AIO 20L Zoanthid Garden

[fote03]

I have been wanting a AIO 20L zoanthid garden for a while and finally started building it this passed weekend.

Here are my plans as of now!

- 20 Gallon Long
- 70w HM
- retro led moonlights
- Maxi-Jet 1200 return
- Koralia Nano
- Homemade stand
- autotop off

Livestock:
- 10lbs Live Rock
- Black sand
- Citron Clown Goby
- zoanthids

Petco Sale $1 a gallon
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20LTank.jpg

My Stand so far
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20Lstand2.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20Lstand.jpg

[fote03]

Got some more done on the stand and tank today!

False Wall
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/AIOFalsewall.jpg

AIO Sump
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/AIOsump-1.jpg

Stand is Finally Stained
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20Lstand3.jpg

Door
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/StandDoor.jpg

The trim didnt take the stain so im going to spray them black tomorrow.

[aquadonkey]

Looks like a great start!
Interested to see it all put together :)

[fote03]

Painted the trim black and clear coated the stand. Should have it running this week!

Couch viewing!
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20Linplace.jpg

Front viewing!
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20Linplace2.jpg

[Sea_Monk3y]

lookin good.. my brother did almost the exact same setup but with a 40breeder

[zma21]

How high are you going to have to keep the light to spread it out over the length of the tank?

[savageAJC]

Very sweet, what i want to do to my 20L, what did you use for the false wall?

[eXcite95]

following along..looks great so far

nick b

[fote03]

aquadonkey - Thanks!

zma21 - Not sure how high im going to mount the light...i was thinking of adding a canopy to keep it clean but haven't build that yet.

savageAJC - I used two piece of glass that i got cut at local glass shop.

eXcite95 - Thanks!

[fote03]

Im picking up sand tonight and already have water made.

[fote03]

Its Alive!
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/6bab19fb.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/1ba4f5ad.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/dce5c629.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/88593dea.jpg

Will try to get the light mounted tonight!

[savageAJC]

Fote, is the black false wall glass also?

[fote03]

Yes the false wall is glass i painted it black!

[Sam2000001]

Nice build! Following along! How tall did you end up building your stand?(without the tank)

[fote03]

The stand is between 23-24"

[fote03]

Finally got my fixture wired up and hung. Its a DIY Solara fixture. Also got a Citron Clown Goby from some local reefer!

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20Llightinplace2.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/20Llightinplace.jpg

[Sinful Aquatics]

Nice tank! Do you plan on have exotic zoas or just common ones or both?

[fote03]

Im planning on adding as many types of Zoa as i can find that i like. I have a list started we will see how it grows!

[Fer21]

Nice tank, good luck with your tank!!!!

[fote03]

Thanks i cant wait to get some zoas in it.

[reeftanknewbie]

will be watching closely as I am planning the exact same thing for my office. love the black sand.

[fote03]

reeftanknewbie make sure u paint the side thats against the wall...i failed and didnt.

I picked up some really nice eagle eye zoa with bright yellow skirts from a local guy.

[reeftanknewbie]

reeftanknewbie make sure u paint the side thats against the wall...i failed and didnt.

I picked up some really nice eagle eye zoa with bright yellow skirts from a local guy.

Good point. I think I am planning to paint all 3 sides of the tank. eagle eyes are one of my favorite along with green bay packers, watermelons, goblin fire, devils armor, king midas, and radioactive dragon eyes to name just a few.

[fote03]

Eagle Eye Zoa with Yellow skirts

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/zoa-1-1.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/b1ba4a84-1-1.jpg

[reef krazy]

Were did you get that mh pendant??? I like it

[fote03]

Walmart its a Stainless Mixing Bowl with a shop light fixture retro fitted into it.

[reeftanknewbie]

Walmart its a Stainless Mixing Bowl with a shop light fixture retro fitted into it.

great idea, can't wait to see how this plays out with zoa growth over time.

[fote03]

FTS
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/ZoaFTSOct102010.jpg

[JasonBJones]

Its coming along. Looks like you have some nice frags in there.

[CHSreefer]

looks good!

[reeftanknewbie]

very nice progress and selection of zoas. Can't wait to see them filling out.

[fote03]

Now i just need to wait for them to grow in. I'm getting a CUC and some Chaeto this week from a local reefer that's taking down his tank.

[thewire]

You can polish the stainless steel bowl inside with mother's

[Haplochromine]

Ha ha ha nice reflector. Very creative and practical.

