My 5.5g pico with built in Fuge

[got2envy]

wow! nice pics! I love this lil' tank..i hope the clown goby eats..mine loves flake food, i am setting up a 5.5 for my shrooms and rics that are at the bottom of my 75 some detached and are in the back of the tank were i can't see them (downfall of larger reefs) so i am hoping the 5.5 will let me enjoy my ricordia

 

Maria

[SeeDemTails]

Great shots, quite an inspiration.

[ReefMedic1]

Anyone using the 16.5" Sunpod on top of the 5.5? It's the perfect length - and nobody will say it's not enough light...

 

too much light intensity for a small tank?? would temp go up?

Edited April 28, 2008 by ReefMedic1

[Sandeep]

Thanks for the tip about flake food for the clown goby Maria. So far I've been dipping cyclopeze in garlic to get him to eat and he's eating a little. Meanwhile the clown goby in the 2.5g pico starved to death. I'll definately try some flake food and see if he likes it.

[got2envy]

aww poor little guy hopefully this one will eat, mines didn't eat at first but I guess he saw the other fish eating and decided he was gonna get some too lol it's funny to see him dash off of the trumpets into the middle to get food..pretty bold for a little guy, your tank is awesome! I will post pics when I get my light..the tank is filled with NSW and 4lbs L/R a koralia1 and a aquaclear 20 also a Hydor theo 50watt heater and 3.5 lbs carribsea LS..thanks to you and C est Ma for the inspiration

Edited April 29, 2008 by got2envy

[agetupkiddan]

Hello Sandeep,

Love the tanks! Your method has obviously been really inspiring to many people, including myself.

I just finished my 5.5 and i've got a technical question for ya...

 

I find that my flow from my main display into the fuge (through my skimming teeth) is not the greatest... how can this be improved? Deeper slits in the acrylic? greater width of the space between teeth?

i'd appreciate any advice, there's a link in my sig to my thread if you want to see what my fuge looks like...

[Sandeep]

Another great variation agetupkiddan.

Folks check it out at:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=1617978

 

To increase intake flow if you are finding the slots are not doing enough is to make them deeper or make holes below. The slots should be at least 3cm deep from the top of the acrylic partition.

 

I had the same issue when doing my 2.5g build (but not with the 5.5g). What I then did was create a series of intake holes below the slots. I used a soldering iron to melt them in. They are on a bit of an angle, but that's not an issue. Also the beauty of using the soldering iron to melt the holes is that you don't have to empty your active tank, just drop the water level down low enough to melt the holes. Also in leaves no residue or scraps of plastic as you would get with drilling. Also drilling is very tricky as it can cause the acrylic to easily crack (as I found out in experimenting and why I ended up melting my slots).

 

Here is a picture from my 2.5g thread, see that thread for further details.

 

Edited April 30, 2008 by Sandeep

[agetupkiddan]

Hmm ok, so deeper slots/more holes.. I did put some holes in mine (i read your thread carefully prior to making mine as you can see!) however, i only put about 4 of them...i was worried that the holes would take in more of the flow and reduce the surface skimming, will this happen?

thanks for the help and the awesome design... might i suggest us permanently renaming this kind of AIO to a SAIO, (Sandeep's All-in-one hahha)

[aanderson09]

Hello Sandeep,

I just wanted to let you know that it was mainly your tank that made me decide to get back in to saltwater. I decided to quit saltwater and go into planted tanks about 1-2 years ago mainly because they were easier and corals are illegal in Hawaii surprisingly. Reading your topic a few days ago made me decide to start saltwater again. I also recently learned that it wouldn't be too hard to smuggle in corals (plus if I get caught it'll only be like a $100 fine... haha). Anyway, thanks for the inspiration and I just bought a 5.5 and am setting it up quite a bit like yours!

[badwhiskey]

Sandeep....hey great tank...one question for the maxijet is the jet just hanging in the hole or is it attatched to something for more stability??

thanks

[c est ma]

might i suggest us permanently renaming this kind of AIO to a SAIO, (Sandeep's All-in-one hahha)

 

I second the motion.

