Mstefa1 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Introduction and background: My first tank was an off the shelf Aquapod 24 that was originally setup as stock. You can see my build thread here. As my love for the hobby grew, I soon learned that I needed to mod it up a bit. Unfortunately I lost the battle with green hair algae (GHA) and tore the tank down. Around October of 2012 I resurrected it and added some shiny new hardware. Now the tank is slowly maturing and is completely stocked. Naturally I wanted more! As I'm not ready to tear this tank down for a larger upgrade it's time to start a 2nd build. Goals: Personally I think the inside of my AP24 is beautiful with a few exceptions. When I started adding corals I spread them out in an attempt to make it look fuller but this proved problematic as space became more and more limited. Additionally, the tank is so stocked there is little room to grow and there doesn't appear to be a method to my madness. My stocking selection on this new tank will be limited to a more select range of corals. No doubt SPS may be growing here. Additionally as this will be under LEDs I will have some nice zoas & palys glowing that I can't visualize under my metal halide lighting. With regards to hardware, I'm currently going for a more simplistic design. I do not want endless cords or hoses running all around this tank. I've had to cork my desire to create a DIY LED build in favor of lighting that would have a more designer appeal. Currently I won't have a controller however that may change as I may either get an Apex JR or a really long USB cord and an energy bar to connect this tank to my existing Apex on my AP24. If only Neptune Systems made wireless energy bars! So the primary goal here will be to have a very clean looking reef while trying to avoid going overboard on any one aspect of this setup. Additionally I wanted something unique which is why I didn't choose a commercially available tank. On to the build... Updated: Tank arrived 3/11/2013 Tank: Pico Aquariums custom 20x14x12 w/ low iron Starphire glass Stand: Existing stand I have located in my kitchen Lighting: AI Nano w/ new controller ceiling hung ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155 Flow: A pair of Cobalt Aquatics MJ600s with dual overflows and dual returns Heater: Eheim Jager Trutemp 50w Chiller: None Skimmer: None Sump: None Thank you for following along with this build!Something in here!Empty tank 2 Link to comment
Deleted User 4 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 No need for these ahah. Metal halides opposes it though. Chiller: None Skimmer: None Sump: None Wonder how you're going to hang the ai nano sol... 1 Link to comment
TristanC Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Looking forward to it 1 Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 Looking forward to it Thanks for following. No need for these ahah. Metal halides opposes it though. Chiller: None Skimmer: None Sump: None Wonder how you're going to hang the ai nano sol... I'm pretty good with running the a/c so my tank shouldn't cook. And I never had problems with weekly water changes however it will be different with 2 tanks to attend to. I have the hanging kit from my sunpod so I was going to see if that worked. if not, I'll purchase the proper kit. The last thing I want to do is buy a quality light and have it look like hell with ugly mounting. 1 Link to comment
Spirofucci Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Sounds cool! I'll be following this one. 1 Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 The next piece of the puzzle is the location of the tank. The stand is solid wood that my dad built when he was a teenager and even though it's not designed to carry a ton of weight by design I'm confident in it's ability to support a small tank. Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of pull here as the wifey was very adamant about no more tanks. Finally we reached a compromise. First we need to make a little room for this new tank. The location is in my kitchen and not my ideal place but it's better then no tank at all! Sorry about the mess. As you can see I need to find a new location for my son's betta. Nothing special, however I've kept bettas in small bowls and larger tanks and they don't seam to care where they are. Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 My light and controller is shipping tomorrow. Also, Chris just advised me that my tank has already been started! I so can't wait for this. I plan on testing the AI nano out over my Aquapod so that I can see how the color looks. Tonight starts my work rotation so I'm hoping I can play with it when my week is finished Thursday morning. Link to comment
1.0reef Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 October 2013?! What time zone you in? Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 10, 2013 Author Share Posted February 10, 2013 October 2013?! What time zone you in? LOL Fixed. Thanks! Link to comment
ultimate sps only Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I will be following closely as well.. I am starting a new nano will be my only tank but close to yours.. 8gal jbj rimless dual returns sol nano with controller tunze ato nano dig aquatics plus no sump/no skimmer/ no dosing just chemi elite/purigen water changes and zeovit power for the lps/sps also are you going bb on the pico? Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 Got home from work to a nice treat! I plugged it in to play with it and put it over my AP24 and it looked great. It was plenty of light on my Aquapod although not quite as much as my MH however I think this will do just nicely on my PicO. I put it away because I don't want to fall asleep and accidently drop it in my tank. lol I'll post more later. Link to comment
