Modding the Nano Wave 9

[Sushi]

wow that hood is amazing!

 

i can't tell, is it primed or something to hide the edges? looks great, seamless and very clean.

[Obsessed Reefer]

nice.

[Socalsuperhero]

wow that hood is amazing!

 

i can't tell, is it primed or something to hide the edges? looks great, seamless and very clean.

 

 

Yeah, it's been shot with primer, but the real magic comes from using bondo! It doesn't have to be perfect, just a nice shape for the black melamine to adhere too.

[mybuickskill6979]

hey man whats the hood made with? wood? fiber glass? auto body foam? looks tight man.

[Socalsuperhero]

hey man whats the hood made with? wood? fiber glass? auto body foam? looks tight man.

 

Combination plywood and laminated 2x4 that's been shaped and filled.

[RaSooch]

Wow what a great looking hood. You got some serious skills there. Are you gonna make a seperate access lid for feeding or will it be just a lift off lid?

[mybuickskill6979]

Combination plywood and laminated 2x4 that's been shaped and filled.

sweet. i can't wait till it all done man.

[Kirin1]

That's some top-tier craftsmanship. More!

[Socalsuperhero]

So in a whirlwind of inspiration that some will call pure idiocy, I tore down the tank and fired up the dremel--my nice all-in-one nano wave is on the road to being a complicated display/sump setup.

 

Why did I do this you ask? Partly because I can, but mainly because the custom hood I'm making (which you don't' get any more pictures of right now) is turning out so nice that I figured I may as well go all out with the whole thing.

 

Oh yeah, I drilled the bottom for an overflow. Just a small one mind you. 1/2" bulkhead, which should yield a maximum flow of ~140gph. Seeing as I'm only planning on running ~100gph through the sump, I think it should be adequate. The rest of the flow will be handled by a cls that should hopefully put out around 400gph.

 

More pics as the chaos continues...

 

[Obsessed Reefer]

I thought the bottom was tempered?

[Socalsuperhero]

I thought the bottom was tempered?

 

Not so apparently. It's thick too! And the plastic under it is thick also.

[darkfishy2690]

So you are pretty much chucking everything but the tank?

[Socalsuperhero]

So you are pretty much chucking everything but the tank?

 

...and the skimmer

[darkfishy2690]

Hahahahahaha!LOL

[B16A2NR]

I can't believe after all that work in modding the hood and filtration your going with a sump! I'm really intested in your tank setup as I have just bought a nanowave and have yet to fill it yet. I have a bunch of questions regarding your mods.

 

You mentioned that the Maxi-Jet 600 with 1200 impeller was to powerful for the system and the filtration stages were backing up, was this with or without the Hydor Flow? Were you experiening microbubbles returning to the tank from the skimmer?

 

Does the Hydor flow shoot water at the light housing as it spins around? I've never owned one but it looks like the return is to high to the water edge for a spinning head of water.

 

Do you feel widening or making the waterway grills wider would allow water to pass easier through the filtration stages?

 

Even though you tore off the filration if you were to do it again what gallons/hour do you thing is perfect with a Hydor flow limiting the pump? And without the Hydor flow. Basicly I'm asking because I haven't bought an upgrade return pump yet for my nanowave and am considering what options I have for the fastest, yet still efficient flow with no extra powerheads in the tank.

 

Thanks for answering my questions in advance. I'm really excited about this new tank!

[Socalsuperhero]

I can't believe after all that work in modding the hood and filtration your going with a sump! I'm really intested in your tank setup as I have just bought a nanowave and have yet to fill it yet. I have a bunch of questions regarding your mods.

 

You mentioned that the Maxi-Jet 600 with 1200 impeller was to powerful for the system and the filtration stages were backing up, was this with or without the Hydor Flow? Were you experiening microbubbles returning to the tank from the skimmer?

 

Does the Hydor flow shoot water at the light housing as it spins around? I've never owned one but it looks like the return is to high to the water edge for a spinning head of water.

 

Do you feel widening or making the waterway grills wider would allow water to pass easier through the filtration stages?

 

Even though you tore off the filration if you were to do it again what gallons/hour do you thing is perfect with a Hydor flow limiting the pump? And without the Hydor flow. Basicly I'm asking because I haven't bought an upgrade return pump yet for my nanowave and am considering what options I have for the fastest, yet still efficient flow with no extra powerheads in the tank.

 

Thanks for answering my questions in advance. I'm really excited about this new tank!

 

My alternate plan to tearing the built in filtration out was to put the stock return pump back in and remove the hydorflo. I planned to augment the flow with a closed loop or two powerheads on a wave maker.

