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Lukus' 4g Arch


Lukusrose

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Four Gallon Arch

 

Hello everybody! I'm Lukus and this is going to be my first attempt at a SW tank. :) A friend of mine I go to uni with has had SW tanks for some time now, and after seeing his and helping him out with it, I've officially been bitten by the bug!

 

My mate was able to sort me out a 16x8x8 tank (which I calculated to be 4 gallons) some rock and a canister filter for fairly cheap so I'm off to a good start. I'm pretty nervous about it all, but I've done a lot of reading and I'm definitely going to take it slow. :)

 

So, as all forum people do, I'm sure you're after some pictures, so here are some of what I have so far!

 

The Tank

 

tank3k.jpg

tank2q.jpg

tank1la.jpg

 

 

Canister Filter

 

tank4e.jpg

tank5o.jpg

 

 

Dead Rock

 

tank7p.jpg

tank6x.jpg

 

Future Plans

 

So there we go! As the title states I want to build an arch out of the rock, this might be a bit cliche I guess but its what I want! As for stocking, I really have no idea... I don't want to overstock so I'm aiming for 2 fish max! I like gobies but I'd kinda like an active swimmer too! :) Coral wise... softies I guess. I really like the look of zoanthids.apart from that I'm not really sure!

 

So any advice or tips are welcome, hope you enjoyed reading, I'll try and get some new pics tomorrow if I get some work done on the scape, Thanks guys! :)

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nice! looking great so far!

 

wow i really like the dimensions of the tank. awesome so far

 

Thank you both very much! :)

 

Managed to get some work done on the scape today!

 



Man at work!

tank10a.jpg

 

tank8.jpg

 

Scape with tank, to give you an idea of how it will fit.

tank9.jpg

 

I'm hoping a goby will like this hole! :)

tank11e.jpg

 

So yeh! That's where I am. I'm hoping to take a trip down to my LFS tomorrow to take a look at some heaters and to pick up some water and sand, if all goes well. :)

 

Thanks for taking a look guys!

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nice! looks good

 

it's gunna look awesome in that small rimless

 

Thanks man! :)

 

i might have to use these dimensions for my new kitchen tank.

 

Do it! Tidy little number ain't it. ;)

 

That rock scape is gonna look dope! What are you planning for lights?

 

Thanks man! As for lights, I honestly have no idea. I've been doing a lot of reading but I'm still really unsure, it's a lot to learn. I think if I do get down to my LFS tomorrow I'll see what they have in, but I think I'll probably be better off buying online. Whatever I get it'll probably end up being a DIY stand. :)

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Check out aquastyleonline for the lights. If you're willing to do a diy kit you cannot do better for anywhere near the same money.

That arch looks awesome.

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Check out aquastyleonline for the lights. If you're willing to do a diy kit you cannot do better for anywhere near the same money.

That arch looks awesome.

 

Hey! Thanks for the advice. :) I'm browsing the site now and trying to figure out what I actually need...It's a strange new world this reef business. Any advice you have, or anywhere I can look for info would be much appreciated.

 

Oh, and thanks about the arch! :P

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I'm not sure about www.aquatraders.com as far as a site to order from, because I'm not sure where they ship. If they do ship to you and you don't want to DIY it's a great budget choice. If you're comfortable get the LED kit though. Aquastyleonline ships from china, and should do the UK no problem.

 

For a tank this small I'd get a dimmable kit so you don't end up bleaching everything. The 14 led kit would be way more than enough, and if you get a 50:50 ratio of blue:white you could probably get great growth with like 10% White, and still have plenty of room to bump your blues up to your preferences. It could also be used on another larger (maybe 10g?) tank if you decide to upgrade. This is just the drivers, leds, heatsink, wiring, optics, and plaster. I think they include a hanging kit if you want to hang it. You still need a way to mount it. There are tons of builds on here, and a long thread dedicated to these LEDS.

 

 

 

GU10 bulbs are also a popular led style, and are also a very good price. TinyGiant is the member here who swears by them, and he has like 4-5 tanks I think with them. Check that member out for a build thread.

