In an attempt to keep my 6 gallon cool and without having to drill onto the precious tank I'm testing a fan that I once used on my pico.

It's the dual fan Vantec HD cooler designed to cool Hard Drives. It has a built in heat sink and it fits right over the top of my drop in filtration.

All I had to do was invert both fans so the air will be shooting straight down to the trickling of the water; instant cooling.

Last night my tank went from 85.9 down to 75.5 in the morning. It would have kept crawling down but my heater counteracted it.

This fan is much cheaper than any chiller, less plumbing, less cables and efficiency seems to be great.

Only problem will be salt creep over time, but routine cleaning should keep this free of problems for some time.

Here is a picture of the cooling fan and I will be posting pics of it in action over the weekend.

Also I'll have the results of how well it does while the lights are on, so far I only have a coralife 18 watt mini light, that things gets really hot to the touch.

If all goes well, I will be upgrading the light to 36 watt 12 inch coralife or current usa.

So far I have the fans on a timer that will come on during light time only; working in sequence against the light as a source of heat production.

MG

Here are some new pics of my new setup; let me know what you guys think?

Looks good. As always

Because I believe in the clean look both in and out of the reef, I thought I would share these pics with you reefers that are advocates of cord concealment within your systems...

















MG

Very Nice. But what if you have to get to your cords? It doesnt look like you can get to them with out lifting up your tank.

Ohh. He does have a point. Other than that. I love it

Okay Folks,

We are talking about a nano reef that only holds about 4 gallons of water. Moving the tank isn't a concern at all for me.

But turning off and on the powerstrip is, when I want to do water changes.

So what I did is make sure the switch is within my fingers touch. All I do is reach in with my fingers and push the button and the tank shuts off.

I even have the dial on the airpump within touch and can dial up or down without moving the tank.

Now if this was my monster tank 72 forget it....

MG

Is that base the base that Tru Vu sells? (in their canopy/base combo option)

... it looks great!

It sure is. I'm a big fan of keeping everything stock. And Tru Vu has a beautiful line up of tanks...



I need feedback from all reefers on my lighting scheme.

The race is between Coralife's 12 inch 36 watt and Current USA's 12 inch 36 watt. Here are the facts:

Coralife

You get 36 watts of power with two 18 watt 50/50; 10,000K and True Actinic per bulb.

No fans and no moonlight.

Current USA

You get 36 watts of power with two 18 watt bulbs. One bulb is dedicated exclusively for daylight 10,000k and 6,700k and is independant. The second light is an additonal 18 watts but instead of mixing the daylight is inclusive to actinics.

One is a true actinic while the other is not, just a superficial bluer for color enhancement and nothing in value to the corals.

The kick is that you also get a white moonlight that stays on 24 hours a day. And each lighting can run independant, giving you dusk to dawn feature.

The current USA cost about $20 dollars more than the coralife.

Also current does not give you any fans but from the pics I've seen the holes on the side; so does anyone know if I can purchase the fans from current and place them inside? What would power them?

Now I'm a big fan of coralife lights, I think the bulbs are very nice spectrum of color. I'm going to post some pics of the two; I NEED ANSWERS AND SOME VOTING; REMEMBER THIS POLL WILL BE THE DECIDING FACTOR FOR MY MINI REEF.

THANKS,

Mike G

I like the Current USA line myself.

Jesse

How do you like the spectrum? Does it light up your tank evenly, not too blue, not too much yellow?

MG

P.S
What about the moonligth, I've never seen the all white light at night, how does it look compared to the blue moonlights coralife puts out?

coralife bulbs are crap compared to sunpaq. sunpaqs are so much brighter and have more blue to them. the coralife almost looked yellow compared to the sunpaq bulbs.

Mike,

I have the 1.18 Current USA on my Pico, I love it. IN the week its been set up, I've seen more Coraline Algae growing then in my nano cube in a while. Also the white moonlight is something different. I like it. Yes, There are no fans, but you could probably attach one to the outside, not sure if one would fit in the inside. For some pics, check my Pico thread. I know you've posted in it.

Jesse

I'm not sure if the current will fit in my canopy, it's 7.25 inches in width and I know the coralife is 7 inches in width and fits but very tightly.

I don't know if I have that extra .25 in space.

