Updated Photos of 2 Gallon Cube

[ninjafish]

You bet!

Here is the retrofit I bought off of ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MakeTrack=true


I managed to find a 100w halogen desklamp at an office supply store. I has a metal hood that is the perfect size for the 70w mh bulb and reflector. I cut the wires off and took the guts out of the lamp and then atached the mh reflector to the inside of the lamp. A ran the electrical cord from inside the hood and down the back of the lamp to the small electric ballast that sits on my desk on the other side of my inbox. The lamp is plugged into a timer under the desk.

Here is a link to a similar lamp:
http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Brows...26+Table+Lamps
I am really glad I found this lamp. It looks so good that you can not tell that I have modified it!



The 10k bulb really looks great. I ordered a 20k bulb because I was worried that I wouldn't have enough blue. The other bulb just came in so I will need to try it out and take some comparrison pictures.

- Chad

[lanamarks]

Very nice. I like the super clean look. Thats what I try to aim for but you have me beat!

[ninjafish]

Thanks for the compliment. But I really feel like I lucked out with the desklamp fitting so perfectly. It seems like most desklamps sold now are ultra-slim pcs or leds made of plastic. If I wasn't able to conceal the mh in such a normal looking package, I probably would have stayed with my previous lighting. My goal with this tank was that the untrained observer wouldn't even notice all of the hardware that keeps it going - a "sleeper tank"
Now I just need to perfect the auto-topoff...
Cheers,
- Chad

[Carl_in_Florida]

What bulb did you use? Do not forget that bulbs will burn in and become a little less blue in about a week.

CArl

[ninjafish]

Right now I'm running a 10K ushio but I just picked up a package at the mail with my 20K arc - that's probably the one that I will use. I will keep the ushio as a backup if the other ever fails.
New pictures coming once I install the new bulb. Also thinking about putting a frag of my frogspawn int the tank.

- Chad

[LiteEmUpGood]

I am addicted to this thread. I get diassapointed when you dont post even more pics..... This hobby is so addicting.

I have similar plans for my 10g tank. to do a "sleeper" look. one idea is to hook it up to a 40g breeder as my sump/refugium and keep my tank looking way overstocked. I want to put every kind of contraption on it, even a UV sterilizer. Another idea is to have a couple of 2.5 tanks placed next to it mounted in a wall so that it would look like a couple of picture frames, and have some messy stuff in there taht would not be possible unless you had a huge sump.

But I really admire your tank. It just looks so clean

[ninjafish]

Thanks man! The picture frame idea sounds pretty neat.
We seem to think along the same lines. I have myself wanted to set up a small tank, jam-packed with life, and use a big sump to handle the bioload behind the scene. Tanks like that appeal to me because they are kind of a mystery. It isn't very hard to impress people who aren't in the hobby but it's really satisfying when a fellow reefer looks at your tank and says "now how does he make that work?"
Best of luck with your project!
I should have a couple new pictures tomorrow after I install the 20k bulb.

- Chad

[JPereira]

Beautifull!!

[geckos5]

hey nijafish.


new to the site and love the tank.i have a 150g.this is the coolest tank i have ever seen.i sent this link to all my fish lovin freinds and they cant believe how small it is.
my question to you is do need to add any other additives to this tank,and where do you get the underwater light you used to heat it.

p.s. great job.

[ninjafish]

Gecko,
Thanks, it's nice to have others appreciate this little tank too. I don't add anything to the tank besides the 1/2 gallon water change that I do once a week. I found the sumbersible lights online. I don't remember the website but the email address of the company is:
mainlandmart@yahoo.com. It cost me $15 for the lights.

I have added another rock to my aquascaping with a little frag of purple montipora digitata and a tiny piece of orange monti caps. I also added a small bag of carbon to the cannister filter (just to try out). Finally, I also switched over to the 20K bulb. All I can say is:
Man does it ever look awesome! Sorry that I forgot a camera, I'll snag a picture tomorrow.