 

Also, not to deter you, but I'd think long and hard about that canister filter. They can cause nitrate buildups over time and act as a detritus trap if not cleaned meticulously. You may want to consider a HOB style filter such as an Aquaclear or similar.

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Thanks so much for the reply man, I really appreciate it. I'll have a read through everything you mentioned, because I want to do this as well as possible.

 

I like the dimmable LED idea and I'm comfortable doing it DIY style. As for mounting it, I've got a couple ideas so I'm going to try them out on sketchup.

 

About the canister filter, thanks, I didn't know that. I'll do some research. I hadn't thought about using a HOB but I'll look into it. I don't want to detract to much from the styling of the tank is all.

 

Thanks again man. :)

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Cool tank and DIY scape. You can use a canister, you just need to stay on top of keeping it clean. There are more convenient options maintenance-wise but if styling is your main concern and you're willing to work a little harder you be okay. B)

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Cool tank and DIY scape. You can use a canister, you just need to stay on top of keeping it clean. There are more convenient options maintenance-wise but if styling is your main concern and you're willing to work a little harder you be okay. B)

 

Thanks for taking a look man! :)

 

I think I'll be alright with the canister, I mean I have it so I may as well run with it. If I'm able to keep on top of it or whatever I can always switch it out.

 

Here are some images I made in Sketchup, fist time using it so don't expect too much! :P

 

tanksketch1.png

tanksketch2.png

tanksketch3.png

tanksketch4.png

 

I put the two holes in the back section for the intake and return pipes and could easily put in more for any other cables. I figured I could cut a hole in the top section for the heatsink, and maybe run the wires through a cut out along the top. Any thoughts? Would the heatsink work efficiently in a wood surround?

 

Cheers guys, the helps been really useful so far! :)

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You could bolt the heatsink to some wood easily, but I would be careful. You don't want to cover the top of the heatsink, as this is the side with the most surface area that does the most heat dissipation. If you do want it covered you'd have to build a mini canopy around it, with fans, or face the likely risk of overheating. I've seen people put trim pieces around and that works well. It would be kind of cool to get the anodized one and to just bolt the one end into the stand. I'd crunch some statics though to check out the force put out by those screws and make sure you choose something that can withstand it for the upright portion.

 

 

Also, if you're set on the canister and simple look for now I'd definitely suggest an inline heater.

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Sorry, I should have explained better, When I meant a hole for the heatsink, I meant like right through the wood, so the fins would be open to the air.

 

Although just bolting the whole thing to the upright sounds nice too. I'd probably put some reinforcing bars down the back of the upright and under the base, to make sure it can bare the weight.

 

Inline heaters sound good, I'll take a look around.

 

Thanks so much for your help asting, it's been really useful. :)

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Well I went to my LFS and it wasn't great to be honest. The guys there were kinda rude when it came to answering my questions, and even spoke amongst themselves whilst talking to me.. :angry: So, I didn't get anything today, I didn't want to give them my money!

 

In other news I don't think I'm going to get an inline heater for this tank, as I can't find any under 200W, which seems like huuuuuge overkill. So a small in-tank heater it will be.

 

My dad called today to tell me that my grandfather had some LED lights and powerheads I could have! Which sounded great at first but it turns out that the bow front on his tank (not sure what size, but pretty big) had split down the middle and all the water had escaped over night. :( All his coral and live rock were pretty much screwed but he managed to rescue the fish from the 3 inches of water that remained. They are boarding at his LFS now.

 

Needless to say we are all gutted. His front room carpet it completely ruined! The insurance will cover it however my poor grandfather just doesn't have it in him to get a new tank. :( I feel terrible for him as he has spent a lot of time and money in this hobby and he really loved it . Apparently its happened to a few people with the same tank, so its going to be investigated.

 

That's all for now guys.

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  • 1 year later...

any updates on this nice little tank? that was a neat looking scape you had going, I'd be interested to see some wet pics, I'm sure its aged well :D

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