Jester's First Custom All DIY Nano

[Jester75]

Well, this project has been a long time in the making. Its still not quite finished yet but it is very close. Its about 3.3 gallons total for the main and another 3 gallons in the sump. The pump in the sump is a Rio 600. I also got the 2X13watt Bright Kit from AH Supply with a 10k bulb and an Actinic one. It really does put out alot of light in this little tank, I can barely look at the 10k one, lol.

Here is the tank made out of .250 inch Acrylic with a .125 inch brace....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano069.jpg

And the hood. It has a .125 inch piece of acrylic in the bottom of it also as a splash guard..
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano072.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano078.jpg

And here is the sump again out of .250 inch acrylic....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano096.jpg

And the stand. I was abit worried about this thing being top heavy but with the tank on it and the sump inside full too and a bit of ballast in the bottom of the stand, its not that bad. It will be sitting on a hardwood floor to so that helps....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano085.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano090.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano093.jpg

[Jester75]

A little overflow I added later with a 3/4" bulkhead in the bottom of it..
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/DSC01401.jpg

And after waiting for what seems to be forever for approval from the misses (hehe) I finally got all my plumbing parts and pumps and lights in. Im still working on mounting the lights in the hood and I am going to remote mount the ballasts somewhere under the tank most likely in a NEMA enclosure with switches on it....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano101.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano102.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano099.jpg

I also have a video of the flow through this thing which I estimate to be around 100gph. If I could find a way to host it I will and maybe get your opinions on whether or not it is too much flow. Well, back to work on this thing, I think the misses is really tired of seeing pain, drills, and parts lying all over her kitchen.

[Jester75]

Here is a full frontal shot of the whole shabang. The door is off right now while I paint it. Hope you like it!!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano104.jpg

[kabal2]

wow really nice looking tank, i love the stand too, i cant wait to see it with corals in it

Good job jester

[dfcjr]

Nice job Jester75! Good color combination for the stand. Simple,yet classy.

[kamla]

Nice.. tank and Stand..

Now fill her up... :)

[wav3form]

What size are your return bulkheads?

[Jester75]

They are both 1/2" returns. The tube goes from 3/4" at the pump to 1/2" where it "t's" off into the returns. I would love to fill this thing up and get it running but i have to figure out how I am going to wire my lights. I know the ballasts are going to be remote mounted in the stand in somekind of NEMA enclosure, but I am also thinking about mounting some junction boxes on the front above the door and putting in some of those real nice timers from Home Depot. Not sure yet, but hopefully I will get them wired up this weekend and get it filled!!!!

[Carl_in_Florida]

What are you using for a return pump and how is your temp with the lights on?

Carl

[Agu]

WOW, nice work. Looks just like a real tank but in miniature ;) .

( that was a compliment I got from a guy with a big tank :D )

[Jester75]

My return pump is a Rio 600 and I havent got to run it yet cause I'm not finished wiring up the lights. But hopefully that will change this weekend nd I can finish them up!!

[Jester75]

Lol Agu. Yeah my other tank is a 46 bow thats been running for about 5 years now

[sir_dudeguy]

that looks awsome! Love how the stand is way tall for that lol. but it makes it look cool i think. Keep posting pics of everything too. And whats gonna go in it?

[Jester75]

Thanks for the compliments!! Not 100% sure on whats going in yet. I know I have soo zoa frags in my 46 along with a small piece of GSP but other than that I dont know. I am open to suggestions if you have any thoughts shout em out!!

[sir_dudeguy]

you could try to get that gsp to spread across the back wall. I saw that at my lfs here...It was AWSOME. It was also huge, it was on either a 90 or 100, and it was covering the whole back wall, including the overflow (which looked cool the way it curved and whatnot)

[Jester75]

I may give that a shot! That would look very cool! I know this thing is too small for a fish at about 5 gallons total ( including the sump) so what other ideas for it?

[sir_dudeguy]

hmmm....well i suppose you're gonna get some sort of hermits? Or maybe just a cool shrimp or arrow crab? except those might eat corals, but i'm not sure.

[Jester75]

OK, got a pretty good update on the lighting situation. After raiding the local Radio Shack last night, this is where I have gotten!

Here are the ballast remote mounted and left in the open to help keep them cool ( and maybe extend thier lifespan)...
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano117.jpg

This is inside the hood with the 2x13 watt kit installed along with 2 460nm blue led's and a 40mm micro fan for cooling...
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano108.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano110.jpg

The DC plug in for the LED's and the 40mm fan nice and clean on the outside of the canopy....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano105.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano106.jpg

[Jester75]

A blurry shot with the lights on, those are a 10k and Actinic 03 bulbs....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano113.jpg

Electrical nightmare that will be cleaned up.....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano116.jpg

Sump light, pretty darn bright too!!!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano115.jpg

And the whole thing with the door on it...
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Jester75/Sump-TennAquarium-Nano118.jpg

Going to put sand and filler up with water tonite!!!!!

[Sebea]

Wow, great job!

[alien9168]

This looks like a really fun projects... if you dont mind sharing...how much did it cost you thus far...?

[Jester75]

Well to be perfectly honest, I havent kept track:eek: . The acrylic was scraps left over from a job I did for another fella. I'll try to run it down right here

Acrylic = Freebie
Black Acrylic = 10.00
Lights = 55.00
Lumber = 50.00
Plumbing = 20.00
Pump = 15.00
Stain and paint = 20.00
Misc. Supplies = 25.00

Total = 195.00 (ballpark figure)

Maybe not a cheap DIY but damn it feels good to do something like this from scratch!! I have since donated this tank to my dear ole sweet mom! She kept my 46 bow for a while before I got married and it just became to much of a burden for her to take care of such a large tank ( handling alot of water at water changes mainly). So, I figured this would be easier for her to keep. She is quite reef saavy!!!

I have also started another nano tank for myself. Its going to be a 9 gallon cube with a false wall but that is another post. Someone here somewhere once said " Beware of nano's because once you have one, they tend to multiply" and I'll be damned if they weren't right!!!:D

[alien9168]

Its beutiful and a very nice gift for your mother :)