First Timer! Aqueon 15G Column Build

[D3RSK]

UPDATE:

 

Water is in, rock is in, sand is in.

 

 

 

[bulldogpet]

I just bought the same tank and in the process of gathering my equipment. The light can be used during the initial cycle. I would definitely go with LEDs if you plan on keeping a wide range of coral. I'm doing a DIY led build for mine I will try to get some pics posted of my progress so far been busy with work and just doing a little bit at a time. As for the filter you can use it during your cycle but I would consider upgrading to a better filter or hang on back refugium. I'm going to use a hang on back overflow and build a custom sump for mine. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[D3RSK]

I just bought the same tank and in the process of gathering my equipment. The light can be used during the initial cycle. I would definitely go with LEDs if you plan on keeping a wide range of coral. I'm doing a DIY led build for mine I will try to get some pics posted of my progress so far been busy with work and just doing a little bit at a time. As for the filter you can use it during your cycle but I would consider upgrading to a better filter or hang on back refugium. I'm going to use a hang on back overflow and build a custom sump for mine. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

 

 

If you could post some pics on the lights that would be fantastic, there was a small section in a thread where someone else was doing a DIY for the same tank, but I'd like to see some pics of yours when you do it.

 

I want to do some corals....not sure which ones and how many, but I'd like to keep my options open.

 

Thanks for the reply

[Javious]

I have considered this same tank but ended up starting with a standard 10 and just got a used biocube 29.

 

The included filter should be usable, I would ditch any included filter pad and use some filter fiber/poly fill replaced twice a week. A Badfish Reef System surface skimmer box over the filter intake would help too. Getting good flow throughout the tank could prove challenging, most power heads and circulation pumps are designed to work horizontally.

 

The stock lighting will be sufficient to grow algae, but not much else. This tank looks like a natural fit for a PAR38 bulb in a clip style desk lamp fixture. It will give you good color and depth penetration. The light should upgraded prior to adding any coral. Building a scape that doesn't shade the lower half of the tank will require some planning.

 

The reason I never bought this tank is the tall narrow dimensions. My freshwater tank is 24" tall and it's a pain to do anything on/near the bottom. The scape design will be tough to give both places for coral and room to fit your arm in for maintenance. I read a thread somewhere for this tank and the rocks were drilled and pvc pipe was used to keep everything secure. It's very doable, I'm not trying to be discouraging but there are some different challenges here than most reefers will face.

 

Good luck and do a build thread so we can see your progress.

[D3RSK]

Just made my first purchases:

• Jager 100W Heater
• Aqueon Circulation Pump - 500 GPH
• API Reef Master Test Kit

Good thing for boxing week sales, got all for under $100 including shipping!

[dtitus1]

I HAVE THE SAME TANK TOO! It's my next reef project once I have the money to even finish the one I'm making now. My girlfriends mom has it and it looks like crap with freshwater and I was like "I am soooo turning that into a reef." Lemme give you my thoughts to what I plan to do.

 

First off, definitely don't use the filter although with filter floss it should be alright. I'm gonna do an aquaclear 110 refugium mod, stuff the heater and some chemi-pure in there and couple it with like one really small hydorkoralia (I think the pump you have will be too powerful for the way the tank is shaped btw) powerhead at the bottom of the tank angled up and towards the corner to get good circular flow, although it might have to be at the top facing down I'd have to experiment to see which. A sump with an overflow would work really well for this too actually and give more water volume but I'm not making it that complicated.

 

I was also toying around with the idea of drilling a hole through the live rock and making a tower by maybe putting an acrylic rod through the center, because I think that would look BOSS to have an actual column reef (If you steal my idea at least give me a shout out lol)

 

And for lighting I'm gonna throw a full spectrum par38 with 90 degree optics and probably make a lid of some kind cause I don't have the know how to mod the hood. I'm definitely gonna be following your progress.

