My 24 gallon Aqua Pod log

[danoreef]

I had originally started with a 20 gallon high, but after having no success with the drilled holes that I made for a custom overflow set up, I bought a 24 gallon aquapod. I have been working on the set up since I got it.
The first thing I bought was The V Series 75 GPD RO DI System.
I built a wood stand


thats a picture of 20 gallon tank. that I ended trashing. I topped the stand off with a piece of mdf that would fit the pod and painted it black.

then I proceeded to customize the tank, I wasn't happy with the water flow from the stock pump so I tried what icenine2005 did with his and added a second pump

I did some custom work to the overflow compartment so I could add a refugium with some LR rubble. but instead of dropping it in I wanted somewhere to put filter floss so I put small ledger strips made of Plexiglass strips and siliconed them into where i wanted to put the shelf.

I then cut some eggcrate to size.


then I added a refugium underneath the eggcrate shelf. sorry no pictures of the refugium.

[danoreef]

Well, I got crazy. I initially had a small fuge in the rear overflow chamber, effective yes, easy to work with no. Here’s where the crazy came in, I removed the false back wall and used a razor blade to remove the silicone from the glass walls, and installed an overflow that flows down to a 10 gallon sump/refugium. With a mag 7 return pump I now have a very accessible fuge and also a much greater flow rate in the tank. Let me know what you think.
this is the front showing the overflow box

rear view

sump/fuge

sump/fuge

Danny

[danoreef]

updates to come

[pbukow]

Very promising so far. Thats the only route i would go if i bought one of those.

2 Things: Is that plexiglass you used for the baffles in the sump/fuge? Did you just use silicone to bind it? I've never used plexiglass and wanted to know if it would work in an application like what you have done. Obviously it does.

2nd: Are you planning on keeping the bio balls in the fuge? Could be a potential for extra nitrates.

[danoreef]

The bio balls have been out since the live rock that I made all cured. I have LR rubble for about 4 months now. Yes that is plexiglass and it is siliconed it works good.

I will post some pics when I go back to work and get my battery charger for my camera it is in my truck.

[ReeferRyan]

I have been pondering taking the false wall out of my AP but I figured it would kinda take away the point of having an all-in-one. I just figured I could have bought a cube a lot cheaper and had flat glass that was easier to clean. How do you like it since you took yours out?

I like the idea, and it looks like you did really good work.

[danoreef]

I like it a lot.

when I bought the aquapod I was going to leave it all intact, however, I really didn't like the water flow - so along with the stock pump I added another pump; a rio 1400 395 GPH . Then I wanted a refugium so I added one behind the first chamber, you can see in the pictures above that I removed some of the black sticker on the rear wall to shine light through. I had some live rock rubble and chaeto in there but the whole set up really didn't feel right. luckily it was still cycling and there wasn't any livestock in the tank so the mod was easy, it would have been much harder if I waited much longer.

I am very pleased with it I will post some pictures soon of the entire set up.

[bottlecapp09]

that looks great; good work with the tank.

[pbukow]

Will a skimmer be in the Aqua Pod's future?

[danoreef]

Yes. And against my best interest I have a seaclone 150 hanging on the back. I prefer a DIY counter current skimmers 'I think they are the best', however, store bought counter current skimmers cost a lot of money and the one that I can build works just as good as any skimmer I have seen, but I have not yet designed one That can hang on the back...

but I will.

PS. I had a small DIY skimmer in the sump but it took up to much space in my little refugium area

[danoreef]

heres the tank after 8 months

[pbukow]

Very nice, I had a brain just like yours in my last tank. It was always so cool to watch the tentacles come out of seemingly nowhere when i would feed it. Do you have any pics of your diy skimmers? Counter-current, is like and ETSS downdraft or more like a Red Sea Prizm Deluxe?

[danoreef]

I thought I had some pictures on this computer I can't find them I will take some more and post them.

its more like the ETSS downdraft its a true counter current skimmer it works awesome.

[danoreef]

heres the on I had built for my 120 a few years ago that tank is now down





when I build a smaller version for my nano tank I will consider useing clear PVC, although, there is no need to. Even with the white PVC that skimmer never gave me any problems. it just produced awesome skimmate all the time.

[pbukow]

So the return is the bottom tube right? Where does the air become injected into the water btw? Looks pretty simple, easy to build, and inexpensive to build. About how much would you say it costed you build that skimmer (minus cost of the pump)? And one more question, what would you rate skimmer in terms of the maximum size tank it could handle? Thanks and sorry for so many questions.

[danoreef]

It cost less than $50.00

the air is injected in the to and the air tubes go all down to the bottom of the reaction chamber

sent you a PM

[pbukow]

Thanks so much more the pm and the book. I will definately be considering one of these in the future. Any updates on the tank?

[danoreef]

the open brain had some trouble it appeared not to like being on the sand bed, and quickly started to die at the spots that was getting sand on it. I moved it off the sand bed and it started getting better immediately but the pieces that died were to far gone and I had to break those sections off. I now have 2 pieces of that brain, that are doing good now. they're up on the rocks and get a good water flow .

[danoreef]

Here are some recent pics

[stevelkaneval]

thats a sweet tank man. i like the brain.

[danoreef]

thank you Steve