Kylebeano's Shallow LED Overskimmed 15g

[Kylebeano]

So, im getting some equipment in line for my next tank. Taking it slowly, building up my supplies. So far I have purchased:

 

Advance Acrylics 20"x16"x11" tank

 

36w Cree DIY LED pendant

 

Bubble Magus NAC6a Skimmer

 

Koralia Evo 750

 

 

 

Ill be building the stand and sump in the next month. Its my first time building a sump, im kinda scared about how its going to turn out :/

The stand will probably be 20"x20"x48" or so. With handles built in along with a simple light tree.

 

Im psyched for a new tank finally!

[Kylebeano]

Yay!

[Kylebeano]

Just got my return pump in the mail

 

 

It's a Tunze Silence 1073.020! And it's smaller than my hand!

 

John from AA should have shipped my tank today, so it'll probably be another week before I can see it. I am so excited to get this thing all set up. I think all I need now is a stand and sump.

[captainbastard]

Awesome so far, I have that same pump and it works GREAT! Any reason why you have all this nice pricey stuff but no Vortech?

[Miami797]

I like the lamp shade light.

 

A nice mod to that shade would be to line the inside of the shade with Mylar. You can get it from the camping section of wal-mart as an emergency blanket (space blanket, safety blanket) for about $2. It's the same material that you see hanging in peoples houses who grow plants indoors.

 

Just a thought.

[Kylebeano]

Awesome so far, I have that same pump and it works GREAT! Any reason why you have all this nice pricey stuff but no Vortech?

Glad to hear about the pump! Ive only read good things about it. Nothing has been too pricey for me, the skimmer and koralia were sold to me used for $130 shipped & the pump was only $35 shipped. The vortech would be great, but really isnt in my budget right now. Definately down the road though.

 

I like the lamp shade light.

 

A nice mod to that shade would be to line the inside of the shade with Mylar. You can get it from the camping section of wal-mart as an emergency blanket (space blanket, safety blanket) for about $2. It's the same material that you see hanging in peoples houses who grow plants indoors.

 

Just a thought.

Thanks for the thought! I will most likely get that done in the next couple weeks, seems easy enough.

[Kylebeano]

Finally got the tank in the mail yesterday!

Probably one of the finest tanks I have seen. Crafstmanship is top notch, I cant wait to get it filled. Ill start the stand and sump next week. Then ill order some nice dry rock from john at reefcleaners and make a foam wall for the back and keep it as open as possible.

 

Here is the unpacking

 

[divecj5]

Fantastic start. Gotta love tanks that look sleek and sexy empty.

 

I look forward to following along....any plans for stocking, coral, etc?

 

-Adam

[Kylebeano]

Fantastic start. Gotta love tanks that look sleek and sexy empty.

 

I look forward to following along....any plans for stocking, coral, etc?

 

-Adam

Thanks, im really really liking the looks of this tank. Rounded edges, rimless, and no bubbles or stress in the seams. He did a very good job on polishing it as well.

 

Im going to try to keep it simple for coral, montiporas (digi, dane, setosa, cap) on one rock. A few ORA acro on another. And a couple softies (zoanthids, gsp, ric fl). Anemone shrimp for the rics, only snails for cuc.

I had a chromie in my aquapod, then moved it to my previous tank, and it was a nice harddy fish. So since I will be drastically overskimming the tank, im thinking of trying a group of young chromies.

[divecj5]

Sounds like a great plan for this tank. Various Montipora and ORA Acros have been my favorites since getting into SPS.

 

With that monster skimmer, you should be able to stock pretty heavy.

 

-Adam

[Kylebeano]

Thanks a lot Adam! It's coming together.

 

 

Tonight I built a box that has a door. 20"x20"x40" with the help of my friend

 

 

Still need to cut some holes in it, sand it, and skin it. Then build the 18x18 sump and hang the light. Also need plumbing for it.

[divecj5]

Nice work on the stand (and nice Porsche, if it's yours ). Really like the simple design and clean lines. I bet it's going to look amazing once it's sanded and skinned. Great job!!

 

-Adam

[Kylebeano]

Nice work on the stand (and nice Porsche, if it's yours ). Really like the simple design and clean lines. I bet it's going to look amazing once it's sanded and skinned. Great job!!

 

-Adam

Thanks, it was the first time ive built a stand. Its just 3/4" blond ply, and took about an hour. The guy that cut it at Lowes didnt really take his time with the cuts so im going to have to take some extra steps in trimming the edges a bit in some kind of material that will match the skin. The skin is gong to be a vinyl tile.

 

The Porsche is my roomates, I drive a Lightning. He's gone through a few vehicles, and when the new 302 Boss Mustang comes out he's going to trade the Cayman.

[insanityprawnboy]

Can't wait for more! this looks great I am going to follow along myself. The LEDs are clever in the shade nice job.

 

All of those are great cars! lol...

[Kylebeano]

Can't wait for more! this looks great I am going to follow along myself. The LEDs are clever in the shade nice job.

 

All of those are great cars! lol...

Thanks for the encouragement. That means a lot! If I have enough money after this months bills I'll get the stand finished and light hung.

The sump is going to be the biggest obstacle for me :/

[Kylebeano]

Alright, well I went for a little research shopping at lowes today and ended up just buying some cheap stuff to get the stand finished lol. So after a couple hours work today, I sanded it, skinned it, and installed the lamp trees.