Also I have heard that the white moonlight is pretty bright and not as natural looking as the blue coralife moon lights.

I have also heard that most users don't like the daylight lamp and change it out for a 50/50 bulb but they do love the actinic bulb at 420 nm and 460 nm.

I currently have the 18 watt coralife 50/50, it's the 9 inch mini. It's nice in the spectrum it has but not bright enough so that's why I want at least the 36 watts of power.

MG

Actually the White moonlight isnt that bright, to me its more natural, since the moon is white and not blue.

i definitely like the sunpaq bulbs better. not sure about their fixtures but the bulbs are the best. i also like a white moonlight too, as does my mantis. good luck.

I finally decided to go with the current usa 12 inch dual fixture. I went this route for many reasons but mainly because of the design. It's built like a tank, high quality metal and super clean look.

I took several pictures at different angles so you reefers can get an idea of the bulbs coloration. I took pictures with just actinics then with just daylights and then together.

You guys be the judges of what you like. Overall, I'm very impressed with the design, just take a look of how flush it caters to my system. I'm all about efficiency and elegant design.

TruVu and Current are in my book of MG approved.

Here she arrives...


Two 18 watt fixtures and a moonlight...


Side view...


Side view...


Top view...


Actinics only...


Actinics and Daylight...


Front shot Actinics and Daylight...


Side shot daylight only...


Front shot daylight only...

Very Nice

Here she is with her canopy on, what a snug fit. These two were made for each other. What do you reefers think?

MG

Ditto, lol. I swear you had more LR in there before you took her down. What happened?

Yeah,

I did have a ton of live rock in there when I listen to LFS and go home and cannot find space for it.

The rule of 1-2 lbs of live rock is good for large tanks, but not for nanos.

Forget about placing corals in there when all you have is live rock everywhere. I hated it, trying really hard not to scratch the acrylic.

I love this more simple and more beutiful look that draws your eyes to the design of the Tru Vu in all it's elegance.

I want to keep the tank crystal clean on all four sides and this look is just what the doctor ordered.

I can hardly wait to see what I will add to make this tank come alive and grow.

MG

Mike,
Tank is looking good. I've been following this thread for some time, and have done a bit of research on these cubes for myself. There are however, a few questions I still have, that I hope you may be able to answer for me before I make my final decision to buy.

First - With regards to the canopy you just recently added. Is the rear of the canopy open? In other words, are there just 3 vertical sides to it (left, right, front)?

Second - Now that you have had the tank up and running a short while (both times), and assuming that you've been performing some routine maintenance. What are your thoughts on the design of the rear chambers? Media chamber, etc.? Are they large enough (and yes, I have not forgotten this is a nano sized tank)? Are they suited well for all types of media? Is flow ok? Please be honest.

Third - What's circulation like in your tank? I know you installed that loc-line nozzle, and it appears that it is directed at an appx. 45deg upwards. It doesn't seem ideal, but tell me your take on it.

Lastly, just as you. I am obsessive/compulsive about clean lines, consealment, and wire management, but usually try to satisfy functionality first. You comment on the perfectly snug fit of the canopy over the Current light fixture, and I've noticed the vents for your fans are located on the endcaps of the housing. How is it going so far with temps?

Thanks in advance for your assistance and for your frequent updates.

theres one thing I was wondering about mg. I noticed that your actual outlet is right in back of the tank, are you worried about the skimmer overflowing and getting into the outlet at all? I only bring this up because I recently had a rio fry my entire tank and since I did not have a gfci(which I couldnt see in your pics), taam did not even bother to grace me with a reply to my email when I brought up the issue about their build quality.

Mike nice setup! Around the same time you got your I bought a 15 gallon BF from truvu directly. I had to send it back do to custom work not being done and decided to scrap it. Here is a pic
Click to view attachment

My question is how tall is the entire base tank and canopy? I have around 19” under my kitchen cabinets and want to know if this 6 gal would fit.

Here is a sneak peak at my Tru Vu evolving to it's second stage; the addition of small frags from one of my LFS, Atlantis Aquarium...

Enjoy...

