Polarcollision Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Time for transformations. I cut off the silicone divider in the Nuvo 8 and moved it forward about an inch to accommodate the two ice probes from the 6 gallon micro reefs tank. Since the overall tank volume can overwhelm two ice probes, the extra volume in the back chamber will be displaced with an acrylic-coated foam insert. It will also serve as insulation. Next step was to drill two holes in glass. Yikes! I'm picturing cracked glass everywhere... BUT it was surprisingly easy. A diamond hole saw kit, a bit of water for lubrication and a lot of patience is all it took. It's best to drill from the inside of the tank so that your water-tight seal doesn't have to work harder against any chipping as the saw breaks through the other side. Don't force the saw, just wait for it to sloooooowly sand through the glass. First hole drilled: Once that was finished, I used 100% silicone for windows and doors (no algicide) to adhere the rear chamber baffles. Finally, I installed the ice probes and added water for the leak test and temperature test. I need 55 degrees max. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's COLD! A week or so later I moved everything from the 6 gallon acrylic tank to the Nuvo. I'm hopeful that the improved back chamber filtration will be better at controlling nutrients and that hair algae. The sculpin and gunnel are happy with the new hiding spaces. Good thing - Jasper is suddenly super interested in hunting the tank... Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 These are from about 8 months ago. Sorry about the iPhone quality... Temperate aquarium pics from July! Green baby dragon (sculpin). She's not quite an inch long. At first I was worried about feeding her, but she's a little bad-### and has no problem snarfing up mysis. Momma sculpin. Whenever I come up to the tank she hops up on the highest rock waiting for her mysis. Notice the reddish patches? She turns those on when she likes her food. I think this one is a strawberry anemone Christmas tree anemone Saddleback gunnel Giant barnacle Striped hermit Limpet More strawberry anemone Link to comment
Mike Savage Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Very cool and great job on the photos! Link to comment
Lalani Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Fanterrific, love that barnacle! Link to comment
Felicia Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Gorgeous photos! I love those nems! You're really making me want a temperate tank now! Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Very cool and great job on the photos! Thanks! Temperate tide pools are so rich with life, it's hard to decide which tank I like better! Fanterrific, love that barnacle! They're are HUGE. Close to 1.5" diameter at base, so they're a lot of fun to watch. I spent hours kinda meditating to the motion of their feeding filters. very peaceful! Thanks. :-) Gorgeous photos! I love those nems! You're really making me want a temperate tank now! Do it!!! Tropical, seahorses AND temperate. You could almost charge admission with that lineup! :-) Link to comment
llama roadkill Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Gorgeous photos! I love those nems! You're really making me want a temperate tank now! Dooooooo it! Link to comment
Sunar357 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Very cool pics and tank! Link to comment
famousdan314 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 following, loving the build and awesome pics! Link to comment
hypostatic Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 oh man. those anemones. WANT. Also, what are you using as your cooling system? Are those peltier/TEC plates? Link to comment
gena Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 This is fantastic! I watched a video the other day on here of a hobbyist collecting specimens on the Oregon coast. TOTALLY made me want to start a coldwater tank. And now seeing this . Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Awesome tank, any updates ? Link to comment
Nano sapiens Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Very 'cool' pics (pun intended) Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Very cool pics and tank! Thanks! I had dreams of keeping the pretty pink nems and a lumpsucker, but starting easy for now with hardier tide pool life. There are a couple marine sanctuaries in washington that I've visited at super low tides and I'm trying to recreate a similar biotope. following, loving the build and awesome pics! Thanks! Drilling the glass was the highlight of building this tank. LOL oh man. those anemones. WANT. Also, what are you using as your cooling system? Are those peltier/TEC plates? So the nems fluoresce under royal blue LEDs pretty sweet at night, too. These are the two ice probes that came with a microreef tank. They're amazingly quiet--only the fan noise. Unfortunately they're also not very powerful and don't last very long. I got a year use out of them. I'd recommend the traditional chiller if you set something up. This is fantastic! I watched a video the other day on here of a hobbyist collecting specimens on the Oregon coast. TOTALLY made me want to start a coldwater tank. And now seeing this . I think I know that video -- possibly the guys who own Coldwater Marine Aquatics? Two really nice guys and decent prices for *when* you set up your temperate tank. :-) Awesome tank, any updates ? My chillers conked out. :-( Saving for a 1/10 chiller. Until them we keep the house at 64 degrees. Fish love I tell you. Very 'cool' pics (pun intended) Ha! True story. :-) Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 My chillers conked out. :-( Saving for a 1/10 chiller. Until them we keep the house at 64 degrees. Fish love I tell you. What ! How long were they running for? I was wondering about the life span of these thermalelectric chillers, mines been running 4 months now. I have heard that what kills them faster is turning on and off repeatedly. The expansion and contraction of the module causes them to fail sooner. This is why I leave mine on 24/7, it never cools the tank down less than 52F so no need to have it switch on and off. Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 What ! How long were they running for? I was wondering about the life span of these thermalelectric chillers, mines been running 4 months now. I have heard that what kills them faster is turning on and off repeatedly. The expansion and contraction of the module causes them to fail sooner. This is why I leave mine on 24/7, it never cools the tank down less than 52F so no need to have it switch on and off. Two running constant for about 1 year kept the 6 gallon tank at 55 degrees for first 2-3 months, then it rose to 58 degrees for 4-ish months, then to 59-61 degrees just before I switched them to the new tank. Inhabitants didn't seem to mind at all. I had the reefkeeper temp set to 50 degrees so they never shut off. I guess the ~gallon additional water was just enough to finish them. They still feel slightly cool to the touch so they're still working a little bit, but its just enough to counter heat from the Razor Nano/pump. Anyways, according to reports over the web it appears many chillers of this type fail at the 1 year mark. Figure I'll get the compressor chiller that leaves options to upgrade in the future. I still dream of keeping lumpsuckers. :-) Link to comment
NanoTopia Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Two running constant for about 1 year kept the 6 gallon tank at 55 degrees for first 2-3 months, then it rose to 58 degrees for 4-ish months, then to 59-61 degrees just before I switched them to the new tank. Inhabitants didn't seem to mind at all. I had the reefkeeper temp set to 50 degrees so they never shut off. I guess the ~gallon additional water was just enough to finish them. They still feel slightly cool to the touch so they're still working a little bit, but its just enough to counter heat from the Razor Nano/pump. Anyways, according to reports over the web it appears many chillers of this type fail at the 1 year mark. Figure I'll get the compressor chiller that leaves options to upgrade in the future. I still dream of keeping lumpsuckers. :-) Crap, not what I wanted to hear. Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Update? The chillers failed around the last updates. Unfortunately we couldn't justify the investment in a compressor-type chiller and the stand to hide it it, so my temperate aquarium days are on pause for a while. I'll be back in a year or so with a better system for keeping lumpsuckers, pink-mouth hydroids with their nudibrachs and maybe strawberry nems. Good news is that all the livestock has a new home. :-) Link to comment
Felicia Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Sorry to hear this! Glad you were able to rehome the livestock though. Link to comment
Polarcollision Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 The house seems empty without a cold water tank running. It's not in the cards for me right now, but I'm still researching the perfect build for 'some day'. In the mean-time... SIZE window #1: 24'W x 11" x 12-16"T window #2: 7" x 7" KEEPING IT COLD A previous acrylic temperate tank was cloudy/scratched within 6 months by chitons cleaning the panes. Even though 1/2" acrylic is an excellent insulator it's not worth those hazing hassles. To insulate glass, I've been inspired by VanAqua's temperate coastline displays where you're looking through windows to the aquarium. It's super easy to place insulating foam board between the tank and cabinet. Also, since Seattle's highs are rarely above 60* for 8-9 month of the year, I'm not too concerned about glass sweating. The few days temps are higher, relative humidity is very low so a simple fan should keep the front pane dry if it starts to fog. The wide layout would be an AIO design with 3" back chamber modeled after IM Nuvo tanks. Baffles to house skimmer and phyto/plankton cultures. The tall version would house a sump and a 1/10 hp + chiller LARGE TANK LIVESTOCK penpoint gunnel diet: small crustaceans and mollusks Spiny lumpsucker eelgrass sea lettuce aggregating anemone microfauna: http://buzzmarinelife.blogspot.com/2013_08_22_archive.html SMALL TANK LIVESTOCK Pink-hearted hydroids: nudibranch food source Nudibranch: Flabellina verrucosa http://www.seaslugforum.net/showall/flabverr http://www.asnailsodyssey.com/nudibranch.php Strawberry anemone Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus: backup nudibranch food source red sponge (Ophlitaspongia pennata) and nudibranch (Rostanga pulchara) WATER FLOW Ebb and flood currents range from 1-3 kts on the Oly coast to 0.6-2.6 kts in the Straight to 0.3-4.3 kts in the Sound. Some narrows and passes can reach 6-8.8 kts. I'd like to use a controller to simulate flood and slack current speeds with 4 slack periods each 24 hr cycle that correspond to HH, HL, LL, LH tides. Link to comment
Tamberav Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Very cool. You should do low iron glass, the one thing I hate about my glass tanks is how much they distort color. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Was this the IM8 from the TOTM thread? Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.