/17/2010, 03:55 AM

dude that is one killer little edge you got going cant wait to see the sump

cherubfish pair

02/17/2010, 09:03 PM

Doesn't look like much of an Edge anymore! Only better.

Lavish62

02/18/2010, 01:12 PM

Sorry guys, been dealing with a cold...

NaturalReef, I hear ya my wife hasn't been buyin it since the first tank. It was great when my buddy had a 200gal, but know I have no excuses.

euphoricgear, you can get these led's online and they fit into either a mr11, or mr16 bi-pin base. They are not 50/50 bulbs, they actually are only 6500k so a little on the yellow side. You will have to supplement them with some actinic or blue led's. I like them as they put out a shimmer on the sand and they can sustain LPS in a small tank.

I supplimented mine with two 13 watt 50/50 pc's for color and for more growth.

Triton77 I had a hell of a time trying to find a retro fit for the 13 watters, I found out that you can either find a desk lamp like I did, or go to radio shack and pick up a 13 watt or 9 watt a/c to d/c universal power supply and put some connectors on the end. if you look closely at my pics you'll see that there is no socket on the lights, just some slide on connectors covered in plastic. Hope this helps.

boodlefish and cherubfish pair, thanks for tagging along.

I'll hopefully have some updates tomorrow when I get back to work. I'm going to start testing for ammonia, and nitrates to see if it is done cycling. Not sure when the sump is coming in since the guys are kind of flacky, but hopefully soon.

FishyBiz

02/18/2010, 01:28 PM

Sweet Lavish, I'm very curious about your sump. I can't wait to see pics of it....addictive little hobby eh' ? :) My wife isn't buying the "Honey, it only cost me $20" bit anymore:)

:lol: Lavish tells his wife he got it from me, and I tell my wife I got it from him. :beer:

Lavish62

02/18/2010, 04:07 PM

All true, good thing they don't talk everyday...

euphoricgear

02/19/2010, 10:43 AM

"go to radio shack and pick up a 13 watt or 9 watt a/c to d/c universal power supply and put some connectors on the end' ---

so get this power supply, connect them somehow and plug the LED lights and thats it?

Lavish62

02/19/2010, 10:57 AM

No no no, that's for power compact bulbs. If you are wanting to use the LED's, you need the bi-pin base, and a power supply. If you scroll up and look at NaturalReef's post about the bi-pin bases he bought that should help. You'll then need to get a power supply that will run a halogen bulb (i.e. like a desk lamp or universal plug). I would get the specs on the lights you are looking at and then go to Radio Shack and ask for a universal power supply. That should do it...

euphoricgear

02/19/2010, 11:02 AM

ah kul, now im more confused. hahaha
guess i'll figure it out and read more about it when i have time.

Lavish62

02/22/2010, 09:22 PM

Well still no news so far. The sump is still being worked on and should be done soon I would think. The Elos ATO came in and I really need to set that up. I'm making some new water tonight with my new filters. Pretty excited since I haven't changed filters in a while hopefully that will help with the cycle. I tested the water and still little bit of ammonia.

NaturalReef

02/22/2010, 10:07 PM

Can't wait to see it Lavish! I did a DIY auto top-off that I need to install as well soon. Here is the latest video I did. Slowly starting to add corals and going to hunt down some choice Zoo's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MloKei_luZc

uscreef

02/22/2010, 11:18 PM

Awesome, been wondering how those would work with saltwater. How's the temp with the PCs and glass top? I know neither burn too hot, but with a glass lid it seems it'd trap the heat. How'd you solve the bubbles?

Mastermind

02/23/2010, 10:16 AM

I see "LEDwholesalers.com" on the boxes... what model numbers are the lights? Tank looks great!

NaturalReef

02/23/2010, 10:32 AM

Hey Mastermind......They are 1228WH.

Euphoricgear.....Don't get confused, simple upgrade to the mr11-mr16 sockets. Also the transformer that comes with the Edge is all you need. It can handle 20 watts and the Led's burn 3.5 watts each bulb. It truly is a night and day difference! Ask away with any other questions. No heat transfer to the water, Halide shimmer and 240 lumens per bulb!

Bellas Reef

02/23/2010, 11:05 AM

I've been wanting to set one of these Edge tanks up as a SW and you might have just inspired mean. Sweet looking setup my friend!

NaturalReef

02/23/2010, 01:48 PM

If that was meant for me, Thanks Bella! Lavish is doing a hellava job as well! patiently waiting for the sump Lavish...

JasonBJones

02/23/2010, 04:33 PM

I have really liked these tank for a while and you guys are pushing me to start one since it seems you can actually keep a decent tank with these mods.

NaturalReef

02/23/2010, 04:59 PM

Tried uploading HD video for better quality..Here in new link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGx4VHWu0CM

Lavish62

02/24/2010, 08:19 PM

Hey guys, I have been slammed at work so sorry for the long time to get back.

uscreef, I honestly am not too sure if the PC's heat up the water. I imagine it does somewhat however I don't have a thermometer in there just yet. I was going to buy a ReefKeeper light for control and a thermometer however I haven't found one used yet. I will be getting a thermometer soon though.

Naturalreef, the tank looks really good. I love the video both came out great. How do those blue LED's due for you? The 50/50 PC's put out allot of blue. It looks like they have a nice temperature to them. What type of sand do you have as well? Is it small pebbles, or sand, you look like you run much more flow then I do?

I think I may buy those Led bulbs, since they are pretty cheap. I think you may have much more spread than I do? How did the paint work out with the heat treated paint? Have you heard that it blocks any of the light or Lumen? I wonder if it has any effect on growing your corals.

Also just an update on the sump. STILL WAITING!!!

NaturalReef

02/26/2010, 11:05 AM

Sorry, been busy with work as well....

Lavish- The Blue Led's work out well, but are more of a moonlight. They light up the whole tank. I'm looking for a mr16 466nm blue led right now. I love that these led's only get warm to the touch, so my tank is constantly at 78 degrees.

My sand is Fiji pink reef sand. I think the grains are .07 -1.0 approx...Gives a nice look in my opinion and it won't scratch the glass when cleaning with the glass magnet.(trust me I tried:) My flow is covering all areas perfectly @ around 45% reefcrest. The Gsp loves it! I'm having a lot of fun with this tank, it really adds a little zen to my room....I may go sump if it works out for you, so curious to see it implemented.

Lavish62

02/26/2010, 11:20 AM

Sump, Haha, yeah me too!!!

I think after all the lighting I have already experimented with and spent a fortune, I am going to sooner than later build an LED light my self for the tank. I think I can get around 15 to 20 LED's in there. It woul be a project for fun and for the tank. Just curious to see one that I built, it would be fun.

cherubfish pair

02/26/2010, 01:30 PM

Lavish62, this is the thermometer I use. It's a pocket one. Very accurate and a good price.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3744+9853&pcatid=9853

It's good if you have multiple tanks and for testing w/c water before you add it to your tank.

Lavish62

02/26/2010, 01:45 PM

Wow that's nice, I'm going to have to pick one of those up. I am going to use the ReefKeeper light for my parameters though. I am picking one up from a fellow reefer in town. I really like the units and that way it will control my auto top off as well.

Thanks for the heads up though. good for checking water changes.

1995db7

03/02/2010, 05:14 PM

man i'm glad i found this thread,lavish62 and naturalreef your'e tanks look amazing,i just set one up myself a couple days ago and was going crazy thinking about what to do about the lighting,i replaced the stock bulbs for the led bulbs.also i was looking around and came up on these bulbs and was wondering what you guys think of them?if you look through the page they also have more choices.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=/specs/MR16-x48SMD.htm
here are some pics of my edge
1.http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a90/fst93hb/DSC_5673.jpg
2.http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a90/fst93hb/DSC_5662.jpg
3.http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a90/fst93hb/DSC_5624.jpg
4.http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a90/fst93hb/DSC_5679.jpg
5.http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a90/fst93hb/DSC_5636.jpg

NaturalReef

03/02/2010, 11:44 PM

1995, Tank looks great!! I looked at the superbrightleds site you linked to, and the thing with the white led's on that site is that they only put out 150 lumens while the ledwholesalers put out 240 lumens. The 6500kelvin that my bulbs put out really look 10k to me. Just very crisp white.

I just received an order of Zoas and put 2 small frags in the tank to test out color and coral happiness:) My gsp seems very happy, but is still coloring up from the move, so I'm testing everything out to see how they respond to the led's. This tank isn't very deep so I'm thinking they are getting hella bright light. I didn't overexpose the videos at all, they are the true brightness of the lights.

Lavish- i forgot to answer your question on the spray coating for the led's. I still haven't sprayed them since I was looking for Mr16 lense covers or a mr16 that put out the same lumens and 130 degree coverage that mine put out. No luck so far, all led's that seem to have a lense only have a 20-60 degree beam angle.

I purchased another set of the mr16's and will spray them this week when they arrive. It takes seven days for the paint to cure. Resists up to 500 degrees, so it should take a beating with salt and such....Experiment to follow shortly. The fellow who told me about the protective spray says it works great. He used a different spray than mine, so we shall see.

Lavish62

03/03/2010, 11:27 AM

1995, thanks for tagging along. Your tank looks really good so far. I do have to admit these lights are pretty damn nice. With my set up the color temp is really good, and I should have great growth with the 50/50's.

naturalreef, can't wait to see your tank stocked. Then again, i can't wait to see mine stocked:lmao:

I purchased the same bulbs as naturalreef's and compared them to my ledwaves.com lights. They fare well, same light spread, same color, and really no dead spots that you can get around with this tank. The thing is I found that it really doesn't matter about spread once you get up to the 80* bulbs because they are so far up in the hood that the hood is what is blocking the light. I really like ledwaves bulbs because they are covered, and they are high output led's which will penetrate the water deeper and they perform really well. They are rated at 270 lumen. Very nice bulbs IMO With that said, you can save money with the ones from ledwholesalers.com and accomplish pretty much the same thing.

