custom 2 gal acrylic rimless cube with 150w metal halide

[pico-reefer]

Hello everyone, I've been working on this tank for about a month now, gathering parts, building things here and there and so on. i figured id start a thread here to document my progress.

Equipment,

100Watt ebo jager heater

Ranco temperature controller with a thermal well
20 gal. sump/fuge

150W PFO pendant and ballast with a 14K pheonix bulb

Bubble maggus NAC 3.5 cone skimmer

Gravity Fed ATO

And a hydor seltz adjustable return pump.

I still need to get an ro/di filter( Most likely from "The Filter Guys")

I plan on using E.V.S salt.

Okay, now that the equipment is covered, heres some pics of everything.

I got my tank made from advanced acrylics, its a custom 12x12x5" 3/8" acrylic cube with a center internal overflow.( plastic wrap was place on the tank to prevent scratches)

Heres the tank,( those returns have since been changed),


For size reference,
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/Nanotankbuild4.jpg



I then built a "mini stand" for the tank using oak trim.( 1/2 foam was placed between the plywood on the bottom of the stand and tank)

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/nanotankbuild6stand.jpg

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/Nanotankbuild5stand.jpg




A shot inside the overflow( return has since been replaced, info and pics are further in the thread)
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/dursoinoverflow2.jpg

I originally got a 9 LED kit of rapid LED, made the fixture ect, but i decided to ditch the LED's and go with the halide, the LED's will be used as a fuge light. heres a shot of the tank with the LED's
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/completelight.jpg

The stand i am using was given to me by my uncle, it is an oceanic stand made for a 40 gal. i built the stand up with 2x4's and ply-wood so the surface would be even with the trim- I then tiled the stand to give it a better appearance, ( please note i haven't grouted the tile yet),
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/tankstand.jpg
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/tankstand2.jpg



Once the tile was complete, i sealed the inside of the stand with 2 coats of Kilz primer, and i plan on doing 2 more coats with epoxy appliance paint to further-more protect against water damage, I do now have pictures of the inside of the stand.

Heres a shot of the new return, I originally had the tank maker drill the return hole in the overflow, but trying to plumb the return in a 4x4 area just wasnt worth the hassle, and if i ever needed to service the return, it would be nearly impossible. so I had 2 extra 1/2" bulkheads, so i put the bulkheads in both return holes and got threaded PVC caps, painted them black, then screwed them into the bulkheads, so if i ever wanted to use those holes again, all i have to do is un-screw the caps and i can use them easily. the new return consists of 1/2" spray bar loc-line. the loc-line will be covered in sand with only the nozzles sticking out, so it shouldnt be noticeable when the tank is up and running, it was hard trying to get even flow around the center overflow,


http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/picotankupdate2.jpg

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/picotankupdate.jpg

Heres a shot of the DIY metal halide fixture to hold the pendant above the tank. its just a simple PVC structure painted black, i plan on using eye-bolts in both and pendant and light stand and hang the metal halide with small chain so i can adjust the height of the halide easily,
http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/picotankupdate3.jpg


I plan on cooling the tank down with 125MM computer fans, suprisingly the metal halide really doesnt heat the tank up that much, and i always keep my room cool.


So, i think thats its for now... I will update the thread as progress continues. sorry for the low- quality pictures, I'm stuck using my phone camera, hopefully i can get a friend to lend me a good digital camera and take some nice pics. any comments and suggestions are welcome!

[brandon429]

Ive always said one could use a big mh on a pico if you spaced it up high enough

have any pics!

[pico-reefer]

I'm getting the mounting hardware today to mount the MH pendant, once i do it ill get pics!

[pico-reefer]

Ok, got the hardware to mount the halide pendant, its on the highest link right now, it drops another 12 inches. I also picked up epoxy appliance paint to finish the inside of the stand. here are the pics, the first 1 is with my bedroom lights on, and the other 2 are with them off. the pendant gets HOT but i can barely feel the heat on top of the tank, which is good. i have 2 125MM computer fans so if heat becomes an issue i'm sure those will cool it down.

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/metalhalide3.jpg


http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/metalhalide2.jpg

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq194/jakebarnes_2008/metalhalide.jpg

[chucktd321]

Just curious? what didn't you like about the leds?

[pico-reefer]

they had to be close to the surface, blocking most of the view from the top, and i really dont know, just really didnt feel them.

[sonofgaladriel]

Very cool! Very nice work so far. It looks great. Can't wait to see it with livestock.

[ange062]

75w/gal, that's awesome!! I would get a par meter before you permanently mount the light to ensure you get the spacing right, that your par looks good, and that you won't cook everything.

Well at least we know there is no such thing as a coral that requires more light than your tank can provide :) Looks forward to seeing the SPS garden.

[chucktd321]

they had to be close to the surface, blocking most of the view from the top, and i really dont know, just really didnt feel them.

Ah i see, that would make sense being a very shallow tank and not being able to see it from the top would be a big down fall.

[Gill_bucket]

Seems like you could save energy by using a 70w and putting it closer?

[Flame_Angel]

Damn, that's a tiny tank. That ought to look awesome once it's done.

[pico-reefer]

Seems like you could save energy by using a 70w and putting it closer?

well, i already had the 150w pendant and ballast, so i figured id put it to use.

Small update, did a freshwater test, everything worked well, the durso needs some fine tuning but other than that, im happy with it, i decided to DRILL THE TANK! phew, boy was that 30 sec. the most stressfull 30 sec. of my life! lol, i drilled it for a 1/2" bulkhead for the return, and got the return all made up. going to test it one day this week and adjust that. I'm still trying to find my ATO off conatiner, its going to be 5-10 gal. and be gravity fed.