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Ben's OMG IT'S A WATERFALL build


jedimasterben

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jedimasterben

its-cool-im-just-a-panda-4607-1266081857-9.jpg

 

Alrighty, time to get this show on the road!

 

Things left to do:

 

  • Build the stand for the top tank
  • Buy the glass for the overflow boxes and silicone them together
  • Drill the tanks (anyone got any extra balls I can borrow for the week? lol)
  • Attach the overflow boxes
  • Buy plumbing and plumb them up
  • Try and find rock somewhere
  • Figure out something to do with my FW stuff in my 20 long that I will be using for the sump
  • Or maybe just buy a 10g tank at Walmart for $12 and use that instead, who needs a 20 long? :)
  • Rinse sand
  • Add sand
  • Add water
  • ??????
  • Profit!

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surgicalsense

Wow ... this is going to awesome. So you going to have the water run down the rocks for control and direction. I love these waterfall SW tanks :wub:

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jedimasterben
Wow ... this is going to awesome. So you going to have the water run down the rocks for control and direction. I love these waterfall SW tanks :wub:

Yep, gonna have the hole for the bulkhead in the top tank as far to the right as possible, and the water will come out straight and then curve to the left so that it flows from right to left in the bottom tank. There will be a powerhead in the bottom tank (not sure about the top tank) for circulation, even though there will probably only be LPS and anemones in the bottom. Top tank will be SPS & LPS dominated.

 

And thanks. :)

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jedimasterben

If I bought "reef" rock from anywhere, it would be from my LFS or from John @ Reefcleaners and I'd go and pick it up. I'm currently looking into buying the rock (most of the rock you see for sale is mined in the FL Keys) direct from the mine, should be 2-10 cents a pound if I can figure out who to talk to about it.

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  • 3 weeks later...
jedimasterben

Me too. This tank is no longer priority number one, though. My stand that my 55g is on right now got SOAKED when my tank overflowed recently, and the stand is slowly leaning forward, ridiculously slightly, but I know soon it's gonna go down. I have a a new tank I'm setting up (my build thread below), and that is where every cent I can throw at it is going, just so I can make damn sure this tank is moved before the stand fails. :o

 

 

The tanks for this build have been sitting in the corner for almost a month now, but my focus has been on this new tank (and acquiring funds for said tank).

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surgicalsense
Me too. This tank is no longer priority number one, though. My stand that my 55g is on right now got SOAKED when my tank overflowed recently, and the stand is slowly leaning forward, ridiculously slightly, but I know soon it's gonna go down. I have a a new tank I'm setting up (my build thread below), and that is where every cent I can throw at it is going, just so I can make damn sure this tank is moved before the stand fails. :o

 

 

The tanks for this build have been sitting in the corner for almost a month now, but my focus has been on this new tank (and acquiring funds for said tank).

 

Why did it overflow?

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jedimasterben

I honestly don't know, but I had a fully grown coral beauty angelfish that disappeared that same day. Abso-fricken-lutely gone. If it went carpet surfing, I would have found it, but I didn't, it wasn't behind any rocks/behind the tank/anywhere. Just gone. Maybe my overflow got plugged up by a snail for a bit, but idk. I've got an Eshoppes overflow now, never loses siphon, ever.

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jedimasterben

Especially since it's a piece of feces MDF stand.

 

The new stand for the big tank is made of 2x4s and pressure-treated plywood, and it will all be sealed to hell and back, and it will have stopped for a slushie on the way back. B)

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surgicalsense
I honestly don't know, but I had a fully grown coral beauty angelfish that disappeared that same day. Abso-fricken-lutely gone. If it went carpet surfing, I would have found it, but I didn't, it wasn't behind any rocks/behind the tank/anywhere. Just gone. Maybe my overflow got plugged up by a snail for a bit, but idk. I've got an Eshoppes overflow now, never loses siphon, ever.

 

Sorry 16 hrs later, my reply. I dislike that big time. I had a bad ass fire cleaner that went MIA like that. But, I have my ideas what happened. I had a tank-sitter :angry:

 

.. who used to have SW tanks and her son currently has a 100g. So I wonder <_<

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  • 3 weeks later...
jedimasterben

Round one of rock. Just plain, basic dry rock. No way in hell would I pay $7+ a pound for "live" rock that I have to cycle, and is usually not porous.

IMG_20120511_230953.jpg

 

 

I have a new idea for the overflow on the top tank, as well. Instead of drilling a hole for a bulkhead (that I would then have to cover), I am thinking of cutting a notch in the top of the tank and putting a "slide" made of glass going down into the bottom tank.

 

What do you think? I LOVE the idea!!! If it wasn't so damn late and I had to be up early in the morning, I'd get a Google Sketchup design going for it, but I've gotta get up in like 7 hours to get to a frag show. Hopefully I'll get some good stuff without paying retail prices or more.

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  • 2 weeks later...
jedimasterben

I'm actually using the top tank to cycle sand for my bigger main tank (and also to troll the forum about deep sandbeds, but that's beside the point. :) ).

 

Once the big tank is set up, I will resume building this one. :)

 

 

 

That's a good name for this!

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surgicalsense
I'm actually using the top tank to cycle sand for my bigger main tank (and also to troll the forum about deep sandbeds, but that's beside the point. :) ).

 

Once the big tank is set up, I will resume building this one. :)

 

That's a good name for this!

 

:P

 

I have seen and read a few threads regarding the deep sand bed, I like the concept of that. Are you going to place light defuser under the LR with the deep sand?

 

I am deciding on what sand (color and grade) I need to buy for my tank. I am tossing out my sand when I break my tank down.

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jedimasterben
:P

 

I have seen and read a few threads regarding the deep sand bed, I like the concept of that. Are you going to place light defuser under the LR with the deep sand?

 

I am deciding on what sand (color and grade) I need to buy for my tank. I am tossing out my sand when I break my tank down.

DSB do not really work in nanos. Nanos have very little water volume, and as much as possible is needed. To be effective, DSBs need to be 4" or greater, and in a nano, not only does this not look good, but takes way too much water volume away from the system.

 

You'd be much better off to invest in a good skimmer and, if you still have any nitrate or phosphate issues, look into dosing a carbon source, such as vodka, sugar, or vinegar.

 

The DSB that I made is simply to cycle sand. I put all my sand for my big tank into my QT tank that is already set up and dumped a teaspoon of sugar into it to get the cycle over with in a couple of days since I was expecting to pick up my new tank tomorrow (now will be next week). I only posted the thread here as a joke since people are always bickering about how DSBs aren't feasible in a nano. :lol:

 

 

As for sand choice, black sand is awesome, your corals will stand out much more in comparison to white sand. Most black sand, unfortunately, is sugar-fine, and can be an issue in high-flow systems. I hope it won't be a big issue in my big tank, I've got three MP10s I'm putting on it. :(

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Just so you know the sand I am using I am not sure about yours'. But the Tahitian Moon sand doesn't blow around that badly. I have a few dunes but it's nothing that big.

 

Going to be sick!

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jedimasterben
Just so you know the sand I am using I am not sure about yours'. But the Tahitian Moon sand doesn't blow around that badly. I have a few dunes but it's nothing that big.

 

Going to be sick!

This is TMS, but I will have almost 5000GPH of flow in the big tank, so we will see how it goes!

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Spirofucci

So how this thing coming along??? Love the concept.

 

You're having siwelk help you?................

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