 

Yes I got microbubbles in the display.

 

Yes the hydor flo threw water on the slash guard. And in fact, most of the time the splash guard was actually submerged!

 

I also didn't like the fact that the rear compartments were simply a tub that was sitting in the tank. I feared that the space below the compartments and along the sides and back were just going to become a nitrate factory and a haven to unwanted critters. My suspicions were confirmed because when i removed the rear compartments I found teaming hordes of bristle worms. Good riddance.

 

Since I tore the tank down I contemplated creating new center compartments in the configuration I'd want with glass. In the end I decided to take the extra tank space teh sump would afford me.

[Socalsuperhero]

Today I finished shaping the hood, painting the inside, and sealing the whole thing with polyurethane. Tomorrow I'll be putting the melamine on and post some pics.

 

While I was waiting for all that to dry, I got busy on some other parts. First, now that the tank was drilled i needed to get the overflow going. I used a piece of 4" abs pipe cut in half for the overflow. I think the half round shape will have a nice appearance in the tank. BONUS, it was stupid easy.

 

 

Because this will initially house my softies, but later predominately sps, sand was going to be an issue. Since i don't really dig the bare bottom look I set out to make my own FSB (false sand bed). Using cardboard and scissors I cut and trimmed a template that fit perfectly in the bottom of the tank, and then cut it out from a sheet of 1/4" expanded pvc sheet.

 

 

Next, I liberally applied silicone until the entire top surface was coated. The final step was to spread around some sand that I had dried out.

 

 

Personally I like the way it turned out and now I won't have to worry about sand blowing around everywhere if I were to run 1000gph through the tank. I guess the only question will be how well the silicone will hold the substrate. I was originally going to use epoxy, but given the amount and cost needed to pull that off I decided to use the silicone. In spite of how it appears, I am actually trying to keep this thing on a budget.

[Obsessed Reefer]

Very nice looking

[pheallox]

Dont get me wrong I LOVE what you have done and you are vary gifted as a craftsmen but why spend the cash then rip it all out, why not just peice together something with a finnex tank.

[Socalsuperhero]

Dont get me wrong I LOVE what you have done and you are vary gifted as a craftsmen but why spend the cash then rip it all out, why not just peice together something with a finnex tank.

 

 

Woulda shoulda coulda...work with what you got.

[Socalsuperhero]

So the tanks construction is done. All that is left is the sump, plumbing, and installing the lighting in the hood.

 

Ah the hood, now that it's done i have the freedom to put whatever I want in there with no hassle or heat concerns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hood has no access, it's just designed to lift off. I'm leaving the back open to run the cls return lines and sump return lines through. I also decided to run all four fans blowing in the sides and venting out the open back.

 

..and once more with the fan holes cut out and the fake sand bed in the tank...

 

 

Once the fans are installed I will use filter grills which will help cut down some of the light leak and cover up the holes.

[alpha]

Woulda shoulda coulda...work with what you got.

 

 

lolololololollo

 

 

I've been watching your thread and I must say it's been entertaining. h

[Socalsuperhero]

So I've officially decided on a lighting solution for the new hood. Although I had been thinking about either a 150watt mh or 70w + pc actinics, I have now decided that I will be putting in a dual 70w metal halide system. Got to thank to Guitargod and the cheap ballasts he hooked the nano reefing community up with! Hoping to get the whole dual mh system put together for less than $120 (yes I'm using $15 Chinese bulbs)

 

It'll probably be 2 weeks before I get everything together for the lights, but I am hoping to at least get the tank back together and running this week sans lights.

[JohnDeStef]

Wow, that's a great way to make a tank 'your own'! Very nice work.

 

I'm trying to keep my NW9 fairly stock, and make it work the way it should. Could you please help me with a few issues?

 

First water circulation. As I posted NW9 tank photos thread, I'm planning on adding 3 Rios to replace the two stock pumps... more flow w/ less watts. How was your skimmer box working for you? If it was positive, would you consider selling it, along with the modded filter box which was next to the return pump?

 

Next heat and air circulation. I want to add either two 60mm or 2 80mm fans. I'm trying to decide how to mod the reflector to allow the air to enter and exit the side vents the most efficient way. Do you feel the air should cool just the enclosed bulb area or also be directed into the tank area to cool the air above the water?

 

Which brings me to my next question. Since I have two parts tanks, do you think it's feasible to cut the upper 1 inch or so off the top of a donor tank and attach it to my good tank? It would add distance between the splash guard and the water. I'm not with the tanks right now, but I believe if the plastic was cut in the right place, the donor piece would slide right down on recessed area (the lip that the hood drops onto) on the good tank...?

