devmasa Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 wow, sleek and super clean. the build quality looks professional. Following your thread. BTW kudos on your 20G tank..that is a stunning piece of work Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 wow, sleek and super clean.the build quality looks professional. Following your thread. BTW kudos on your 20G tank..that is a stunning piece of work Thanks devmasa, mostly all the parts for the pico were stuff I had at home already so it hasn't cost me much at all. The 20 is my money draw, I purposely never add up all the receipts from that one, lol. Link to comment
boxboy Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I tottaly want a parts list for your reactor. Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 I tottaly want a parts list for your reactor. Many parts may work to make a reactor like the one I made. I used an acrylic tube 2" diameter, acrylic sheet thickness can vary), Eheim Compact 300 pump (40-80GPH), some acrylic rod for the inner support, a rubber o-ring for the lid enclosure, a 1/2 inch tube connector for the outlet (1/2 " matches the diameter of the pump), you should use weld-on 4 or 16 (I did not simply because I was bonding various plastic composites). The reactor is really just a basic concept. Water flows (fluidized) through the reactor with foam or screen barriers to keep the media in. Flow should move the media but not push it all the way to the top. Flow should not be too strong. It is possible you would spend more money buying the various parts to build this reactor than just purchasing a commercial one (but it would be much bigger). The uniqueness of this reactor is it's size really. Hope this helps a bit, shaping and crafting the parts is a lot of work, but the finished product makes it all worth it in the end. The reactor could be made with slightly different dimensions and be just as effective. Link to comment
boxboy Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Many parts may work to make a reactor like the one I made. I used an acrylic tube 2" diameter, acrylic sheet thickness can vary), Eheim Compact 300 pump (40-80GPH), some acrylic rod for the inner support, a rubber o-ring for the lid enclosure, a 1/2 inch tube connector for the outlet (1/2 " matches the diameter of the pump), you should use weld-on 4 or 16 (I did not simply because I was bonding various plastic composites). The reactor is really just a basic concept. Water flows (fluidized) through the reactor with foam or screen barriers to keep the media in. Flow should move the media but not push it all the way to the top. Flow should not be too strong. It is possible you would spend more money buying the various parts to build this reactor than just purchasing a commercial one (but it would be much bigger). The uniqueness of this reactor is it's size really. Hope this helps a bit, shaping and crafting the parts is a lot of work, but the finished product makes it all worth it in the end. The reactor could be made with slightly different dimensions and be just as effective. Thanks for getting back so fast. I do have a phosban 150. but your right its giant even for a nano. I wanna build a smaller one for my 10g ane even smaller still for my 3g pico. Thanks for posting your great looking pico build. Link to comment
mike c Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Dude, your tank is sicc!!! Seriously, looks professionally built. Great job. Definitely going to follow your thread. Your 20g looks amazing, no doubt this pico will be sweet. Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 Dude, your tank is sicc!!! Seriously, looks professionally built. Great job. Definitely going to follow your thread. Your 20g looks amazing, no doubt this pico will be sweet. Thanks for the compliments I am starting to think about what I want in the pico now. I'm expecting it will be fairly low nutrient so I have some options for livestock. Lots of colour is a must. Acan, favia, chalice, encrusting corals possibly, sexy shrimp. No fish, no palys, no zoas, no GSP, no mushrooms, maybe some softies. I have a kenya tree I could frag down. Would be nice to have some movement in the tank. I am open to Ideas. I don't think SPS, going to stick to mainly LPS corals for this little guy. Link to comment
mike c Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 The Kenya would look nice for a few days, then become a P.I.T.A! Lol, sorry Im kinda biased when it comes to Kenya trees. I put one in my 28, and now Im trying every option to get them out. I have a 4" frag I'd GIVE you, if you wernt so far...lol. Any pics of the tank with the LEDs over it? Link to comment
metrokat Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 My DIY Pico Media Reactor. When you can't find it in the store you have to make it yourself. It stands just over 7" and has a foot print of 3" 1/2 X 2". It can hold up to 150mL of media. It is powered by an Eheim Compact 300 pump which delivers 40-80GPH (adjustable flow rate). I plan to run about 75mL GFO (RowaPhos) in it. Testing starts tomorrow. Here's a couple of pictures. I think I just fell in love with you. Also, is this a yellow bird? Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 The Kenya would look nice for a few days, then become a P.I.T.A! Lol, sorry Im kinda biased when it comes to Kenya trees. I put one in my 28, and now Im trying every option to get them out. I have a 4" frag I'd GIVE you, if you wernt so far...lol. Any pics of the tank with the LEDs over it? I have a fairly big Kenya Tree in my 20G, its attached to a small dead coral piece, it hasn't caused me any grief, I can just move it out anytime, and that time has come. I was just thinking to frag a small bit off it and use it in the pico. Still undecided. I know they can get out of control. Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 I think I just fell in love with you. Also, is this a yellow bird? I'm not into that, LOL. And yes it is a bird but the colour is kinda a yellow / beige. I got it for free from a LFS that was successfully killing them. This was the last one alive, and it was quite sickly. It's been slow to take off but it survived and is growing. When I got it, algae and all, lol. [MAY 2011] Now, growing, but slowly. Link to comment
