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serpentman
07/08/2010, 12:26 PM
Since my new project is a large departure from my 300g build (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1593174 ) , I figured it deserved its own thread. I’ve been wanting a small tank in my home office for some time. After some recent issues with STNing SPS corals, it became apparent that not only is this a want but it would also be beneficial to have another separate system up and running to bank corals in, etc. Plus, I wanted to do some long term experimentation with LED lighting. So here goes:

Equipment:

Main Display: 45g (25”x 25” x 18”)
Sump: ~23g (24” x 18” x 12”)
Skimmer: Octopus Extreme 200
Return Pump: Mag 5
Heat: Sunlight Supply 200W titanium heater
Lighting: 24 x 3W Cree LED’s (8 XPG white, 16 XRE Blue)


The cube was made by www.greatlakesaquarium.com in Warren, MI. The tank ran ~$107 and was undrilled. I painted the back black and drilled holes in for the return and drain.



http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0602.jpg

I treated myself to some needed tools for Father’s Day so I built the stand myself:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0619.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0620.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0622.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0628.jpg

This week I plumbed it and installed the sump:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0632.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0637.jpg

serpentman
07/08/2010, 12:26 PM
Lighting: I’ve decided to go with LED lighting for this setup.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0532.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0525.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0636.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0644.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0645.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0643.jpg

And to bring it up to date, I added water and sand last night so its nice and cloudy
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0668.jpg

Sugar Magnolia
07/08/2010, 12:41 PM
Very nice. It's so clean and sleek looking! Looking forward to seeing it fill up. :thumbsup:

serpentman
07/08/2010, 02:11 PM
Thanks! I'm hoping it'll clear up overnight so I can get to aquascaping it.

serpentman
07/08/2010, 09:11 PM
Got it aquascaped. Water's still a little cloudy. Will work to get water parameters in line and will probably start adding livestock this weekend.

Front view:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0679.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0681.jpg

Side View:

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0680.jpg

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i223/serpentman2000/DSCF0682.jpg

CausticGuy
07/08/2010, 09:19 PM
Love the aquascape! Im currently waiting on my 25g Great Lakes Aquarium, Ive heard good things about them.

AD87
07/09/2010, 06:16 AM
Looking good!

AngelAddict
07/09/2010, 06:47 AM
Looks good! What did you go with on the LEDs? 8 XR-E whites and 16 XR-E royals? Will that be enough white? Did you use dimmers? I'm going with 13 XP-G whites and 24 XR-E royals over a solana on dimmers, overkill but I want the tank filled with SPS. Goodluck with your setup, very clean.

purplereef
07/09/2010, 06:52 AM
I can't wait to see the LE corals in there Jeff. Looks awesome.

serpentman
07/09/2010, 07:15 AM
Looking good!

Thanks Tony!

I can't wait to see the LE corals in there Jeff. Looks awesome.

Me too! Hoping to add some stuff this weekend. Just need to get the water quality where I want it and its off to the races...

Looks good! What did you go with on the LEDs? 8 XR-E whites and 16 XR-E royals? Will that be enough white? Did you use dimmers? I'm going with 13 XP-G whites and 24 XR-E royals over a solana on dimmers, overkill but I want the tank filled with SPS. Goodluck with your setup, very clean.

I'm going with the XPG's for the whites. I actually ended up putting in a second bank that I had lying around to get more even coverage. It's a total of 16 XPG's and 32 XRE's.

I would not use the XPG's 1:1 with the blues. They are much brighter and will wash the blues. 1:1 will give you a 10K look. 1:2 is more like a 12-14K look. Because of the shallow depth, I'm not using optics either.

TwistedEnvy
07/09/2010, 07:32 AM
Looking great! Now I know how I am going to make the stand for my new frag tank....well, stand "cover" I should say. We girls need to see how someone else does things before we do them... or at least I do. I can't wait to see what your tank ends up looking like :)

serpentman
07/09/2010, 07:39 AM
Looking great! Now I know how I am going to make the stand for my new frag tank....well, stand "cover" I should say. We girls need to see how someone else does things before we do them... or at least I do. I can't wait to see what your tank ends up looking like :)

I'll definitely keep you posted. It'll look much better when I get some life in it.

Good luck with the stand. It was surprisingly easy. Actually too easy. My wife now has a list of things she wants made. Oh well, I managed to get through 13 years before I was found out.