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12 Gallon Long - "Suspension" - decommissioned.


Halo_003

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First set of BRS dual reactors is on the way from a member on RC for $45 shipped, can't complain there. I'll be ordering the tank early this week I think from Marine Depot. This coming weekend the next task will be building, painting, and waterproofing the stand.

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No major updates right now. I'm selling my 32" Mars Aqua LED tomorrow to pay for the tank, kind of nice. The tank is sitting in my MD cart while I decide what else I need to buy with it. I might buy a Sicce pump to run inline. I think sometime within the next couple of weeks then I'll be buying the CAL Aqua pipes as well. I'm not sure what the best output pipe would be for a reef so will have to continue reading.

 

More to come.

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I've been considering what to do for a couple of weeks now since my 20 long leaked. My livestock is all alive and well in an 18G rubbermaid tub. It's stable and I haven't had any losses, so I figure I have a few weeks to get everything ready. Regardless of the tank failure, I've been eyeing a new tank for a while now and have even gotten a few quotes from different builders. The tank breaking has prompted me to move sooner than expected.

 

 

 

 

 

The Requirements

 

  • 36" length
  • <20-30G
  • Rimless
  • Low Iron
  • Minimalist display, no visible equipment. (There will be some, but it will be limited.)

 

 

The Dilemma

  • I'll be moving in August to finish my B.S., meaning the tank needs to be reasonably easy to break down and move. This limits sump options greatly.
  • All in one tanks are extremely expensive compared to naked tanks, and I don't have $500-800 to sink on a tank within the next few weeks.

 

 

 

The Plan

 

As I was browsing through tanks looking for inspiration, I came across three, which pushed me to go this way. Scorched, Got2Envy, and Rehype are my inspiration. I loved the stocking choices, and how natural everything looked. I'm hoping that eventually I'll get to the same level. :) On another note, for my overall system design inspiration it definitely stems from Nanotopia's works. The attention to detail is amazing.

 

However... I didn't want to use the same overflow system as Scorched originally did. I admit I was rather nervous about drilling a $135 tank, even though I have the broken 20L to practice on. I set my mind to it and considered the vast array of overflows, because I knew I wanted to be able to filter the water well. Then it hit me. Why not design it like a planted tank? Lily Pipes are discreet, high quality and look amazing. However... They don't work with a sump. This was a slight issue, until I remembered the genius build I saw on here when the OP had a custom tank built and drilled it multiple times through the bottom. He used reactors to hold his filter pads, chemical media, etc.

 

This combined with my requirements for a minimalist display captured my attention, and I've settled on a design something akin to this:

attachicon.gifplan.png

It's a tentative plan at the moment, I may end up using only 3 reactors total, #1 for filter pads, #2 for GFO/Carbon, #3 for macro or ceramic media. This would simplify it and cost a good bit less. The design has T fittings to allow for a drain and fill location to simplify WC's, moving, etc.

 

 

So, this is the list of major purchases I'm looking at making:

 

Mr. Aqua 12G Long Rimless Low Iron

Mr. Aqua 36"x18" Hybrid mat

BRS Mini 5" Reactor - considering a full size here as well

BRS Dual Full Size Reactors

Hydor ETH 200W inline heater

CAL Aqua Influx X1s

CAL Aqua Efflux F1

PicO Skimmer 2.0 - this is a maybe, I'm not really sure it would do a lot and it would have to be in the display.

Sicce 1.0 - I think this would be plenty, my suspicion is except for bends I won't see much head loss because of how it will be set up.

Custom Piano White cabinet, solid wood construction

20lbs dry Fiji rock - I like how it looks, I don't really like my current base rock very much.

Jebao RW-4

 

If anyone knows who it was who had that custom tank, I want to say it was along the lines of 36"x12"x10", that would be awesome as I have some questions for them regarding how their system held up long term.

 

I'll keep posting updates as I figure more out, but for now this is what I have planned. Hope you enjoyed reading, will have more to come.

A bit like my build I wouldn't waste the money on the mr aqua placemat. Literally a piece of foam. nothing special about it. Get your own at a hard wear store for 1/10 the price. Drill holes aren't too had to do, you can get a drill guide on amazon for $10. Just get two $1 clamps and a diamond drill bit on amazon or ebay. Pretty cheap. I have rw8 in mine. Way too powerful. Good luck with the rw4

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A bit like my build I wouldn't waste the money on the mr aqua placemat. Literally a piece of foam. nothing special about it. Get your own at a hard wear store for 1/10 the price. Drill holes aren't too had to do, you can get a drill guide on amazon for $10. Just get two $1 clamps and a diamond drill bit on amazon or ebay. Pretty cheap. I have rw8 in mine. Way too powerful. Good luck with the rw4

Yeah I've reconsidered the mat, I have some 1/2" thick insulation foam I think might work better. I would drill it but I don't want to troubles of a sump when it comes to meeting water volume requirements and moving, so the loop works better for me.