I have both lights that I am going to sell, I am also going to sell my pc bulbs if anyone is interested. I really like them, they perform exactly to what I want however, I have always wanted to do a diy led light project. This tank is the perfect project for me to do that with. It's a whole lot more expensive for really the same outcome. But this hobby is all about new projects.

If anyone is interested in my light set up PM me and we can work something out.

NaturalReef

03/03/2010, 11:52 AM

Lavish- I have been thinking of doing a diy led project as well with some cree white and blue led's. I'm curious about your ledwaves bulb..it has an 88 degree beam and in your pics it seems like the edge's of the tank are dimmer. When you compared ledwholesalers to the ledwaves, did it have the same coverage and color? Just want to make sure because I love the look of the ledwaves bulb and might grab those if the protective paint doesn't work out. I'm just wondering if your pic was underexposed? Thanks!

Lavish62

03/03/2010, 12:21 PM

I will do another test today, and see how it looks. I found that when I put the hood back on it was the same with either bulb. The pics are taken with my iphone so they are real crappy and i'm sure really under exposed.

NaturalReef

03/03/2010, 01:17 PM

okay cool, I'll wait for the report:)

Lavish62

03/03/2010, 02:49 PM

I've got to be honest, I really can't tell a difference besides the ledwaves.com seem a little more intense on the rocks than the others. But on the sides it seems to be about the same. I hope that helps

NaturalReef

03/03/2010, 05:33 PM

It does, thanks for ordering all the bulbs so I can make an informed decision:) lol j/k

I may order those...nice thing is, I can use the ledwholesalers in my track lighting.

Lavish62

03/03/2010, 05:46 PM

Yeah I'm still a little mad at myself for doing that. But I'm glad it helps. Let me know if you want to pick some up, as I said before I am going to build a light and I can save you some money. They aren't cheap with tax and shipping. As you know they are brand new.

NaturalReef

03/03/2010, 06:33 PM

I will, I'm going to try the spray next week and if it doesn't work I'll be looking for a covered led. How much are you looking to get for them?

Lavish62

03/04/2010, 07:33 PM

All the parts came in today so tonight the DIY LED build begins:bounce3:

I found a heat sink last night at an electrical supply house in Costa Mesa. It came off of some type of charger or power supply. It's not exactly what I wanted because the fins are going the wrong way, but it will work. I'm totally bumbed because I forgot to take a picture of it before I had it milled. Here's the finished product though:

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/4f4e1f8e.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/ebe004d4.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/64e3a771.jpg

I ended up making the fixture 3 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 1 5/8". The power is coming by two Mean Well drivers, one for the whites and one for the royal blue's. I went with the mean well because they work with the Digital Aquatics ALC, so I will be able to dim the lights accordingly and individually.

Parts:

10- White Cree XRE Q5
10- Royal Blue Cree XRE
2- Mean Well eln-60-48d (d for dimmable)
1- Heat Sink
2- power cords
Heat conductive epoxy
Digital Aquatics ALC for dimming

I am going to mount the light on the stock light bar by cutting out the center and mounting it to each arm. It should work well.

Ohh and as far as the sump goes, STILL WAITING:furious: He did say however, he is working on it. That makes me feel a whole lot better.

Big things should be happening this weekend.
Stay tuned...

cherubfish pair

03/04/2010, 07:49 PM

I'm curious as to how well the DA dimmer will work.

NaturalReef

03/04/2010, 07:53 PM

Lavish- wow! I'll be following very closely! I have been giving this a lot of thought and will be doing this led mod as well. So please post lots of how to pics so I can soak it in. I'm just learning soldering skills and wiring, so make sure you show the wiring to drivers and stars in series etc. Are you mounting optics? How will you keep them water resistant? Also why not mount the heatsink directly to the bar underneath? Wouldn't this give btter coverage with the stars being lower and not hitting the sides? Lastly, does the reef keeper lite allow dimming? Awesome! Can't wait to follow this led build. To be able to control the Kelvin temp is the shiznit! Get busy brother :) lol

Lavish62

03/05/2010, 02:16 PM

I will do my best to post pics for you guys.

NaturalReef, I am mounting the LED's as close to the water as I can. The heat sink is just small enough to fit into the opening of the tank. I haven't figured out how I'm going to keep the moisture out quite yet. I'm thinking of making an acrylic cover for the moisture when all said and done however I'm not sure. I'm not going to use optics because there really is no need. The tank is pretty short as it is, so there should be plenty of light on the bottom. 20 LED's is major over kill, and the optics would cut down on the spread.

As for the Reef Keeper, it will when used with the ALC module, and the mean well drivers. I had a hell of a time trying to figure that out, but I think I succeeded. I can't wait to see how it will work, and how it's going to look. I hope to have it done this weekend although its not looking good (needy wife).

I really want to get everything cleaned up under the cabinet, mounted and tied down. Its killing me. I hope to have the sump this weekend, and mount the ATO, beacause I'm getting sick of topping it off. Can you say lazy...

1995db7

03/05/2010, 07:29 PM

cherubfish pair

03/05/2010, 09:21 PM

Which ato will you use?

Lavish62

03/06/2010, 07:12 PM

Update, the lights are done and working:dance: After wiring wrong and redoing it, it came out great. It wasn't very hard, just time consuming. I tested the RKL and the ALC controller, all the dimming seems to work good. I need to test out the ramp up and down when I get it all set up tomorrow.

Tomorrow I going to try and install it, wish me luck. Going to do some slicing and dicing of the light bar. Sooo excited.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/6255f2c1.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/1e512f90.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/59c28f77.jpg

I know the pics aren't very good but I'll post some better ones Monday.

I got a call yesterday from the guy building the sump, he say's he should have it done tomorrow. I'm not sure if I will be able to pick it up though.

cherubfish pair, I am using the Reef Keeper ATO with the RKL.

Lavish62

03/06/2010, 07:16 PM

BTW don't look at the wiring of the first pic, I just realized that it was when it was wrong. I'll take a new detailed one soon, so you can reference it for wiring.

NaturalReef

03/06/2010, 10:45 PM

nanoedge

03/07/2010, 09:27 AM

Spajdi

03/07/2010, 09:45 AM

Can you write dimensions of the radiator and give some link where you buy Cree Leds ?

traveller7

03/07/2010, 09:45 AM

nanoedge <img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"> <big><big>To Reef Central</big></big>

Not sure you'll see a meaningful difference between 7000k and 6500k, most supplier measurements vary quite a bit and are not scaled for our purposes.

In my opinion, you'd likely prefer 80 degree(or no optics at all) and a close water position for an edge application. Unless of course you are looking for a spotlighting effect.

Good luck.

nanoedge

03/07/2010, 10:09 AM

jasonrp104

03/07/2010, 10:13 AM

How do you clean the inside glass on one of those fluvals? I almost bought one but passed when they said the glass top could not be removed

NaturalReef

03/07/2010, 10:23 AM

Nanoedge,
The ledwholesalers bulbs are 15 smd led's with 6500k. They honestly look 10k in person and give a very crisp white. I'm getting good coverage on the sides, but definitely lower light on sides. Anything that requires decent light has to be placed in the middle. My plan was Zoas, leather, ricordia in the middle with Xenia, mushrooms on the sides to fill out the tank. My bulbs were $12 a piece with free shipping on Amazon. worth it in my opinion. Lavish is breaking boundaries with the led build and I'm anxious to see them in action along with reefkeeper lite dimming control. I find it funny that I could have a fully stocked 125 gallon aquarium for the amount of money I put in my nano:)

Jason,
The edge is very easily cleaned with a mag float cleaner....not an issue imo.

traveller7

03/07/2010, 10:25 AM

thanks for the welcome was thinking might not see much of a difference with the extra 500k and the price is a bit expensive. Is anyone experiencing alot of algae growth seems like 6500k would be perfect for it.Most lights we use will grow alot of algae if there is food for the algae, be prepared to prevent algae growth in nanos with water changes, target feeding then cleaning, some chemicals, etc.

Once you deliver the PAR for your critter selection, lighting is really a matter of personal taste. fwiw, I tend to prefer full spectrum at the "high point of the day" with 6500, i.e. bring on 10K/03 range, then 6500K for a few hours, then back to 10K/03 range, red(my melatremus is active during dim hours) or moonlights in overnight. Tough to fit in nano spacing, but I like to see the changes in the tank throughout the day.

Might be neat to see someone build an LED board with a 4 drivers/colors in a small space. My DIY skills are not in line with these guys though :(

nanoedge

03/07/2010, 11:01 AM

just spotted these covers may be of some use http://www.electricity-monitor.com/optional-beam-lenses-small-p-133.html instead of the spray getting some great info off you guys cant wait to see the finished product

Lavish62

03/07/2010, 09:20 PM

That is Freaking Cool!! Can't wait to see it mounted to the tank. Where did you order the led's and drivers from if you don't mind me asking? Great work Lavish and very clean solder joints. Any tips for the soldering part?

Thanks, I would read this, it helped me greatly: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1662682

I would buy your LED's here: http://www.nanotuners.com/index.php?cPath=71
There customer service is amazing, and they have the best prices that I have found. They will actually pick up the phone and take plenty of time to answer your technical questions.

