Ok guys, here's my tank entry. I'll update the equipment specs and plans when I get to work.

10g acrylic (3/8" thick), frameless, 20"x10"x12" (LxWxH)

Enjoy!

Initial Plan-

I thought about a coldwater tank, and I'm still thinking about it. Probably not, however... but it'd be coooool.

Tank: I'm going to either drill the bottom or the back, haven't decided yet, and there will be no visible equipment in the tank. very zen. I think the bottom would be easier to hide everything, but I'm concerned about the check valves. 1-2" aragonite bed.

Lighting: AB Oceanlight T5, 2x24w, 24"... Haven't decided the bulb configuration yet.

Sump: 10g AGA, Remora Skimmer, Refugium with a DSB and cheato, light to be determined. Mag3 or MJ1200 for a return... that's something that probably will change, as I tweak the flow. Chiller if I go coldwater, but that's not likely. 50w heater if needed. Auto top off.

Stocking... I have no idea.

Nice looking tank charlie. If it was mine I would drill the back. Not just because it's easier to plumb it that way. But because having the bottom drilled. Will alway's keep you thinking about leak's and checking for leak's. Good luck.

yeah, that's what i'm thinking... plus i can reuse it as a fuge (as originally intended) eventually.

Light ordered, bulkheads ordered, picking up the stand this weekend, picked up a 10g aga last night... already have glass for the baffles.

still deciding on the return pump. i'm thinking about drilling 3 holes and do a scwd as well.

i also ordered an AC Jr. for my 90 that i'm setting up right now. woo! (that's not relevant to the contest, i'm just excited.)

More pics tonight!

ok, my camera is poo. i fixed it this morning, I'll have a huge update tomorrow.

Nano Blog:
i'm grossly intimidated by the competition. wow. just wow. it's going to be tough, especially since i'm going traditional reef. ah simplicity. I'm picking up my stand tomorrow, and hopefully getting the tank drilled tonight. I'm wondering how I'm going to get the 10G sump to fit in the 10g stand. maybe i'm going about this the wrong way, and should find a different stand for the tank. We'll see.

edit: i ended up getting a 2x 24" retro t5 setup from sunlight. the bulbs will be mounted to the underside of a shelf that is above the tank, keeping with my zen reef. sweet.

Wooooooo. And it's on.

Charlie, don't be intimidated - remember that a lot of people who sail in uncharted waters end up sinking their boats. Your approach is tried and true, which means you have less chance of an unexpected catastrophe than those doing less conventional setups.

updates guys...

i hope to have pics tonight... my pc at home is acting up.

i drilled the back of my tank for 3 3/4" bulkheads... 2 drains, 1 return. i also siliconed in the glass baffles in my 10g sump to separate the skimmer secion from the main section. i decided to go with the ASM mini... a bit overkill, but I think it'll work better than the remora for my purposes. return is 1 mj1200 and 1 other mj to supplement if needed.

my t5 bulbs are ordered, i got the shelf at HD, and now all i need to do is find a *&!@ stand. or table. or whatever.

i like drilling acrylic. it was easy... the holes didn't all line up exactly right, but they'll be almost totally hidden anyway, so i'm not worried about it.

ok my camera is being ###y now.

anyway, i'm still looking for a stand. go me.

i hope to have water in it wednesday, pending finding a stand this evening. we'll see. :-D

the asm mini is HUGE. i had issues running it. i might try to work the remora instead.

Captain's Log, Reefdate 60023110... haha.

I'm a dork.

Ok, so I'll have some new photos tonight. Setting up my 90 has taken a massive amount of time, I'm almost done, but tonight is nano night.

I think i've found my stand... finally. I'm using a night table that I found. should work well.

the shelf has been secured and i put crown molding on it to hide the lights/wires, and i'm mounting the t5s to the underside tonight and hanging it on the wall.

i settled on 2 maxijets for the return, 1 600 and 1 1200. I'm also running the remora skimmer now, which will give me an area for a fuge and dsb in the sump.

stocking will be a pistol shrimp/goby pair (i've got a line on one), a blue knuckle hermit, a few snails, and a small clam.

the tank has zoas, sps, lps, and possibly a smaller softie like a toadstool, one that won't grow out of control over the course of the contest. i've secured all the coral specimens and am keeping them in my frag tank for the moment.

i will have some more pictures and hope to get water in it tonight.

guys, i'm having to withdraw from the contest. my job just got to be too much for me to manage another tank. hopefully i'll get to set this up at some point, but for now, it's on the shelf.

thanks for the input! if the tank comes to life in the next few weeks/months, i'll be sure to make a new thread about it!

Sorry to hear that bro but totally understand your situation, good luck and hope to see you for the next contest.

QUITTER!!!

oh hush! i was DQ'ed technically, by not posting in November.