My 3rd Reef Tank - Build Thread - Long Nano w/pics

[mathias999us]

OK, I'm building a new tank. I wanted to start a thread to document and share my progress and experience, and hopefully learn something from the RC community too.

Thanks for looking, and comments and constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated!

Mathias

[mathias999us]

First, I'd like to give a brief description of my background and experience in the hobby. If you couldn't care less, just skip to the next post...

I had several freshwater tanks growing up as a kid, but nothing special or out of the ordinary. When I bought my first house in 2002, it had a perfect build in cabinet that was perfect for a big long tank. So, I bought a six foot long 135 gallon glass tank to put on the cabinet with the intention of keeping an iguana. But, the shop that I bought the tank from was a reef shop, and when I went to pick the tank up, I saw my first reef tank, and was impressed. The iguana idea was quickly thrown out the window in favor of a reef tank, and I proceed to buy hang on equipment, substrate, and live rock, having no real clue what I was doing. I ran this tank for 2 years, and kept a variety of soft corals in it under power compact lighting. Things survived OK, but the tank never flourished. I read and learned an awful lot during this time, and I knew the next time around would receive a lot more up-front planning.

Then, I decided to build a nano tank. I bought an Alife 6 gallon glass cube (basically like the nano cubes), and did a bunch of mods to it. Upgraded the lighting, flow, filtration, plumbed in a 2.5G fuge with chaeto, temperature controller, ATO, etc. This tank was a LOT easier to maintain than the poorly planned 135g, and it did rather well. But, then due to my career, I had to move from Southern California to Minnesota after it had been running for 7 months, so I tore it down and sold off all of the livestock.

I've been in Minnesota for about 16 months now, and I'm ready to set up another reef tank, which brings me to my 3rd reef tank...

[mathias999us]

In early October I started skulking around the RC forums again, looking for some inspiration for my next tank. And then, there it was, Calvin's beautiful 48" NTOTM:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1060365

I also saw this thread where navyav8tr copied calvin's tank design, and made a pretty cool shelf and canopy for it:
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1097459

I decided I was going to follow in the footsteps of these pioneers and build something very similar.

[mathias999us]

I contacted Calvin, and talked to him about having him build me a tank similar to the tank he built for his NTOTM. I've done some acrylic work before, but nothing that was show quality. Basically I wanted the exact same build, except add the euro top with center brace, and plumbed for external pumps (calvin talked me into the external pumps).

Calvin and I came to an arrangement, and he got to work on the tank. He sent me a bunch of build pics during the process:

http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/319-2/DSCN3577.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/353-2/DSCN3656.jpg

And, the finished product:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/380-2/DSCN3700.jpg

The tank also has 3 sets of acrylic guides on each end of the sump box for filter pads and removable acrylic baffles. It has 6 locline return jets, 3 jets on 2 manifolds.

Outisde dimensions are 48"L x 12"D x 8.25" H. The clear acrylic is 3/8" thick, and the black divider wall is 1/4". This will give around 10.5 gallons in the display, and around 2-3 gallons in the sump, for a total water volume of 12-13 gallons.

[mathias999us]

I would like to make a special note to point out that Calvin rocks! He was great to work with, and payed very close attention to detail. He did an excellent job keeping me updated, and customizing the build to my needs. If anyone is interested in a tank like this, and doesn't want to do acrylic work themselves, I highly recommend contacting Calvin!

Thanks buddy, you made this build happen!

[mathias999us]

While calvin was building the tank, I started gathering together some other equipment and making additional plans. Here's some of the equipment that I've bought:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/392-2/IMG_1974.JPG

For lighting, I'm going with a 4 x 54W T5 IceCap retro kit from ReefGeek. So, that's IceCap individual reflectors with two Vossloh-Schwabe electronic ballasts. I have 2 11000K Giesemann Aquablue plus bulbs, and 2 Giesemann pure actinic bulbs. I'm also adding two banks of LED moonlights to each end, with a 28-day moon phase timer.

For flow, I bought an Eheim 1260 Universal pump rated for 635 GPH, and a 3/4" SCWD. Each of the return manifolds is plumbed through the floor of the sump with its own individual 1/2" bulkhead. There are also (2) 3/4" drain bulkheads. So, my plan is to plumb both the drains into the input on the eheim pump below the tank, and then the pump output will be directed into the scwd. Each of the scwd outputs will be plumbed to one of the return manifolds, which each lead to 3 loc line jets back to the display.

I bought a Top-it-Off kit from aquahub.com, and an aqualifter pump to handle my ATO needs (I think ATO is pretty critical to a good, easy to maintain nano). The ATO equipment and reservoir will be stored beneath the tank in a "shelf-cabinet".

[mathias999us]

I also have a ReefKeeper 1 controller from my last nano which I intend to use as the power center, timer, thermometer, and temperature controller for this new tank. The reefkeeper will be installed in the "shelf-cabinet". It will control a submersed ebo-jager heater in the sump area of the tank. Additionally, I will be installing (2) 4.5" "pancake" fans into the top of the canopy, which will evacuate heat, and chill the tank as necessary. The fans will also be temp controlled by the reefkeeper, and will only run when necessary.

The reefkeeper was a great addition to my last nano tank, I I highly recommend it to those considering one. I'd love an RK2, but I already had version one, which is good enough for me.

[mathias999us]

In the sump area, I intend to run a few different types of filtration in the various chambers. I will definitely dedicate a portion of the sump to a fuge, which I will stock with chaeto, and possible other beneficial filtering macro algae. I may run this on a reverse photo period if I can squeeze my 13W 6700K PC in the canopy, but things will be tight with four T5's up there already. Otherwise, the T5s will be more than sufficient for the fuge. I also plan on running 2 filter pads for mechanical filtration, which will be thoroughly cleaned/replaced weekly. In addition, I will put a bag of chemipure and a bag of purigen in the sump. Finally, I purchased a Sapphire Aquatics NC12 Nano Skimmer, which I will run in the sump area as well.

I don't buy the "over-filtering" arguments some people give. IME, you can never have enough filtration, and even with the best technology and over-kill filtration scheme, we're still falling short of pristine ocean conditions found on natural reefs...