metrokat Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I am starting to think about what I want in the pico now. I'm expecting it will be fairly low nutrient so I have some options for livestock. Lots of colour is a must. Acan, favia, chalice, encrusting corals possibly, sexy shrimp. No fish, no palys, no zoas, no GSP, no mushrooms, maybe some softies. I have a kenya tree I could frag down. Would be nice to have some movement in the tank. I am open to Ideas. I don't think SPS, going to stick to mainly LPS corals for this little guy. Maxi minis with sexy shrimp and white porcelain anemone crabs, the MM have movement and a huge splash of color if you get the bright ones. Also green nepthea coral. I'm not into that, LOL. And yes it is a bird but the colour is kinda a yellow / beige. I got it for free from a LFS that was successfully killing them. This was the last one alive, and it was quite sickly. It's been slow to take off but it survived and is growing. ive been looking for a yellow bird for a while, glad you could rescue your frag. how can you not be into people digging your DIY skillz? Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 6, 2012 Author Share Posted April 6, 2012 This is a Kenya Tree I have in my 20 which I need to move out, I was thinking to frag some small arms off it for the pico (undecided). I'm not sure I want to go maximini's, I think I will end up with some encrusting monti, acan, chalice, and favia. If I can get my hands on some bumble bee shrimp and sexy shrimp I think it would work. I want to keep this tank simple but really colourful. I've got a snail bloom in my 20 right now, about a 100 snails everywhere, thinking I will pick them off as they are just tiny, and put them in the pico as some clean up crew. The pico is just cycling now, less than a week so I have some time to decide on what I want in there. In Canada we cannot order from all the US sites you guys have, we mostly get what comes into the LFS, and that's sometimes limited. Thanks for the input here, your opinion is valued, thanks for tagging along. Link to comment
Criley7 Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Another awesome tank NanoTopia! Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Another awesome tank NanoTopia! Hey thanks again Criley7. I replaced the heater today to something a little more reliable, An Aqueon 50w Pro Heater. I'm starting to like the Aqueon products quite a bit. Never used their heaters, thought I would give it a try. Link to comment
gimptastic matt Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Fantastic tank!!! loving the lighting really sleak Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 10, 2012 Author Share Posted April 10, 2012 Fantastic tank!!!loving the lighting really sleak Thanks Matt, I wanted the lighting on two channels, royal blue and cool whites. I could not find anything on the market to fit the bill so I made one. My first LED project, and not my last. Cycle is 12 days in now and not a spot of algae, nitrates, and low-low ammonia. I attribute this to starting the cycle off running GFO in a reactor, dosing Microbactor7 daily. I have also brought the Mg up to 1400 ppm, just to get ALK and Ca stable from the get-go. I had read about doing this and was eager to give it a try with the pico. I will wait to see what happens in the next week regarding the cycle to know for sure if this works or not. If so I will do this for every new build I do. Live stock will start to go in 10 days from now, approximately. I can't wait, staring at a white rock for 12 days is driving me nuts, lol. Link to comment
got2envy Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 This is a nice DIY build! following Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 This is a nice DIY build! following Glad to have you along. The tank is still cycling, although I see no spikes of ammonia or nitrates since adding the water. I like to give it at least 3 weeks before starting to add livestock. I have learned over the years, patience makes a difference in success. When I go to my coral dealer next week I will pick out some frags, maybe a colony. I can always throw them in my 20 if I'm not ready to add them to the pico. Link to comment
OhSnapItsMikel Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Looking pretty slick! Are you going to be covering the back chamber with anything? Looks really professional so far keep it up! Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Looking pretty slick! Are you going to be covering the back chamber with anything? Looks really professional so far keep it up! Thank you, I have put a temporary clear acrylic cover over the filtration for the time being. I will construct something in black or brown acrylic that fits neatly in place, after I make the skimmer. Tank is cycling and I have been busy so not much progress in the last two weeks. I hope to get started on a skimmer of some sort this week. Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 I had considered using a Eheim pump, the same one as I used for the reactor, but it would have made the skimmer operation so much more complex. I decided to go with just the wood air stone instead, using a powerful air pump to maximize bubble production. No major new design creation here, after studying skimmers of all sizes I condensed the operation into a 2" X 10 1/2" pico skimmer that sits in the water, mounted with a magnet. I am waiting for the glue to cure overnight then I will put it in the water to see if the dimensions work. These are some pictures I have taken tonight of the finished skimmer, I will post some pictures of the skimmer in operation tomorrow. UPDATE: I did a small modification on the lid portion. I raised the height of the lid to better accommodate the skimmate bubbles when they come up through the narrow tube. The bubbles were hitting the lid and causing it to bounce around making noise and splashing. The fix has eliminated the above problem. Not a great photo but it shows the new lid which stands approx. 1 inch higher than before: Link to comment
justjoshinya Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 nice!! cant wait to hear how it works Link to comment
Aqua fire/medic Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 This thing is awesome! Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 nice!! cant wait to hear how it works This thing is awesome! Thanks guys, the real test is tomorrow, I want to see skimmate, lol. Link to comment
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