Sandeep Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 (edited) Here is my latest project a 5.5 gallon that I modified to have a built-in refugium. I wanted a clean and uncluttered look in the main tank without intake valves, powerheads, heaters and wires all over the tank. A couple of pieces of plexiglass to create the partitions of the fuge and this is what it looks like now. It was pretty easy to make the surface skimmer intake using a hot knife placed on a oven element for a few minutes. It easily melted the slots in the plexiglass. I drilled a hole on the other side for the maxi-jet 400 out which provides the perfect amount of circulation and current in the tank. The fit is snug and the maxi-jet can easily be removed for cleaning and slid back into the hole in the plexiglass. You also see a nice ultra tiny Finnex Titanium heater in the powerhead compartment. Love the Finnex, especially the temperature control unit which is outside the tank. The top of the tank is covered with a piece of glass to significantly cut down on evaporation and placed on top of that is a Current USA 12" Satellite hood with a 18W Power Compact. I'm upgrading my lighting to the Current 12" Dual Satellite hood which has two 18W Power Compacts. I placed a coral island in the middle for a zen like uncluttered look with plenty of clearance on all sides allowing me to keep the glass clean from all sides and get to any detritus material easily. Current inhabitants include a couple of snails, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp and a neon-tip hammer coral, no evil snail killing hermits. On the waiting list and currently in my 20 gallon nano to be added slowly over the next few weeks are a orange ricordea, some nice red blastos, a blue mushroom, some yellow polyps and some zoas. I have a cut piece of plexiglass that I plan on painting black and putting over the refugium part on the outside of the tank for a clean look, but right now I kind of like looking into the refugium. And to put the tank into context this is what my desk looks like with the 5.5g pico on the left and my 20g nano on the right. I enjoy looking at my tanks more than the stupid computer screen. Edited October 4, 2007 by Sandeep 3 Quote Link to comment
nicrod Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 awsome job! i like it.very clean looking. Quote Link to comment
Mrs. Cheetos Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Aaww that looks really cool. I wish my desk was that clean. Quote Link to comment
supahtim Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 nice, but that desk is about to crack. you can already see it bowing under the weight of the 20g. Tim Quote Link to comment
Sandeep Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 No worries the desk is solid and flat. I used a fisheye lens for the shot, hence curved spherical distortion Quote Link to comment
el_santo Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 sharp looking tanks! Quote Link to comment
ClowningAround Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Cool tank, I like how it is simple and effective...nice job Quote Link to comment
xmen0075 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Very Cool set-up(s)!!! Quote Link to comment
imlocke Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 i think im going to have to model my 5.5g after yours, I like how it came out, I think I may order the light tomorrow ;D Quote Link to comment
Sandeep Posted October 9, 2007 Author Share Posted October 9, 2007 I ordered my 12" Dual Satellite Powercompact fixture from these folks for $69.99, it's $20 cheaper than anyone else that I found. http://www.petsolutions.com/Dual-Satellite...011+C99999.aspx Quote Link to comment
el_santo Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 i'm using that same fixture on my picotope and really like it. it doesn't run near as hot as the coralife mini fixture, but it does get fairly warm. Quote Link to comment
h2o-nut Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 love the 5.5 gal set up very creative. Hot butter knife worked pretty good. Quote Link to comment
imlocke Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 (edited) I ordered my 12" Dual Satellite Powercompact fixture from these folks for $69.99, it's $20 cheaper than anyone else that I found. http://www.petsolutions.com/Dual-Satellite...011+C99999.aspx I just found that today before I saw your post and was about to order it.. Where did you get your heater from and what wattage is it? Edited October 11, 2007 by imlocke Quote Link to comment
Sandeep Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 (edited) I got my Finnex Titanium Heater from ebay. I have the now discontinued 25W, which has now been replaced by a 50W which is the same price and size, $20. Just search for keywords, "Finnex Titanium Heater". My unit has a analog temperature control wheel on the plug end which is nice. Finnex also makes a slightly more expensive unit with a digital temperature control as well but I don't like it because the temperature control unit is now not at the plug end but nearer the heater, so it's going to be visible at the back of the tank. See: http://www.aquariumsupplycompany.com/aquarium_chillers.html Edited October 11, 2007 by Sandeep Quote Link to comment