 

Also sad news I forgot to report is that my red scooter jumped out of the tub I have all of the stocking in, horrible heartbreak. He was easily one of the coolest fish I've had and it was so sad because I spent every day watching him to make sure he got enough food once he was trained. Not sure I will get another. So I'm down to my clown and the pygmy cherub angel I have in my QT. :(

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A slight update:

 

I've considered long and hard what to do about the aquascaping. The tank is lovely but the footprint might be difficult to use, we'll see how it all looks when it's put together. I'd like to get some fiji rocks and make a scape similar to this lovely planted scape. I love that the builder left plenty of open space, and that it's so well thought out.

 

FTS:

90533E4E-4481-4B01-89F7-FE1133104443_zps

 

 

Ideally, I'd like to make the middle scape there look like an arch, and have the little GSP rock look like a chunk of it that fell. Hopefully it'll be reasonable to pull off. The biggest challenge there will be getting GSP to actually grow, I've never been able to get it to grow at all. I had a frag for 8 months, got almost zero growth, meanwhile the sticks and zoas I have all doubled. I'm not sure about other coral stocking, this is just an initial idea.

 

See here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=3423858

 

I'll most likely be ordering the tank and the glass pipes this weekend, we'll see though.

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From reading, I won't have any head loss from the closed loop that I would with a normal sump, instead I will only have tubing friction and resistance from filtration. My guess is I'll get probably around 85% of the max flow from whatever pump setup I choose.

 

Option 1:

13mm Influx X1s & Efflux F1 - $85

MJ1200 (used inline as the closed loop pump) - $~35

RW-4 -$~60

Total: $180 approx.

 

That doesn't seem too bad to me. Even without the RW4 the range of 250GPH going through an 8.5"x36" footprint seems pretty strong. Initially I'll be using my trusty old Koralia 425. I think initially I might go with the MJ1200 (Cobalt) if I don't see a used Sicce pump in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

In other news, it begins:

 

post-83928-0-76634900-1423977887_thumb.png

 

Pipes on the way. Also I got my BRS reactor today in the mail.

 

 

More to come.

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Those returns are sweet. If I was drilling one of those spin returns would be sweet.

 

I also found on BRS you can buy empty canisters for $15 a piece, you just need the cartridge (if you need it) for $10, and some fitting a for like a few $. This is definitely helpful and I might order a handful of them and maybe one of the big ones ($40) if needed. Extremely interesting also is you can buy the triple RODI canister holder for $10. Hmmmm.....

 

Perhaps even more interesting is I can buy the huge 20" canister for $15 each if I buy 3 of them.

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i love these tanks. what are you going to use to light it up?

Thanks! Your tank is amazing, it made me consider a PicO 20G quite hard but I decided I wanted the 3' length and a lower water volume.

 

I picked up one of the firesale lights, the 36" CoralVue 4x36" T5 LEDs, will be using two blue+, one actinic, and one coral+, all ATI bulbs.

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Tank inbound, let's see if they honor my request.

 

post-83928-0-53717500-1424232322_thumb.jpg

 

Also my dad (who is quite good at woodworking) and I have been working on a stand. Here's where we're at right now:

 

post-83928-0-42015500-1424232481_thumb.jpg

 

The stand will have internal hinges, adjustable/removable shelves, leveling legs, a matte white interior, a glossy black exterior, magnetic latches and will feature dimensions of 36"Lx42"Hx10"D. With the tank being so shallow I wanted it up high so I don't have to stoop to view or do maintenance, plus it gives me plenty of room inside. Lastly, this is the status of all my livestock:

 

post-83928-0-06875800-1424232624_thumb.jpg

 

More to come.

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I bought a Gnome Skimmer for my Nuvo 16. I considered the Pico 2 because it looked cool also. But I always try to choose based on style and function both. I think the Gnome skimmer would look cool in your tank and a little less obtrussive than Pico 2 Skimmer. Glass is always better than plastic for long term looks and function IMHO.

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post-83928-0-31780200-1424316633_thumb.jpg

 

 

I bought a Gnome Skimmer for my Nuvo 16. I considered the Pico 2 because it looked cool also. But I always try to choose based on style and function both. I think the Gnome skimmer would look cool in your tank and a little less obtrussive than Pico 2 Skimmer. Glass is always better than plastic for long term looks and function IMHO.

Good thought, I do agree on style and function. I'm not sure if I will use a skimmer yet, if I'm honest I probably will lol. The only thing that keeps me from it is the black cap, if it was all clear acrylic I'd be all over it.

 

 

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The tank arrived from Marine Depot today! Looks like UPS did their usual work to the box, I was slightly concerned, but the tank was flawless. There was an unbelievable amount of packing peanuts.

 

No need to be careful, it just has FRAGILE and GLASS stickers all over.

 

IMG_0328_zpsfdgfc3gt.jpg

 

IMG_0329_zpso3jqyfjg.jpg

 

IMG_0330_zpsbbmbv4v3.jpg

 

Dumb UPS. Anyways, like I said the packaging was excellent.