[mathias999us]

I tested 2 of the four bulbs. This is with one of each bulb type (tank is dirty with dust, needs to be washed still):
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/401-2/IMG_1983.JPG

I'm very pleased with the nice blueish-purple color of the light.

[mathias999us]

When we bought the new house in August 06, I just KNEW this would be a future site for some sort of fish tank. This is the view when walking in my front door:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/407-2/IMG_1985.JPG

To the immediate right is the kitchen and living room. Straight ahead and to the right is the family room where we have our couches and TV. To the left is the bedrooms.

Here is the shot from the family room direction:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/410-2/IMG_1986.JPG

The only problem with this location is the head of my bed in the master bedroom is directly on the opposite side of the wall where the tank will be mounted. I'd like to have this tank as quiet as possible. I'm hoping that eheim pump treats me well. I've read that the Sapphire skimmers are virtually silent. Those, and the intermittent fans should be the only moving parts, so fingers crossed.

[mathias999us]

Next step was to install brackets onto the mount location:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/419-2/IMG_1989.JPG

Fortunately for me, there was a stud perfectly centered on this wall between the two lamps where I intend to mount the tank. Then, I have a stud 16" to the left, and another 16" to the right that will both be under the tank, perfectly centered, leaving only 8" of overhang on each end.

I attached 3 heavy-duty shelving braces to the studs with (3) 3.5" lag bolts each. I positioned the braces so that the floor of the tank will be 54" off of the house floor, which is a good viewing height for more adults. Kids'll need a stool, but won't be tempted to tamper either.

While weight is a concern in these situations, I'm confident that this support will be more than sufficient. I weigh close to what I estimate the finished product will weight when filled and stocked, and I can do pullups on the tips of each of these braces individually, with absolutely no hint of protest from the wall structure. They're downright rock-solid, and I'm confident that I've exceeded my support needs by at least 3 fold.

Still on my todo list is to tap into the outlet pictured in the lower part of this image, and run some romex up through the wall to a GFCI outlet and box that will be located right beside the brace, directly above the existing outlet. This will keep the reef tank outlet out of sight once the shelf-cabinet is installed, and there will be no wiring visible at all.

[mathias999us]

Just testing the tank in position with an oak plank resting on the braces:

http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/422-2/IMG_1990.JPG
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/425-2/IMG_1991.JPG

So far I am happy with this setup.

[mathias999us]

This weekend I headed over to the local home improvement store, and bought a cart full of select grade solid oak panels, planks, and trim:

http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/431-2/IMG_1993.JPG

I also bought a bunch of corrosion resistant hardware, and I went to work out in my shop.

I've built pool decks and patio covers before, but I've never tried my hand at "fine" woodworking, so I am quite pleased with the results.
After two long days in the shop this weekend, I produced the following shelf-cabinet and combo canopy assembly for this nano. :
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/437-2/IMG_1995.JPG
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/440-2/IMG_1996.JPG

The tank slides into the modling guides like a hand into a glove, and the canopy shuts snug and tight around the top edges of the tank.

The canopy swivels up for maintenance, and the front of the cabinet is hinged to swing down and open for access to the equipment that will be located below the tank. Still have to figure out a convenient way to prop the canopy up.... something more elegant than a stick:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/449-2/IMG_1999.JPG

The cutout in this end is where the ReefKeeper display will go:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/452-2/IMG_2000.JPG

[mathias999us]

That's as far along as I am at this point in time. Next step is to stain and seal the woodwork. After that (or meanwhile), I will install electrical wiring. Then I need to start mounting all the equipment inside the cabinetry and canopy, and run the plumbing beneath the tank. Then, I think it's water time!!!

Woohoo!

[workstoomuch]

WOW, that is gonna look bad frickin' *** when you walk into your house. Good job on the cabinet, are you going to stain it? Keep us updated.

[eshook]

That is amazing. I love the clean look and 'floating' effect on the wall.

I will be watching this thread.

[Devtech]

amazing work! cant wait to see it running! ill be tagging along!

[TKByrnes]

WOW!!! That just makes me want to set up one like that!!!! Great work!!

[saltyshoe_nano]

wow that is a nifty tank looking good...I like what you did with the sand/canopy floating....or would that be concidered a crown molding lol I donno but its lookin good

[moprint]

Four t-5s on a 12" deep tank, isn't that gonna be a little much? The tank looks great just worried about the lighting.

[mathias999us]

workstoomuch -
Thanks a bunch for the encouragement! Yeah, this spot was just begging for some sort of nice display... I put the first coat of spar varnish on last night, I'll post some pics here in a bit.

eshook -
Thank you very much! I like the floating look too, but I also chose this approach because the only way my wife would let me have a tank in this area is if I promised it wouldn't touch her wood floor! :D Great to have you along.

Devtech -
Thanks! I can't wait to get it running myself. Good to have you along as well.

TKByrnes -
Thanks much. :) Calvin's your man if you don't want to do acrylic work. Wish I could claim I made the tank too.... maybe next time. :p

saltyshoe -
Hey, thanks a bunch. I think some of the trim actually was crown molding. Not sure, I just browsed through the trim section at the hardware store and picked whatever I thought would look OK.

moprint -
It's actually only an 8.25" high tank, but 12" front to back. You may have a good point, but I'm not sure. Calvin's tank used 3 T5's and did well. I also saw someone set up a similar tank with 4 T5s, but he said he might remove one. The fourth will be completely over the sump except for the very ends, and the 3rd will be about half over the sump, and half over the display. With the bulb arrangement, that should give about one and a half pure actinics and one 11000K bulb exposed to the display area. There weren't a lot of 3-bulb or 1-bulb retro kits out there, and the ones that did were almost as much as 2 or four. I could always remove a bulb. I've seen people with 250W MH on 20G tanks that do well, so I'd be interested to hear some more opinions on my lighting. Thanks for the comment.

Mathias

[mathias999us]

For the purpose of discussing the lighting comment, I should probably briefly mention my stocking plans as well. I'd like this to be primarily an LPS dominated tank. I would also like to take my first try at a clam or two, and maybe some hardier SPS species. If there are lower-light areas of the tank, like towards the back wall on the ends, I may keep some softies there as well. I will probably also put some inverts in here (shrimp, star, cuc), and 1 to 2 very small fish (still undecided on what species).