hey Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Looking forward to the build i'm sure you will be amazed at the tank quality. Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 15, 2013 Author Share Posted February 15, 2013 Looking forward to the build i'm sure you will be amazed at the tank quality. Sweet, I can hardly wait!!! I will be following closely as well.. I am starting a new nano will be my only tank but close to yours.. 8gal jbj rimless dual returns sol nano with controller tunze ato nano dig aquatics plus no sump/no skimmer/ no dosing just chemi elite/purigen water changes and zeovit power for the lps/sps also are you going bb on the pico? Welcome to the board and thanks for following along. Did you get that tank already? I greatly considered that one too however I didn't want another cube and I also want low iron / starfire glass. I think you will find that the AI Nano is a good fit for your tank. I tested mine when it came in on my Aquapod and while it wasn't as bright as my halide it certainly lit the tank up nicely. I can only imagine it will be excellent on a smaller tank. I also considered the Tunze nano ATO but I currently use the full osmolator and I prefer the optical sensor as well as the back up float switch. I think it will provide a greater level of security. Initially I won't have a controller but you can bet it won't be long until I pick up another Apex. I was going to hook it up to my existing Apex lite across the room but I think it would actually be cheaper to buy an Apex jr. I didn't have room for a sump which is why I chose an AIO. And a tank this size I'm not going to bother with a skimmer as I always perform my water changes on schedule. How are you going to get buy without dosing? Even with aggressive water changes on my Aquapod I still have to dose to keep levels in order. I've never used Zeovit. I don't plan on going bare bottom as it's not for me however I do plan on going with a very shallow sand bed. Again, welcome to the board and thanks for following along! Link to comment
ultimate sps only Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Sweet, I can hardly wait!!! Welcome to the board and thanks for following along. Did you get that tank already? I greatly considered that one too however I didn't want another cube and I also want low iron / starfire glass. I think you will find that the AI Nano is a good fit for your tank. I tested mine when it came in on my Aquapod and while it wasn't as bright as my halide it certainly lit the tank up nicely. I can only imagine it will be excellent on a smaller tank. I also considered the Tunze nano ATO but I currently use the full osmolator and I prefer the optical sensor as well as the back up float switch. I think it will provide a greater level of security. Initially I won't have a controller but you can bet it won't be long until I pick up another Apex. I was going to hook it up to my existing Apex lite across the room but I think it would actually be cheaper to buy an Apex jr. I didn't have room for a sump which is why I chose an AIO. And a tank this size I'm not going to bother with a skimmer as I always perform my water changes on schedule. How are you going to get buy without dosing? Even with aggressive water changes on my Aquapod I still have to dose to keep levels in order. I've never used Zeovit. I don't plan on going bare bottom as it's not for me however I do plan on going with a very shallow sand bed. Again, welcome to the board and thanks for following along! hey i didnt want to steal your page man so i started my own http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/321024-8-gallon-jbj-nano-sps-pro-build/ Link to comment
ultimate sps only Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Mstefa1 to answer your ?s You are rite the jbj is no starphire glass which i think 200 bucs for an 8 gallon tank it should be star! However i took a razorblade cleaned it real good after the initial pics on my post i made and the clarity is great! I cant say enough about this aio or marine depot everything showed up from cali within 4 days not 1 item was harmed and they threw in some free goodies props to our sponcers! not starphire but i liked the jbj so it wasnt a deal breaker. Im not running a controller at all.. Im home every day and ive had apex and everything else on my tanks at my store and i just dont find it necessary for this project which i will reveal my intentions soon.. however a control system that works well with no interference sure gives you more time to enjoy you tank for me i can see mine from a webcam on my phone whenever i want which shows temp etc. the neo-therm heater is amazing the thing stays at 79 day in and day out i also have a secret on getting the cheap little coralife temp monitors to actually be 100% consistent will share if youd like. as far as the nano top off its just fine and in the past 3 days i think its kicked on 2 times we keep the house at 69 degrees im from alaska and just moved to florida so im a polar bear and i spent more money on my house temp/humidity controller than i paid for the house lol and the led produced no heat seriously notta! anyway i do have it wired with 2 floats so it cuts off within centemeters of full and top off. anyway im rambling go check out my post let me know what you think cant wait to see your setup if you have any ?s or advise i take all. enjoy your new stuff and let the nano battles begin!!! oh forgot to mention the controller is a must if you get an ai nano its worthless without it but with it i cant think of anything else that allows you to acclimate and eventually create rediculous colors with coral any sps will take as much light as you give it if you acclimate it over 6-12 months and this light packs a punch for a 14deep 12 wide 13 high tank also i should mention the 8 gal holds 10.5 gallons which i found to be a surprise and a good one! Link to comment
