My 20L mixed reef

[dhoffroad]

well after trying for months to get this up I finaly got it going...I don't hang out here much so for those who don't know I had a 10 gal runing for over a year and wanted something bigger, that I felt could handle the diff corals I wanted to put in the tank (SPS)

so here is the basics..
20L
10gal sump w/ Quiet one 1200 return
150w 14k (custom fixture that I built)
DIY HOB overflow
CSS 65 needle wheel skimmer
DIY ATO
CLS with SCWD ran off XP1 canister filter (with all but 1 sponge removed for a "pre-filter" for the SCWD)
all in/on my homemade stand

? lbs. of LR
10 lbs. natures ocean "live sand"
assorted SPS, LPS & softies...

well on to the pics...the first pics are of the MH fixture I built for this tank

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/P4160115.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/P4160116.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/P4160121.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/P4160119.jpg


Now the whole set up

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/hole.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/hole1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/hole2.jpg

[dhoffroad]

some closer shots of the tank

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/89053.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/89052.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/89051.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/8905.jpg

[dhoffroad]

some of the peices in the tank.....

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/ric.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/zoos2.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/zoos1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/zoos.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/shrooms.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/candy.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/pngric.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/haryshroom.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/newric.jpg

[dhoffroad]

so on to the couple SPS peices I have....

this pic was taken when I first put it in the tank it was the only piece of SPS that I had in my 10 which was with PC's and now under the MH it has gotten a little lighter and shows more green "highlights"

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/acro.jpg

this tricolor I picked up a couple weeks ago the first pic is of when I got it and the second is of it yesturday.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/tricolor.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/tritd817.jpg

here are the last two pieces of SPS

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/prostrata1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/prostrata.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/bandg.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/pandgclose.jpg

[dhoffroad]

and here are two more just for the heck of it

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/clown.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/hermit.jpg

[StephG]

Awsome light fixture ... looks like professional work! Tank looks awsome also. I love that green/blue ricordia. Keep up the good work.

[dhoffroad]

hey thanks

[Daemonfly]

Yeah, very nice looking fixture, and I kinda like the diamond plate :) Tank itself looks very nice as well and I like the coloring of that 14k bulb.

I'm also working on a 20g long with 10g fuge, 175w 10k, weir/external overflow and a Calfo style manifold return setup. (trying to keep everything out of main tank)

[leaffish75]

what size pvc did you use for the return?

[dhoffroad]

Daemonfly, thanks ! yea the phoenix 14k is sweet the color is very nice...

leaffish75 , actualy I used 1/2" CPVC so it is a little bit smaller than regular PVC....I wanted it to match the CLS that I already had built....besides I was'nt worried about getting huge flow out of the return since I have the CLS....

[dhoffroad]

well I was lookin for some pepermint shrimp yesturday (got a couple aptasia) and of corse I could'nt find any but I did "rescue" this piece from on of my LFS's. usualy I don't go into this store because they don't have much and I NEVER thought too highly of there SW stuff. the people who work there did'nt even know the diff between a "polyp coral" (zoo's) and SPS, and when I told them what it was they were like ??? If I would have not gotten it out of there tank it was in I'm sure it would have looked like all the other "skeleton's" that were in the tank (eventualy)...anyway under there lighting it looked more orange but here is looks a little "creamy-tan",with neon green polyps, and of cours the polyps are'nt all the way out yet...I tested the water it came in and well I'll just say that this is the FIRST coral that I have actualy "drip aclimated" so hopefully the shock into my tank is'nt going to be too bad on it...and yes I have actualy NEVER drip aclimated any of the corals in my tank usualy just float and drop into tank.....

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/neongreenpolypacro.jpg

[alexinfla]

Very sharp looking tank! I think 20L's are the most fun you can have in a nano:) Your aquascaping is giving me some inspiration, so I know what I'll be doing tonight :)

[dhoffroad]

THANKS !!

[CPT. MURPHY]

very very nice dhoffroad!

CPT.

[Trigger 2]

nice setup. did a great job on the aquascaping.

[dhoffroad]

once again Thanks for the good words....

[Xx_de_xX]

You still got those zoanthids I gave you??