Lavish62

03/07/2010, 09:28 PM

Have just signed up so I can follow this thread as im doing the same myself. Was just wondering what you guys think of these leds http://cgi.ebay.com/Ushio-Synergy-4W-LED-MR-16-50deg-wide-flood-7000k-CT_W0QQitemZ290292737128QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item4396cba468#ht_1235wt_732 they have a rating of 7000k which would be better for growth than the 6500k but there are only 3 LEDs in the bulb unlike others with 15 SMD from ledwaves.com which in your opinion guys would be better.Ill be following this thread closely may even do the DIY led mod if it works out well

Welcome to the my thread, I hope you enjoy. Those Ushio's seem expensive, and I would stick to something with a wider spread myself. I prefer the LEDwaves.com over the LEDwholsalers.com. They are sealed from the elements , and I like the high output LED's much more than the SMD LED's. IMO they put out a much more intense light.

Again I am going to sell my current light set up, I can save you some money on the lights if you like. They are like new. I've had them less than a month and I haven't even ran them much since the tank is cycling and I don't want to promote algae growth. I am also going to sell the power compacts as well, which will get you around a 14k temperature. really nice color.

Lavish62

03/07/2010, 09:30 PM

Can you write dimensions of the radiator and give some link where you buy Cree Leds ?
Welcome, heat sink 6 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 1 5/8".

Buy them through http://www.nanotuners.com/index.php?cPath=71

Lavish62

03/07/2010, 09:32 PM

How do you clean the inside glass on one of those fluvals? I almost bought one but passed when they said the glass top could not be removed

Luckily you dont get allot of light to the glass so it doesn't grow much algae

Lavish62

03/07/2010, 09:34 PM

"I find it funny that I could have a fully stocked 125 gallon aquarium for the amount of money I put in my nano"

So funny and so true...

Lavish62

03/07/2010, 09:36 PM

Most lights we use will grow alot of algae if there is food for the algae, be prepared to prevent algae growth in nanos with water changes, target feeding then cleaning, some chemicals, etc.

Once you deliver the PAR for your critter selection, lighting is really a matter of personal taste. fwiw, I tend to prefer full spectrum at the "high point of the day" with 6500, i.e. bring on 10K/03 range, then 6500K for a few hours, then back to 10K/03 range, red(my melatremus is active during dim hours) or moonlights in overnight. Tough to fit in nano spacing, but I like to see the changes in the tank throughout the day.

Might be neat to see someone build an LED board with a 4 drivers/colors in a small space. My DIY skills are not in line with these guys though :(

Welcome to you as well and thanks for chiming in and helping the thread out.

Lavish62

03/07/2010, 10:11 PM

Also another thread that has provided me allot of reference: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1672708&highlight=heat+sink

There is actually allot of versatility with this tank if you use your imagination, I really like the look of it. I really can't wait to start stocking the tank soon, and putting some fish in it.

I want to thank all of you for jumping aboard my build and making this thread exciting and engaging. I hope it either inspires you guys or helps with any questions you have.

I didn't get to work on the tank today, but I should be able to tomorrow. I plan on taking the tank home with me because its much easier to work on at home. I need to mount the light and fans, take out the sand and add some bigger grain because the MP10 is digging a whole with the sugar sized sand. I also hope to get the sump tomorrow so I will be able to finish the that and the ATO. I'm very anxious to see how the sump is going to work out. Lots to do and no time. I can then clean up the wiring.

Lavish62

03/08/2010, 12:10 AM

I just ordered a new magnet glass cleaner. Its clear and super clean check it out:

http://nimblenano.com/default.htm

nanoedge

03/08/2010, 08:16 AM

PM sent Lavish about lights

Lavish62

03/09/2010, 05:43 PM

Well guys, I finished the lights today and... I am really upset. I spent allot of money, allot of time, and allot of effort to be real disappointed.:furious:

The install came out pretty good for a rushed job. I had to take the tank home with me to change out the sand. The MP10 was blowing the sugar sized sand all over the place. The new stuff seems to be working really good, its the Caribsea 1mm-1.5mm. Sooo when I took it home I thought I would put the lights in, and install the ATO. All came out well except the final result of the lighting. The shadows are awefull, and the fens are super loud. Wishing I didn't do the mod at this point. We'll see when I have some time to really fine tune it.

These pictures are taken with my IPhone and the lights are turned down to 75% white and 55% Blue. I haven't had the chance to mess with it yet seeing that I'm at work. Also the tank is really murky and the glass is clowdy from the move this morning.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0816.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0815.jpg

Lavish62

03/09/2010, 05:45 PM

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0805.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0806.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0807.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0808.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0809.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0810.jpg

FishyBiz

03/09/2010, 06:34 PM

Bummer man. I hate when things don't turn out the way you expect them to.
It looks real clean. Whats the problem with the lights? Not bright enough or is the spread crappy?

Lavish62

03/09/2010, 07:16 PM

Crappy Spread!!!

Lavish62

03/09/2010, 07:35 PM

Soo I think in actuality the lights are soooo bright at 75% that they create a bright spot in the middle, and the sides look really dark. When toned down a bit they even out a little. I actually like the temp right now and I haven't even messed with it.

NaturalReef

03/09/2010, 08:29 PM

Hey Lavish,
Throw your disappointment aside, you did an incredible job on the retro! It looks like it was made for the Fluval. I have spent ton's O money on my past nano tank adventures with nothing to show for it, no salvaged parts to use on new tanks.(turning my head to make sure wife isn't looking:) I think your tank looks great and think you should give it some time to adjust the temps of the led's to find a sweet spot. I'm wondering if you can tone the led's down to get rid of the shadows? I'm sure it still would be 10x brighter than the mr16's. No matter what, you still have a kick-aXX led light that you can use for future tanks if it doesn't work out in the fluval. So all is not lost.

I'm still playing the wait and see with my tank. I just threw in a bunch of Zoa's, frogspawn, gsp and xenia and am waiting to see how everything does with the mr16's. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. It won't be a Sps garden, but I really just want something to watch and relax with. Soft Corals flowing with the mp10 can be a pretty mesmerizing thing to watch so keep moving forward and stock the tank full of corals and see the finished project through. We have saltwater running through our veins and it isn't leaving. When one project finishes, we are always looking forward to a new project. Am I right? I just picked up a full color high gloss book on Oceans at Borders talking about reef crests, lagoons and all the life that exists in our beautiful Oceans around the world. It gave me a whole new appreciation for my tanks. Keep taking pics with various color temps with the led's toned down and let's start stocking this reef cube!

Lavish62

03/09/2010, 10:42 PM

Naturalreef, Thank you for the kind words. I couldn't have said it better myself to a fellow reefer. It's always nice to know other people appreciate your efforts. Please post some pics when you have the chance.

I ended up turning the lights down to 15% and 25%, and it looks really good. I just need to find the right intensity, and temp. I am shocked at how overkill I went though. It really needs half the lights.

I overkilled for three reasons:

1. The mean wells I got won't work with less than 10 of those LEDS
2. I wanted the best spread I could achieve
3. It's me and I always overkill everything

Anyway I'm going to bring in my real camera and shoot some better picks. Then it's off to stocking the tank.

palmer373

03/09/2010, 10:56 PM

any news on the sump and/or magnet cleaner? im thinking about getting one for my 20T.

nanoedge

03/10/2010, 04:30 AM

Can we see pics of the ATO

WhoDey64

03/10/2010, 06:38 AM

Ok, so now I want an Edge on my desk here at work.... Awesome thread btw.

Lavish62

03/10/2010, 12:15 PM

"any news on the sump and/or magnet cleaner? im thinking about getting one for my 20T."

I do have news on the sump: STILL WAITING!!!

The magnet cleaner, is on hold. I guess the weather isn't cooporating out there and he isn't able to make them right now. The guy is really cool, I ordered it and he refunded my money right away. He said a few weeks and he will notify me. I can then order it.

"Can we see pics of the ATO"

What would you like to see? I haven't completed it, or hooked it up yet. No time. I will send you pics of what I have if you can specify what you would like to see.

"Ok, so now I want an Edge on my desk here at work.... Awesome thread btw"

Thank you, you need one:)

nanoedge

03/10/2010, 12:53 PM

is it a complete diy ATO if so pics of the whole system would be great

NaturalReef

03/11/2010, 09:47 AM

Hey everyone,
It's great to see so many interested in turning the fluval into a reef tank. I just wanted to throw a quick report that all my corals are doing great under the mr16 led lights. My Zoa's aren't reaching for light and have great coloring. The mp10 is keeping everyone happy with the flow. I figured out why my blue led strips were so dim- I had them hooked up to a 4 volt output transformer while they require 12 volts. I searched the house and found an old transformer that put out 9.6 volts. I hooked it up and wow, mega brightness! No more moonlight:) I'll post another video shortly when I get the tank stocked the way I want it.

I really really like this tank in my bedroom. Since the led's are downward directional, It seems the only wall that gets any appreciable algae growth is the back wall. The top glass like Lavish reported isn't getting any light and I haven't had to clean it yet with the mag cleaner. I sprayed the mr16's with the automotive clearcoat and fired them up yesterday and it worked great! No extra heat build-up and no spectral color change that I can see. I think this is the way to go if you don't have covered lenses. I'm going to let the paint cure for a few days before running them full time. I have seen lots of life on the liverock and after the corals are stocked I'm wondering if I will stock a very small goby in there? I'm open to suggestions.

My biocube 14 with my clownfish is doing extremely well and I do believe the fish excretions help feed the corals since I don't feed them directly and they are showing excellent growth and beautiful coloring. That's all for now:)

Lavish- I would love to see the royal blue's only on your tank dialed down when you get the camera going.

Lavish62

03/11/2010, 02:06 PM

is it a complete diy ATO if so pics of the whole system would be great

I really don't have any pics yet. It's not a total DIY ATO. It's from Digital Aquatics, and it just plugs into their modules. I am then going to hook that to a Toms Aqualifter, and then into a jug of water.

I'll post pics when I get it all put together.

Lavish- I would love to see the royal blue's only on your tank dialed down when you get the camera going.