MG

Nice

Nice Start

all i have to say is beautiful, im in the process of buttoning up the clean look in my eclipse 12, which i love about your tank everything is perfect looking with no cords going everywhere, also you are lucky to be paying only 6.99 a pound for live rock, here in the big OHIO i have to either order it or force to pay $8.99 a pound for the crappiest looking uncured fiji live rock!

In regards to your first question. You are correct the canopy only has closure left, right and the front. The rear has a clear opening and air could escape out from within.

Second question: The design of the filtration is one of the best I've seen in comparison to the cubes that I have owned; that would be the JBJ cubes. As you know I fully take advantage of each chamber. The first chamber has the Berlin Airlift 60 powered by the Coralife air pump set at dial #5. I also have the Marineland 25 watt heater in the same chamber.

There is still room on the bottom to run a second return pump if you wanted to or to run the ICA 2.0. The second chamber houses the unique drop in wet/dry filter and yes this is a tru wet/dry not like JBJ that are flooded. The neat thing is that you can run them flooded or wet/dry you decide.

With the filtration in chamber two being a convertible means you are free to change and intermix filtrations if you wanted to; one week run carbon, second week run just polyfilter, it's up to you.

I don't use the plastic cover over the filtration since I'm currently using a dual HD fan to keep my tank cool at 82.5 at it's highest with ambient at 83 degrees.

Third regarding circulation: the filtration is powered by a Rio 600 and I feel that at 200 gph with no headpressure that's why it's at the bottom gives it a lot of power. The locline I use is just the tip of the nozzel, I'm not using the other pieces. And having the nozel to 45 degrees allows the water to run upward towards the surface.

The flow rate is a little stronger on one side but lighter on the other side. This would allow reefers to place slow current corals on one side and the like on the opposite side. If you really need more current say for SPS you could drop in some small powerheads like I previously employed.

Your last comment, the concealment and the canopy. I'm a big fan of the closed look, that is why I loved JBJ design cubes. With the Tru Vu, you get a canopy that hides the current USA perfectly and still allows for ventilation to exit at the back of the canopy.

I have felt the sides at where the vents are at and was amazed that they don't get really really hot, just warm. If you recall I started off with the coralife 18 watt and that little guy got way hotter than the current which is double it's power.

I mentioned earlier that on the hottest day here so far was about 83 ambient and I got 82.5 with both lights at the end of the day; my fans are programmed to go on with the lights and off.

I haven't called current to figure out how I can purchase a fan for the 2 inch slot that is viable on the fixture. I just need to run a power source as I didn't see a plug there.

The fan is available at marine depot for about 12 bucks and it's 2 inches and would fit; its just a matter of being able to connect it.

I'm still watching temps to see if I would need to invest in the ICA unit, remember I'm about concealing everything and not making holes all over the canopy or the tank itself; I myself am a big fan of keeping it all original just purchasing all the gadgets that go with a stock tank.

Remember one think even though the filtration system dominates the JBJ line, the display area is a little smaller so keep that in mind. I personally downsized my rocks to get the look I wanted and am very happy with what I got.

What ever I decide to keep in my tank should flourish with the amount of filtration I have and how I have employed it's full power.

Hope I answered your questions and if you have any more, shoot me a buzz on my thread I only answer back when I can give you long objective answers, just the type of reefer that I am.

MG

How fast do you type? lol

What Voltage are the fans you want? Me being the quote on quote "DIY Wizard", I think that's what you said, I can find many things to power things. I bought two fans from a guy a while back selling them. I powered them with an old Airsoft Gun Charger. Just Strip and Twist. Also, Chris at Nano Customs, sells This

Which you would just cut off the end, and strip the wires, and connect them to run the fan.

or

This

Same thing, cut and strip the end.

HTH

Jesse

Mike,
Thanks for your reply to my questions. This helps a great deal in trying to decide whether or not I purchase a TruVu. I am strongly leaning towards doing so. I just want to make sure I have enough room to make the least amount of modifications/installation of other devices.

Thanks again, I just may have a couple more questions for you later.

Update,

So I noticed that I finally started growing unwanted algae on my premium rock and brown diatoms on one side of my tank. This was to be expected since my lighting period kicked in.

The tank had cycled for about 3 weeks with no lights and now the lights had brought in the algae.

I was at first perplexed when I went from crystal clear water to a cloudy almost hazing type of look.