 

--Diane

[Sandeep]

Here is another good looking variation by member aminalcwakerz

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=155646

 

The holes that I created under the slots in my 2.5g design have not had a detrimental effect on surface skimming which is still taking place.

 

The maxi-jet pump is not attached to anything and is just held in place by the snug fit of the acrylic hole. Even it's vibrations has not caused to to loosen itself. I remove it every week to clean the maxi-jet intake and slide it back in. No issues so far.

[IceTurf]

Here is another good looking variation by member aminalcwakerz

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=155646

 

The holes that I created under the slots in my 2.5g design have not had a detrimental effect on surface skimming which is still taking place.

 

The maxi-jet pump is not attached to anything and is just held in place by the snug fit of the acrylic hole. Even it's vibrations has not caused to to loosen itself. I remove it every week to clean the maxi-jet intake and slide it back in. No issues so far.

I third the SAIO motion

[Sandeep]

I finally purchased the new 18" 36w T5-HO dual tube Nova Extreme fixture by Current USA. At 18" it's the smallest T5 High Output tubes made and the unit came with a 10K and 460nm actinic tubes, each tube is 18 watts.

 

Not only is the unit brighter than the previous PC fixture I had, but since it streaches across the entire tank, the refugium is now getting significantly more light. Before with the 12" PC fixture that I had it was only covering the main display tank and the only light entering the refugium was directional side lighting through the clear acrylic partition between the main tank and the refugium. While the 5.5g tank is 16" long and the fixture is 18" long, as you can see from the pictures the one inch overhang on either side is hardly noticeable and not an eye sore. The unit is also very sleek with a low profile being only 1.6" high and 4.5" wide. I also like the fact that it ony has one power cord, the previous PC fixture was a real mess of wires with three different cords. This fixture does not have a moon light, but I never use those, so not a big deal for me. It will be interesting to see how it effects the growth of the corals, especially the very slow growing lps blastos.

 

 

[orchidsnfish]

Very beautiful tank. The colors are awesome.

 

Angela

[c est ma]

Sweet light!

 

The spectrum looks bluer than my Current PC fixture with supposedly the same color temps in the "dual" bulb...hmmm. Time to check the new Current fixtures, I guess!

 

--Diane

[I Ate A Cake]

Really nice!

 

How long do you run your lights? Do you use anything for a fuge light at night?

[Sandeep]

Yes I noticed that the spectrum of the new T5 HO fixture is bluer than their PC fixture with both having one 10K and one actinic tube.

 

Lights are on for 10hrs per day, on at 2:00pm off at midnight. No I don't have a reverse lighting schedule for the refugium as it's lit by the same overhead main light.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Sandeep

[Neto]

 

Wow, those zoos are amazing, what kind are they?

[Sandeep]

Not sure what kind my zoas are, they seem to have pretty funky arbitrary marketing names these days. Check back a couple of pages and I have a closeup of them.

[jubilee597]

sweet tank!!!

[Metzzen1]

I Loved your design (sandeep) so much I copied it. I did make some changes to suit my needs.

 

I wanted less of a island, and more of a point/peninsula. That being said i only made my back chamber like three inches deep. Just enough for 4 lbs of rubble, a ball of cheato and equipment. I have pictures on here in my gallery but those are old and Ill get a better pic and post it up for you to see. It feels good to see people making use of YOUR good idea so.

Edited May 21, 2008 by Metzzen1

[soundcrd]

And here I was thinking I was being even semi-original with my AIO 5.5 gal AGA plans... Looks like I'm a little late to the party. (See Starting a Pico) Oh well, at least I know I'm on the right track!

[newb111]

Fantastic tank sandeep. Do you not find the need for chemical filtration? I guess with a small bioload it really isnt needed as long as the water changes are done religiously. Anyway, i just picked up all the supplies needed to model this tank (except for the light) thanks again sandeep

[Sandeep]

Latest updated images of the tank. Everything seems to be doing great under the new powerful T5 HO's. Added a few lps and a green recordia to the reef island.