. . . da Artsy-Cube Tank build - - - 14" 10 Gallon Nano Reef

[cerreta]

I am building a 10 gallon starfire trimless ¡§RC Artsy-Cube.¡¨ It is a 14¡¨ cube tank.

Being in the hobby for several years has given me the opportunity to build relationships with many people in the hobby. In Tucson I have helped many reefers with their aquarium projects, including aquascaping and helping newbies by supplying them with free or very low cost corals to get them started in the hobby.

The objective of this project is to use those relationships developed here on Reef Central and build this project with materials and labor from the RC people.

Although small, my budget for this project is $1500. I plan to use high end equipment and exotic corals. Luckily I have plenty of frags to stock this tank, but I am looking for ¡§show-piece¡¨ colors for this project.

I have asked several people for their assistance with this project. These people have offered to help at no cost, frag trades, or even for chocolates ļ. I have a very good connection with that ļ. I wish to keep these people anonymous since their contributions are so generous and they could get a flood of offerings for helping out with TOO many other projects. However, if they wish to announce themselves here on this thread, then that is cool!


Currently, the tank has been assembled, but nothing has been drilled or tested at this point. I am definitely open for suggestions and more ideas. If anyone has an expertise, equipment, or a skill they are willing to share, please help. The more the merrier.


Here are some of the design ideas:

BASICS:
The artsy look comes from using classic colors black and silver and geometric shapes predominately squares and circles. The entire project from light to plumbing has been chosen to accent the colors and shapes. If it does not look like art, then it will not be used.

The premise is a stylish tank with no external sump, no skimmer, no chiller, no extensive filters or media, no live rock, and no exposed wires or equipment of any kind. It must be ultra quiet and produce no appreciable heat. It will be an sps display tank with a few snails and one high dollar fish. I am considering a Helfrichs or Frog fish Angler. I can use more ideas for a solitary cool fish. I will rely on weekly water changes and Oceans Blend 2 Part to export nutrients and maintain Alk / Ca, respectively.

TANK:
The tank features starfire glass and trimless. I used clear silicone to seat the glass with a very generous bead. After 24 hour curing all the excess silicone was cut away. Therefore the only silicone holding this tank together is what lies within the joints. This includes the bottom plate too.

WATER CIRCULATION
The internal sump sits directly in the middle of the cube. It has a fixed bottom portion and a rotating top. The top houses two Tunze nano stream 6025 pumps. The pumps are connected to a wavemaker (I am leading towards a Neptune Aquacontroller Jr) and alternate on/off in a one minute intervals. When one pump cycles on, the top rotates from the propulsion of flow 180 degrees to a stop point. In one minute, it shuts off and the other pump cycles on and rotates the top back the other direction. The pumps should provide adequate flow, maybe even too much. The top rotates smoothly on a sealed bearing from a Cervelo bicycle headset (I just changed the bearings and this was a handy extra part).


HIDING DEVICES
All electrical devices will be stored inside the internal sump. All wires are routed through the 1 1/4" PVC pipe which leads through a single bulkhead into the custom stand where the electrical boxes, controllers, and auto-top off device are located. In order to keep the cords dry, the PVC pipe extends above the surface of the water. The rotating top also extends several inches above the water¡¦s surface to hide the plumbing.

TANK INHABITANTS
A one inch black sand bed is used on the bottom of the tank. Four sps Acropora corals are mounted to each of the four sump walls. A Starfire glass ring is mounted in a suspended fashion around the sump walls and suspended by 1/2" clear acrylic tube. Four sps Montipora caps are mounted to the ring aligned with the corners of the sump walls. The tank is stocked with eight corals twelve snails, and one fish. Again, this is the plan at this point. I am sure things will change during the build process.

STAND:
The stand will be custom built from an 8" steel pipe mounted to a 14¡¨ square top and bottom metal sheet. A section will be cut from the pipe lengthwise to make the tube a C shape. A couple of shelves will be placed inside the tube for storage of supplies and electrical equipment. An idea I have been considering is to mount a large bearing on the top and bottom of the tube so that it can rotate 360 degrees. Since this will be in my office, it will be nice to have the C-tube closed so that no supplies are visible, then when I need something, I can just spin the tube to position the opening at the front and I can access the goods. Any thoughts?