[mathias999us]

Here's a shot with the canopy and front cabinet door removed, where you can clearly see the holes that were drilled for the plumbing:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/470-2/img_2013.jpg

The two large holes towards the middle are for the drain bulkheads, and the two smaller holes on the outsides are for the return manifold bulkheads.

The whole canopy/shelf-cabinet assembly weighs around 100 lbs just by itself, so it's a lot easier to get this thing up the stairs from my shop to the mounting site by removing the door and the canopy and making 3 trips!

[mathias999us]

OK, I did what I believe to be my final woodworking task in this project last night. I mentioned earlier that I am going to mount (2) 4.5" pancake fans into the canopy that will be controlled by the reefkeeper. I will have one draw air in, and the other will remove air. I want these fans to draw and exhaust air out the top of the canopy, where they will not be visible. I considered using my router to make a series of slots in the top of the canopy where the fans will mount. But, I also do not want any ambient light from inside the canopy to leak out the top of the canopy and shine on the ceiling above the tank.

Instead of cutting slots with the router, I just cut 4" holes with a big hole saw (that poor little Makita 9.6V sure struggled with that job!). Then, I fashioned some "fancy" chamfered port covers out of some oak scrap, and fastened them to the top of the canopy over the fan holes.

Camera angle makes this look crooked for some reason, but here's a shot of the underside of one of the fan port covers I made:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/479-2/img_2001.jpg

Here's a pic of the holes I drilled for the fans. I placed the fans in the shot inside the canopy, but they will of course be mounted over the holes. You can also see, I installed some rails for mounting the the endcaps for the lights:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/458-2/img_2009.jpg

Fan port mounted on top:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/461-2/img_2010.jpg

Both Fan Ports:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/464-2/img_2011.jpg

[mathias999us]

I also applied the first coat of spar varnish last night. I intend to do 3 coats total. I used Ace Hardware brand spar varnish that I had left over from when I did some wood work on my boat. I liked the way it looked on my boat, and has stood up to the weather and the elements very well over the past year, so it should provide plenty of protection against moisture, salt, and UV. Plus, the price is right. :D I really hate painting and staining stuff, but you gotta protect the wood, and the end result will be worth it I think.

Couple pics:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/476-2/img_2015.jpg

http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/482-2/img_2016.jpg

[mathias999us]

Yay! I can finally have my own avatar.

Alright, that's the latest status. Next steps are to add the additional two coats of varnish and install the GFCI outlet (unfortunately, I think I'll have to make a slight mod to my cabinet so it won't interfere with the new outlet, but shouldn't be too tough).

Getting closer and closer to adding water! :) Thanks for looking,
Mathias

[calvin415]

Looking great bud! Thanks for the kind words, I can't wait to see it full of water!!! :D

[johno4]

Great idea for the tank, it looks awsome. Keep us updated on the progress.

[scottydo]

Nice job - looks good.

[mathias999us]

Calvin -
Thanks a bunch! Glad you're tagging along. I can't wait to fill it with water too! I'll try to do your original concept justice! Gotta give you credit, you're the origin of this whole concept, I'm merely an appreciative imitator :)

johno4 -
Thanks very much for the compliment. Good to have your interest - I'll try to post regular updates, even if they are minimal.

scottydo -
Thanks man!

[mathias999us]

My update is fairly lame today. The only thing I got done last night was I lightly sanded down the first coat of varnish, hit it all with a tack cloth, and added the second coat. I really don't see too much of a difference between the first and the second, and I'm thinking a third coat wouldn't make a noticeable difference, so I'm thinking of just stopping at two coats (did I mention I hate painting and staining?)

Here are some pics of the second coat:

http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/485-2/img_2019.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/488-2/img_2020.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/491-2/img_2021.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/497-2/img_2023.jpg

If I don't move forward with a third coat, hopefully I'll get the electrical work done this evening.

Thanks for reading everyone!

[scottydo]

I stopped at the second coat on my stand too - 3rd coat is overkill.

[mathias999us]

scottydo -
Thanks, I think you've reinforced my decision. :)

[mikellini]

I really liked Calvin's tank when I saw it, but this one's poised to grasp my attention for quite a while. Very nice...

I want to do something very similar, except definitely taller and possibly a little wider. I wonder how much shipping would be from Colorado to Fort McMurray, Alberta...

[TKByrnes]

Ok I cant take it any more!!!!! hurry up with the water!!!!!

[mathias999us]

mikellini -
Thanks, glad you like it! I've heard other people say they would do it slightly taller too. The thing I like about the dimensions that calvin chose was how deceptively small the water volume is. It "looks" like a really big tank, and people are surprised when you tell them it's under 15 gallons total. I'd bet shipping would run ya close to $100. From CO to MN, it was close to $40, not including the excellent OSB packing job calvin did.

TKByrnes -
HAHA! If there's one thing I've learned in this hobby, it's that the best results come through planning and patience. :) That being said, I myself am chompin' at the bit to get 'er up and runnin'! Thanks. :)

[mathias999us]

When I got home last night, the second coat of varnish was nice and dry. I left it in my shop with the heater running, and a box fan on medium to provide some gentle circulation throughout the shop - the box fan made a big difference IMO. I found a couple small spots that needed to be touched up with another dab of varnish. Then, I went for the electrical work. After hunting up and down the circuit breaker panel for 10 minutes finding the TWO that I needed to turn off (bottom plug was on a different circuit than top plug, glad I checked!), the job was a piece of cake, and was done in less than 10 minutes:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/500-2/img_2024.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/506-2/img_2026.jpg

The only problem here, is that I had been planning to have the plug on the left side of the stud (bracket), instead of the right. I hadn't realized that the lower plug was on the right side instead of the left, so it would have been a major PITA to put the new outlet on the left. This meant I had to cut a little out of the back panel on the cabinet, because there wasn't enough room. So, I whipped out my jigsaw, cut out the rectangle, and hit it with some varnish. Here's how it turned out:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/530-2/img_2034.jpg

[mathias999us]

And now, finally some shots of the finished cabinet in place.

