Hey everyone,

I just wanted to post a little info and some pics of my 6 gallon Fluval edge setup.

We set it up on December 28 2009 with about 1.5" of live sand and 6 lbs of live uncured rock (really couldnt decide of cured or uncured, went uncured since the only downside I have read is longer cycle time...).

We are using tap water since the guy at the LFS suggested that it was suitable. We have a SG of about 1.025 right now and everything seems to be going good.

For filtration we are just using the stock aquaclear type with mechanical, chemical, and biological inserts.

We are using the stock halogen lighting which is 2 bulbs at 15w a piece. I know these are fairly directional so any corals and such would have to be positioned in the center of the tank but we want to keep it relatively stock looking for now. If this is a problem, or becomes a problem in the future we will look at other light options then. However, I have supplemented it with about 30 Blue 3mm LEDs which really whitens the light up and provides some awesome moon light glow at night.

There isnt a heater in the tank right now since we are still just cycling it, the temperature does fluctuate quite a bit due to the heat of the lights so I think one will be necessary later on when some livestock gets in there.

There was a small crab in the live rock, about the size of my finger nail. Tried catching it with the inverted bottle top trick but no luck, havent seen it since... not sure if its gotten really smart or just didnt survive the new environment.

Here are some pics, also there seems to be a fair amount of algae on the rocks, I did get some 'waste breakdown and algae reducer' that the LFS suggested but I am hesitant to use it as some things I have read say that some algae is good....

Anyway, any comments and critique would be greatly appreciated as this is my first SW tank.

Tanks!

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Here is an update with the LED's Installed.

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The fluval edge is very cool but limited especially for lighting, look around for LED options. Heater is mandatory and i would get one in there ASAP. also the tank due to its size should be in a temperature stable room, especially one that doesn't get too hot, consistency is the key here. No bio filtration necessary in the aquaclear, your live rock will do that for you. look into using it as a fuge with cheato for nutrient export. Also watch out for that algae, it will take over quick, water changes and minimal feedings and CUC will be your best friend there.

Oh... dont f with the 'waste breakdown and algae reducer' and never trust a LFS that is trying to sell you something.

to nano-reef.com

+1 to the LFS being unreliable; remember they aren't paid to give you the best information. Using tap water was a bad idea for reef tanks because of its inconsistent purity, which leads to nutrient issues. In general, every supplement or other bottled additive is unnecessary, ineffective, or dangerous to a reef tank.

Remove the biological insert from the aquaclear, it interferes with the live rock and sand.

The main problems with the fluval edge lighting are the spectrum and power. Bulbs made for freshwater tanks are not suitable for reefs. However, your lighting is also not very strong (or broad) for corals.

You need a heater if you live in an area that has temperatures widely different from the tropical reefs.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Ok from that and a little more research here is our plan as of now.

We will turn our little HOB into a fuge with filter floss chemical filtration (carbon) and cheato doing something similar to El Fabuloso's post in the pico section. Not sure if I can get it all to fit in there might have to upgrade to a larger aquaclear... especially to house a heater as well. We will see.

So to rectify both the algae problem that we are starting to have, the uncured LR that we bought, and also the tap water that we used to start our tank, we are thinking of emptying half the water out of the tank and putting it into a bucket, then removing the LR and scrubbing it in the bucket. I dont know if this will start our cycle over but if it does that is fine with us since its only been set up for a week anyway. Should we replace all the water in the tank with RO water or is it ok/better to keep half of the tap water in the tank and then just fill the remainder with RO?

As for lighting, we are starting to look at various options, we would like to keep it stock looking (putting the light in the small housing thats provided) but if not then we can make something work. Do you have any advice about the following two options?

1) Current USA Powerbright LED

2) Current USA Novaextreme 18"

We would probably use 2 of the LED type and like that idea since it will still look very clean, the 18" would be a little large for the tank and some modifications of the brackets would be necessary.

Thanks for the help so far!

hey, i'll be tagging along for your build i've set up a salty edge also, its ready for a fish ( i used water, sand and rock) from an already cycled tank and let it run for a few weeks params still perfect) BUT i'd love to stick some zoas in there lmk what you do lighting wise, i'm tempted to get rid of the swing arm and just put a little coralife 50/50 screw bulb fixture (super tiny) into the hood but not sure if that'll be enough, also playing with the idea of two mr11 led (wide, which will still be spotlightish i know i know) not sure if that'll sustain the zoa frags tho but anyway i'll be scoping out what you do lighitng wise hahaha GOOD LUCK

i know this is a link to a freshwater site, but its got some cool mods that some folks do to their edge.

it also has links to led light upgrades

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-...dge-thread.html

Scrubbing the rocks can help in terms of manual removal, but it's more important to get as much tap water out of the tank (ideally 100%) to slow or stop algae growth. Judging from the pics, you don't have a significant algae problem.