LIGHTING:
At this time, the light fixture will be the brand new Solana brushed aluminum Orb with 150 watt HQI 14k lamp. I will likely change to a Radium 20K lamp. However, I am very hot for the new Solaris I4 LED lamp. The new series includes a 14¡¨ model which would fit perfectly over this Artsy-Cube. It features the same computer and all its functions as its bigger brothers: dimming, color temp adjust, cloud cover, moonlighting and seasonal settings, etc. It also has more power than previous generations and provides equal PAR compared to a 15K lamp 400w MH !!!


Project Contributions:

TANK DESIGN:
A fellow RC reefer and I were driving back to Tucson from a Phoenix fish store shopping spree. A boring 2 hour drive led to the development of this tank. Originally we talked about building a 24¡¨ 50 gallon cube, but with my limited office space, we are going nano! We conceived the idea of building a starfire trimless tank with no exposed wires. We actually had several great ideas and this is the one that surfaced. The rotating powerheads was not a part of that brainstorming. We had originally designed using a powerhead at the bottom of the internal sump and using a 4-way splitter to propel water out of each side of the baffle walls. If the rotating idea fails, this is what I will likely do.

STARFIRE GLASS:
Custom cut by an RC member. I traded zoanthids and some chocolates and cashews for the glass. I think he got the better deal. . . ļ ļ ļ just kidding.



BLOWN GLASS:
Suspending the starfire glass ring in the tank will be tricky. Instead of mounting it flat, I will angle the glass to break the conventional lines and perspective. I will use some custom blown glass to anchor the ring and maybe some additional shapes where needed.

STAND:
A fellow RC reefer is experienced with welding and steel pipes. We will try to build a stand that accentuates the geometrical shapes contiguous through the project. We have yet to work out the details, I have lots of chocolates for you, your kids and even their friends ļ

CORALS:
I received one coral that was especially donated for this project. It is a brilliant bright blue Acropora sp. Others that will go in there are a Acropora yongei (Green Slimer), Acropora acilles (sp), Acropora tort (Cali blue tort), Montipora capricornis (Idaho Grape, Green with purple rim, Orange-Red) and I am in need of one more Monti cap. Anyone willing to trade something with unusually brilliant colors?


Here are some photos:

This is a 2D Sketchup image. To view the 3D model, log into Sketchup (free download from Google). Click on the tool "Get Models" then type "artsy cube" and click search. You will be able to view the 3D model and a description of the build.

[SahuaritaMike]

Sweet, let me know when you want to get started on that stand.

Michael

[cerreta]

Cool. I have a deadline at work this week. So I will probably be ready to go over the details with you the following week. I'll give you a call. Thanks!

[truthdesigns]

nice keep us updated

[nurjrk]

Very interesting Scott, sound like it will be very cool. Keep us all updated.

On a side note, my tank is up and running, stand is completed...finally. I'll send you some pics.

Jeff

[cerreta]

Cool, thanks Jeff.

How are the kiddos doing?

[kirstenk]

I like the idea. I had mentioned once about doing a tank with no live rock and the corals suspended. I can't wait to see pics when everything is going.

I have two cap frags ya might be interested in. One is the green with blue polyps and the other is a deep purple.

[cerreta]

Thanks Kirsten. I had a frag of that yellow cap in my 110, then I sold it with the tank. Maybe we can trade.

The project is going slow though, so it will be awhile.
Cheers

[cerreta]

Ok, after a long delay. . . I am back at the project.

The internal water circulation device suspended in the tank and set on a bearing, was a failure. The design was ok and it functions, however, the size of the device was too large for the tank. I had to build a 6-8" square cube in order to hold the Tunze Nano pumps and when it swings, it pretty much hogs the hole tank. The light would not be able to reach the corals. I might give this another go with a bigger cube, like 24 x 24 x 24. The 14er is too small.