From family room:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/512-2/img_2028.jpg

Walking in my front door:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/515-2/img_2029.jpg

Tried a couple without the flash too:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/518-2/img_2030.jpg

You can see the blue reflection from my 6 gallon nano that is on the other side of the family room:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/524-2/img_2032.jpg

I really wasn't sure how this shelf-cabinet thing would turn out while I was planning it, but I must say, I'm not embarrassed of this. :)

[mathias999us]

That's it so far! :) Now I get to do the REALLY fun stuff. Install the lights, fans, reefkeeper, and plumbing. Also gotta build/install the ATO kit, and find a good water reservoir that will fit into the bottom cabinet. I was thinking of possibly just using a 2.5G AGA. Maybe even a 5 if it will fit.

Thanks for reading!

[mathias999us]

OK, this one goes out to any of you who have concerns about the structural integrity of this project.

This afternoon, I mounted the shelf in place. I did this by added seven (7) 3" exterior screws through the back boards into the studs. 3 on the left, 3 on the right, and one in the center of the cross brace. May be a bit tought to see, but here's a pic:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/539-2/img_2035.jpg

Now, here's a pic that's going to (hopefully) give me peace of mind about this situation for years to come:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/536-2/img_2036.jpg

I lugged all those darned things upstairs just to prove my point here. What you're looking at 380 pounds of freeweights resting on the shelving, plus we still have the additional 70 pounds of weight from the shelf itself (minus the canopy, which is not connected in the pic). The wall and cabinetry didn't even blink an eye. No cracking, creaking, moaning, nada. Not even a "shift". I can site my eye lengthwise along the top and bottom shelves, and they are still straight as an arrow. The only way this thing will come down will be to take the wall with it (I suppose that's still not out of the question, but I'm not worried a bit).

This is considerably more weight than the 250 pounds I am estimating the full tank and all equipment and cabinetry will weigh.

[calvin415]

LOL!!!! Dude, I went through the same nagging when I put mine on the wall... Everyone thought it wouldn't hold, but alas that is why they are not engineers. ;) LOL!

[mathias999us]

calvin -
HAHA! I think it's because the tank seriously looks a lot bigger than it really is, even in person. People don't believe it when you tell them its 12-13 gallons total. I mean c'mon, I could probably pick the darn thing up when it was full of water! :) Hard to picture unless you see in person I guess.

[saltyshoe_nano]

I like that you showed how much weight it could hold to prove your point lol and its comeing along, very nice! Im ready to see what it looks like with water,rock,ect. :)

[jdpierce21]

Very neat concept. I really like it. It's very different!

[NewWorldWater]

Grade A work, very tastefully done. Looking forward to watching this thread.

[navyav8tr]

Very nice work. I like how you have the bottom skirt of the tank so that you can store stuff in it. Great idea, wish I would have thought about it. The one thing that you will like as well by having the canopy pivoting up like that is the ability to clean it better. It can be a little touch at times getting into the corners.
As far as lighting goes I too am running 4x55W T5s and heat does sometime become an issue especially during the summer. I love these tanks though, Calvin truly does have a great design with this.

[Philby]

Loving everything about this so far! Great job (calvin on the tank and Mathias on the vision/cabinetry)

What are your thoughts for LR - obviously you need much smaller pieces that normal with a tank like this...are you gonna get nano sized rocks from somewhere online? break up regular sized pieces from your LFS? or maybe even DIY some rocks to have the ultimate control of your aquascape?

[alpine]

Great looking build you got going.I love the
shelf and canopy work,very nice.You've taken a very cool tank design and taken it a step further.You talked about adding a small sump underneath.Will this be a custom made acrylic sump,or something store bought?Personally I would go with a custom sump,to fit your space requirements and needs.You went this far out the box already,might as well keep going further.

All in all great project and I look forward to seeing it full of water and matured.Showed it to the wife and she loved the look and the design.

[NanoReefWanabe]

looking very nice...and of course a superbly built tank yet again...
the only thing i dont like is how it kind looks unfinished hanging on the wall...almost like it needs something else on the bottom...like a couple pieces of wood on 45* angles to give it the shelf bracket look or something..

i dont know, something about it sticking out 14" into the hallway that makes it look a little funny...other then that the quality of the work is awesome...i can hardly wait to see it stocked and running..

[mathias999us]

Sorry for the delay, I had company over for the holidays.

saltyshoe_nano -
Heh, thanks. Sometimes a pic is worth a thousand words I guess! I'm looking forward to gettin' it all up and running too!

jdpierce21 -
Thanks much! I didn't want to do just another cube :)

NewWorldWater -
Thanks a bunch! Glad to have you along.

navyav8tr -
Hey, glad you were able to see this! You were definitely part of my inspiration for this! Yes, I have my T5s up and running now, and the first thing I had to deal with was the excess heat. I believe I have an effective solution for now, but only time will tell with the warm temps of summer.

Philby -
Thanks very much! Glad you like it. For LR, I was thinking that I'd just order about 20 lbs of "Nano" rock from premium aquatics:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=L-NANO&Category_Code=Liverock
I was just going to make a long wall along the entire length of the black divider wall, which wraps around the divider walls at the ends also. I'm certainly open to suggestions on this though...

alpine -
Thanks a bunch alpine! My only plans for a sump are just the built-in sump box in the back of the tank. It's good sized, and very configurable. In the cabinet underneath, I'll just have the pump, ballasts, plumbing, ATO, and other equipment. I suppose the option for a lower sump still exists in the future though, since I have the bulkheads in the floor of the tank.

NanoReefWanabe -
HAHA, well, I guess you can't please 'em all. One guy wants to hide the brackets, someone else wants me to intentionally make it look like there are brackets. I like the clean floating look myself though. The only thing I can tell you about it sticking out 14" into the hall is that, it's a wide hall with a bend, so it's really out of the natural walking path, and fits quite naturally where it is IMO. Here's a pic for you from a different angle to give you a better idea:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/614-2/img_2061.jpg
Thanks for the support though, and glad to have your interest.

[gregrocks79]

<B>I love you how mounted your tank to the wall, lookin good!

[gregrocks79]

<B>I love you how mounted your tank to the wall, lookin good!

[mathias999us]

OK, now for some updates.

Next, I got to work installing the fans and lights:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/548-2/img_2037.jpg

The fans fit nicely, but I had to "mod" the standoffs slightly to make them fit. The length of the hood proved to be DAM close, as in, if the bulbs were 1/16" longer, they wouldn't fit. But, everything fit nice and tight, so I can't complain.