[Salty_Snack]

The light is useless and you don't need to use one during your cycle. The 100w heater is overkill as is the 500 gph powerhead (that's a ton of flow for a narrow tank). The filter can be used but you shouldn't need to use it if you have a well balanced system, or you could use it for mechanical and chemical filtration if you so desire.

 

As for lighting... A kessil a150w would work nicely depending on what coral you plan to keep.

[D3RSK]

My thoughts for the live rock display was actually a column type setup...someone else has done a setup like that on these forums already...I'll link it later on.

 

As far as the powerhead goes, I figured that it'll come in handy, I don't want it to limit me; I'm sure I can tone down the flow.

 

Lighting is still to be determined, I want to keep the stock look of the hood, so I think I'm going to be doing an LED setup under it.

 

The heater, I went with a 100W because I've been reading a few different forum posts where people were saying that 50W isn't enough, so I went with the bigger.

[dtitus1]

Sounds good but I still think both sound kinda powerful. My heater on my 20 gallon is only 75 watts and it's more than enough and I still think the best would be to do the HOB filter and a really really small powerhead like both of these things will save you money in initial start-up costs and probably work better. Just sayin.

 

Lol I'm a little bummed someone thought of the same thing I did I definitely wanna check it out now.

 

Just curious too, and I don't mean to halfway hijack your thread, but I'm wondering if we could use one of the oceanic colored standard t5s they make for the hood with led strips if it would be enough light.

 

The part where the light is in the hood is a pain to get back on after you take it off to change a bulb btw.

[D3RSK]

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/295723-watch-me-screw-up-a-15g-column/?hl=%2Baqueon+%2B15+%2Bcolumn

 

There is the link to the same tank with a column of rock. Plan is something similar, depending what I can find at the semi-local shop (my local shop doesn't stock marine/reef stuff anymore, but can order it in )

 

I don't think your hijacking the thread with the lighting question, if it helps you it helps me lol.

[dtitus1]

I really like that hood but I have no idea how to put something like that together.

 

The rockwork I was thinking was different too I was thinking like just bigger rocks stacked directly in the middle, I feel like you couldn't get the right flow the way that guy has it. I might take a look at making my own led setup though. Crap is confusing but so intriguing...

[mfield16]

I've got the same tank, been running for 8 months now. The biggest problems I have encountered were the flow and the scape.

 

With the tank being so narrow and so deep it is hard to get a good flow throughout. I bought 2 Koralia Nano 425 powerheads and placed one at the bottom left pointing toward the surface, and one in the top right pointing down and toward the center. I also modded the tank (very easy) to fit an AquaClear 110 filter as a refugium. I stuck my heater in there with some chaeto and filter floss. You also have to mod the AC 110 to fit (not as easy, but if I can do it anyone can). Flow is great, my frogspawn and torch corals are fully expanded everyday and happy, but I am still not happy with the flow, so I just bought an MP10 to replace the powerheads. I can't wait till it arrives.

 

The scape was, and still is difficult to get the way I want it. I too was motivated by the column rock scape you linked above but I couldn't replicate it easily with the rock I was given. My first attempt was aweful. I tried stacking bigger rocks in the middle but it was too much for such a small tank. I kind of like how it looks now (minimalistic approach) but it isn't "natural" enough for my taste so I might try something else again.

 

With regard to lighting, I started it off with a PAR38 full spectrum bulb on a reef clamp lamp holder. The full spectrum is awesome and really makes things pop. This lasted 2 months but I wanted the clean look of the stock hood. Another nano-reefer upgraded from the same tank and sold me his custom top with DIY LED lights. He gutted the stock hood, made a custom cover to protect the LEDs, and wired everything up very nicely. I can get pics if you want to see how he did it. Great work really. And if DIY LEDs scare you, you could always just get solderless LEDs from RapidLED. They have great customer service and will definitely help you out. I had to get a few replacement parts from them and they helped me troubleshoot and install everything.