So, I opted for a rear chamber, internal closed loop circuit (CLC) for circulation. I retained the center 3" square tube for mounting the corals, but I angled this fixture. It looks very cool, and gives more room for mounted corals to grow before touching the glass.

I do not plan to use live rock, a sump, or a skimmer. I will have only live sand, a few corals, tons of alternating flow, and maybe one super cool high-end fish.

All electrical wires will be housed in the internal CLC chamber and run through a PVC drainpipe. The drainpipe is actually extending abover the water column, so it remains dry and no wires of any kind will be seen.

The CLC chamber is a nice size, 6x14. So, if I do need to add a skimmer in the future, I will have plenty of room for a Tunze Nano Skimmer.

Flow will be provided by 2 Tunze Nano stream 6025s. I will have these on a CurrentSea wavemaker. I may add 2 more of these pumps in the future for more wave action, therefore I have drilled extra holes in the back wall. When not in use, they will be covered with a Tunze 6025 grille and serve as intake for the CLC chamber.

I am very happy with this design and it will look totally cool to see a free standing tank with no apparent wires of any kind!!!

Pics coming soon

[cerreta]

This is the front view of the tank. The main tank is 14x14x14, about 10 gallons


The Rear CLC chamber is 14x6x18tall. It is open in the pics, but will be enclosed when I am finished building it. It will also have a removable black acrylic top.


I am going to use black sand and I am debating about what to do with the center tube. I could cap it shut, or leave it open and fill it with black sand. Then, I can place a coral on that sand bed in the tube. Any thoughts?


Inside of the CLC chamber. The hole in the bottom is for a 1.5" PVC pipe fitting.


Here you can see the PVC pipe fitted with a modified Tee. It extends above the water surface and will remain dry.


Another view of the pipe and 5 holes in the back wall. Two will have Tunze pumps for circulation and the other three will drain water from the main display to the CLC chamber. I drilled the extra holes so I can add more pumps in the future, or I can just rotate pump location for optimal effect. All holes will have the Tunze grate and maybe some foam or something to keep fish out.


Here is a full shot of the PVC standpipe with wires running through it.


Pipe and Tunze pumps in place.


Inside CLC chamber.


Close-up of Tunze pump in the wall. I will use a thick O-ring to keep the Tunze centered in the hole. It will also prevent the pump from moving around too much. The fish grate will be in the main tank and it has a very low profile, so nothing too obtrusive disturbs the tank view.

[truthdesigns]

Very cool

[cerreta]

Thanks Man.

[nurjrk]

Back at it huh. Looking good. You still planning on using the "orb" light? Doesn't look like it's going to be an open top though.

[cerreta]

Yes, I'm using the Orb. It will be an open top tank. I may need to put a glass rim on the edge to keep the water flow from spilling over. Not sure yet.

The orb actually works better with this tank design compared to the previous. The Orb mounting pole is designed to center the Orb over a 20" tank. The 14inch tank would require the pole to be mounted on a wall or somewhere further back to get it centered. With the overall tanks size of 20x14x14, I will mount the Orb on the back side of the stand behind the internal CLC and this should center the Orb without any other mods. This will allow for the seamless wiring theme to continue too, becuase I just need to route the power cord into the stand.
Cheers

[cerreta]

A performed a leak test today and all is well thus far. I actually painted the sides of the CLC and had to scrape off all the paint when trying to clean up the silicone after curing. So these pictures reveal the inside of that CLC sump area.

I will repaint the back and add the top section in the next few days.

The back wall has five holes. I originally intended to use two Tunze 6025 pumps, but thought that it would be nice to have four pumps and use a wavemaker to oscillate between the four pumps with two on and two off.

The issue here was that the flow may be too great for the samll tank. I also had two of the holes up high and am concerned about the flow pushing over the edge.

Well, the results are satisfying. I placed teh two Tunzes in the top holes and the current is adequate without rolling a wave over the edge. I filled the tank to 1/2" below the edge.

I also purchased a CurrentSea 4 pump wavemaker for $47. I like this device! It has 3 modes of operation and allows one to control the cycle time down to 5seconds. This aids with wave creation, whereas long delays just offer changing flow patterns without really creating waves.