I decided to mount the fourth bulb up higher than the other three for a few reasons. Mainly, this would allow the necessary height in the sump for some taller equipment, specifically, my sapphire skimmer. Additionally, this would greatly improve the air flow and ventalation in the hood, since if all four lights were mounted at the same height, the reflectors would essentially isolate the vents on the top of the canopy from the water's surface. Finally, I'm hoping that this will make the end areas of the tank in the back have a little bit lower lighting levels for some lower-light corals. The downside here is that this strip along the back of the tank will receive less light, but that shouldn't matter much, since this bulb is almost entirely over the sump box. I doubt the chaeto in my fuge will know the difference of a few inches in bulb height ;). I can always move the endcaps back down to mount on the rails in the future if I want.

A few other pics:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/566-2/img_2045.jpg

Bright!:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/560-2/img_2043.jpg

This tank is dusty!
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/551-2/img_2040.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/575-2/img_2048.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/578-2/img_2049.jpg

[mathias999us]

gregrocks79 -
Thanks man! I'm diggin' it too so far.

[mathias999us]

OK, next it was on to the plumbing. After a lot of hunting through bins at the local hardware stores, I was able to find all the fittings I needed to put the plumbing together. This was somewhere through the process, doing a leak test:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/584-2/img_2051.jpg

No leaks, so I was finally able to fill 'er up with water:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/599-2/img_2056.jpg

Bubbles died down after a few hours:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/608-2/img_2059.jpg

[reefman13]

NOW TO STOCK IT!!!!

Nice job.

[mathias999us]

reefman13 -
Hehehe, yeah.... I'm gonna take my time with that, but it's getting to be about time. Thanks!

[mathias999us]

After finishing this work, I encountered a bit of a roadblock with my plan. I discovered that when the light ballasts were hooked up to the reefkeeper, it would continually restart every 15-20 seconds, each time shutting the whole system down for about 10 seconds. I spent the better part of an afternoon trying to diagnose the problem, swapping plugs around, moving the ballasts, googling, and coming up with nothing. The only thing I was pretty sure about was that the ballasts were generating some sort of interference that the reefkeeper didn't like. Finally, I found a post from a guy who had a TV reception problem caused by his IceCap flourescent lights. After he spent an hour on the phone with IceCap, they told him to try to ground his reflectors. This seemed to fix his TV problems, so I tried it also. The reefkeeper problem immediately went away, and hasn't happened since. So, apparently, a grounded metal sheet or mesh that runs the length of the bulbs drains off enough of the EMI generated by the lights to reduce interference problems. So, problem solved, woohoo!

[saltyshoe_nano]

and so it begins? :)

[saltyshoe_nano]

dbl post :rollface:

[mathias999us]

The next morning, I ran into another problem - heat. As soon as the bulbs turned on in the morning, the tank would start to heat up, and the fans would kick on. But, the fans weren't able to control the temperature effectively. So, I did a few things to remedy this. I removed the decorative fan caps because they were creating a restriction on the flow. This made a difference, but not as much as I wanted. Next, I installed two additional fans to blow directly on the surface of the water. This made a big difference, and all four fans could easily cool the water down very quickly. But, it was a bit loud. I changed the hood fans out for some quiter ones, then, I split the fans up on two different power supplies. One hood fan and one water fan run on a 6 volt supply, which is slower, but VERY quiet, nearly silent.. The other two run on a 12v supply, which moves a lot more air, but is a lot louder. I have the reefkeeper set to heat the water to 79.0 on the heater circuit. Then, the quiet fans kick on at 79.3 and drop the temp to 79.2 to turn off. Finally, I have the louder fans also kick on at 79.4 and drop the temp to 79.3 to turn off. So, if the quiet fans can't keep the temp below 79.3, then the loud backup fans kick in, and all four fans run. So far, the quiet lower voltage pair is easily keeping the temperature under control by themselves. I expect in the summer that the louder fans may need to run occasionally, and if things are really bad, I might prop open the canopy and/or remove the 4th bulb over the sump.

Here's a pic of one of the new fans I installed that blow on the water. You can also see where my sapphire skimmer sits in the sump box here too:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/626-2/img_2065.jpg

[mathias999us]

saltyshoe_nano -
ALMOST there.... :) Almost....

[mathias999us]

Installed my ATO from AquaHub:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/632-2/img_2067.jpg

Used a 2.5 gallon glass tank for my FW reservoir. It was a tight fit, but it made it. Also got my pump and SCWD wrapped up in sound insulation here, which made a big difference. The eheim pump is REALLY quiet. The tiny submersible pump on the sapphire skimmer is louder than the big eHeim, so it was worth the extra bucks. Also, the aqualifter pump for the ATO is basically silent, which is great:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/635-2/img_2068.jpg

[mathias999us]

Added some caribsea Fiji Pink Aragonite, and let it clear up. I think it looks pretty good:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/638-2/img_2069.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/668-2/img_2079.jpg

That's as far along as I am at this point. Next step is to order some LR. So far my plan is just to order around 20lbs of "nano" LR from Premium Aquatics, and build an open wall all along the bank and around the corners that leans against the black divider wall.

If anyone has a better idea for LR, I'd certainly be interested to hear. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for reading,
Mathias

[saltyshoe_nano]

that tank is awesome! lol I want one lol I just got mine up and running you should check it out lol nothin like your but keeps me occupied lol heres a link :) sorry if you think its a hijack.....:( cause its not :p
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1272461

[Zestay]

ok i have to disagree on the mounting location.. i think its a horrible idea.. i mean.. your going to have to STAND up to stare into your tank for hours on end...=)

only kidding man. looks awesome good luck with the tank. you say your ideas for a skimmer yet?

[pardalis]

Very cool tank!!!

[mathias999us]

saltyshoe_nano -
Thanks, that tank looks pretty neat. I'm liking the shallow and wide/deep layout. Good for all your inhabitants. I'll follow along with that.

Zestay -
Heh, it's true, standing gives the best view. Thanks for the encouragement. Yep, I have a sapphire NC12 skimmer in part of the sump compartment, next to the overflows on one end.

pardalis -
Thanks!