I'm with Naturalreef on this. I'm glad that you all are interested and making my thread a success although its getting boring on my part since I haven't stocked the tank yet. Will be doing soon. (out of MONEY)

I will post some pics of the royal blues soon when I bring the camera. I keep forgetting to bring it to work.

Update on the lights, I have them working great and I am happy with them. I was talking with a guy on nano-reef.com and he said the lights are corroding real fast, I'm thinking about either taking Naturalreef's idea and spraying them, or making a sealed acrylic cover some how. Thinking of doing it real soon.

amutti

03/12/2010, 09:06 PM

Thanks alot for this thread! I just got my edge today and I can't wait to get started. I've decided to go the MR16 route, but the LED panel is really interesting and perhaps a future mod.

Thanks so much. You've made this much easier for me.

amutti

03/12/2010, 09:08 PM

Lavish, what were you planning to stock it with? I was thinking a torch, Duncan, some zoos and Rics. Mostly stuff I can frag from my other tanks.

The_Codfather

03/15/2010, 04:57 AM

NaturalReef

03/15/2010, 10:56 AM

Codfather- Don't worry, the same video is in the post below the original one. I just made the new one in HD video.

Lavish62

03/15/2010, 02:46 PM

Well guys I have bee totally slammed, but I wanted to give an update. I have finally found the pair of black and white Ocellaris miss bar clowns.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0827.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0826.jpg

Here you can kind of see the the size

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0823.jpg

I got them at :http://bluewateraquaculture.com/Bluewater_Aquaculture/BWA.html. The guy there is real cool, and spent allot of time with me.

I am almost done wiring everything and getting the cabinet cleaned up. I am trying to finish up the ATO As for the sump, STILL WAITING...

Lavish62

03/15/2010, 02:59 PM

:celeb2: WOOHOO!!! Over 5000 views. Lets keep it going.

Lavish62

03/15/2010, 03:09 PM

This is just one of the tanks the guy has full of baby clowns, so crazy.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0821.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0820.jpg

Lavish62

03/15/2010, 10:58 PM

I found this splash gaurd mod on a tank. It's not the cleanest I've seen although I think its a good idea.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/splash_guard.jpg

I think I am going to do this although a little different. Stay tuned

nanoedge

03/16/2010, 01:52 PM

This guy built a good splash guard in the process of doing it myself http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=362235&page=3

NaturalReef

03/16/2010, 02:32 PM

The only problem with the shield is the heat build-up. Extra heat will shorten the life and light output dramatically with led's. While my led's that I sprayed are not showing any signs of corroding, I do feel a slight temp increase and I'm thinking it will shorten the life and light output. Nanocustoms is supposedly putting out a mr16 shortly with blue actinic as well.

nanoedge

03/16/2010, 03:01 PM

Are you still getting good coral growth.I wonder how much it will shorten the life of the leds after all they do have a long life if I got two years out of them I would be very happy with that. Do you know when nanocustoms are bringing these Led's out

Lavish62

03/16/2010, 03:15 PM

I checked that out, looks good. I don't have the edges to mount that on so I am going to find a piece of 1mm polycarbonate plastic and score the creases. This will make a small box that I can epoxy to the sides of the heat sink. Now to find the polycarbonate.

Lavish62

03/17/2010, 06:47 PM

Hey guys just an update, the clowns are really happy athough they would be even more happy if they had an anemone.

I built the lens for the light today and it came out pretty well:

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0846.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0847.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0848.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0853.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/IMG_0854.jpg

nanoedge

03/18/2010, 10:37 AM

t0mmy108

03/18/2010, 11:23 AM

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/t0mmy108/Fluval%20Edge%206%20gallon%20Reef/DSCN8602.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/t0mmy108/Fluval%20Edge%206%20gallon%20Reef/DSCN8600.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/t0mmy108/Fluval%20Edge%206%20gallon%20Reef/DSCN8585.jpg

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b373/t0mmy108/Fluval%20Edge%206%20gallon%20Reef/

Lavish62

03/18/2010, 04:20 PM

Quick question lavish62 what have you got in the filter compartment heater, carbon phosphate remover live rock this is what I was thinking for my tank just wondering what you got?

Oh and the lens for the light looks very professional good job

Thanks, I am happy with the way it came out although, I wish I would have used thinner tape so that the seems would have lined up better. I really don't want to take it off so I think that's it.

Well currently until I get my other sump I am running rubble from my other tank, a super thin Hydor heater (although its too small for the tank) and this stuff http://www.marvelousproducts.com/ChemiPure-Elite-10oz-p/chemi-pure-elite-11.74oz.htm. It seems to be working well. It is the first time I have used this product. I like it because it takes care of everything in one bag since we don't have the room for multiple media bags.

When I get the other sump I am going to run a small fuge with chaeto in it. I hope this will help with nutrient removal.

T0mmy108, Thanks for posting the pics. Super nice edge, I really like the aquascape, and the mods you did. I love to see these things stocked. Actually I can't wait to see mine stocked as well. Just wondering if you lined your hood with reflective tape? It looks like you may have, if not I picked up some HVAC aluminum tape and it really seemed to work.

Lavish62

03/18/2010, 04:26 PM

Ok so lets talk about working on these tanks. Water changes, stocking, and any other maintenance. I'm finding out that its really hard to work on, which is good because it keeps my hands out of the tank but how are you guys doing things?

We need some good ideas for quick water changes.

Are you using anything special for placing frags, and or working on the tank?

Please pipe in with your two cents, THX

nanoedge

03/18/2010, 09:37 PM

I do a water change with an airline tube and a syringe start the flow of with the syringe set the airline in the tank to the level I want it to stop at then I switch on my airpump which pushs the saltwater from a 7G container into the tank simple and only takes 10 mins or so. Oh and I only have to do this once a month as I use organic aqua placing frags or moving sand or rocks i have a long metal tweezers which works great.

Lavish62

03/18/2010, 09:47 PM

Why is it you only need to do a water change once a month, I didn't really understand that? I use long tweezers as well.

Can you post a pick of the syringe you use. O think I've seen that type of thing before, did you cut out the syringe to make the eater flow through or something?

Thx for the response.

nanoedge

03/19/2010, 05:11 AM

Organic aqua is basically an organic compound which removes nitrate nitrite and ammonia through gaseous exchange very hard to find out how it works and whats in it. Was skeptical myself but it does work dont know how its going to be with coral in the tank as im still waiting on my lights but have been told its been no problem heres the site http://www.organicaqua.co.za/

the syringe is just a 10ml slip tip I just connect it to the airline pull back which starts flow and disconnect the syringe I then connect the airline to a suction cup and put the start of the airline to the level I want it to stop simple I then switch on my airpump which pumps saltwater from my 7G container back into the tank http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/upimg3/10-Ml-Oral-Syringe_181103.jpg

Lavish62

03/19/2010, 07:35 AM

Ahh I got ya. That pretty smart. I have seen people cut a slot out of the syringe body towafds the middle to top. When you pull the syringe back you pass the cut out and the water flows through the cut out.

What lights are you waiting on. Do you have something new in mind?

amutti

03/19/2010, 07:43 AM

t0mmy108, that tank is way to small for that starfish. In 100 gallon tanks they die from starvation. Also, the tank is going to be too small for the sea horse in a few months. Do you have another tank for it when it outgrows its home? How often are you doing water changes. I have sea horses and in a 29 gallon a weekly 20% water change is minimum due to the amount of uneaten food.

Otherwise it looks nice.

amutti

03/19/2010, 07:54 AM

t0mmy108, that tank is way to small for that starfish (the red linkia). In 100 gallon tanks they die from starvation. Also, the tank is going to be too small for the sea horse in a few months . Do you have another tank for it when it outgrows its home? How often are you doing water changes. I have sea horses and in a 29 gallon a weekly 20% water change is minimum due to the amount of uneaten food. The Banded Pipefish is just over the top! A catalina goby toooooo? I've kept a pair for years, but in a tank at a constant 71 degrees and I've been told that it too hot.

Every time I look at your pictures I see something else disturbing with your stocking choices.

For your fish's sake -- good luck!

Otherwise the tank looks nice.

nanoedge

03/19/2010, 08:56 AM

Im waiting for the lights from led wholesalers but I think someone mentioned that nano customs are bringing out some led Mr16 will definitely get them if they come out. I do a water change about once every 2 weeks even though I don't need to I figure this should replace nutrients while the organic aqua keeps the water conditions stable. Might use that trick and put a flow hole in the syringe and just silicone the whole lot to an old container. Can we see more pics of your tank what have you stocked it with

t0mmy108

03/19/2010, 10:19 AM

Amutti, i know what you mean. yes, I have an Oceanic 180 and a 72 bow. The edge was kinda used as a temp holding tank for some guys i transferred around from the other 2 systems. there's gonna be plenty more moving around once i finished arranging the other two. the 180 went from an SPS system to a mixed reef and now is becomming more fish only. the 72 started as a predator tank and is converting to the new mixed reef. little guys moving into the smaller tanks and the big boys have to upgrade, lol.

I do water changes on all systems every weekend and I've been using Bio Digest and Biotim with great success. The Erectus are waiting for the Biocube29 to finish out cycling.

I've found the edge to be a viable salt water reef system as long as the paremeters are kept stable with weekly water changes and the filter is checked on frequently. I still use the stock filter media and clean it once a week. I dont recommend using liverock rubble or the like in the filter. It just causes a buildup in ditritus and causes issues. Bio Digest has been breaking down the protiens pretty quickly before i can see any ammonia spikes. I feed twice a day with the filter turned off for 15 minutes with a combination of PE mysis, Cyclopeeze and crushed flake. So far so good and only lost an anemone crab due to a hungry jawfish during its molting phase. Been up for 9 weeks now. Its pretty crowded and i need to start moving some of the guys into the 72 this weekend. It's gonna be a PITA catching anything now without causing chaos

Lights are the mr11 and led strips from ledwarehouse.com.