Things observed:

The Tunzes are of course not recommended for frequent on/off cycles. However, they do an ok job. They do click at the start which concerns me. The other issue is that somtimes the propeller spins backwards and pushes flow into the CLC sump. This does not create problems because no the sump is large enough to deal with teh backwards flow. I have used this in my other nano and the problem here is that if it blows backwards into the wall, then the flow diverts into the sandbed and makes a mess.

I have formulated complaints about this with Roger at Tunze and there is not much that can be done. For this reason I bought the Korralia pumps and they have never spuns backwards. Instead, the Korallia has an anti-backspin device that spits the propeller foward where it hits a plate and bounces back into the proper orientation.

I also tested the Wavemaker with the Korralias and they work SO much better. The start is soft with no noise at all. They also spin in the proper direction every time.

My choice to use the Tunze over the Korralia is because of size and ease of mounting the Tunze without using any magnet system like seen in the photos.

Hey! Has anyone tried using the Reef Fanatic Wavemaker device. I am considering the purchase of one. It has a softer start mechanism according to Bob at RF. So this may work better for the Tunze. If I buy one, then I will use the CurrenSea with the Korralias in the other tank.

I would strongly recommend using this cheap well built wavemaker on the Korralias!!!

Here are some photos.

[nurjrk]

You have 5 holes in the back wall, if you use 4 of them for pumps, are you going to have enough water returning through the 1 hole to feed the pumps? As for the clicking on pump start up, if this is going to be in you office that sure would get annoying. Hope the other wave maker works better. Looking good.

[tropoasis]

Hey Scott,

How about a piece of X-Factor Monti for the last cap?

[D2daJAZ]

I really like your wavemaker, do you think it would work well with say 4 Koralia #4s in a 125 on the random chase mode?? I am thinking that would be a sweet wave setup for under $200..... k4s and all

[cerreta]

D2da,
If the Koralia 4 is quiet like the number one, then yeah, you will be happy. This wavemake is excellent quality for the price of $47

Hi Frank. I have change my mind about adding the plating Montis, but I will have to consider it again. I'm going to try and install it in the office this weekend.

Jeff, I was concerned about that but it will not be an issue. I only intend to have 2 pumps operating at a time. The 4 pumps just offer multiple options of changing current direction. When two of the Tunze pumps are OFF, they also serve as an intake and water will freely pass through them.

After I get the two other pumps, I will power all four at the same time as a test to see how restricted that single hole would be, because I am curious too.

[cerreta]

I moved this thread to the Nano tank forum.

I am hoping to take this tank to work today and get some water in there! Anyone is welcome to come by and check it out. I work at the American Lung Association on Broadway in Tucson.

On another note, if anyone would like help quitting tobacco, I can help with that too As of March 1, 2008, the meds used for smoking cessation are now free! Yes, all forms of them including Chantix. Az is the first state to offer this deal. So now is a great time to take advantage of FREE services. Call me if you would like more information 520-323-1812.

The Artsy-Cube will rest on a cabinet with oak trim to look nice until . . . da Artsy-Cylinder stand is built. The stand will be as artsy as the tank.

Here are all the details
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...9#post12417609

[cerreta]

I will start a new thread for this, but I will be stocking the tank very soon.

I have several great corals to add, but would like to diversify the color a bit more.

I would like to buy or trade for a 2" frag of Shawn-Bennet "Oregon" Blue Tort and something pink or red like a Acropora prostrata or Acropora millepora

Please contact me if interested.

[Jayreefer]

I have a pink millie frag if you like.

[cerreta]

Thanks Jay, do you have a photo? I have to check my tank parameters today and if all is well, I will make a trip up to Phoenix this weekend.

Please post the pic in the other thread, or email it to me thanks. Does this one have the ultra pink coloration?
Cheers mate

[cerreta]

Jesse and Melissa hooked me up with a trade. Thank you guys very much

Here is one picture. More tomorrow when the tank is clear. These will be posted on the other thread though.

[majestic sea life]

Scott,
I may have some frags that would look really nice for ya.