[saltyshoe_nano]

lol install a bench on the other side of the wall...you seem to be quite the handy man so it shouldnt be to big of a problem...or just keep the wooden one :lol: :bum:

[sfsuphysics]

Wow that is some awesome work on the cabinetry and really serves a major purpose both holding everything and hiding everything I love it! I was going to do something similar for a nano-contest a couple years back where I'd build a 5 foot long tank along the contours of my fireplace mantle, but then found out my acrylic fab skills ... well suck pretty badly ... so nothing came of it, but yikes man I'm impressed by what I see.

[D to the P]

everyone standing in that hallway to marvel at your tank might be a fire hazard! haha, that really is a beautiful piece of work, can't wait to see it with some livestock.

[alpine]

Mathias

Looks like some serious progress has come along.The tank is looking great.For some reason I thought you were going to run a mini sump in the cabinet,since you had installed bulkheads.

As for liverock,you should definately get a nice piece of tonga branch in there.Of course you might have to break it up some,but it would look awesome with some zoas growing all over it.My friend has a 72 bowfront with a large multibranching piece of tonga in his tank with various colors of zoas growing all over it.It looks totally awesome.

[Devtech]

looking nice mathias, tank is coming along great, mines in the algae stage looking really ugly lol i hate this stage

[mathias999us]

saltyshoe_nano -
Heh, ironically, my wife was just suggesting that... it may be one of my next projects. ;)

sfsuphysics -
Thanks! I had calvin415 fab the acrylic for me. I've made some acrylic sumps before, but nothing clean enough for a display piece. I think acrylic fab probably just has a bit of a learning curve. Thanks for the compliments.

D to the P -
HAHA, maybe I'll put a fire extinguisher in the tank cabinet ;). Thanks for the kind words.

alpine -
I see. I have the bulkheads installed because I'm running an external pump for a closed loop / return pump for the sump chamber in the rear of the tank. So the bulkheads lead to a pump and a scwd in the cabinet below. For the LR, unfortunately, my LFS's suck, so I won't get a chance to hand pick anything. I think you're right though, so long branches would look cool. I took my chances with the nano LR from Premium Aquatics, so we'll see what they send. Thanks for the encouragement!

Devtech -
Thanks! I know what you mean about the algae stage. I have another little 6gal nano that's currently cycling for about 4 weeks now, and just started to get diatom bloom and first signs of hair algae. I'll probably manually clean it up a bit, and put a CUC in soon. I've been following your tank, time for an update man! :)

[mathias999us]

Well, I've ordered my 20 pounds of NANO LR from premium aquatics, but it's not supposed to be here until next friday, so that's probably it for updates until I get the rock put in next weekend. Then I'll post some pics of my aquascaping.

[mathias999us]

OK, so first premium aquatics apologized last week that they were behind because of the holidays, and they wouldn't be able to ship my order until yesterday. Then, yesterday, they said they didn't want to ship because the temps there had dropped below 20F, and they don't like to ship livestock when it's that cold, including rock. They wanted to ship next monday, but it's still supposed to be cold in MN for me next week, so I don't think delaying solves the problem. I cancelled my order (which they were really cool about), and went to a good LFS that's about 45 miles from my house (Ocean Devotion in Burnsville, MN), and the owner helped me pick out some LR. It's "Indo/Tonga", with some decent colors, but not the most colorful I've ever seen. But there was a great variety of colors (pinks, purples, oranges, reds, and greens) and other life on the rocks, and I'm sure it'll really color up more in short time. The guy at the LFS (Ed I think?) was very helpful, and cherry picked most of the best nano-sized pieces he had in stock, and he also gave me a price break because I was specifically looking for smaller-sized pieces. I got my preliminary aquascaping done last night, and just letting things settle a bit now. I'll post pics tonight.

[MinibowMatt]

AWESOME!
Calvin is a great guy, I have spoke with him about acrylic work too.

Your tank is nice, and I like your woodworking! Im slightly concerned that the insulation wrapped around your pump may cause it to overheat and die.. something to think about...

Very good build thread!

[mathias999us]

MinibowMatt -
Yeah, I was concerned about that too. I've been keeping my eye on it, and stick my hand inside to feel the pump occasionally, and it runs pretty cool. I think eheim makes a great pump. I agree with you though, it's definitely something to be monitored. Thanks for the compliments!

[mathias999us]

OK, here's my initial aquascaping. This is the point where I admit that, I don't feel like I'm a very good aquascaper, and somehow I can never seem to get to an arrangement I am satisfied with. That being said, I had a few goals in mind with this arrangement:
[list=1]
Easy maintenance, room to clean front and sides of display on the inside
Plenty of good spots to place corals
Stable structure that is not falling down every time I bump it with the back of my hand
Conceal the return jets
Open structure to promote good flow
[/list=1]

This rock has a decent amount of color on it, but it does need some more time to color up. For some reason, the lights or my camera make it look really white in the pics (I'm a point and shoot photographer, nothing more), it definitely has more color in person.

In total, I squeezed 20.5 lbs of LR into this 10.5g display! Anyway, here's a bunch of pics:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/671-2/img_2083.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/677-2/img_2085.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/689-2/img_2089.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/695-2/img_2091.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/716-2/img_2098.jpg http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/719-2/img_2099.jpg

Right end shot:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/680-2/img_2086.jpg

Left end shot:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/683-2/img_2087.jpg

Hard to get a shot of this, but there is space along the length behind the structure for flow. Here's an attempt:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/686-2/img_2088.jpg

[jwhyne]

Looks awesome!

[mathias999us]

And, my lame attempt to make a multi-image panorama. I didn't even bother to stitch it together...:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/698-2/sta_2092.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/701-2/stb_2093.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/704-2/stc_2094.jpg
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/707-2/std_2095.jpg http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/710-2/ste_2096.jpg

[mathias999us]

jwhyne -
Thanks! Glad ya like it.

[calvin415]

Mathias I love it bro!!!! Coraline will grow in time, but you probably want to limit the light cycle for now to try to control the diatom bloom that will come in the next week. :D I cooked my rock for months in a trash can in my basement and then cycled the tank with no lights and never had an outbreak. ;)

[mathias999us]

If anyone has any comments or suggestions to improve my aquascaping, I'd certainly be interested.