Lavish62

03/21/2010, 09:13 AM

Coral Farmers Market this morning, super excited. Looking for Dendros, Duncans, palm tree polyps, and probob;y some zoo's.

Stay tuned...

t0mmy108

03/22/2010, 01:15 PM

Lavish62

03/22/2010, 01:39 PM

Lavish62,

To answer your question about the reflector i used...it's a piece of galvanized alluminum that sells at home depot for roof flashing. It's more reflective and is more corrosion resistant than the non-galvanized sheets. Ijust cut to size. I havnt had to get my whole hand in the tank, just a few fingers if the tongs and tweezers can't get the job done. Water changes are done through airline tubing with the filter off and then I just pour over the top to refill.

Cool Thanks,

Weekend update, Came to work to find water on the floor. I had a big problem when my ATO wouldn't turn off over the weekend. Real shitty. I have been having problems with it and the guys over at Digital Aquatics thought they fixed it for me on Friday. All in all I had to change out the water to get the salinity up and then clean the water up.

I was really worried about my light seeing it was sitting in the water, really good thing I turned it off before I left on Friday. It did end up turning on this morning although I'm worried about it corroding now.

I went to CFM this weekend and picked up some nice stuff.

Yellow striped palm tree cloves for movement
purple death Zoas
two chalices, one lizards skin, and I'm not sure the other
some Duncans for movement

All in all nice stuff, I should have some pics tomorrow if I don't forget the camera again.

nanoedge

03/23/2010, 10:22 AM

nanoedge

03/23/2010, 10:44 AM

Ah just checked again and think I saw the wire of a hydor mini heater. How do you find this heater is there major temp swings? Do you have it on any thermostat Is it able to heat the whole tank in a cold room?

Lavish62

03/23/2010, 10:58 AM

Any Updates guys... Quick question to what are you using for a heater? went back over the pics and noticed none in the tank. Was thinking of using a heat mat on a thermostat to get rid of my heater as it takes to much space up.

Nothing here for updates. Only thing is that I keep forgetting my camera, sorry.

I use the Hydor mini heater http://www.marinedepot.com/Hydor_Mini_Aquarium_Heater_7.5_Watt_for_tanks_up_to_5_gallons_Inline_Specialty_Heaters-Hydor_USA-HD10401-FIHTIH-vi.html. It works pretty good, although our office gets pretty cold at night and I don't think it can keep up. I think the 15watt would work great.

I am still having a heck of a time getting my corals to stay since I can't glue them. I think I am going to have to drain the tank each time I put a new piece in.

Lavish62

03/23/2010, 11:03 AM

Question, are you guys having hair algae problems? I only have algae where the light reaches. I'm thinking about taking out all of the rubble from the sump area, and maybe using a different type of media.

What do you think?

nanoedge

03/26/2010, 10:31 AM

Have you got a CUC in there yet

Lavish62

03/26/2010, 10:33 AM

Sorry, but what is CUC?

nanoedge

03/26/2010, 12:54 PM

Clean Up Crew

Lavish62

03/26/2010, 02:18 PM

Yes sure do, little bastards do nothing. I have four black hermits, two white hermits, and two snails. I seriously wish they would do something.

nanoedge

03/26/2010, 02:44 PM

Lavish would love to see a few pics of your tank are you putting any fish in there

Lavish62

03/26/2010, 02:50 PM

Nanoedge, you must have missed the end of page 5. I put two ocelaris clowns in, I love them. They are so small. I have some pics downloading, I'll post in a few.

Lavish62

03/26/2010, 03:09 PM

Here is an update for you guys, sorry buy my photo skills are horrible.

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00896.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00902.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00900.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00899.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00898.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00893.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00890.jpg
http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr63/lavish62/DSC00889.jpg

SirVilhelm

03/26/2010, 05:54 PM

I am soooo glad I found this thread!

I used to have MR11 LEDs as replacement bulbs from the stock bulbs but the salt totally eat them away.

NaturalReef, do you have a link to the bulbs you are using? I will order replacements and use that clearcoat to protect them this time.

ziege

03/27/2010, 12:36 AM

I saw this and, even though it's not a marine tank, I thought some of you would get a kick out of it...

http://reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=106588&stc=1&d=1269670005

It's a pretty normal looking freshwater edge tank, right?

From the top:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=106578&stc=1&d=1269668679

That's a CPR bakpak overflow box glued into the back. There is a hole drilled in one side to pass a return.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=106579&stc=1&d=1269669075

Filtration was a canister filter under the table which incidentally added a bit of water volume to the tank. Heater was an in-line hydor on the return from the canister. It had a couple of LED MR-16 type bulbs to make a rather neat little planted freshwater tank.

It was hard to take a good front shot with my cell phone but it looked really sharp in person. With the lid on it looked almost like a stock edge tank until you really looked. The small circles you can make out in the black area just above the driftwood in the full pic are holes that CPR drills in their overflow box to serve as mid-level water inlets. The flow was good, especially given that there were no pumps in the tank. Also, it could evaporate a fair amount of water (supposedly about three or four times the normal amount) before air bubbles show up under the top glass because the level would just drop in the overflow box. And no little bubbles from water splashing in from the HOB filter.

Bump the lighting up another notch, empty out the canister, and I bet it would make a sweet reef...and, since the back column was empty, you could probably still fit some useful gear fairly easily. There are some very cool things you could do if you really wanted.

Anyway, I thought it was cool and maybe offered some inspiration for edge reefers. It looked VERY polished in person, and was one of those "that just works" things.

Lavish62

03/27/2010, 09:35 AM

Ziege, thanks for sharing. That's super cool, when I set out on thus build I orginally was going to have an overflow and a sump but I ended up cheaping out. It would really be nice to have the extra room, water volume, and the fact when you put you hand in the tank the water would overflow into the sump and not on the floor.

ziege

03/27/2010, 10:14 AM

Those CPR bakpak overflows are about $16 online. A few feet of pvc pipe, some elbows, tees, and maybe an aqualifter would give you a fairly bulletproof drain back to the tank that could all hide in the rear column. Figure < $20 max. A 10g tank, powerhead, and some hose to get back and forth to the sump... I figure that's another $50 or so. Probably a bit more 'cause, reality, right? But still under $100.

Kinda interesting.

Mirugai

03/27/2010, 11:55 AM

can this overflow box works?

http://www.marinedepot.com/CPR_CS_Overflow_Boxes_External_Overflow_Boxes_for_Aquariums-CPR-CR1511-FIOFEB-vi.html

ziege

03/27/2010, 07:54 PM

Combining the info on the "details" page at marinedespot with the diagram here: http://www.aquacave.com/cs50-siphon-aquarium-br-overflow-box-br-by-cpr-aquatic-74.html I would say the tank opening would have to be over 6-7/8" wide, and the plastic rim would need to be more than 1.25" (F dimension - I dimension) tall. I think the edge tank is pretty close to that...edge. Also, I suspect you'd need to remove the light assembly or it wouldn't fit.

I would guess "no" but it's a near thing.

Lavish62

03/28/2010, 10:46 AM

As far as those overflow boxes go I would think that they are too big. It looks like they are really high and your water level would be way to low.

If I was to do it, and I have thought allot about this, I would make a box that would have teeth cut into it. I would then cut out a small cut out in the rim of the tank, this would allow the water to overflow into the box. There would be nothing in the tank to take up space at this point because the overflow is in the back.

I would then silicone the box to the tank so that the water does not leak out when overflowing from the tank to the box. You could either take the plastic closest to the tank out from the back column making the back column three sided. Then silicone the three sided box you made right to the tank, or just slide the box into the back column and silicone where the water flows from the tank to the box. I think taking out the plastic from the back column and making the box apart of the tank would be the best.

You can then either make that the sump, or you can make that an overflow into a sump. At that point you would want to get a return hose and a u pipe to return the water back over the top of the box and over the rim of the tank and into the tank.

I hope this helps, I would love to see someone step up and do this, it would make this tank legit...

Mirugai

03/28/2010, 10:50 AM

is the tank top opening made out of acrylic or glass?

Lavish62

03/28/2010, 10:55 AM

It's acrylic, all you would have to do is make two cuts and then take a razor to the silicone. That piece would come right out.

FishNutty

03/28/2010, 01:35 PM

Lavish, what's the fish in you avatar? It's really pretty!

Lavish62

03/28/2010, 11:36 PM

Thanks, his name is Dennis, for Dennis the menise because he has attitude, and like to pick on some of the others. It's a bloched Anthias, or a spotted Anthias. They are fun fish with their big eyes and spiny fins. One of my favorites.

mdt178

03/30/2010, 09:02 AM

I've been following this thread. That's two things we have in common: a Fluval Edge and a Blotched Anthias.

Lavish62

03/30/2010, 09:50 AM

I've been following this thread. That's two things we have in common: a Fluval Edge and a Blotched Anthias.

Not in the Edge I hope... They are awesome additions to a reef tank.

mdt178

03/30/2010, 02:49 PM

Of course not. Here it is in a 135G. He's a bit of a bully though.

http://www.cvreefers.org/gallery2/d/44384-1/center1.jpg

Lavish62

03/30/2010, 03:56 PM

Of course not. Here it is in a 135G. He's a bit of a bully though.

http://www.cvreefers.org/gallery2/d/44384-1/center1.jpg

Wow, beautiful fish and tank. Thanks for sharing.

Mirugai

03/30/2010, 05:03 PM

I'm thinking about getting this tank and place it next to my elos mini, build an overflow box and tie in the water to my mini's sump. I'm looking for option on how to make this work. Your idea of cutting and making teeth to the back edge of the tank and build a box behind it seems the best alternative.
I just don't have the experience in cutting acrylic. Anybody can tell me what tool needed to cut acrylic? Thanks

Lavish62

03/30/2010, 05:36 PM

I would use a dremel with the cutting blade that has teeth. Then get the sanding wheel and sand the edges.