[fote03]

Thanks Haplochromine

[fote03]

Nightmare Zoa
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/79cc7c52-1-1-1.jpg

Lunar Eclipse Zoa
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/308008a3-1-1.jpg

Red Ring Zoa
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/85d1f248.jpg

Tubb Blues
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/4db4f69b-1-1.jpg

Eagle Eye Zoaz
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/908f2f4c-2.jpg

[fote03]

Couple more

Devil's Armor
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/ba9ebe42-1.jpg

Organism Paly
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/908f2f4c-1-1.jpg

Nuclear Greens
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/4a61c2c0-1-1.jpg

Purple Death
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/308008a3-2-2.jpg

LA Laker Zoa
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/19b8ef55-1-1.jpg

[fote03]

Couple more

Eagle Eye Zoa with yellow skirts
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/b1ba4a84-1-1-1.jpg

Candy Apple Red
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/79cc7c52-1-2-1-1.jpg

Couple more i not sure on the names...

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/4db4f69b-4-1.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/4db4f69b-3-1.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/308008a3-2-1-1.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/My%20Coral/AIOZoa-1.jpg

[reeftanknewbie]

Looking great. Love the selection so far. Now I heard zoanthids prefer "dirty" water vs. very clean water although it seems to depend on who I have talked to in my local club. What are your plans for water quality and maintenance?

[sailoracu2]

Your tank looks great, good luck with the 20L AIO. I've had one for two years, too many limitations and water parameters are hard to maintain.

[hktoez]

looks great. the false wall works perfectly with the tank placement. my zoas thrive in my skimmerless/sumpless 20g high

[fote03]

water quality and maintenance?

5gal water change weekly and half the back area is a fuge with cheato! I bought an ato that i need to setup this week.

sailoracu2 and hktoez any advice?

[fote03]

A little update.
Started the rock work.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/07cf204b.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/3b3d94e6.jpg

Finally got the rock back in the tank. Hopefully everything will open back up and like there new spots!

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/47dca48c.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/a25c29c9.jpg

[reeftanknewbie]

looks awesome. Are those plastic chop sticks your using? What a great idea. I was trying to think of what I might use for my pillars in my tank. Were do you get them at?

[asacopoo]

what brand of sand is that

[fote03]

reeftanknewbie - Ya they are plastic chopsticks. I got them from a local Asian market. Pack of 20 was only $3.99. And the super glue worked great. I would setup what i wanted to glue and would set it in a bucket of water to make the glue cure and just repeated the process a couple times to make sure there was lots of glue and that it would hold and not fall apart in the tank.

asacopoo - Im not sure on the brand. I got it from a buddy taking down his tank. He got it at our lfs. But if u check out reefsand.com their Black Beach Sand #1 looks just like it.

[reeftanknewbie]

reeftanknewbie - Ya they are plastic chopsticks. I got them from a local Asian market. Pack of 20 was only $3.99. And the super glue worked great. I would setup what i wanted to glue and would set it in a bucket of water to make the glue cure and just repeated the process a couple times to make sure there was lots of glue and that it would hold and not fall apart in the tank.

asacopoo - Im not sure on the brand. I got it from a buddy taking down his tank. He got it at our lfs. But if u check out reefsand.com their Black Beach Sand #1 looks just like it.

Again great idea. I was thinking of using a marine grade epoxy cement with fiberglass rods but seeing this helped me to change my mind. Let me know how the super glue holds up as I have difficulty with it in my tank keeping the frags on their plugs. I use the lock tight brand.

[fote03]

The key i have found with super glue is adding coats. Put the rock that ur gluing in water and let it sit for a minute than add another coat. Kinda makes the glue cure/dry quick. Im sure u could let it sit for 5-10 mins and the glue would dry. That's just the way i have done it. Same with frags a couple coats work most of the time, some corals just have and extra coat that doesn't let the glue bond with the frag.

[reeftanknewbie]

The key i have found with super glue is adding coats. Put the rock that ur gluing in water and let it sit for a minute than add another coat. Kinda makes the glue cure/dry quick. Im sure u could let it sit for 5-10 mins and the glue would dry. That's just the way i have done it. Same with frags a couple coats work most of the time, some corals just have and extra coat that doesn't let the glue bond with the frag.

great idea. Never thought of using coats. So if I were to glue two rocks together I should put glue on both rocks then soak them in the water then add a coat of glue to both again and glue them together?

[fote03]

Glue the rocks together and put them in the water for a min to make the glue cure than repeat a couple times.