Now I've come to a sad realization. My build phase of this tank is essentially complete. :( Everyone has their favorite aspect to this hobby, and mine is definitely the equipment and the build process.

This will probably be my last update for a while. I'm gonna let this thing just chill out for about a month now, and fully cycle. I'll probably add a CUC in early February. I'll post some more pics then. I'll try to take some photos along the way to hopefully achieve a bit of a time-lapse sequence of the rocks coloring up over the next month.

Thanks everyone for your interest and encouragement!!! I'll post updates after the cycle.

[mathias999us]

Calvin -
Thanks man! I'm certainly glad to have your approval on this one. ;) I aspire to have a tank almost as nice as what you had. Yeah, I think I'll keep my eye out for diatom, and probably cut the lights back a bit good idea. I've been running the whites for 10 hours per day, and the actinics for 12 hours per day, with an hour overhang in the morning and at night for sunrise/set.

[saltyshoe_nano]

hey lookin good mathias! I like the aquascaping keepup the good work....oh and did ya get any hitchhikers on the rocks well that you can see at least :)

[mathias999us]

Hey saltyshoe - thanks. All I've seen for hitchikers so far is some copods. I'm keeping my eye out though.

[ThunderousTalon]

I'm in awe.... Calvin i'll be contacting you really soon! ;) Decide on a fish or any yet?
You do one fish, i say go w/ a six-line, canary wrasse or cherub pygmy. i know its a 10gallon, but theres imo enough length or maybe i'm just nuts. Any of the 3 would show off the lenght and be very interactive the whole way down and show it off.

[johno4]

The tank is sweet looking! I think since you are going to let the rock color up before adding anything you have time to "play" with the aquascape a bit more. I think it would be nice if you had more caves/tunnels in your aquascape, although its got to be tough given the depth you have to work with.

[mathias999us]

ThunderousTalon -
Wow, thanks! Glad you like it. I think I'd like to put 2 fish in this tank. One that is active and swimming, and one that likes to lurk a bit more. I love your idea of getting a fish whose behavior will emphasize the length of the tank. I bet you're right too, I could probably put a fish that you usually wouldn't put in a 10g because the dimensions of this tank provide a LOT of ground surface area and length for swimming compared to a cube or normal glass 10g tank. I'm liking the six line wrasse idea, and maybe some type of goby to go along with it, like a green clown goby or a rainfordi. Thanks for the ideas!

johno4 -
Thanks a bunch! I tried playing around with the aquascaping a bit more, but making 3 different "island" piles, and also tried focusing on making more caves, but I can't find anything that works better than the original for me. There are so many constains between height, depth, stability, and also concealing the 6 return jets, while leaving openings for the flow to come out, it's a lot to contend to. I went back to the original layout for now. There are a fair number of caves and caverns though, it's hard to get a sense of depth from the pics probably. Thanks for the suggestions.

[mathias999us]

Quick update -
I've had the rock in for about 3 days now. Starting to get some diatom already, so I'll likely cut the light cycle back a bit soon. I've noticed that a lot of the original color that was on the rock has bleached quite a bit. Not sure if that's from the high intensity lighting, or whether it's just from the stress of moving the rock. Also, the saphhire skimmer has really kicked into gear now. It's finally producing skimmate, and the microbubble production has really died down. I think it will prove to be a very decent skimmer for this tank.

Fish question. Do you think it's OK for me to put a fish in this tank that you normally wouldn't find in a 10.5 gallon? I think ThunderousTalon has a good point here... I believe that usually the reason that you can't keep certain fish in a small tank has more to do with the available ground surface area for swimming, rather than the total volume of water. This tank has a LOT of ground area because of its dimensions... probably even more than a 30 gallon cube. Could I put a fish in here that you'd usually find only in a >= 30 gallon tank, like a 6 line wrasse? How about a wrasse and a goby?

Thanks for your input!

[alpine]

Hey Mathias
Looking good,your definately going to go thru a few variations on aquascapeing.Especially when you start buying corals,having to move things around to make room for corals that are on there own rocks.Also you should really cut back on the light,like everybody is advising you to.Personally I would just use the actinics until you get some corals in there and cut the actinics time down by about 4hrs.Coraline does bleach as well,so its definately not from being moved from the store to your house.

Also a small tip.I have always had great success growing coraline algae useing coral vital.As for the fish,well no comment on that one,as I've never had a wrasse before.

Moving along,the tank looks great,and I'm sure I speak for everybody whos following your build.When I say we look forward to seeing some corals and fish in there.

[mathias999us]

Thanks alpine. Are you saying you think that the coraline may have bleached because the light is too bright? Are you saying I should cut back on the lights just to avoid a diatom bloom?

Thanks for the input and support.

[mathias999us]

Thought I'd post an update of the skimmer. I think the collection cup fits a little on the loose side on this model of Sapphire skimmer. I put a rubber band around the bottom, and that has improved the seal quite a bit, although not perfect. I like to skim on the wet side, so I have it set to skim pretty wet. This is my first cup of good skimmate. It's really about 18 hours worth of skimmate, so I think this little thing is performing really well! It's a bit on the loud side, but I'm happy with it.
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/722-2/img_2100.jpg

Like I said, I like to skim on the wet side, but I may raise the cup for some drier skimmate, especially since it seems to be performing so well, and with only LR in the tank too!

[mathias999us]

alpine and calvin -
I've cut the light back now like suggested. Aquablues are always off, and actinics will run 8 hours per day.

[alpine]

Yep coraline can bleach just like a coral does.

[mathias999us]

Well, this is a good preliminary indication that I'll need to be extra careful with photo aclimating corals in this tank I think... Thanks.

[eshook]

The tank looks great. I'm looking forward to seeing cucs or snails and eventually a fish or shrimp.

[mathias999us]

eshook -
Cool, thanks! Yeah me too.... now is the test of patience. :)

[workstoomuch]

Your tank turned out awesome, it was fun following your thread. Good, good job.

[mathias999us]

Thanks workstoomuch! I'm glad you like it.

[Water Box]

And to think I just hung a picture on my bare wall.....where's my screw gun!!!

[mathias999us]

HAHA, I think the previous owner had a Thomas Kinkade painting there or something very similar. Good spot for that too, or a grandfather clock or something.