That would be awesome, I would love to follow the build. I am really thinking of doing the overflow box my self since the guy flaked on the little sump. I am actually happy he did, the overflow idea is way better imo.

amutti

03/30/2010, 08:28 PM

Well I have the Mr16 LEDs installed, the tank is cycled, and a small order of livestock is due in tomorrow. I'll post some pictures when everybody is settled in.

darko

03/30/2010, 09:32 PM

Cool I just set mine up last weekend I am going to order the MR16 and a new heater tomorrow! Thanks, here is my tank its still has the stock bulbs.

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss285/DonnaDarko27/IMG_5014.jpg

Lavish62

03/30/2010, 11:04 PM

Nice darko, I originally thought about going with black sand. I love that look.

Mirugai

03/31/2010, 12:56 AM

ziege

03/31/2010, 08:36 AM

Sounds like a neat way to set up the tank.

As for livestock...

As I understand it a blue carpet anemone could fill the tank and then some. Don't they get to 36" or so? If you had any sort of growth at all you'd have to unglue the top or break glass to remove it. I don't know enough about nems to recommend an alternative.

I personally wouldn't put two clowns in a 6g tank but that's your call. I'd feel even worse w/ two clowns in whatever was left over from 6g after an anemone took its share. I'm assuming nothing else in the tank.

Lavish62

03/31/2010, 09:44 AM

just ordered my fluval edge, should be here in 2 days. This tank is gonna be dedicated to my pair picasso, so then I can get them to host a blue carpet nem. When the tank gets here I will try my best to document the build.

Few Qs that I'd like to ask. Does the MR16 sufficient enough for a blue carpet nem? And about plumbing the line to my sump, is there a reef safe glue that i can use to assemble the pvc?

Well, here's the plan. I will cut slots to the back of the opening for the water to overflow and create a box that catches the water, then drill a hole on the bottom of the overflow box and using 1/2" pvc bulkhead and 1/2" pvc pipe to send the water down to the mini's sump. And for the return I will use another 1/2" pipe run along the side of the drain line and coming back to the tank, next to the overflow box. The edge will sit on a console table next to the mini against the wall. I will try to hide the plumbing work behind the table and the table's leg. The only pipes that will be exposed is the one in between the table and the mini.

That's it I guess. If you have any ideas or recommendation please say so.
Thanks

That's going to be really sweet, I can't wait to see the build. The MR-16's should have plenty of light for the Carpet although, you are going to want to supplement it with some actinic, or blue. I originally put in two 13watt pc bulbs. It really created a nice looking color and much more par. I still have them if you would like them. If you look back at my thread you can see how I installed them. It was pretty clean.

I am wondering, do you have an acrylic guy local, as mine flaked and the other guy I knew went out of business. Maybe we can design this and have two made at the same time. Let me know...

Mirugai

03/31/2010, 10:49 AM

Lavish, Ill buy those lights from you if you willing to give me decent price. And as far as the overflow box, my friend got some tool that I think we can retrofit the tank without problem. If you willing to send me your tank. We can do both of the at the same time, but as I understand you have your tank stocked and running, so how do you want me to cut the back end?

As far as blue carpet, I thought of the same thing too. I'm gonna have a problem once it out grows the tank. Do you really think that I won't be able to take it out?

Lavish62

03/31/2010, 10:57 AM

[QUOTE=Mirugai;16873403]Lavish, Ill buy those lights from you if you willing to give me decent price. And as far as the overflow box, my friend got some tool that I think we can retrofit the tank without problem. If you willing to send me your tank. We can do both of the at the same time, but as I understand you have your tank stocked and running, so how do you want me to cut the back end?

Cutting the tank is not a problem, I need to find someone to make the overflow box for me.

ziege

03/31/2010, 11:05 AM

As far as blue carpet, I thought of the same thing too. I'm gonna have a problem once it out grows the tank. Do you really think that I won't be able to take it out?

I don't really know. Nems can be hard to move around on the best of days. Add in that tiny little opening and it seems like a miserable undertaking. Which is a shame because it'd look cool as anything.

Mirugai

03/31/2010, 11:46 AM

Lavish, I will get some extra plastic sheets to make 2 overflow boxes next week.

Anybody knows what type of glue to use to joint pvc together? is it reef safe?

nanoedge

03/31/2010, 11:54 AM

This thread just gets better and better look forward to seeing pics guys

Lavish62

03/31/2010, 12:07 PM

Lavish, I will get some extra plastic sheets to make 2 overflow boxes next week.

Anybody knows what type of glue to use to joint pvc together? is it reef safe?

:dance:Sweet, I can't wait. Let me know what you need from me.

When I built my big tank I used regular pvc glue, it seemed to work fine. I've never heard of a special glue, but I'll ask around.

Update: I got a small shipment today. I ordered a bright red acan with it looks like clear or blue feeders, and I also purchased a Archohelia Redivia. It is way sick, although expensive and rare worth it.

I popped it in today and it is already thriving, full coralite extension. I'll post pics soon, my iphone camera broke and I don't have my other camera here today.

nanoedge

03/31/2010, 12:14 PM

What are you guys using to hold the strip blue leds in place

Mirugai

03/31/2010, 12:34 PM

Lavish62

03/31/2010, 04:17 PM

after thinking about this setup. Is it really necessary to have an overflow box? How about just drill 1 5/8 hole on the acrylic back end and fit one of this bulkhead with a strainer? http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?idproduct=FT1141&idCartRow=19367907&isKit=0&child=FT1141

..then fit one of an elbow that point down and fit the hose to the sump? we can do the same thing as the return line. Drill another hole, fit the bulkhead for the return nossle?

If this works then I don't have to tooling around with cutting a slot and making an overflow box.
what do you think?

what is the purpose of an overflow box anyway? I got this idea from looking at my elos mini. It does'nt have an overflow box that catches water down. All it has is a hole with a strainer in front of it. And goes straight down to the sump.

The main reason that won't work is that acrylic lip on the tank is only 1 1/4" high, the rest is glass. One reason in this case and overflow would skim more of the surface of the water than a small hole. Really on this tank that wouldn't be a big deal though.

By cutting the acrylic rim out and putting in a small slotted surface skimming overflow it is the easiest way to keep the water level higher in the tank and not having to suck water out of the tank and waterfall back in. That is how we are doing it now and that creates bubbles, not to mention when you put your hand in the tank it will overflow onto the floor.

AHHHH the challenges of the edge!!!

Your tank is sick! love those Edges

Thanks TenKreefer...

nanoedge

04/05/2010, 11:27 AM

Has anyone made the overflow yet updates would be great guys if ya's have made any progress

amutti

04/05/2010, 12:23 PM

What are you guys using to hold the strip blue leds in place

I'm using automotive double-sided tape . . . probably not a longterm solution but it is holding.

amutti

04/05/2010, 12:30 PM

Well the only good news from last week (my 4 year old 55 g reef tank crashed last week -- all the original fish are dead) is that my Edge nano is going very well. Here are a couple of pictures. I'm probably going to move it to my office a week from today. I'm not adding anything else until then, because I'm pretty certain the condi is going to move one the tanks out of the window.

http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/IMG_1234/web.jpg?ver=12704799780001
http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/IMG_1263/web.jpg?ver=12704799790001
http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/IMG_1235/web.jpg?ver=12704799800001
http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/IMG_1262/web.jpg?ver=12704799780001

The hammers look a bit retracted because I fragged them from the main colony in my crashing 55 gallon (just starting to recover). I think the parent colony is going to survive, but I wanted to be sure I something to regrow the colonies if necessary.

Lavish62

04/05/2010, 04:37 PM

Has anyone made the overflow yet updates would be great guys if ya's have made any progress

Nope not yet, too busy. I still need to find an acrylic guy around here.

Amutti, looks good, nice start. Whats your plans for the tank?

Mirugai

04/05/2010, 07:12 PM

I'm still working on mine right now. Should be done this week if time permits. You can get acrylic sheets from OSH. Here's what I've done so far:

amutti

04/05/2010, 07:29 PM

Amutti, looks good, nice start. Whats your plans for the tank?

I've already replaced the bulbs with MR16 LEDs. They are OK, but not the spread I was hoping for. I ended up putting one spot LED spot to make sure the anemone had enough light, of course it hangs on the other side . . . I added two blue 4 diod led strips from LEDWholesalers.

Once I move it to its permanent location, I'll see how everything settles in. If more light is needed I'll make a custom LED fixture.

For stocking, well that depends on the Condi. If it finds a nice spot and doesn't move much, I'd like to put some duncans and a blasto on the low light side. I'll need a few more small pieces of LR to shelter them from the current. Other wise rics and the pink zoos I have in there. I haven't decided if I'm going to put a fish in. Maybe a fire fish? I have 3 peppermint shrimp and a small CUC now -- pretty entertaining.

nanoedge

04/07/2010, 01:30 PM

So how are you covering your leds I know naturalreef was using automotive laquer wonder if this worked

amutti

04/07/2010, 03:02 PM

I clear coated them using a high-temp rated clear coat. I thought it was a great idea. No problems yet. One of the bulbs is a spot light (http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=389) and had lens over the LED anyway. The other is closer to this in bright white (http://www.amazon.com/MR16-GU5-3-Wide-Angle-White/dp/B0032VOB68/ref=sr_1_43?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1270674047&sr=1-43).