 

Some pics are below so you can get an idea of what I'm saying here. If I could change one thing on the tank I would have made it a bare-bottom tank, or at least just a dusting of sand. It is a pain to get down there and clean it, and the sand is always getting stirred up by my inverts. But anyway let me know if you have any questions, I am definitely following this thread to see how the tank looks. Good luck!

 

First attempt at the scape, PAR38 bulb:

 

 

Tank as it looked 2 weeks ago (don't mind the microbubbles, I was in the middle of a WC!):

 

[mfield16]

Here is another member's tank when they were first starting it up. Unfortunately they have not been active since this pic so I have no idea what the tank looks like now. Very simple approach.

 

[D3RSK]

Mfield- if you could post pics of your lights that would be great.

 

I like your tank though, looks like you got quite a bit goin on coral wise.

 

The tank I linked I believe had a custom live rock piece from somewhere so that the column look could be achieved. I'll have to see what my shop has when I get it.

I still have to find the stand for this tank, hopefully by wednesday I'll have at least the tank on the stand and maybe some water and salt (although I'd like to wait for my heater and circulator to come first)

[mfield16]

Petco sells the stand. Should run about $65. I will try to get some pics of the light today.

 

 

I like your tank though, looks like you got quite a bit goin on coral wise.

 

Thanks! A bit too much green for me. I'm probably going to sell off the torch, green polyp leather, and green star.

[D3RSK]

I'm up in Canada, so no petco. But I did find something that will work just as well from Ikea.

 

Store close by has to order one in and that's 2 weeks.

[dtitus1]

That's awesome looking. I still think I'm gonna try my idea of drilling the LR.

[mfield16]

That's awesome looking. I still think I'm gonna try my idea of drilling the LR.

Sounds like a sick idea to me. Is the column going to span the entire height of the tank? What I am picturing is a thin column dead center maybe 4x4" all the way to the top? Similar to that last pic I posted but taller?? Correct me if I am wrong, hard to visualize without any pics.

 

BTW I still have that PAR38 bulb in my pic if your interested... It's just laying around in my basement. No clamp though.

[dtitus1]

More or less what you're thinking, although I was thinking of a big rock as the base for stabilities sake and not quite all the way up the tank. Lol I might MS paint something to show you what I'm talking about.

[D3RSK]

BTW I still have that PAR38 bulb in my pic if your interested... It's just laying around in my basement. No clamp though.

Thanks for the offer, but I think by the time I am going to be putting corals in I will have a LED setup under the hood...or at least that is the plan.

[D3RSK]

I bought the salt mix and sand yesterday

 

Now do I need to wait until I get my heater and powerhead to start up the tank? I've read that it is preferred that way.

Oh and I have a refractometer as well coming.

[dtitus1]

You add the sand and water now It won't hurt anything. I still say you should reconsider the powerhead I'm pretty sure theres no way you're gonna be able to get that to work for you.

[D3RSK]

You add the sand and water now It won't hurt anything. I still say you should reconsider the powerhead I'm pretty sure theres no way you're gonna be able to get that to work for you.

what do you suggest??

[Javious]

A JBJ wave maker controller with a pair of evolution nano 240 pumps might work. The controller alternating the lower power pumps to give a softer turbulent flow. Mount the pumps in the center of the rear panel. One angled up and right with the other angled down and left. Something like 30 degrees up and down and 45 degrees right and left. With a centered scape the pumps would be hidden for the most part too, at least when viewed from the front.

 

With a single 500 pump oriented horizontally you will be blasting the corals pretty hard, vertically you will either be sucking the sand off the bottom or churning it into a constant sandstorm.

[dtitus1]

I think what he said above me would work, but what I would do thats a little cheaper is use the HOB, and a one of the hydor nanos blowing into the stream from that and downward hitting one of the corners to direct the flow throughout the tank. I have a 650 gallon per hour powerhead in my 20 long and that's too much flow if I don't position it right and I can't possibly figure out how you'd be able to get 500 gallons per hour to work in the collumn.

 

Actually maybe two of like the smallest hydors and the HOB. I forget the different sizes they come in.