ultimate sps only Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Thanks for following. I'm pretty good with running the a/c so my tank shouldn't cook. And I never had problems with weekly water changes however it will be different with 2 tanks to attend to. I have the hanging kit from my sunpod so I was going to see if that worked. if not, I'll purchase the proper kit. The last thing I want to do is buy a quality light and have it look like hell with ugly mounting. the mounting kit that comes with it works fine and imo looks sleek i do have a couple suggestions before you use the mount so let me know if you use it Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Thanks. My tank is longer so i may need higher mount for greater spread. And the concenus is that most people hate the mount on anything but a standard cube. I'm out of town on my phone so my replies are limited. Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 Received another package today. Purchased a heater, a cheap thermometer, and some fragging supplies. Yes, I know the thermometer is junk but I will verify it's accuracy against Apex prior to using it. I also need to frag a few items from my other tank. Link to comment
ultimate sps only Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 Received another package today. Purchased a heater, a cheap thermometer, and some fragging supplies. Yes, I know the thermometer is junk but I will verify it's accuracy against Apex prior to using it. I also need to frag a few items from my other tank. I KNOW how to make that thermostat 100% accurate takes about 2 days of tinkering but ive been able to get all of my accurate as hell lmn if you need info on it Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Chris @ PicO Aquariums finally finished up my build and I got my first glimpse at it and it is awesome. One thing for sure is that it's going to move some serious water! It should be shipped in a few days and I can't wait! I also took my AI Nano out and worked on the mounting for it. I didn't have time to plug it in and play with but I have the hanging bracket completed. I was able to use the mounting hardware that came with my Sunpod and customize it to fit the AI. When I first got it in the mail I was a little disappointed that it didn't include or have the ability of a slick mounting system other then a few bolts into the top which I would have paid additional for if available. The biggest thing that surprised me is that the ceiling kit only uses 1 cable to hang it and I was worried that the light would spin. My Sunpod kit included 2 cables but since the AI kit only includes 1 cable I thought I would give it a go with only one cable. Fortunately the AI came with a nice long power cable and the controller a long data cable so I just need to figure out what I'm doing once the cables get to the ceiling. Link to comment
hey Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Chris @ PicO Aquariums finally finished up my build and I got my first glimpse at it and it is awesome. One thing for sure is that it's going to move some serious water! It should be shipped in a few days and I can't wait! I also took my AI Nano out and worked on the mounting for it. I didn't have time to plug it in and play with but I have the hanging bracket completed. I was able to use the mounting hardware that came with my Sunpod and customize it to fit the AI. When I first got it in the mail I was a little disappointed that it didn't include or have the ability of a slick mounting system other then a few bolts into the top which I would have paid additional for if available. The biggest thing that surprised me is that the ceiling kit only uses 1 cable to hang it and I was worried that the light would spin. My Sunpod kit included 2 cables but since the AI kit only includes 1 cable I thought I would give it a go with only one cable. Fortunately the AI came with a nice long power cable and the controller a long data cable so I just need to figure out what I'm doing once the cables get to the ceiling. I'm really excited to see what the new tank looks like, pics asap! Link to comment
SeahawkReefer Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Another PicO! I can't wait to see it... they are beautiful! Link to comment
Mstefa1 Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 She's shipping today! I've updated my first post with more details on the tank. Link to comment
BadCrab Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Post pictures as soon as it arrives! PicO! PicO! Link to comment
Hexadron Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Wait dual overflows? What are they overflowing to? Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.