imlocke Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 (edited) I got my Finnex Titanium Heater from ebay. I have the now discontinued 25W, which has now been replaced by a 50W which is the same price and size, $20. Just search for keywords, "Finnex Titanium Heater". My unit has a analog temperature control wheel on the plug end which is nice. Finnex also makes a slightly more expensive unit with a digital temperature control as well but I don't like it because the temperature control unit is now not at the plug end but nearer the heater, so it's going to be visible at the back of the tank. See: http://www.aquariumsupplycompany.com/aquarium_chillers.html oh, damn they discontinued it huh? I kinda didn't want to put a 50w heater into my 5.5g if i didn't have to... Also how does the water get back into the compartment with the powerhead? Do you have any slits or anything in that compartment, or in the divider between those two compartments? I assume the reason for sectioning the powerhead off from the cheato is so that debris and the cheato don't get into the powerhead, then you clean out the debris in that compartment...or what? But if the powerhead is blowing the water out I'm curious as to where it's coming back into that chamber, if you could enlighten me that would be great..looking to set up my tank in a few days. Edited October 11, 2007 by imlocke Quote Link to comment
Sandeep Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 The divider between the two compartments does not extend all the way down allowing water to flow from one compartment to the other. Here is a diagram I came up with which should make pretty clear how this works and how to build it with the 2 pieces of plexiglass required. Quote Link to comment
imlocke Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 The divider between the two compartments does not extend all the way down allowing water to flow from one compartment to the other. Here is a diagram I came up with which should make pretty clear how this works and how to build it with the 2 pieces of plexiglass required. Alright cool, that's what I was thinking but it was just hard to tell by the pictures, I think I'm going to order my light and pump right now. Quote Link to comment
Sandeep Posted October 25, 2007 Author Share Posted October 25, 2007 Here are some updated pictures of the tank. I've now added a piece of black painted plexiglass to the front to cover up the refugium so that the tank looks cleaner. I had to spray paint the piece of plexiglass on both sides as I noticed with it painted black only on one side light was still shining through it. It's attached it to the tank with a small piece of black electrical tape attached to the top and bottom black frames of the tank. The Current USA 18wx2 fixture which has now arrived and appears on top of the tank replacing the single 18w unit is mega bright and I should be able to keep pretty much anything in the tank. My coral island in the tank has now been populated with some live corals now. Still lots of clearance on all sides of the island allowing me to clean the tank walls and sand from all sides. Xenia is normally touch and go in some tanks, but this one seems to have taken hold and I saw some new tenticles from the lower body attaching themselves to the rock. It will be nice if it can grow along the upper ridge of my coral island from one side to the other over time. Besides the corals other inhabitants include a skunk cleaner shrimp and a emerald crab. I plan to add a smallish turbo snail for algea control as they are pretty amazing at it. No hermits as they are snail killers. As my desk is in the middle of the room and I can walk around it to get to my bookshelves behind the tank, this is what the coral island looks like from the back. I love the clean no wires/heater/pump look of my tank. 1 Quote Link to comment
varanus37 Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 That is amazing! What a sweet desktop. Bill Quote Link to comment
imlocke Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 (edited) I'm loving the way the plexiglass looks over the fuge. That was my plan too, since I can get a bunch of plexiglass for free, you just got to it before I did! At least now I get to see how nice it's going to come out, yours looks great! ...Haha are you a programmer...? I noticed some xml and unix books on your bookshelf ;D Edited October 25, 2007 by imlocke Quote Link to comment
loveforfish Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 what did you use to glue the plexi in place. and how did you fit it that snug in there with the black trim around the top? nice work!! Quote Link to comment
Sandeep Posted October 25, 2007 Author Share Posted October 25, 2007 Which plexiglass are you referring to the black piece on the outside or the ones in the tank which form the fuge? what did you use to glue the plexi in place. and how did you fit it that snug in there with the black trim around the top? nice work!! Quote Link to comment
suppressive fire Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 how much was the light and where did you buy it from? Quote Link to comment
imlocke Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 how much was the light and where did you buy it from? Light is $70 from petsolutions.com I have one over my 5.5g as well, you can check out the pics in my thread. Quote Link to comment
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