:cool:

[BLKTANG]

awesome tank.

[dhoffroad]

Originally posted by Xx_de_xX
You still got those zoanthids I gave you??

:cool:

dude whas up ?? hav'nt seen you arround...

yea still got most of them if you look at the pics of the tank they are the clump in the front right corner (large clump) kinda hard to see but that is them......


EXPEDITION..thanks

[aural]

very nice setup! i really like the MH fixture. I bet you could make a small fortune if you started selling them to members here.

anyways - i really like what you have done with your 20L - keep us updated.

[dhoffroad]

thanks....yea as for making the lights and sellin them when I first made that light (a couple months back) I posted it on NR and had people asking how much to make them and well I was'nt able to make them very cheep by the time I got all the stuff (ballast,bulb, socket, material) the price was way up there and then I still had to make the fixture, so I figured it would be best to not get into making them...unless I can get all the stuff at a GOOD price....LOL

[Xx_de_xX]

Originally posted by dhoffroad
dude whas up ?? hav'nt seen you arround...

yea still got most of them if you look at the pics of the tank they are the clump in the front right corner (large clump) kinda hard to see but that is them......


EXPEDITION..thanks

Cool man- tank looks great!

[dhoffroad]

thanks

BTW they are also arround that green acro in the pic above...they spread over to that rock a little ....

so you still got your tank ????

[vanmo92]

it looks really cool.

[dhoffroad]

thanks

[my2girls]

nice looking tank!

[dhoffroad]

thanks

[WarEagleNR88]

Good looking 20L. I was just saying I was thinking of making my next tank a 20L. Not sure where I'll put it though. You're looks great. Very clean looking.

Your 150Wer provides all of your lighting needs? Do you find it makes the water hot or do you have good circ/AC? How far off the water is it? Nice custom fixture.

How much flow/turnover are you pushing through your system? Interested to see more about what you've done with it. ttyl.

[dhoffroad]

hey thanks

the light is 4.5" off the water , as for it meeting all my lighting for me it is perfect...the SPS seem to like it allot and I hav'nt had any problems with any of the "softies" off to the sides of the tank not liking the MH...as for heat actualy I'm kinda suprised with how well it dose I think this keeps a beter temp than my old 10 gal with a 96w PC. the water temp is realy good stays 78-79 I'm working on trying to get a controler to turn off and on my clip on fan because lately when the fan is on (same timer as the lights) it is fighting the heater.

the return pump is a Quietone 1200 (296gph) , I also have a closed loop ran off a XP1 canister filter (250 gph) all media removed except for one sponge to act as a prefilter for the SCWD hooked to it.... I think I want to get a little more flow thru this tank I'll probably get rid of the QO and get a mag 5 but I'm not sure how much the overflow box that I made can handle but I know it can handle a little more than what I got now.

[dhoffroad]

just because I'm a little board right now figured I'd put up a little update on two of my SPS. the prostrata (?) is turning a nice blue color, when I first got it there was actualy green on the back side of this but since it has gone and is all blue now...the second is my purple w/ bright green polyps, its a BAD top down pic since the light glair is right in the way but you can see how it has lightend up to more of a lavander color instead of the purple it was when I got it...and I can see growth in the prostrata but the growth in the other's is'nt as noticable...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/pros825.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/png825.jpg

[dhoffroad]

well picked up a new one, I was thinking about getting a digi and well it just so happend that the LFS had one when I went down there yesturday...it's just chillin on the sand bed right now I'll give it a few days before I cut the "plug" a little shorter and find a place amongst the rocks...oh yea the piece next to it with the bright green polyps (it's the one I "rescued" from a diff LFS , I showed pics of it earlier) well it's kinda hard to see in this pic but it's actualy starting to turn purple.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/digi.jpg

[dhoffroad]

well I took a couple more pics this morning so here you go. not too much has changed since the last pics except for a little growth....

