Equipment

Tank... free
AC70 modded... $30 (ThankGodForEbay)
2x Koralia nano modded... $30 (ThankGodForEbay)
DIY LED... $145 (this is the cost minus random building supplies)
CF fuge light... $10
DIY ATO... $10
LR from yourreef.com... $40



Total monies burned so far: $265


I should read the contest pricing guide more often...

and

my lighting (problems)

your name is teh best!!!

I think Ima have to tap out for my LED plans and just throw on a cheaper MH. I'm following yours closely though. I want to see the results of the LED. Would also like to know any additional info about the ATO you did. Great start.

Haha, I think I'm going to name this tank "brave new world". It fits since I've never done saltwater before.



The LED's are exciting, but for me, someone who is terrible at soldering, it's a pain in the ass. There are many kinks I have to figure out soon.

I have the parts for the ATO, but it's not actually built yet. It shouldn't be anything like the LED build... hopefully.

L E D

Let there be light! And there is light. And it is good.
Good luck on the contest.

Just placed my order for 10lbs of LR from yourreef.com, they were very friendly and quick. Hopefully the product mirrors their customer service.

Sweet LEDs!
Wish I had enough money in my budget for a setup.

sand, water, and pumps are go!

cycle is starting right?

PS. Is the AC70 supposed to be a little noisy?

Like vibrations or splashing or a noisy powerhead?

The first two can be avoided, I've had problems with powerheads on "high" flow setting so I have to use them dialed down.

like a mechanical vibration sound from the pump. im hoping its just air bubbles because I turned it on about 2 hours ago.

there is a splashing noise, but that is because I have not filled the tank up to the lip of the filter

There may be sand in the impeller housing. Shut it off and give it a blast with a turkey baster. Also, it could still be sucking air a little (bubble in the intake tube).

Here are some photo's of the tank as of today:





I couldn't believe how hard it is to capture the correct color that the LEDs put out! This still isn't right as it is way too blue. The white balance was all the way to 9900K and had an M9 filter on it.

I think two modded K nano's and and an AC70 is too much flow, as the tank had been a sandstorm until last night when I only ran one K nano. I hope I will be able to use all 3 once the live rock gets in tomorrow.

just spent the past 45 minutes sifting through ALL of the sand because I dropped a small steel nut in there... So now its a big sandstorm again...

I can help, but take it out of this thread.

Nice setup! Is 12 LEDs enough for you? I have a 10G at home with 26 LEDs, 2 rows of 9 and 1 row of 8. I want another one for my office but dont want to spend alot.

I'm confident that 12 LEDs will allow me to grow all the SPS and Clams under the sea, but I am not actually sure. All I can say is that they are still bright as ####, especially at 100%, when I start getting a headache just from looking at the glowing water. I get no dark spots what so ever.

I'm really excited to see what I can grow in here because it will give me and everyone else a budget-friendly lighting option for a 10 gallon tank.

Cool. I want to make one for the office but I didnt want to spent the money I spent on my home tank.

Finished up my ATO and it is sexay.

All systems are now GO!

Live rock should be coming tomorrow, I'm excited to scape.

let' see it!

Pictures coming in 5...

Teehee.

Here's the whole shebang:











ATO:

what did you do for your ATO?? i need to get one set up!

The ATO is very simple. I followed Corey's ATO guide using the same pump connected to a float valve housed in a film canister, conected to a Nalgen water bottle.

WOW thats actually really simple and cheap! Hope you dont mind if i copy you

Nice! Those LEDs are BRIGHT

Ahhhh, I can't take it....

Does anyone else check the delivery status of their stuff every 10 minutes?

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Well it's 8PM EST and I still haven't got my LR....

Someone please tell me that my live rock will still be live after 4 whole days sitting in a box?

That sux! who did you order from?

I got my live rock from yourreef.com who is based out of california... maybe I should have gone with someone closer.

Hopefully it wasn't a waste. We'll see tommorrow

WTF

according to Fedex my LR is in Hagerstown, MD which is 2 hours away. The package is scheduled to arrive December 1...

I don't think my LR will be too pretty after 7 days.

What should I do?

whats modded on the KNs?

I cut 4 bars that were in front of the impeller, and also cut come bars on the sides. I'll put up a picture later. Its really easy.

I would check YourReef's site and see what their policy is and contact them.

would using 7 day old rock be bad in a new tank?

John from yourreef.com just emailed me back.

I thought the rock wasn't cured, so I'd have a lot of death on my hands, but the rock is actually cured and prescrubbed so it should be fine according to him.

He says the most places that sell fuji rock have it already boxed for up to 4 weeks in advance of shipping.

So i shouldn't be worried then.

I'm still anxious as hell to get it.

Is the LR there yet?

Is the tank in your bedroom?

NOW THERE IS!

I'll get pics up tonight when it unclouds. I highly reccomend yourreef.com for LR, it came beautifully shipped and the rocks themselves have alot of personality and are the perfect size. John is a great guy to do business with.




Yep, right by my bed.

quick noob question:

How long should my lighting cycle be, and it will be okay if my fuge light shares the same photoperiod as my tank light, right?

need aquascape pic
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...p;#entry2550883

Here it is:





wtf is this:

Looks like Close Encounters over your tank.

Haha, maybe I should make it paranormal themed?

By the way, a big thanks to evil for all his help on my LED adventure, it turned out amazing.

Day 2:

Ammonia: .5

Nitrite: .25

Nitrate: 5

pH: ~8.0

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 0



...either that was a really fast cycle, or I am doing something wrong

Check again in a few days. If it's still zero aross the board, time to get the CUC in there.

for the aquascape shots if you did'nt like the one you had PM me a new one