- Chad

[ninjafish]

To make up for not having a picture of my tank, here is a photo of my autotopoff system. In true ninjafish fashion this system will be completely hidden. I am using an industrial metering pump to inject fresh water directly into the intake hose feeding the filter:





Since this is such a small tank I am using a timer to adjust how long the pump runs. The pump starts at midnight and runs for 38 minutes before shutting off and then starts again at noon and runs for another 38 minutes. This adds 350ml (11.8oz) of fresh water to the system each day - just a little less than what I lose to evaporation. I figure that after this mod is installed, it will allow me to be away from the tank for as long as a week if need be.
What do you think?

- Chad

[ninjafish]

Here is a shot of how the tank looks under the 20k:










I think it is a big improvement in color. I just wish the pictures showed the cool shimmer effect.

- Chad

[LiteEmUpGood]

I love it

And yes the mystery factor is what drives me too. How about setting up a 5g tank with a mandarin in it and 1 little piece of live rock and have it be hooked up to a 20g coepod breeder My ideas are endless... unlike my money flow lol

[ninjafish]

I'm glad you like it, and yes, I can relate to the money issue as well!
Here's another couple:










I think I am going to take a frag of frogspawn to add to the tank along with some mushrooms and a piece of green moticaps.

- Chad

[LiteEmUpGood]

How is the clown goby doing in there? Is he actice or mor on the lethargic side?

[ninjafish]

He spends a lot of time sitting on the rocks and looking around, but does move from spot to spot. I've never owned one before so I don't know what is normal behaviour. Seems happy enough... knock on wood.

- Chad

[centipededesign]

Your nano Rocks!

[ninjafish]

Thanks man! I recently added a small bag of carbon to the filter and the water is twice as clear as it ever was before. I had to put my 10k bulb back in because I got a defective 20k and even that looks good enough to run without supplimentation now! I am just wating to change to a fine sandbed and add a frag of frogspawn coral. After that it will just be a matter of waiting for things to grow up a bit.

- Chad

[Sugar Magnolia]

That little nano is aabsolutely stunning. I'm extremely jealous of your DIY abilities on the 70 W MH retro.

[xtrstangx]

Your tiny nano continues to amaze me.

Keep up the good work and the pictures.

[ninjafish]

Thanks guys. It helps having someone to report my progress to

Here is a picture from one of the sides:




Current livestock:

zoanthids (six of my best colors)
button polyp
colt
pulsing xenia
devils's hand
candycane
green monti digitata
purple monti digitata
orange monti caps
purple monti caps
yellow clown goby
3 sexy shrimp
1 nerite snail
4 cerith
4 stomatella
sprig of macroalgae (probably coming out - chaeto's doing a fine job)

To go in soon:

frogspawn
gsp
mushrooms (4 colors)
green monti caps

Also switching to a smaller pump for my auto topoff and a sugar-fine sandbed instead of crushed coral. And then... I'll be done




- Chad

[burnah]

i would like to see some closer shots of the montis

[JPereira]

Beautifull!!

It looks like you just need a piece os glass, and puto some water, and its ready!!

I love how you resolve the circulations with the cannister filter... its really good!!

I just have a question... isn´t that too small for a fish??

keep going!

[ninjafish]

Thanks guys. I will grab some more photos next time I'm in at work.
Actually I think that the tank is a good size for the yellow clown goby. Obviously you couldn't put a swimming fish in a tank this small but a tiny "perching fish" like this works quite well. It spends most of its time sitting in its cave or at the top of the rockwork, just checking things out. It is funny that you mentioned it though because I am planning on taking it out of the nano and transferring it back to my home tank for a little while. Sometimes I have as many as 4 days off work in a row and I am getting tired of running back into the city just to feed the fish. I think that if the YCG was out of the tank, the corals and the shimps would be fine over the weekends. If I ever transfer the nano back home I will put the goby back into it, but until then I will maybe add one more sexy shimp and let it grow into a coral/invert garden.

- Chad

[ninjafish]

Udate:

I have upgraded my auto-topoff with this brandnew pump. It is a little smaller than the last one and has the timer built in:






I will tie the injection tee into my eheim return line halfway down. I have it set so that it comes on at 12:00noon and runs for 30 minutes to add 350ml. That way people will be away on lunch and shoudn't hear the pump run but the tank will be nice and topped up during the part of the day when the most people see it.

- Chad