 

IMG_0331_zpsyb61iayr.jpg

 

IMG_0332_zps8ktju7nv.jpg

 

IMG_0333_zpshmpozwcq.jpg

 

IMG_0334_zpsqdbr1p4j.jpg

 

IMG_0335_zpsjzo1rzfc.jpg

 

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While I was having fun test fitting the tank on the stand, the dog decided she would test fit the box.

IMG_0345_zpshtrmgnat.jpg

 

Test fit of the CAL Aqua Lily Pipes

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The quality of the tank is just awesome, I was really impressed.

IMG_0341_zpsys67fzyi.jpg

 

IMG_0339_zpsnk9lc46k.jpg

 

 

 

Doors still need to be added to the stand, and paint needs to be touched up, and I need to add the shelves (which are finished, just not in place in the shot below). When my dad is back in town we'll add the doors, but for now I won't have everything yet anyways. I'm starting to get quite excited.

 

IMG_0342_zpsabmipdu5.jpg

 

 

 

I also placed my BRS order today, containing the reactors and various other items of interest.

IMG_0350_zpsognvhd9k.png

 

 

And finally, I have this sitting in my MD cart just waiting to hear back on what fittings setup I need to use to make it work with 1/2" ID tubing:

IMG_0351_zpscylc8mp3.png

 

I've also updated the OP with a current equipment list.

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This looks really good cant wait to see what you do with this badboy :)

 

 

Thanks! I just found your old tank linked on your thread. All I can say is WOWOWOW I have new scape inspiration.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/253991-hypes-archipelago/page-3

 

Looking good! :wub: Thank you so much for shopping with us. :bowdown:

Thanks! I'll shop with you again as soon (Probably Saturday AM after I get paid again) as I hear back on what fittings I need to get. (hint hint) :)

 

 

The decision to get Vertex Biopellets was kinda a last minute thing. It also means I will likely need a skimmer so I'll be looking to get a PicO skimmer early-mid next month, I will wait to start the BP until I have it though. In the mean time I might use macro for that reactor, not sure yet.

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Thanks! I just found your old tank linked on your thread. All I can say is WOWOWOW I have new scape inspiration.

 

 

No problem glad to see that build continues to inspire new reefers...

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So I talked with Joseph at MD when I placed my order and he made a very good point which is that usually Biopellets will need more flow than carbon/GFO when in reactors like this. I hadn't thought of that to be honest. If I find that I can't get them to tumble inline like this then I'll just get another set of Lily Pipes eventually and another pump and run 2 loops, essentially the same exact setup as Scorched and got2envy but with Lily Pipes instead. Will see if I need to do that before I lay out another $100 though lol. That's the nicest thing about the design, should be totally silent, very minimal equipment in the display, and it's very expandable, although the more expansion the more expensive it gets lol.

 

DC pump inbound, hopefully should be getting the tank wet next weekend. If everything works I should only need 2 more things, the Hydor inline heater, and a PicO skim 2.0. For now I'll wait to run BP, not run a skimmer, and just use my trusty Eheim Jager 75W heater but it will be the first thing to replace next month.

 

 

 

In other news, I got my frag tank(tub) set up with a gyre generator. (which works shockingly well honestly)

 

IMG_0365_1280x960_zpsh8tjjwcx.jpg

IMG_0370_1280x960_zps75hqonfn.jpg

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Hi I have been following your build and very interested in using the lily pipes u got. Can you tell me if those pipes can be use as a return and drain to a sump. The return pipe would be attach to a pump. This will be my first aquarium with a sump so I am now and looking for information. Thanks

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Hi I have been following your build and very interested in using the lily pipes u got. Can you tell me if those pipes can be use as a return and drain to a sump. The return pipe would be attach to a pump. This will be my first aquarium with a sump so I am now and looking for information. Thanks

I wouldn't use Lily Pipes with a sump. If you do and you lose power water will drain from the display until the surface is below the Lily Pipes, which can be terrible for your livestock and could flood your house potentially. A MAME overflow will do what you're looking for though.

 

 

 

Today's update: BRS order arrived yesterday. Pump arrives Thursday from MD. I put my rocks together today, pics inbound tomorrow. :)

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Alright, here we go.

 

Goodies from BRS:

5690FF72-387B-47A4-8AED-025F2EF080B6_zps

 

Prototyping aquascape. A bit nerve wracking, this was without epoxy, just 1/2" acrylic rods, gravity, and luck.

6B36D2CA-4C0E-4E3E-8AAD-E29A30ECEB49_zps

 

Getting it all epoxy'd together.

BBE3D04F-48D9-40F7-975A-EC2528F2954E_zps

 

Tomorrow I will be sanding the bottom of the structure to get it totally flat. I hack sawed it already but it's a little bit uneven so I plan to grind it down and get it all smooth.

 

More to come.

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