NiCd's LPS dominated 18" cube

[-=NiCd=-]

Introduction:
Long time reader of RC but very few and far between poster, used to mainly post on RTAW but there seems to be very little nano community over there, so I thought id make the switch over to RC

Anyways ,after a 6 month break from reefing, I have decided to convert one of my fish only tanks to a reef tank, I have tried to capture what I have done over the past few months to get everything up to date.

Modifications had already been done to that system prior to this point to get it to run in an appropriate fashion.

System Type:
Mixed Reef

Display System:

Strike up Date:
System was started up around Jan 2010 as a Fish only, transformation into a reef tank had begun around July and I expect it to be completed by around around November 2010

Display Tank:
45cm cube, brace less, full staphire, miter joined, polished edges, ultra clear silicon and Japaneses style internal overflow.

Display Lighting:
Eco-lamp KR93

Stand: Stand specifications.
White backed enamel

Hood:
Nil

Sump:
Size 40cm x 35cm x 45cm
Specs; polished edges, double chamber layout, bubble trap separator, higher sides and rear to protect against splashes.

Refugium:
1 x Ceramedia 22cm X 35cm X 10cm refugium block
1 x Ceramedia 15cm X 35cm x 3cm refugium block
15cm x 35cm x 20cm macro area above the return

Refugium Lighting:
8w 6000k Energy Saver fluorescent (Bunnings)

Support systems:

System Water:
Artificial salt water - Brightwell ASW

Display Water circulation:
Vortech MP10ES

Return Pump:
Ehiem Compact

Skimmer:
Reef Octopus Classic 500L

Evaporation Top Up:
Aquamedic SP 3000 Niveaumat

Chemical Support:

Calcium Addition:
Kalk through ATO

Alkilinity Addition:
Kalk through ATO

Other Chemical Maintenance:
Nil

Current Water Chemistry:
Nitrates: Undetectable
Phosphates: .1 (hanna)
Alkalinity: 9
Calcium: 420
Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.024

[-=NiCd=-]

FTS as a FO

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/DSCN0055.jpg
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/05052010896.jpg
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/05052010897.jpg

[-=NiCd=-]

Upgraded sump layout, RO 500 skimmer, 4" thick marinepure block, 1" marinepure block, macro and aquamedic ATO


http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/DSCN0104.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/DSCN0107.jpg

[-=NiCd=-]

First attempt at aquascaping + a few test corals
Current live stock
1 x hammer
2 X acan
3 X micromussa
2 X lobo
1 x fungia
1 x maxima clam
Various morphs

5 x Turbo Snails
1 x Strom Snail
10 x Micro Hermits
1 x Redline Shrimp

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/DSCN0166-1.jpg

[dogstar74]

super cool overflow system. I am doing the same thing but using PVC that is not clear. I wonder how cool it will look covered with coraline and algae. That would be my only concern. For mine, i have plans to drill holes in the LR with a holesaw and then put the rocks over the pipe to hide the overflow.

Nice start up. It will be interesting to see the effectiveness of the marinepure blocks.

Aaron

[-=NiCd=-]

super cool overflow system. I am doing the same thing but using PVC that is not clear. I wonder how cool it will look covered with coraline and algae. That would be my only concern. For mine, i have plans to drill holes in the LR with a holesaw and then put the rocks over the pipe to hide the overflow.

Nice start up. It will be interesting to see the effectiveness of the marinepure blocks.

Aaron

Thanks mate, I have a second overflow being made up so i can swap them around and give them a vinegar bath when they get too coralline encrusted.

Diatom has been easy just to scrub off using a bottle brush.

Have you got a link to your set up? id be interested in checking it out.

[-=NiCd=-]

FTS with new lights, this is running White and blue at 50%, surprisingly it has a strong hint of purple

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/081020101608.jpg

[-=NiCd=-]

FTS with new lights, this is running White and blue at 50%, surprisingly it has a strong hint of purple

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/081020101608.jpg

[-=NiCd=-]

A few new Acans and mushies
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1272.jpg

Clam colour has dramatically changed for the better, LED kick arse :devil:
First pick is around 6 weeks ago just before the LED's
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/DSCN0177-1.jpg
Then now
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1288.jpg

Super man micromussa - center has grown out from 5 pollups to just under 20 in the last few months with bi-daily feeding

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1276.jpg

New Micromussa frag (center right) and Acan frag (center left) I am hoping to be able to achieve similar growth but I havnt been able to get them to feed yet, they are only newly fraged and are showing signs of stress

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1274.jpg

[thewire]

kick *** tank..very clean!

[pschmitz]

Very classy setup. Looks clean and efficient!

I look forward to following your progress.

[kevantheman35]

nice set up, i like the modern look a lot

[SkullV]

I LOVE the look of that tank and the overflow! Is the overflow noisy at all?

[-=NiCd=-]

I have been really lazy with updates, here are some of the new clams

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/281020101681.jpg

Side shot

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1329.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1321.jpg

[-=NiCd=-]

Very classy setup. Looks clean and efficient!

I look forward to following your progress.