The LEDs you linked are only good for acting as a moonlight (night light), not for keeping corals. The nova extreme is good, although it is long. Check the lighting forum for more lighting information. You may be able to set up a DIY LED like a par38 bulb to fit in the stock hood.

Yeaaaa...

Another Edge! Sweet and Sexy... With a little work/mods lol.
Funny thing is... I kinda of like it for the house rather to move it to my office later on!

thanks for the interest, advice, and links. Its nice to see there there is a little subset of people with interest in the edge. When i got it, I knew it had its limitations, I also didnt know if I wanted to go planted FW or SW. All I knew was that it was going to be a fun project to tinker with!

Anyway, I started a bit of an lighting thread, hoping to get some of Evil's advice on LED's. You can find it here.

FLuval edge LED thread

Im going to be ordering most of the parts for the LED setup next week. What I am planning is somehow using the stock arm, removing the stock ballast and in its place putting the heatsink/leds. I dont have a lot of tools or experience with this type of work but think I will get something useful to work.

Also an update on the tank. We FINALLY found the crab that was mentioned above. We thought it couldnt handle all the work we have been doing to the tank (drained, added LS, scrubbed LR, refilled with RO water), and was helping advance our ammonia levels. Anyways, we spotted him, pulled the LR he was hidding in and flushed him out with a turkey baster filled with fresh water. Here is a pic of the guy, from what I can tell he is a Gorilla crab, but I'm still a noob so please correct if I am wrong. (NOTE: I am under duress to mention that it was actually my girlfriend that caught the crab. Ha, there is a joke in there some where! )

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Anyway, I also turned the HOB filter into a little fuge, and I mean little. I used a similar method to El Fabuloso, chem and mech filtration near the intake, then a heater and later some cheato in the other compartment. (Where can I find cheato, is it at most LFS?) I will post a pic of the fuge later once I snap one with the cam.

So that about all for right now, hope anyone else with some advice or a fluval posts and we can start sharing more ideas about how to get this great looking but uniquely challenging tank up to the task of a stable SW system!

PS: what can I do with that crab, we have him in a cup but Im thinking since no large fuge, I might have to dispose of him.....which will be sad, we were so excited when we found out we have life in our tank.

Cool im tagging along as well. I started my tank yesterday.

Piecing my Fluval edge together as well. I have Mr11 led replacement lights being shipped to me right now along with an Ecotech mp10. I'll post how well they work out once I get everything in. The led's imo will support soft corals. i'll post back soon. Sweet looking tank!

Hey everyone, sorry the updates have been scarce, not much going on. Tank is still cycling, should almost be complete, and I have received all of the pieces necessary to start building my LED array. If all goes well I should have that done by the end of the weekend, but you never know what kind of road blocks lie ahead, specifically how I am going to suspend it in the stock enclosure.

Also, does any one know of some good articles here that explain how to do a day night cycle with and arduino?

looking good! mine is coming along as well!

Cant wait to see LED in this......

Those specific LEDs will support softies well. I have a nice assortment of mushrooms and zoas in mine and all open open beautifully. I have had no problems in any respects since putting those lights in. I did also add a 4 inch R2 moonlight as well which helps the blues.

Alright, I am not the first to get this done but none the less I present to you a 4x2 LED array for the Fluval Edge.... but first some background.

The entire build cost a little more than I expected but not much, all in, about $150 which included:
- 4 Cree White Q5's
- 4 Cree Royal Blue XR-E's
- 2 1000ma buckpucks with pots,
- Heatsink from heatsinkusa
- 24v 5A Power supply
- Some steep shipping to Canada

As far as wiring it was just like most everyone else's, but for those looking for a tad more info, 24v power supply ran out in parallel to each buckpuck, and then each buckpuck ran to the series of 4 LED's (one series of white and one series of blue). For anyone looking to do this and just starting out, just drop me a PM for more info.

Now on to the pictures.

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Im amazed at how bright these little things are, I know they are 3 watts but I didnt think they would hurt my eyes when I looked at them. The light dispersion isn't quite as good as I wanted it, it could be fixed by lowering the fixture and removing the lid, but I like the extremely stock look.

I wish I had a photometer so I could take some readings, but I imagine I can probably house any type of coral as long as its directly under the light.

Also, what does everyone suggest as far as Powerheads, are they necessary for corals? Inverts?

Anyway, hope this helps some people out as there seems to be quite a bit of interest in the Edge these days.

Simply awesome. Nice build man. PM sent lol.
The powerheads will help with circulation. I have a koralia nano in my tank if you want to see how it looks. I know certain corals love current and others dislike it - so this is mainly up to which corals youre trying to keep. Circulation also helps with algae/removal of waste, etc....