 

I priced out some acrylic for the sump while I was there, not cheap! So the sump and pluming will finish this. Im going to put in an order at reefcleaners for some nice dry rock and sand, pick up a piece of egg crate, and some great stuff foam to get the aquascaping under way as well. Really excited for this tank!

 

Here are some updated shots.

 

Handles to make moving the stand when needed a whole lot easier! (work really well)

[divecj5]

Lookin' good man. I might have made the light "tree" a little shorter but it's right in line with what I was planning on doing for my tank. Instead of going the bent conduit route, I was planning on PVC and then painting it a nice matte black.

 

When are you planning on filling it up?

[spanko]

I agree with Dive here, Lower the lamp trees. I would also put some T's in the uprights and a brace across to keep the PVC from flexing in.

 

[Kylebeano]

Thanks for the suggestions and help guys! I may do that next week, my roomate had suggested it as well but I just wanted to get it all together lol :/

 

Adam, it's so much cheaper and easier with the PVC, I just kept mine white to match the stand and room a bit.

It shouldnt be too long before water. I need to have the sump built, so price and time are the dependant factors on that issue.

 

Here are the sump designs i've made in paint. Do you guys think either would work?

 

The sump needs to be 18"x18"x18" partitioned into 3 areas. The skimmer area needs to be at leaste 9x12, and I would like a larger return area so water evaporation doesnt affect the water level too much. The only water level that really matters to me is the drain and skimmer area should be around 11" for the skimmer to function best.

 

A

B

 

Which one would you recommend, or do they even look sound? I'm not very educated on baffles, so im undecided on height and position of those.

[insanityprawnboy]

Go with design one. Also for baffles the second one in which the water goes into the second one you want the water leading to the next part under it. The first baffle the water will go over(no teeth needed) and lead to the second which the water will go under the bottom(1" clearance) that will guarantee the bubbles will not lead into the second one. And if you want to be even more sure add another.

 

Other than that it is looking great!

[thewire]

Hi there

 

Nice setup. I just bought a similar tank by Advanced Acrylic with 20x20x10 dimension. Is 12 LEDs sufficient enough to light the tank? It would be awesome if it do since I don't have to buy like 24 LEDs + extra driver.

 

Also the stand, do you just get 4 piece of 3/4" plywood and screw them together? What's your total cost? got details how is the attachment between plywood? i m comparing cost with 2x4

[Kylebeano]

Go with design one. Also for baffles the second one in which the water goes into the second one you want the water leading to the next part under it. The first baffle the water will go over(no teeth needed) and lead to the second which the water will go under the bottom(1" clearance) that will guarantee the bubbles will not lead into the second one. And if you want to be even more sure add another.

 

Other than that it is looking great!

Thanks for the tips man! I'm getting some quotes to have the sump built now!

 

Hi there

 

Nice setup. I just bought a similar tank by Advanced Acrylic with 20x20x10 dimension. Is 12 LEDs sufficient enough to light the tank? It would be awesome if it do since I don't have to buy like 24 LEDs + extra driver.

 

Also the stand, do you just get 4 piece of 3/4" plywood and screw them together? What's your total cost? got details how is the attachment between plywood? i m comparing cost with 2x4

I think that 12 is enough, just spaced correctly without optics and hung a good height above the tank. 24 would just be easier to get even par distribution, but the 12 will put out plenty to keep most corals. I know exactly what youre going through and am happy with my decision.

 

The 3/4" blondewood plywood was bought from Lowes in one large 2'x8' sheet ($35), then they cut it down into 4 20"x40" pieces. I also bought 2 2'x2' 3/4" ($20)cut down to 20"x21.5" each. The whole thing is held together with about a dozen wood screws with me sitting on it. The cuts are far from perfect as well. All other suplies (skin, pvc, door hinges, brackets, handles, etc.) cost around $30.

 

Good lluck getting yours all together, these are such nice tanks! Do you know what kind of drain you are going to use? I'm thinking durso.

[thewire]

Thanks for the tips man! I'm getting some quotes to have the sump built now!

 

 

I think that 12 is enough, just spaced correctly without optics and hung a good height above the tank. 24 would just be easier to get even par distribution, but the 12 will put out plenty to keep most corals. I know exactly what youre going through and am happy with my decision.

 

The 3/4" blondewood plywood was bought from Lowes in one large 2'x8' sheet ($35), then they cut it down into 4 20"x40" pieces. I also bought 2 2'x2' 3/4" ($20)cut down to 20"x21.5" each. The whole thing is held together with about a dozen wood screws with me sitting on it. The cuts are far from perfect as well. All other suplies (skin, pvc, door hinges, brackets, handles, etc.) cost around $30.

 

Good lluck getting yours all together, these are such nice tanks! Do you know what kind of drain you are going to use? I'm thinking durso.

 

wow..those plywood are kinda pricey. I was pricing the 2x4 which will cost like 4 -2x4 and a box of wood screws. Also some kilz primer latex and some decorative latex paint...then maybe some 1/4" skin?...barebone cost.

 

Thanks for the respond. What's your separation? are you using standard heatsink from Heatsinkusa ? What's the size are you using? Do you have par reading on the light?

Yes I am using a durso pipe drain with a mag3 as return. A small flow restriction required on the return though as it will overflow the tank if I have it max.

[Kylebeano]

Thanks for the respond. What's your separation? are you using standard heatsink from Heatsinkusa ? What's the size are you using? Do you have par reading on the light?

The heatsink is a standard heatsinkusa 7.25"x6". And the LED's are spaced 1.5" from each diode. I think the setup you have for your 12g is similar.

[thewire]

So..when you are filling her up?