33g Elos-esque SPS "Cube"

[Canadian]

I Finally recieved my replacement Giesemann 230 Plus and just set it up. I also created an aquascape I'm finally happy with. However, I have to move January 18th so I'm holding off on adding any livestock with the exception of the existing 2x spiny astrea snails, 1 blue leg hermit, 1 nassarius snail.

Here are the tank details. This tank is going to be SPS dedicated:

TANK
Custom 24x24x18 rimless AIO cube with DIY acrylic false wall 6" from back (making the display area 24x18x18) - chambers behind false wall are an overflow area, skimmer chamber to keep water height constant and "sump" area for return pump, Phosban reactor, ATO float switches, etc. I also made a cap to cover the back compartments so the equipment is hidden.

STAND
DIY stand with 4 levelers in each corner. Magnetic front door with red acrylic facing affixed to wooden door.

LIGHTING
Giesemann 230 Plus Silver pendant hung from ceiling - Giesemann 13,000K 150W HQI, 2x24W Giesemann Actinic+

FILTRATION
Aside from the 30lbs of Fiji & Tonga live rock and shallow 1" sand bed there is a Tunze 9002 Nano DOC skimmer, Phosban reactor with MJ 400 and some RowaPhos. I made a custom/DIY filter sock attachment to mechanically filter the water as it flows over the overflow on the right.

WATER MOVEMENT
2xTunze 6025s modded and MJ 900 return pump hooked up to Hydor Flo rotating return

MISCELLANEOUS
JBJ ATO with MJ 1200 pump in a 5g bucket. Eheim/Ebo Jager 150W Heater. Elos test kits. Refractometer. Kent salt. Started dosing Vodka.

STILL NEED
I still need to get a LiterMeter for B-Ionic dosing, and a Neptune AC Jr controller.

PARAMETERS
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - haven't bothered to test
Nitrate - 12 (expecting this to come down as the cycle continues)
pH - 8.2
Ca - 450
KH - 7dKH
SG - 1.025
Phosphate - ~ 0.07 (hoping this will come down with the cycle, Vodka, and RowaPhos
Mg - haven't bothered to test until I start dosing B-Ionic
Temp - 80F

I'm debating going BB when I move the tank because the 2xmodded 6025s are kicking sand around but the Tunze Nano Doc 9002 isn't a great skimmer for particulate removal so I don't think my skimmer will be adequate for BB. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. My biggest hurdle is that I designed the skimmer compartment for the Tunze skimmer so there aren't a lot of skimmers that will fit. I may go with the EuroReef Nano skimmer when it comes out if it fits and the reviews are positive.

PICTURES





Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated

[Flint&Eric]

sharp looking tank.

i think either ssb, dsb, or bb you'll want to upgrade the skimmer...jmo.

[GSMguy]

Very nice tank'

i have seen the nano euro reef and it was not worth waiting for looked much smaller than a 9002 i think you could hang an MCE600 on the back of there

[killagoby]

The 9005 would be a better choice for that tank if you are going all SPS's. Sharp looking tank though.

[trueblackpercula]

everything looks good..........except the send bed is going to give you problems as there is not enough area for it to be affective. Are you going to stir it up so that the detritus will be removed? If you are going to have a send bed and want it to work you should consider a dsb for filtration.
this is what you would need if you were going to have a sand bed as a filter.
You will need approximately 120 pounds of sand
to achieve a 4 inch depth in a 24 x 24 inch tank
assuming the sand weighs 90 pounds per cubic foot.
I had a 30 gallon cube and i did not have enough sand in it and i was always battaled the algea thing.
good luck with your new tank
Michael

[SPStoner]

Same exact dimensions as my frag tank, except I went euro bracing and the false wall on mine is all over flow to drain to sump in next room. Used AGA megaflow kit.

Great looking system you have there!


[IMG][/IMG]

[Canadian]

trueblackpercula,

Yes, my intention with the shallow sand bed is to stir it frequently to remove detritus and use a gravel cleaner on it when doing water changes. I've kept tanks as small as 20g with DSBs and only as big as 90g as far back as 1999 and I don't like them at all despite some success. They worked short term (for the first year or two) but eventually they became a nightmare. With this tank I'm intending to go SSB and keep the sand clean with husbandry as above and a more aggressive clean up crew.



With respect to the skimmer changes. I'd like to change skimmers but as mentioned above, the skimmer compartment is quite small as it was designed for the Tunze 9002. A replacement skimmer would have to be quite small (hence the mention of the ER Nano above) or be a hang on skimmer that has an intake on the right and output on the left (the Deltec skimmers intake on the left and output on the right). If anyone has any specific recommendations that fit the above parameters please fire them at me.