 

Is this a thread highjack or does it fall into the 'Modding the Nano Wave 9' catagory?

 

Thank you very much!

[Socalsuperhero]

Is this a thread highjack or does it fall into the 'Modding the Nano Wave 9' catagory?

 

First of, definitely not a thread hijack, I meant this thread to be more of a collaborative resource, so the more the merrier!

 

I'm trying to keep my NW9 fairly stock, and make it work the way it should. Could you please help me with a few issues?

 

I can certainly offer advice based on my observation, however, I got so fed up with what I consider serious issues with the tank that I tossed most of the stock equipment.

 

Here's one very simple thing you can do though. In the tank, take some silicone and run a bead all the way around the sides and bottom of the rear compartment. That will keep waste and critters from building up back there and becoming a problem later.

 

I'm planning on adding 3 Rios to replace the two stock pumps... more flow w/ less watts.

 

I'm assuming one for the skimmer and two for tank circulation? If that's the case, I wouldn't bother with the skimmer, it'll be a PITA for minimal return, and besides, the stock one works pretty well. If they other two are for tank circulation and your planning on putting them in the last compartment you may want to reconsider, or at least mod accordingly. There are a couple things to remember when changing things around in the nano wave rear compartments.

 

1. because of the outlets, the skimmer's performance is affected by water. High water level (above the skimmer outlets) means very wet skimmate. Water level at or below outlets means drier skimmate.

 

2. As you increase the flow to the rear compartments, the water level will rise in the skimmer compartment affecting skimmer performance. This is because of flow restrictions through the compartments and media.

 

3. The skimmer puts out tons of micro bubbles. Because of this you need adequate time for them to dissipate in the rear compartments or else they will be pumped back into the main display. Personally, i think that 60-80gph flow through from the skimmer to last compartment would be ideal.

 

In order for things to work properly, my recommendations are as follows:

 

1. Leave the stock openings to the skimmer compartment

 

2. Add an overflow intake to the last compartment with the goal of maintaining the tanks water level at the optimum height for the skimmer. The overflow could be added by cutting a large hole and adding a skimmer box, or cutting slots into the compartment. Either way the water line should be a fair bit below the trim.

 

How was your skimmer box working for you? If it was positive, would you consider selling it, along with the modded filter box which was next to the return pump?

 

As far as selling the skimmer box, I don't see why not, except that it's attached to the filter compartment. I guess I could try to take it off or make another one. Sure, I'd sell the filter box, real cheap too!

 

Next heat and air circulation. I want to add either two 60mm or 2 80mm fans. I'm trying to decide how to mod the reflector to allow the air to enter and exit the side vents the most efficient way. Do you feel the air should cool just the enclosed bulb area or also be directed into the tank area to cool the air above the water?

 

Which ever fans you go with, don't go thicker than 15mm. They won't fit or flow properly. I chose to only circulate air through the bulb enclosure and even with the 3.24 setup, my tank temps never rose above 82. Personally, i think it's better to deal with the heat at the source. The upside is that you have less evaporation. For circulating air, I found that drilling holes directly behind the bulbs in the reflector worked quite well. Another key is opening up an exit for the air. I chose to open up the side slots which helped a lot because i cut them down past the reflector. I could also see a benefit to drilling a pattern of holes in the top of the hood in the center towards the front of the splash guard compartment. Seems like a dead spot, but then again, i didn't notice any problems.

 

BTW, I'd be open to selling my modded stock hood complete with ballasts, power supplies, bulbs, and fans. Could save someone a lot of trouble!

 

Which brings me to my next question. Since I have two parts tanks, do you think it's feasible to cut the upper 1 inch or so off the top of a donor tank and attach it to my good tank? It would add distance between the splash guard and the water. I'm not with the tanks right now, but I believe if the plastic was cut in the right place, the donor piece would slide right down on recessed area (the lip that the hood drops onto) on the good tank...?

 

Parts tanks..as in the glass is broken? Cause if the glass isn't broken you can make a sweet setup! I got mine setup last night and will get pics up once the water clears up. Couldn't be happier so far, and coming from me, that's HUGE!

 

But back to the question at hand. I understand your boggle. I guess you could cut the plastic off and transplant it, although it's going to be difficult to make it look right. What i would do, and even easier, would be mask the tank off except for a strip 1" wide (or however think you need to cover up the waterline) below the trim and use krylon fusion to paint it black.

 

Hope that helps!