[fote03]

I picked up a couple more zoa and a couple sps that will go in another tank once its ready for them.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/08a91b6e.jpg

I also hooked up a ATO.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/DIY/a6d9ada8.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/DIY/DSCF2100.jpg
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/DIY/DSCF2101.jpg

[reeftanknewbie]

great collection of corals at this point......are you going to let the zoas grow all over the rocks to carpet them? If so, it might be more visually appealing if you removed them from the frag plugs and glued them directly to the rocks. Looks better especially as they are growing out. Are you planning to feed them and/or use Vitamin C? Sorry for all of the questions but it seems like a good place to start discussing this while you grow what you currently have. Just my thoughts/suggestions.

[fote03]

Im running out of room so once i have my other tank up i will start gluing frags to the rock work. I might break apart the arch and do some kind of minimalist aqua-scaping. As far a vitamin c i dont have a skimmer and everything i have read that is a must. Any other opinions on dosing VC?

[samdaman]

Can I make a suggestion, since you did not paint the back, put up some black poster board or something of that sort to make it black, thats what I did on my 20

[fote03]

Thanks for the suggestion samdaman. i might add a black background when i change up the rock work.

[reeftanknewbie]

looks great...can you explain to me your ATO.

[fote03]

Pretty basic setup! First i made my mounts from acrylic using a heat gun which took a while. Next i spliced the float switch into the extension cord and plug the pump into the extension cord. Then i mounted the float switch where i want my water level and mounted the top off tubing. I built two separate mounts and ended up putting them side by side. Now i wish i had just made one mount and incorporated the top off and the float into it! Guess there is always next time! Hook up the tubing to the pump and plug in the extension cord. Fill the trash can with R/O water and let it go.

Parts
-3gal trash can (but any size container will work)
-1 Float switch
-Extension cord
-Aqua lifter (but any small water pump will work)
-Mounts to hold the float switch and the top off tubing (i used scrape acrylic)
-R/O tubing

Hope this helps reeftanknewbie!

[reeftanknewbie]

Pretty basic setup! First i made my mounts from acrylic using a heat gun which took a while. Next i spliced the float switch into the extension cord and plug the pump into the extension cord. Then i mounted the float switch where i want my water level and mounted the top off tubing. I built two separate mounts and ended up putting them side by side. Now i wish i had just made one mount and incorporated the top off and the float into it! Guess there is always next time! Hook up the tubing to the pump and plug in the extension cord. Fill the trash can with R/O water and let it go.

Parts
-3gal trash can (but any size container will work)
-1 Float switch
-Extension cord
-Aqua lifter (but any small water pump will work)
-Mounts to hold the float switch and the top off tubing (i used scrape acrylic)
-R/O tubing

Hope this helps reeftanknewbie!

thanks for the detailed info...I appreciate it.....Can you use any float switch or must it be a specific brand,etc?

[fote03]

I got my from autotopoff.com but I think any powered float switch would work.

[ejcatmul]

I want to do an auto topoff but fear having a problem down the road. I am getting a SWC 120 Skimmer for Xmas and will prob need one then

[fote03]

Why are u afraid of ato? I have swc mini s for my 150gal. They make ba skimmers!

[reeftanknewbie]

I got my from autotopoff.com but I think any powered float switch would work.

Thanks....I like this idea and am planning to use their double switch as an extra safety feature.

[fote03]

On my larger tank i will have dual switches but having a small top off container im not really worried abt it failing.

[fote03]

i took apart the arch it was creating too much shade and i didnt have enough room on it for all the zoa. Now my starry rearranges the frags daily. Im going to have to glue everything down.

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/nano1-2-2011.jpg

[reeftanknewbie]

liking the look of this better. Things seem to be doing well....can't wait to see this tank in a few months when things are grown out.

[fote03]

Everything is doing well. My 150gal is running and i should be able to move the lps and sps over soon.

[fote03]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/998e6b21.jpg

[fote03]

New scape.
http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/15eb9bb7.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/d0236e1a.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/f9e61e00.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/9d840aaf.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/greenandpurpledeath2.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m112/fote03/20L%20AIO%20Zoa%20Graden/yellowskirtzoa.jpg

[reeftanknewbie]

Looking good; nice colors. Are those Acans staying in this tank? Just wondering if you changed plans from making the tank a zoa garden only tank.

[fote03]

still keeping it zoa only the other tank isnt ready for the acans yet.