Thanks! efficiency was a big part of it all, this whole set up runs on less power than my the return pump on my last setup

[-=NiCd=-]

I LOVE the look of that tank and the overflow! Is the overflow noisy at all?

Cheers, and yes before i put a ball value in it was very very noisy, now its completely silent, but i do worry about a snail making its way down there and jamming something up, i have put level switch on the sump but it still makes me paranoid

[-=NiCd=-]

Live stock update:

Scroll coral is on its way out and being replaced with a pink lemonade, pics to come !

[tlittle]

what is the brand and model of your lights? It looks like a very clean setup.

[-=NiCd=-]

what is the brand and model of your lights? It looks like a very clean setup.

Eco-lamp KR93S

[zx6r]

Where are more details about that overflow? It looks really, really nice.

[-=NiCd=-]

Where are more details about that overflow? It looks really, really nice.

Thanks it was something I always wanted to try and copy of the Japanese style tanks to keep that really clean look.

From what I understand there is no commercially available form or information on them, this was largely custom.

Ill try to explain it the best i can, if anything is unclear ill try and grab some photos of it in more detail if you like?

The overflow in the tank consists of 3" round piece of perspex with a lazer cut comb on the top edge, this conects to a bulkhead with an interference fit.

The return in the tank is a 1" piece of perspex piping that comes up through the center of the overflow and comes off at a right angle.

Under the tank there is a 4" round piece of piping connected to the bulkhead which around 3" down has the return intersecting it at a right angle there there is an internal 90* bend which the return pipe from the tank connects to using an interference fit.

the 4" pipe narrows to a 2" pipe where a ball valve is and then there is a small section after the ball valve.

The overflow in the tank does get encrusted with coraline pretty quickly so i have gotten a few extra made up which I am swapping around every month or so.

[zx6r]

Hmm, that is what I was thinking when I was picturing it in my head. Excellent idea :) Do you just have a picture of how the return and drain split under the tank?

This part - Under the tank there is a 4" round piece of piping connected to the bulkhead which around 3" down has the return intersecting it at a right angle there there is an internal 90* bend which the return pipe from the tank connects to using an interference fit.


Thank you very much!

[matttg]

looking good as allways. :lolspin:

[-=NiCd=-]

looking good as allways. :lolspin:


Hey Matty,

Good to see some familiar faces on here!

Whens your misus nano going to grace us on here?

Ads

[-=NiCd=-]

current FTS
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/181220102124.jpg

some new bits and peices
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/181220102121.jpg
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMG_0633.jpg
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMG_0640-1.jpg
http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMG_0631.jpg

[jamierk]

Looking sweet nic!

[fishdip]

I think you are in line with a nice clean set up. Any tanks that you use for ideas on rc?

[-=NiCd=-]

Thanks !

Yes, it was originally inspired a lot by Maxreefers elos mini setup, that really showed me that you could do some really clean lines within nanos, but as things went on it really taken on a life and style of its own

[-=NiCd=-]

quick update

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/280420113364.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/280420113362.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1428.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1427.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1417.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1411.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/290420113380.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/IMGP1407-1.jpg

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/010320112912.jpg

Three part dosing installed as well

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/170320113008.jpg

[PDCASU]

Love the Overflow Design...Nice setup with the skimmer and sump as weLL...

[-=NiCd=-]

its been a while since update, ive changed over to SPS/aquaculuted dominated

live rock has been removed all sps and clams are aquacultured and entered my care under 1"

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr255/NiCd_album/2009.jpg

[-=NiCd=-]

Skimmer has been updated to a skimz sm121, three part dosing using red seas new range. I have also incorporated red seas nophos X and must say im really pleased with the results

[ange062]

wow, awesome looking!

[CJ03]

Great looking tank both before and the present scape. I like the shelf like structuring of you scape. Corals have some mad color. Amazing! Whatever and however your doing it, it's working out great. Keep the pics coming.

Caleb

[-=NiCd=-]

thanks the colours have picked up alot using the RS range, although the LPS didnt really like the ultra low nutrients.

Yeah the rock is pretty cool, its aquaroche and has taken me a few weeks to get used to, but now im happy with it. still looking forward to it being covered in coraline but at the moment, despite it fully encrusting the glass it hasnt taken to the rocks.

[CJ03]

Im gonna have to look into aquaroche for my up-coming project. I thought you had handmade the rock somehow. Good to know its available commercially.

It will def. look sweet when covered in coraline.

Does much coraline grow on the front or side glass panels? Why im asking is I have, in the past, when starting with dry rock used the coraline scraping method to help the rocks purple up faster. Basically by scraping the the coraline into small particles or powder almost and letting it flow and into and onto the rock work has helped the coraline to cover the rockwork faster.
I have also seen methods where people take rock that is cover in coraline and scrape it into a bowl of tank water and then dump the scrapings/powder into the tank and end up with the same results as above. Coraline spreads faster and covers new/dry rock.

Just some thoughts. You may already have this figured out.

Caleb

[-=NiCd=-]

yeah a fair amount does grow on the glass i get 5mm round blotches after about 2 weeks, i think the rock may need to "cure" a bit first

[DB9181]

Following along - GREAT looking tank! :)