Once I move it into the office I will need to re-evaluate the lighting.

amutti

04/07/2010, 03:11 PM

This is a pretty accurate photo of what the tank looks like at night with the lights on. It is a bit blurry, but you'll get the idea. It might be enough??

http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/IMG_1275/web.jpg?ver=12706745880001

nanoedge

04/07/2010, 04:22 PM

I got some MR16 with 60 SMD's 310lm and 6500k colour temp seem to do a great job need to put some zoa's in soon see how they get on http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8-x-MR16-60-SMD-LED-HIGH-POWER-310LM-DAY-WHITE-BULBS_W0QQitemZ130375903039QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Light_Bulbs?hash=item1e5b02673f#ht_2868wt_754

SirVilhelm

04/07/2010, 04:37 PM

Mirugai

04/07/2010, 07:36 PM

Everything is done, except I need to hook everything up together. Some pictures while I did leak test.

Mirugai

04/07/2010, 07:37 PM

Pics

Mirugai

04/07/2010, 08:03 PM

One more

Mirugai

04/07/2010, 11:11 PM

spmedi

04/07/2010, 11:27 PM

amutti,

I have to assume that you did not purchase the same 16s as naturalreef right? I'll have to go back but I think he chose the bulbs that had a 140 degree spread.

nanoedge

04/08/2010, 01:27 AM

@Mirguai it is a different LED MR16 bulb than anyone has mentioned before.The lumens for the ledwholesalers bulb was 240 were as this one is 310 I have no shadows in the corners of the tank when the hood is off but when you put the hood on there is a very small shadow in the corners. Seems to me which was stated before by Lavish62 anything over 80-90 degree spread is just blocked out when the hood is on which creates the shadows. Liking the looks of the overflow:dance: is it noisey? Would love one of these dont suppose you made an extra one :jester::jester:

Mirugai

04/08/2010, 11:17 AM

Nanoedge, i wish I can make it and just give it to you. There's more involve in making this box, a lot of gluing and it is not as simple as attaching a hangback skimmer. If you can see from the pictures, I had it permanently glued to the back of the tank.

Making the box is not as easy as i thought. I tried cutting the acrylic sheet using my router, but i couldn't make a straight edge. So I went to OSH, bought a sheet of .93" thick acrylic and I had the guy cut it to the dimension I asked. There are total of 5 pieces that you'll need, left side, right side, back side, bottom side and top front side. The purpose of top front side is to fill the gap between the back opening lip of the tank and the back of the tank, so it is flushed, without this you'll have a gap between the lip and the OFB. Just look at the back of edge of your opening (I believe this is where you hang your filter) it isn't flush with the back of the tank.

I glued four sides together, two sides, bottom and back side, leave the front side open for the back of the tank. Then glued the top front side directly to the tank. ThereOnce they dried , in 24 hrs, I glued the box to the back side. Drill 1/8" holes to the lip along the opening of the box and cut the slots according to the holes. To me, this is the hardest part, dealing with free hand cutting job. I wasn't able to make slots straight, but I guess it's good enough to do the job. And two last thing, you will need to cut the hole on the bottom and cut a square on the back plastic frame. Use the box to mock where you want to cut.

I'm sorry if I don't explain this clearly enough, please feel free to ask any question. Here's a picture of the drawing I made and btw, you can just round down the numbers.

Mirugai

04/08/2010, 11:18 AM

...

Mirugai

04/08/2010, 11:20 AM

And here's the picture of the back frame that I cut

SirVilhelm

04/08/2010, 11:53 AM

...

Mirugai, can you post a larger image of your dimensions? I really want to make this!

Mirugai

04/08/2010, 01:52 PM

Here's the round down measurement:
L&R side = 4x3.25
Back side= 4.8x4
Bottom side = 4.8x3.15
Hole diameter = 1.25
top front outside edge = 4.8x1
Top front inside cutout = 3.8x0.5

Remember, cut the hole first before you glue them. Once you have the box glued, mock the line to cut the rear plastic frame. Glue the top front, let dry and cut the slots. Install the bulkhead and glue the overflow box to the tank

Lavish62

04/09/2010, 11:51 AM

Lavish62, thank you for the lights! Seeing your tank in person is really amazing. You got my buddy Joe and I thinking about doing some kind of LED DYI in the future. Where did you get that little piece of acrylic that you use to hold the ATO sensor? And what has the name of that filter floss you got from Taungs?

SirVilhelm, I'm glad they worked out for you, thanks for coming by. I'm glad you liked the tank, it's always fun to have guys in the hobby come by and give props.

The ATO holder is from Digital Aquatics, they make the ATO unit I used. You can also use the Elos ATO. As for the filter floss I don't know much about it at this point. It seems to be working out although I'm not sure. The name of it is Pura Filtration Pad.

Miguriu, That overflow is awesome. I'm really excited to see that my ideas work:dance: I can't wait to make mine, I have just been real busy. Very nice job though.

Mirugai

04/09/2010, 12:49 PM

Everything hooked up and working. Although it flooded my living room floor briefly last night, I found out the hard way that if the drain line is only 1/2", I can't have the return pump crank up more than 100 gph. I wish I have 3/4" drain line. Another problem is that the strainer plug that I bought restricted the water to drain faster than needed, so now I just have an open hole.
I need to figure out something to prevent anything that could clogged up the overflow drain line. If a snail happen to drop in and plug the drain that would be a dissaster.

Here's some pictures of the final stage, I still need to get some LR for the tank.

Mirugai

04/09/2010, 12:50 PM

This tapatalk always gives me grief in uploading images...

Mirugai

04/09/2010, 01:29 PM

...

Mirugai

04/09/2010, 01:32 PM

One more

Mirugai

04/09/2010, 01:36 PM

All plumbing work are hidden behind the cabinet. The only one that's exposed is the 2 PVC lines between the cabinet and the mini. They blend in with the floor board.

Mirugai

04/09/2010, 01:39 PM

The back.

SirVilhelm

04/09/2010, 05:02 PM

Wow that looks great, you need to sell that design! I feel a new weekend project coming on!

Mirugai

04/09/2010, 06:11 PM

Look what i just got!

Woooooo hoooooo!

Mirugai

04/10/2010, 10:44 AM

Fts

Mirugai

04/10/2010, 07:03 PM

I'm not sure if those mr16 is bright enough for the carpet nem. I might try those 310 lumens one from eBay.

The drain line has been giving me some problems. Im guessing that the problem happens because it doesn't go straight down to the sump, the line has to go back up to reach the lip of the sump. The line flows similar to a trap that we have under our sink. Few times when I disturbed the flow from the return line, it slowed down the drain flow and water level raised in the overflow box. And if I didn't shut down the return pump, I would have flooded my living room again.

I am scrambling to find out the cause. I think air is the culprit. If air somehow got trapped in the drain line I would have this problem. Anyone got any clue why?

I had to install a float switch in the overflow box to prevent any further mishaps.

ziege

04/10/2010, 08:14 PM

I've had similar set-ups.

Main problem I had, as far as I could tell, boiled down to mass. My solution, to skip over the theory for a moment, was to use a larger diameter tube for the down flow. A big wide opening in the overflow and a big down-tube, coupled to smaller horizontal and up tubing. Seemed to help. I would use a 2" down tube if I could.

Here's my theory: When water starts flowing you need to accelerate all the water in the U to match the inflow rate. If you have 10 feet of U that is probably a couple pounds of water (depends on the ID of the plumbing obviously, but w/ a .75" ID that's ~1.8lbs of water), and the only force being applied is the head on the down tube. If the pipes are uniform diameters and you have 1' of head (difference between the bottom of the water level in the overflow box and the outlet to the sump) that's 1/10th of the mass in the pipe. If you stop the flow in the pipe the acceleration from that 1/10th mass will be roughly 3 feet/second squared BEFORE you factor in friction and the bends in the pipe. So 3 seconds to get things flowing is a best case.

A 200gph pump will deliver about 0.16 gallons of water in 3 seconds. No big deal in a standard tank but if the opening area in the edge is 7"x5"x1", you have approximately 0.15 gallons of wiggle room in the top area. Of course the overflow box and down pipe add a little bit more but you are basically talking about very little margin for error. An engineer would be looking for 5-10 times that volume as a safety margin. Going to a 2" pipe basically doubles (an extra .14g) the volume just in the 1' head area, and 3" pipe doubles that again. Of course if you have more than 1' of difference between the overflow and sump, you have more margin still.

What also happens, in my theory, is that when things settle out to a steady state the level in the down tube will only be slightly higher than the level in the up tube, just enough to compensate for friction and bend losses. But at first the water level is much higher because of all the time it took to get the process started, which means gravity will accelerate the water to too high a velocity, exceeding the inflow rate of the pump, and draw the level in the plumbing below the level of the up leg. At that point gravity slows the water flow down and now the pump is exceeding the outflow rate of the pipe. That means an oscillation in the tube. That could potentially draw air into the horizontal portion but the oscillation can also cause overflow risks itself. If you aren't careful you'll have a system that is fine when running but a power failure can cause overflows.

Increasing the volume of the down tube (using a larger ID) gives you more time for those oscillations to work themselves out, more time for the acceleration to start (because there is more reserve volume on the tank side of the system), and reduces the rate of acceleration (because the vertical tube water level, therefore head, doesn't rise as fast) as the system is coming up to speed, all of which reduces the chance of an overflow. I think.

But I'm just using paper napkin physics so take it all for what it's worth.

Mirugai

04/11/2010, 12:08 AM

Thanks Ziege. I kinda understand what you're saying. But yeah, I should've gone with bigger drain line. I've got bigger thing to worry about at this moment. My new carpet is not doing so well.

Mirugai

04/11/2010, 11:00 PM

.. and disaster strikes. As I get on the floor to install a timer for the main light, I found water!!! Sure enough there's leak in the overflow box. Instead of keeping my head cool and patch the leak, I ended up tearing everything apart. Don't ask!

So I moved everything in the tank to the mother tank.