Blindset, great build. I love how you set up your led lights. I'm curious if you feel that you have any dark spots or dead spots? I am really conemplating on doing my own DIY, but all the Fluvals I have seen with this upgrade seems to be dark on the edges.

What would you say, do it or don't?

THX

1

Since this is my first salt water tank I am hesitant to say whether you should or not. The edges are forsure a little darker than the center is, but unless you are planning to place corals in the far extents of the tank I dont think this will hinder you too much. I am extremely satisfied with the end result.

I have recently put in a couple of Zoas and they seem to be doing just fine. They have been in there for almost two weeks and are already starting to propagate.

I think if you keep your LR low and wide this will give you plenty of room to place corals!

Here are a few update pics. Our snails took care of any of the hair algae that we had, unfortunately one of them brought bubble algae into the tank so we are back where we started Though I hear this stuff is tough to get rid of. Anyway, enjoy!

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Blind set, thanks for the reply. The tank looks really good. I'm really excited to get mine up and running. I think I may have over killed on the light though. I am running 20 led's. 10 white and 10 royal blue.

Ya it might be over kill.... depends how you place them I guess. It will be pretty tough to get them all to fit under the hood but I think it can be managed. You will for sure need a fan on your heat sink though. Mine gets hots and I only have 8.

Well I got my light done today, I hope there won't be a problem but you are right I ran the lights for a couple of minutes and the heat sink was on fire. I'm not sure it's going to work even with a fan. I want to see how they are if I drive them at 50 to 75 percent. And overdrive the fan.

Thanks for the inspiration. I can't wait to install them on the tank tomorrow.

Ya I notice a HUGE decrease in temp even running them at 80% which is barely noticeable as far as light output is concerned.

One thing that I learned and wish I would have paid more attention to is a splash guard. My system is shorting out constantly now and there is some serious corrosion. I think I have to buy all new LED's if not at least half of them, and its only been running for 3 weeks. I have no idea what I am going to use but whatever it is, I'm going to ensure that it's COMPLETELY SEALED to ensure no more moisture affects them or corrosion takes place. So I suggest holding off on the install until you have a solution to this, ohhh and if you think of something clever please sent it my way, I'm struggling

Hey man, I was look'n over your build. Love the fluval edge look, can't wait to see your tank mature. I am working on a DIY Pico that will use a similar light fixture as the Fluval. So far I have a 3x3 design with 4CW/5RB, spaced 2" apart, I might actually bring that down to 1" or 1.5" just to keep my pendant lower profile. With your experience of lighting the Fluval, you think I'll get solid coverage on a 12"x12" square? Here's a pic:





And the "Sexy Cracker" box is going to be an LCD output... just fyi.

I think if you position it in the center of the tank you should be ok. The Edge has the light fixture pulled to the back which enlarges the the sides and front area that isnt directly under the light. You will benefit from a wider fixture for sure, so maybe not going too low profile will be advantageous. The only reason that the Edge has some shadows is because the black plastic housing that covers the fixture is quite a bit lower than the LED plane, if you made this difference smaller you would have more light reach to the corners. (Hope that makes sense).

My quick two cents would be raising the light as far as possible. The edge is right on the water, if you raise it you'll create more spread.

OMG. how simple could this adjustment be made??? I have a phone number for ya!

EdgeX 2


you all make life too exciting for running a simple egde tank. GEESH!!!!

Hi BlindSet,

I am hoping I can offer some guidance for a splash guard solution for your Edge.

I recently lost my two leds to salt creep and unfortunately lost two corals as a result. And it all happened very suddenly to bulbs that were only about three weeks old.
If you check out my thread, you can see my make-shift splash guard. It is not completely sealing the top, but so far I don't see any way moisture will get to the bulbs - well at least I hope not because I refuse to spend any more money on lighting until I have a permanent solution!

Good luck!
danielle

Thanks for the reply danielle, I might have to fashion something similar for mine. I will probably reorder my LED's this week and hopefully they will be here shortly after that. In the mean time I am just using a halogen desk lamp to try and keep my tank remotely happy. They zoas dont seem to mind too much, but we will see. Replacing LED's is expensive, lets hope this is the last time.

Hey Blindset, I just noticed that you are in Calgary too, and would be interested in learning more about your LED upgrade.

My Edge is up and running with some livestock, namely a pair of clowns, GBTA, Sexy Shrimp, yellow goby, sun corals, torch coral and frog spawn.

I took a bit of a different approach to the lighting and removed the arm with the halogens on them, and put 2 Corallife 50/50 bulbs. Puts out some pretty good light.

Andrew