END SHOT

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/101805.jpg

SPS AREA

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/1018053.jpg

BLUE PROSTRATA all the "branches" are at like 1" long now growing great

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/1018055.jpg

PROSTRTA AND TRICOLOR

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/1018056.jpg

GREEN ACRO not very green just has a slight green tinge to it

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/1018057.jpg

SIX LINE AND RICS

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/1018054.jpg

[Jigsaw]

Hey, first off, that's a sweet looking tank! I love the colors of the coral and the custom lighting fixture :cool: . But I'm in the process of upgrading my 10 to an empty 20 long I have.... my question is, how did you do the overflow? I'm not sure of the whole mechanics of it and I want to make my 10 into a sump or fuge type deal. Is is hard? Expensive? I'm not sure where to start but I know I don't want to drill any holes in my tank for an overflow ;)

[WarEagleNR88]

Here's a thread I started a while back about a PVC Overflow I put together. Extremely simple to make and you won't need to put holes in glass for it. And it only uses a small portion of tank real estate. Months later, mine is still working perfectly and skims the surface of the water just fine. Plus it keeps the water right where I want it to be all the time. It almost makes my refugium a small display as it then drains down to the sump.

One of the drawbacks of using PVC is the white is easy to come by, but takes a while to coralline over. So it looks out of place for a long time. But, there are places online where you can get black PVC but you have to order it. PM me if you have any ?s.

[WendyMc]

hey, WarEagleNR88, I can't find the thread...

dhoffroad, awesome tank! How long has it been up?

[WarEagleNR88]

Originally posted by WendyMc
hey, WarEagleNR88, I can't find the thread...

Oops, sorry about that. Here it is. (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=631726&perpage=25&pagenumber=1)

[WendyMc]

Thanks!

[dhoffroad]

thanks for the compliments.....the tank has been up for 3 months now....all the rock and some of the corals came out of a 10 gal that I had up for a year and a half......

as for my overflow well it's just a typical HOB overflow box setup except I made it so I could have a smaller box than what you can buy comercialy...

[pimp2daizzo]

:O.......Nice job

I'm realy liking that light

[True Percula]

how big is 20L?

[dhoffroad]

pimp....THANKS

vi....same footprint as your 29gal but only 12" tall (20gal).....

[dhoffroad]

well it's about time for a update...

well since my last post my clown that I'd had for like 2 years was killed by one of my hairy shrooms, my six line wont let me keep any shrimp so far it has killed/eaten 2 peperments and one sexy shrimp, so the whole invert and fish thing is currently being re thougt out for me tryin to see what to get that will all get allong...

a couple weeks ago I decided I wanted the "clean look" so I decided to scrape the coraline off the back glass, I LOVE IT...makes it look much cleaner and the rock and corals stand out more instead of just "blending in"....here is some pics...

BEFORE

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/scapedbefore.jpg

AFTER !!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/scraped.jpg


the next thing is I got a couple new frags 2 days ago... here is some pics of them...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/birdsnest128.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/bluetip128.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/germanblue128.jpg

here is a littel " frag gathering" shot the orange digi is'nt new and yea the frag on the left side is bleached it did't take to the shippin too well (bad heat packs)....

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/dhoffroad/frags128.jpg

[mattgreene22]

dhoffroad - do you still have the quietone 1200 on this tank? how do/did you like it? was it as quiet as you'd want it?

[lessans]

dhoffroad, I thought I might lend a suggestion. Although I don't have SPS, I'm well aware that the more possible light (regarding shadows vs. lit areas) available for SPS the better. So I just wanted to say next time you add any SPS frags I would lay it on its side that way the frag is actually receiving more light than if you stand it upright. Also if you were to cut the frag sagittally, and lay the two frags on their cut sides you would obtain an optimum lighting situation. Plus the frags will hopefully grow more branches with the increased light. Just my 2 cents.

[gjuarez3]

We need some updates on this cool nano. Will wait patiently

[gjuarez3]

Your digi lost a little bit of color. I think your water might be too clean. Which is a good thing but maybe just slightly too clean. Do you feed very light? How often do you feed your tank? Nonetheless, great tank and great growth. We still need upadates.

[fishes2889]

Is it ok if ask how much that MH cost you and what did you buy to build it and how did you build it........any info would be helpful :)

Steve

[Neowind]

I am loving this tank!!! I have a quick question. What did you use to scrape the corraline off the back glass? That was definatly a HUGE improvement.