At first I brought out my HOT magnum and started cleaning the water but noticed that I got a slight improvement and then the next day it was the same.

Next thing I do is a 90 percent water change and get crystal clear water for one day; then the next day it's almost the same as before. I was like okay, what is going on.

I run down to the LFS and purchase 5 small blue/grey hermits and drop them in. They start to go to town on some of the rocks. The next day I purchase 4 red hermits and they really go on the ugly algae.

I want and need 4 nassirus snails but my LFS was out; I also confirmed with them is this common for my tank to go from crystal clear to slighty cloudy, he asked when I had added my lights and after I told him, he said, I'm getting spores of algae to breed and the filter cannot catch all of it.

He said within 2 to 2 weeks it should go back to crystal clear. I thought I would share this experience as it's never happened to me before.

Just my 2 cents....

MG

Well,

Thanks to the cleanning crew, my tank is back to crystal clear and all is awesome.

With that, I went down to my LFS and picked up a super tiny six line wrasse never have I seen one this small, he's smaller than a yellow gumdrop.

I also purchased a blue goby and a yellow gumdrop. So I have 3 little fish swimming around my cube....

Very nice tank. I'll be following some of what you did since I'll have a similar tank. I've never kept a reef so small so I am going to take it very slow compared to my other reefs.

Pics? Pics? How can you add fish w/o pics?

looks great! i am going to get the sunpaq fixture for my pico

Excellent thread. I've recently moved to Holland, and would like to set up something small. Seems like a perfect setup.

My only issue here is with the 220 voltage. I was told that small reef tanks are popular here, and in Germany -- but I'm not seeing the 220v goods for sale anywhere here.

I have pretty much been limiting my searching online, and haven't gone into any shops yet. Mostly because shopping here is limited, and it would require a trip into Amsterdam. I need to find a reputable shop here -- or start shipping stuff from the US, and dedicate one of my transformers to this project.

But -- if any of you global readers have suggestions, let me know! I would love to start assembling the pieces.

Thanks,
Paul

Blue goby? I've never seen one. Anybody have pics of one?

Hey Mike, I have a question..I just got the same tank but the 12g,I want to install a iceprobe chiller,question is, in wich chamber should I put it?

can someone give me a link to where i can buy one of these tru-vu tanks?

www.truvuaquariums.com

any update on your tank, Mike? still going? after reading this thread and some others i decided to get the same tank- I am setting it up pretty much as you did- Tru Vu 6, base and canopy, Current 36w Lunar, Berlin AirLift with Luft pump- and Locline. also following your steup for the filter media (chemipure, polyfilter, phosguard, pureflo). all i need now is live sand and live rock. any advice or follow up to how your system is doing would be helpful TIA

edit- i just put my order in today and hopefully will receive it by next weekend

yeah, how is this thing?

Did you sell this tank? I thought I saw an ad in the classifieds. I try to PM you,but your inbox was full.

Yeah this tank was sold really quickly....

MG

Thanks. Great little setup. I just sold a 30 gallon Oceanic Cube and I am looking to get an all in one. I may pick your brain a bit on this one if I get one. I will take your advice and call Aqurium Concepts. I assume they ship.

hey Oceanic, I ordered this tank (see post above) from Innovativelights.com because they had the cheapest price I could find. I ordered the base/canopy option but unfortunately they only sent the canopy so I am waiting on the base to be sent before starting my project. Once I do I will be starting a thread about my project. I am a relative noobie at reefs although I did have a 15H setup a few years ago with some success so hopefully things will go well. Not sure what I will be keeping in the way of livestock- maybe zoas, shrooms, pulsing xenia, a few shrimp and a small fish like a goby. Wish me luck and look for my thread in about a week or so...

Thanks Salty. I will look for it. PM me when it comes out. I am pretty close to getting another tank here. I got the OK from the wife!

seeing as to how this thread ended back in 2007, i doubt you're still reading here mike, but i was wondering if your canopy was the standard 4" high or 8" high, http://www.truvuaquariums.com/misemo6baand.html

Reason I ask is I'm wondering how it had enough clearance to fit the 36w lunar lighting setup. im considering going for the 12g myself, but my lfs only has the 4" high canopy. thanks!

I'm not sure I understand your question?