[trueblackpercula]

OK .....did you recharge the sand bed once a year? If no then I can see how the sand would give you a problem.
Once a gain good luck and if you need a good clean up crew check this out.
http://www.ipsf.com/index.html

[cashman95]

Keep it coming, I have one kinda like this in the works as well. 24x24x20 Have to wait until my new house is built to get it up and running! Giesemann Infiniti for lighting! I like the stand! Hopefully I can create a stand thats unique and modern looking like yours! My only complication is that if I want the tank to be in my new house's DEN, it has to meet my wife's approval! QUIET,TASTEFUL, and EXPENSIVE looking! Yours has that appeal!

[killagoby]

I've very happy with the way my Tunze 9010 skims. You might have to wet skim with your 9002. I find if it do that it pulls more out of the water. If you do the math that Tunze provides, take the highest output (which is 52 gallons of water for the 9002) and divide it by 60%. That's your tank limit for SPS's. If you reduce it by 70% that's for SPS's and fish.

Here's my example. I have a 70 gallon tank with a 30 gallon fuge. 100 LBS of rock in my tank also. Total tank volume after the LR is 60 gallons. The Tunze 9010 I have is rated for 264 gallons. I have LPS's and fish. Once I reduce it by 70% I'm down to skimming for 80 gallons. Works out well for me.

[CamBarr]

Do you have any pics of your stand or can you post some pics. Also what did you use to paint the stand with white spray on paint or roll on??? did you use anytype of sealer???


cam barr

[Canadian]

Originally posted by CamBarr
Do you have any pics of your stand or can you post some pics. Also what did you use to paint the stand with white spray on paint or roll on??? did you use anytype of sealer???


cam barr

I'll take some pics tomorrow morning when there's some natural light. I painted the stand with melamine paint. I believe melamine paint is only referred to as such here in Canada and everywhere else it's called alkyd paint. Anyway, I bought a high quality melamine paint after putting 4 coats of crappy paint on the stand. So in total I put 7 coats of paint on with a high quality roller. If you decide to paint then I strongly recommend a high quality alkyd/melamine paint rolled on with a high quality roller (skimping here will only waste your time - 24hrs between coats - or simply frustrate you). The only reason I ended up painting this stand was because the original color of melamine I chose turned out to be a bad choice.

With all that said, if I was to ever re-build this stand I would just face it with PVC cabinet material. My brother works in a custom kitchen/cabinet place and this was what he recommended originally. I was dumb enough not to trust his expertise and now I wish I had.

Hope that helps. And I'll post pics tomorrow.

[Canadian]

Originally posted by CamBarr
Do you have any pics of your stand or can you post some pics. Also what did you use to paint the stand with white spray on paint or roll on??? did you use anytype of sealer???


cam barr

I'll take some pics tomorrow morning when there's some natural light. I painted the stand with Melamine paint. I believe melamine paint is only referred to as such here in Canada and everywhere else it's called alkyd paint. Anyway, I bought a high quality melamine paint after putting 4 coats of crappy paint on the stand. So in total I put 7 coats of paint on with a high quality roller. If you decide to paint then I strongly recommend a high quality alkyd/melamine paint rolled on with a high quality roller (skimping here will only waste your time - 24hrs between coats - or simply frustrate you). The only reason I ended up painting this stand was because the original color of melamine I chose turned out to be a bad choice.

With all that said, if I was to ever re-build this stand I would just face it with PVC cabinet material. My brother works in a custom kitchen/cabinet place and this was what he recommended originally. I was dumb enough not to trust his expertise and now I wish I had.

Hope that helps. And I'll post pics tomorrow.

[CamBarr]

Thanks andrew Im looking forward to seeing them

[CamBarr]

Canadian check this thread out

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...7#post11550627

[Canadian]

Hey Cam,

I took some pics this morning but didn't have time to upload them or resize them before I had to leave for work. I'll post them when I get home late this evening some time.

That's a great concept for a thread you started. My system pales in comparison to Nano Guy's. When he started his build thread I was green with envy - his entire system is gorgeous. I'm going to have to tidy up and finish up under my stand now!

I think one of the most important things you can do to make a tank look "modern" is to do exactly what Nano Guy and digity have done: keep things behind the tank hidden and don't paint or cover the back pane of glass. It looks "cleaner" and it adds a greater perception of depth to the tank.

[Canadian]

Cam,

Here are some pics. The weather here has been really crappy and there is absolutely no sun light so these pics are pretty dark (also because sun rise is so late this time of year).

And now that you're making me post pictures of my unfinished stand I guess I'll have to get my act together and finish it (add some shelving, tidy things up and finish painting the inside).



Here's the disaster:


And here's a tank shot with the pumps turned off:

[CamBarr]

Hey Thanks Andrew for taking the pics i think your stand looks great