So I went out and had some acrylic cut for me.

[zhuzh]

I now have parts to build a 16-ish gallon cube (400 mm side) for my office: cut-out top, bottom, sides, and a black divider piece. I also have some thin acrylic to make compartments in the back, and some glue. The question is, what do I do now? :rolleyes:

The plan is something like this:

http://i.hamsa.googlepages.com/aq.jpg

but I need to organize compartments and overflow and return, and I'm a little lost. I want to have a compartment for carbon/phosban bags, a refugium with some macro algae, a place to put the heater etc. What do you think is the best way to continue from here? Should I just borrow ideas from commercially-available cubes, or maybe there's a better design I could use? I plan to keep some easy to care softies, nothing fancy.

I am very new to the hobby, so please bear with me.

[oddiseus]

Is this the footprint of the tank? Its kind of difficult to visualize what you are trying to create. Do you have a diagram of what you are trying to build? Without some more info, all I can say is just choose a point to add a divider, put in some baffles and then decide how to plumb the tank. you might want to check out this site as well for sump/fuge ideas. http://www.melevsreef.com/

[CamBarr]

sweet cant wait to see a fts whith water and rock

[zhuzh]

Thank you for your reply.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7559228#post7559228 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by oddiseus
Is this the footprint of the tank? Its kind of difficult to visualize what you are trying to create. Do you have a diagram of what you are trying to build?

No, I don't have a diagram yet... that's what I'm truing to figure out! The tank is a simple 15.7" cube.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7559228#post7559228 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by oddiseus
Without some more info, all I can say is just choose a point to add a divider, put in some baffles and then decide how to plumb the tank. you might want to check out this site as well for sump/fuge ideas. http://www.melevsreef.com/

I know and love melevsreef.com... in fact I was checking it while waiting for answers here...

OK so let's say I make the built-in sump 4 or 5 inch deep. Not sure exactly how much as I don't have a pump yet and don't know how it will fit. I plan to use the aquabee up2000 for return. Sounds good?

So let's say the sump is 15.7"x15.7"x4". I put a baffle to make the fudge, say, 7" wide. It will be on the left side. Then I divide the rest by half with another baffle, put carbon in the middle section and the return pump in the rightmost section. The return pipe will go through the wall and end with some kind of nozzle.

I'll try to come up with a diagram in the next hour or so.

OK so did I miss anything obvious? any mistakes?

Thank you again.

[zhuzh]

So here's the updated diagram.

http://i.hamsa.googlepages.com/moo.jpg

That's the view from the back. Is it any good? I'm kinda lost... Would the opposite baffle placement (high-low vs low-high) be better?

[calvin415]

Looks good to me, be sure to put teeth on that first baffle to keep any macro's from the fuge from going over the edge.

If you wanted to skim you could use chamber one as a skimmer and chamber two as a fuge, very muti-functional design. :)

[theop]

http://i.hamsa.googlepages.com/moo.jpg

Your making a chamber just for fudge? Your fish will be fat! :)

A nanocube has the opposite baffle placement, but I don't think it matters. Just be aware that with your design the water levels in both the pump and media chambers will drop with evaporation. With the other baffle placement, only the pump chamber will drop, however you would have water flowing out of the bottom of the fuge, which would be undesirable if you had a layer of sand/mud at the bottom.

[zhuzh]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7560184#post7560184 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by calvin415
Looks good to me, be sure to put teeth on that first baffle to keep any macro's from the fuge from going over the edge.

If you wanted to skim you could use chamber one as a skimmer and chamber two as a fuge, very muti-functional design. :)

Thank you, good idea with the teeth!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7560185#post7560185 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by theop

Your making a chamber just for fudge? Your fish will be fat! :)

A nanocube has the opposite baffle placement, but I don't think it matters. Just be aware that with your design the water levels in both the pump and media chambers will drop with evaporation. With the other baffle placement, only the pump chamber will drop, however you would have water flowing out of the bottom of the fuge, which would be undesirable if you had a layer of sand/mud at the bottom.

Hm... so if I go with the other baffle placement and also put the fuge in the middle, I figure all should be fine? Except maybe the sand spilling out to the first chamber... so I'll need another short low-placed baffle to contain the sand... am I right?

http://i.hamsa.googlepages.com/moo2.gif

Is this better? ;)

Thanks everybody!

[oddiseus]

http://i.hamsa.googlepages.com/moo2.gif

I love this diagram. Your on the right track with this. You will need the short low baffle to contain the sand. I wouldn't go too short but the height of this baffle will determine how much far up the water goes in the carbon chamber, you might end up with water sitting around in carbon. As far as the pump goes, get on marine depot and get the footprint size of the pump you intend to use that way you can start putting actual dimensions to your idea, you might find that the numbers sound right in your head but end up being too small. Knowing this might allow you to change the size of your chambers.

-Odd

[nanoreefboy]

what you need to dconsider is that in your first drawing it looks like you are making the fuge about 1/2 of the back of the tank. with your second drawing it looks like you have extended it to almost a small area for just the pump to be. whgen the water flows over the baffle to your pump are you are gooing to have the water drop a bit and will create a water churning effect. also the more your tank evaporates water the more you are going to lose from just the pump area, so you might want to make it a bit bigger. if you dont what you might end up with is a tank with a ton of bubbles because of the waterfall drop that the water takes from the baffle down to the pump, and it will worsen the more the water evaporates. i personally would go with the first drawing but add an additional first baffle to direct the water down like your second diagram

[zhuzh]

nanoreefboy, do you mean I need four chambers? baffles placed high, low, high?

[theop]

I think he is saying to be careful not to make your pump return chamber too small. The smaller the pump return chamber, the faster the water level will drop in it due to evaporation - which in turn leads to a waterfall which can create bubbles.