Back to square one :(

Lavish62

04/12/2010, 10:29 AM

Ziege you lost me at "Main problem I had, as far as I could tell, boiled down to mass." Great explanation, I agree I think that the weight the better.

.. and disaster strikes. As I get on the floor to install a timer for the main light, I found water!!! Sure enough there's leak in the overflow box. Instead of keeping my head cool and patch the leak, I ended up tearing everything apart. Don't ask!

So I moved everything in the tank to the mother tank.

Back to square one :(

Sorry to here, it looked like things were going well. I love what you have done so far, don't give up and good luck with the rebuild.

Icefyres

04/12/2010, 10:36 AM

So have anyone looked at the drawups for the light PSU? could the maby support 4 LED MR16 "bulbs"? I looked at a FW thread and someone had added a IKEA LED lamp loose fitted outside. Looked erm erm well less then "sleek design" but the idea of a bar running across the top box with a LED at each end to light up the outer parts of the tank?

I have'nt even got my Edge yet he he, but reading up and my mind plotting it might not look too bad.

Mirugai

04/12/2010, 10:48 AM

Since everything is back to square one, Im upgrading it to 3/4" bulkhead with 3/4" drain line. Gonna be in NY for 4 days, so it just have to wait until I get back. I'm kinda glad this happened before I leave town.

drunkentrader

04/12/2010, 04:26 PM

good stuff!

ive been using this thread as a guide on which lighting to use.. ordered some mr16 bulbs from ledwholesalers, and then realized the need for a lil extra, so i ordered the 310 lumen 60 smd ones that were mentioned here(ebay uk).. currently have both mr16's and a pair of mr11 led's setup, but cant tell the difference in lighting when adding the mr11's...

my corals like the lighting, but its just not enough coverage thoughout, so hopefully the 310 lumen lights will do better.. also wired in a 4 led blue strip for moon liighting(spliced into the power wire) and just ordered 3 more strips(gonna wire in a switch so that only one acts as moon lighting) hoping to get a better mix of color to bring out the fluorescent blues and greens.. also looking to order the ecotech mp10 to complete the setup...

i also ordered 4 UV led's... not sure how im gonna wire these in...

cant wait to see what you guys come up with next!

drunkentrader

04/12/2010, 06:19 PM

using my buddy's camera... just cant manage to get a nice picture out of these sony cybershot 10megapixel cams...

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/cwann/fluval%20edge%20reef%20tank/fishtank007.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/cwann/fluval%20edge%20reef%20tank/fishtank006.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/cwann/fluval%20edge%20reef%20tank/fishtank005.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/cwann/fluval%20edge%20reef%20tank/fishtank003.jpg

two clowns(i was looking for baby ones less than an 3/4 inch, but they were all could find and i was impulsive; theyll soon go in my 30 gallon) one yellow clown goby. one sexy shrimp, one pompom crab, a hermit, and a few snails..

nanoedge

04/13/2010, 04:39 AM

Be careful with the stocking thats alot for such a small tank you dont want the tank to crash. Nice pics though looking good.

Was talking to a guy today and he is looking into doing a Mr16 led bulb with high powered LED's told him any color temp higher than 7000k would be great said it shouldn't be a problem ill keep ya's informed

amutti

04/13/2010, 09:03 AM

I stayed away from leathers and most soft corals due to the large amount of slime, etc. Also, is there enough current?? Stuff seems happy though. Good luck.

drunkentrader

04/13/2010, 11:57 AM

yeah, i think im gonna take out half of the lavender shrooms... the toadstool has stayed slime free, but i know what you guys are saying.. i took most of the peices from my 30 gallon as the shrooms were spreading all over the place and mainly just to see how things would look.. maybe i'll trade the shrooms them for some small frags.. i think im gonna take out the clowns, too, and get a small pipefish, or something similar.. but i think id have to get rid of my tomato clown that its in my 30 gallon before throwing them in... he is quite the bully... also there is a peacock mantis shrimp in there, and as long as he is fed once a week he ignores the fish... but i have lost a blenny and a goby before.. havent lost any pelagic fishes to the mantis.. but the clowns may be too juvenile to stay alert to "Debo" the mantis.. he senses stress and weakness, no matter the size of fish, so thats the only thing that worries me about throwing the clowns in..

seems to be enough current, i was gonna buy the koralia nano(seems like a goo dbuy for $20) but all i hear is good things about the ecotech mp10, so im gonna try to scoop one up in the next week or two.. so far everything looks normal and happy in the tank.... however im a bit more haphazard than most, and i guess have just been lucky with keeping things alive, perhaps thats made me a lil too ballsy..

amutti

04/13/2010, 05:43 PM

The mp10 is awesome, but expensive. I have one on my 55 gallon. I'm not sure I'd buy one for a nano this small . . . I put a koralia nano in my edge, but it's not really working out. The current is too constant. I have the new model, but it still wont work on a wave maker (so the instructions say). I may try it anyway. I have one of these lying around:http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/198310/product.web

Lavish62

04/14/2010, 10:13 AM

Hey guys thanks for keeping this thread alive. I'm so happy to see so many people into these little tanks, they are so cool. I've been super busy, as for an update in my tank, everything is doing good. I'm really happy with everything so far. I really haven't done much as far as stocking goes, although what I have done is happy and doing good.

I really want to get my over flow going and set up my ATO, and fuge. its all about time...

I'll get some pics up soon.

rick216

04/15/2010, 05:49 PM

How are the pumps in these tanks? Are they loud? I'm planning on getting one for the bedroom.

amutti

04/15/2010, 06:16 PM

pretty quiet so far.

amutti

04/19/2010, 08:55 AM

So here are some more pictures. I have added two Koralia Nano circulation pumps. I alternate one on at a time every 15 minutes in lieu of a wave maker. I'll see how it works long term, it seems to be working well now. Even if they wear out every couple of years its cheaper than a wave maker setup.

I'm stocking 3 peppermint shrimp and two feeder shore shrimp. I have some zoos, Euphyllia, mushrooms, and one small condi. That will probably be it. I'm changing 1/2 gallon of water every 4 days.

http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/Office%20tank%2C%20week%205/web.jpg?ver=12715958210001
http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/Office%20tank%2C%20week%205%20top/web.jpg?ver=12715958910001
http://gallery.me.com/tonymutti/100031/IMG_0036/web.jpg?ver=12716884100001

EDIT: and a couple of recovering candy cane corals.

Chag

04/19/2010, 03:11 PM

that's hot

FishNutty

04/20/2010, 07:51 AM

looking good:dance:

Blitzburggirl

04/20/2010, 09:07 AM

Wow, beautiful fish and tank. Thanks for sharing.

Still have lots of reading to do in this thread before I say anything constructive (boy do I give myself alot of credit there!!!) or ask a question :) But I will share Herbie with you!

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/blitzburggirl/IMG_9002.jpg

Mirugai

04/20/2010, 12:37 PM

Update,

I finished rebuild the box. This time I'm using 3/4" drain line to get faster flow. Everything is working great.

Mirugai

04/20/2010, 12:38 PM

Pics

Mirugai

04/20/2010, 12:38 PM

Mirugai

04/20/2010, 12:39 PM

And last

drunkentrader

04/20/2010, 03:00 PM

^ lookin good!

i received the ebay uk mr16 62 smd 300 lumen(if i remember the specs right) and they look alright, still not the answer.. marginally better than the 2 other sets i have(9 smd mr11and mr16 42 smd or so?).. i have both sets hooked up, and i cant really tell if there is a benefit of running both sets simultaneously(i swapped the mr16 sockets, then rewired the stock mr11 to run two sets of "cool" white smd leds)...

what i want to do is find a set of mr11 royal blue/ actinic, but cant find any sources...

does this make sense for crisper/brighter/bluer lighting? as in, will 2 mr16 "cool white" 300 lumen bulbs and 2 mr11 royal blue lamps project a more proper "reef-like" lighting?

i have a few blue led strips hooked up(4 leds each board), and it does brighten or make "cooler" the light by eliminating some of the yellow tint, but it still doesnt look like a proper "reef tank"...

any advice? sorry, im just not well versed in lumens and par and temps, etc.. just figured if i could get a couple wide angle mr16 running 300 lumens ea at "cool white: 5k-6500k, and a couple mr11 royal blues that i may be able to mimick the lighting of a larger t5 reef tank? is this realistic?

i also have 4 3v UV leds that i was planning on running together in series byh tapping into the power line(12v's 4 bulbs, 3v per bulb). do you think this will add enough to change the overall tint of the lighting?

Lavish62

04/22/2010, 11:31 AM

drunkentrader, IMO I the easiest and most effective way to accomplish the coloration you are looking for would be how I originally did my lighting set up. I used the mr-16's, and two 50/50 PC's. It was the best temp I found, and you are using a tried and true bulb that will give out all the vitamins your corals need to thrive. LED's aren't quite proven for the best coloration and growth.

If you look back at my LED, PC set up I was the happiest with the color and spread. My recommendation would be to go that route. I'm not saying this because I want to sell my bulbs but if you need a setup I have two brand new bulbs, Ballasts, and the reflectors I used.

I would definently consider going that route over buying bulb after bulb. Hope that helps

needyreefer

04/26/2010, 02:33 PM

Tanks look great everybody! I just picked up one of these tanks yesterday, and I'm trying to decide what I want to mod on it. I have an Aquamedic 150 MH lamp not in use and I'd love to put it on this baby, but I'm not trying to turn the tank into soup! I was think about installing cooling fans in the top lid part to counter act the heat from the halide. Do you guys think this would work, or am i asking for trouble?

Also if I go the LED route all i need to do for mr16 bulbs is buy new sockets and screw 'em in and I'm set? Is this a pretty easy task? I' havent used LED's before and this is still a new concept to me.

One last thing, has anybody figured out a way to run a refugium on their system while still having room for carbon and what-not?