December 2011 nTOTM - 10gal bookshelf nano!

[rockryno]

Originally Posted by nichthyes

beautiful tank! do you have a thread you recommend on DIY LEDs?? I no nothing on the topic but i'm very interested

This is where I got all my info. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showforum=25

Thanks!

[dixiedog]

BTW I forgot to mention what a brilliant stroke of genius your overflow is. Was that your own idea? Who made it?

I'm also curious as to how you work on the tank in that cubbyhole, and how you keep from slopping water on the books and such. I'm guessing you must keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible?

And what's in the AC70? I'm guessing not a sponge as that would be sloppy also?

[rockryno]

Originally Posted by dixiedog

BTW I forgot to mention what a brilliant stroke of genius your overflow is. Was that your own idea? Who made it?

I'm also curious as to how you work on the tank in that cubbyhole, and how you keep from slopping water on the books and such. I'm guessing you must keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible?

And what's in the AC70? I'm guessing not a sponge as that would be sloppy also?

Ha thanks, I did come up with the overflow. Leak testing all the equipment when I first got the tank, I realized i didnt like that the AC70 pulled water from below the surface and the surface would just have crap floating on it. I also didnt like that the entire tank water level would drop with evaporation. From my previous tanks, I knew a surface skimmer was necessary and it just so happened the intake of the AC70 ended up right in the corner of the tank - perfect spot for half of a 4" PVC tube. Just used a circular saw to cut and notch it. Works perfectly, the water level in the tube drops with evap, keeping the rest of the tank at one level all the time, and the surface is crystal clear!

I rarely have my hands in the tank. Its actually not that hard to get in and scrape the glass or move coral around. I keep a towel on hand and wipe my hands as soon as theyre out of the tank. I do sometimes accidentally drip, but I wipe it up quick.

Yes the AC70 does have a sponge filter in it. Not terribly difficult to get it out without dripping.

[dixiedog]

Well you're a frickin' GENIUS. That overflow is nothing short of amazing. Innovation like that doesn't come around very often.

[rockryno]

hah well thanks you! feel free to use any ideas!

[sushi_x]

Gorgeous....

[8220]

Crazy what you can do with a 10 G tank.. Really impressive

[rockryno]

thanks guys!

[bdwilson]

Great tank, I love the color you are getting from those lights.

[reefsahoy]

Nice! How often do you have to topoff with Fresh water from evap?

[rockryno]

Thanks guys. I topoff once a day. I can hear its time when the water level in the back chamber drops enough to where the water starts splashing down.

[romsoccer12]

Great tank!
Wild Caught or ORA MAndarin? and do you have any other fish in the system?

[rockryno]

i hate to say it but I believe it was wild caught. Hes the only fish, didnt want to crowd the tank. I wish I could get a shot of him, but hes pretty shy...

[Mussin]

Do you have any more pics of the overflow or more detailed instructions? Looks sweet! Thanks

[rockryno]

I dont, but its pretty simple. Start with 4" dia PVC pipe, and cut it length wise. Then i just took the tape and measured out evenly spaced teeth, about 1/4" gaps, and cut em out with the table saw. Cleaned it all up and siliconed it into the back corner and stuck the AC70 on...

[thebanker]

I love the look of the overflow, but I have a question. With the heater being confined in such a small space, does that mess w/ the thermostat at all, causing it to 'click off' too early? Or does the flow from the AC20 help negate that known effect?

[rockryno]

the flow is pretty good through that tube so it heats very evenly. Stays at a constant 78 all the time.

[dixiedog]

One more overflow question and I'lll leave you alone, I promise. My wife is building a new 10g and wants me to fabricate an overflow just like yours.

So before I get started, is there anything you would do differently if you were doing it again now? Particularly, are you 100% happy with the diameter of the pipe, and would you cut it exactly in half again, not any more or any less?

Thanks man!!

[rockryno]

no problem, thats why were here! honestly, the tube works as well as I could have hoped. I definitely wouldnt use any smaller tubing, 4" fits the heater and intake just fine with some wiggle room. id cut it in half first, then test fit. you can always make it smaller. once you have the right size, then cut the teeth.

do keep in mind, with this design, if you live in a dry climate (like i do here in CO), youre going to have to keep an eye on the water level in the tube. Ive had super dry winter days with the house heat on that just sucks the moisture out of the air. on those days ill come home to the water level being halfway down the tube. next step for me is an auto topoff!

[dixiedog]

Okay whadda ya think rockryno, did I do okay?? The only thing I did different was I cut out the HOB to fit over the overflow teeth instead of vice versa.

Can't thank you enough for sharing the design!

[rockryno]

perfect! nice job

[ReeVo]

Beautiful looking reef and briliant idea for the overflow.
I got a question regaurding the overflow. How often do you top off and how much?

[Brentley25]

Killer setup!

[reeftankforme]

this is a great look. Did you have to re-enforce the bookshelf for extra weight?

[dixiedog]

Originally Posted by rockryno

perfect! nice job

Ah crud, not quite. The water level is running way too high.

I gotta cut the slots again, way deeper.