[mathias999us]

Quick update: getting diatoms, and have cut the lights back to only actinics for 8 hours per day. Also, I had mentioned previously that a lot of the coraline bleached on the new rock. But, I had put a couple pieces in my 6 gallon nano that has 2x18W PC, and it bleached in there too. In the past when I ran the 6g tank, it had great coraline growth, so I'm not certain if it was just the lights in the long tank that bleached the coraline. Also, the sapphire skimmer has really kicked into high gear, and every morning when I get up, the collection cup is completely full of green/brown tea-colored skimmate.

[gmatta]

really cool tank! may i sugest a firefish or a citron gobie

[gmatta]

oh, are you adding any snails or crabs?

[mathias999us]

gmatta -

Cool, glad you like the tank, and thanks for the suggestions. Yeah, I'll probably add a pretty typical cleanup crew consisting of a few each of ceryth snails, nassasrius snails, astrea/trochus snails, and a few hermits. I'd like to put a star in here too, but haven't given it too much thought yet.

[won digity]

sweet tank, can't wait to see it stocked. Keep up the good work!

[TypeSH]

Looking good Mathias. I love the carpentry work.
Can't wait to see the tank stocked :)

Sam

[ooja3k]

I think the bleaching effect is really coralline die off...

I had the same thing happen when the coralline that i had growing on the walls of my aquarium died off after being out of the water for about 30 minutes...

It will grow back eventually...

[mathias999us]

won digity - Thanks! I'm glad you like it. This period is certainly a test of my patience after all the work and planning I've put into this. ;)

Hey Sam -
Glad you stopped by. I wish I still had some of your frags left to put into this tank. :) I got my other tank up and running now with some of the rock you gave me a couple years ago though! Amazingly enough, it has colored up on its own, after sitting in a black trashbag completely dried out for 2 years!

ooja3k - I think you are right. It was about a 50 minute drive from the LFS to my house, and another 30-40 minutes of spreading all the pieces out on towels to see them all at once and decide on their placement. It's just another thing to be patient about in this hobby I guess. ;)

Since I'm responding, brief update:

The LR has been in the tank a week now, and the skimmer is pulling a full cup of green/brown gunk about every 12 hours. I think since this tank has such a large water surface area, and all the flow is going over the overflows, it allows the skimmer to work very efficiently. That big surface area acts like a huge magnet for the pollutants and directs it right into the skimmer.

Ran basic water tests last night, and it's still cycling.... seems like its leaving the ammonia phase and entering the nitrite phase. Here's where I'm at:

Total Ammonia: 0.2
Nitrite: 5-10ppm
Nitrate: 2-3ppm
pH: 8.1-8.2
Alk: 9.1 dKH
SPG: 1.026

This is about what I'd expect at this point, and looks like everything's on track.

Thanks for reading!

[conorwynne]

That's pretty cool Matthias, I did think your tank was setup too quickly, I know mine took a month to fully cycle -- and I used LR from a previous long established tank.

There was another cycle as I had cooked the LR prior to setting up the new tank -- algal issues you see... I was quite amazed any getting a cycle at all! But there you go.

regards
Conor

[mathias999us]

Set up too quickly? I'm still cycling it...

[conorwynne]

Oh sorry Matthias, I must have been thinking of another thread that you are also on... lol

[mathias999us]

HAHA, no prob. I was wondering if I had overlooked something here! I know, it's a lot to keep track of when you dig in here and subscribe to a bunch of threads, they have a tendency to start bleeding together a bit in your mind. ;)

[Fish.Nemo]

nice!

[mathias999us]

Thanks Fish.Nemo.

[mathias999us]

I have TONS of coepods and amphipods in the tank now. Also saw what looked like a centipede crawling around on the rocks like it was hunting (definitely not a bristle worm), probably about 3/4" long. It went behind the rocks, and I haven't seen it yet again. I'll be on the lookout to try to snap a pic of it.

Cutting the lights back really took care of the diatom, most of it is completely gone, and it's on the retreat. However, I have what I believe to be bryopsis popping up all over the place now. Here's a pic:
http://mathiassmith.com/gallery2/d/755-2/img_2114.jpg

It's whispy, feathery stuff that sways in the current. I'm getting quite a bit of it all throughout the tank. Should I be concerned about this at this early stage? Should I be considering the elevated Magnesium attack this early? Arg, hate to get things started on a bad foot here...

[ooja3k]

you may want to consider the mag attack option...


Are there no known natural predators of bryopsis?


Do you have any sort of cleanup crew yet? And where are you in your cycle?

[mathias999us]

I think there are some predators, but they aren't very effective, like urchins and slugs?

No cleanup crew yet, I'm in day 10 of my cycle... I've had water in the tank for close to 3 weeks, but rock was added about 10 days ago.

[ooja3k]

I gotcha.

Is your cycle close to done? What are your parameters?

[mathias999us]

Guessing I'm about half way through, there's still a trace of ammonia, like 0.1. Nitrite is around 2ppm, and nitrate is around 5ppm.

[TypeSH]

I would keep an eye on that algae. I had some of that stuff and it completely took over my rocks. It's definitely going to be easier to remove while it hasn't spread everywhere yet.

I can't tell from the pictures. Is that an aqua controller on the side?

Thanks,
Sam

[mathias999us]

Hey Sam,

Thanks, I'm definitely concerned about it at this point - I'd say it's bryopsis-ish at least, which isn't good. Sucks, this new rock too. Arg.

On the side is a ReefKeeper version 1. Version 2 would be great, but I already had this, and it's a good little unit.

[conorwynne]

A sea hare & increased mag will sort it out. Had it in mine, now its gone bye bye's.
Nothing to worry about. My skimmer is rubbish, no sump, not even a fuge. Likely the most basic tank on reefcentral ;-(

I can show you pics if you like. I used to panic when I saw it, coz my last tank was destroyed with it -- I used the same rock in this new one, had bryopisis for a while, and now I cannot find any algae left at all.

Use PO4 remover too. Works a treat.

Regards
Conor

[conorwynne]

Maybe just increase mag and reduce PO4, may be too soon for a sea hare. Dunno.
Mine stopped eating when I accidentally raised calc to 500+

I thought it was dead and hidden somewhere... started to panic as I was worried it would release toxins and kill stuff.