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cichlidtx's nanocube to 40br transfer


cichlidtx

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Man that's such a slick setup. Really good work. Also, love how you fit the drain lines into the sump and they're not just banging around down there. Great details.

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Thanks all for the comments. I've been taking my time on this tank and spending alot time researching other tanks for ideas. Spring, the tubing is flex PVC. It is somewhat flexible and keeps the same curved shape. I'm kinda of wishing that I used straigth PVC easier to use.

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Well I finished the plumbing on the tank and I'm currently running it with FW to make sure no leaks. I had one pin hole but fixed that with some silicone. All seems to be running great. You can hear a slight trickle of water but that is muted by the hum of the Mag7 return. I may replace this in the near future. I still need to make the overflow cover and build the canopy so I can get the lights setup, I will let it cycle while making these items. Any way here is a short video to show the overflow and sump running.

 

th_beananimalsetup.jpg

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It's wet. :D The cycle has begun. All went well except for the waiting on the rodi water. The water is not as cloudy as I thought it was going to be. I ended up using 60lbs of sand. I need to go to the store and get a cocktail shrimp to help boost the cycle. Next week I will start on the canopy and overflow cover. Anyway here's a couple pics.

 

cyclebegins.jpg

 

cyclebegins1.jpg

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i would advise against the cocktail shrimp. Save yourself some money and grief and just use some plain, clear, non-scented ammonia. I am sure if you do a search there is a guideline of how much per gallon.

 

I used this method to fishless cycle my freshwater tanks and will work equally well in saltwater.

 

Again... CLEAR, NON-SCENTED ammonia. nothing with "spring fresh" or "lemon drop spectacular" .

 

all the cocktail shrimp are going to do is decay and yes, some of it will release ammonia but you will be adding phosphate and other organics that are not needed. You are trying to jump start the nitrogen cycle and that cycle begins with ammonia, not rotting appetizers.

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Well all is still running good. I'm having to add about a 1/2 gal top off everday. I see a DIY ATO in my future. I finished the overflow cover which came out ok. I did make a mistake and tried to polish the edges and kept the heat on a little to long and slightly warped the acrylic, I may make another one. Here's some pics.

 

before cover

overflowbeforecover.jpg

after cover

overflowaftercover.jpg

cover closeup

overflowcovercloseup.jpg

 

skimmer breaking in

skimmerbreakingin.jpg

 

fuge running

fugesetup.jpg

 

mesh top installed

meshcover.jpg

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SpringFever, I made legs for the top that were longer than the overflow depth. Here's a couple pics that show it better than I can explain.

 

overflowcover1.jpg

overflowcover.jpg

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Ok, it's update time. The cycle is still coming along ammonia is around .25. I got some sand from a fellow reefer to help with the cycle. I did find some type of small worm and I'm getting some white snot looking material on the rock. Any ideas what it might be?

snotduringcycle.jpg

 

I also finished my DIY light fixture. I made it out of 1x2 and a T5 retro kit. The kit was originally 48" reflectors, but I cut them down. The kit didn't come with standoffs so I improvised as seen in the pics.

LightFixture1.jpg

 

Acrylic cover to prevent salt on bulbs and reflectors. You can see how I did it.

LightFixture3.jpg

 

Cooling fan for lights. I read on somewhere that cooling the ends will prolong the life of the bulbs and I had extra fans. I hope to get a full year, so I get some LED's going.

LightFixturefan.jpg

 

Complete fixture with bulbs.

LightFixture4.jpg

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Great looking fixture!

 

Thanks. I added moonlights that a friend had given to me because they didn't work. They just needed a little corrosion cleaning. I'm worried that they might be to far back and forward. The pics will explain better than my explanation. I also picked up some chaeto today, full of pods, maybe it will help things along.

 

closeup

LightFixturemoonlights.jpg

Moonlights on. Sorry for the blurry image.

LightFixturemoonlights1.jpg

Chaeto in fuge.

Fugewithalgae.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...

I haven't been updating as it was just the same old boring cycle. It has completed and I've added a few corals that friend gave me from his tank that he broke down. They've been in the tank for a week and are doing great. I still need to build the canopy as the lights are just sitting on top of the rim. Here's some pics.

 

FTS

012511FTS.jpg

 

Duncan

012511Duncan.jpg

 

Galaxea Coral

012511Elegance.jpg

 

Pagoda cup

012511Pagoda.jpg

 

Wall hammer

012511WallHammer.jpg

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camerman_2, thanks for the compliments. I plan on putting SPS on the top of that rock. The corals are nice, I was surprised when he brought them to me. I still need to move over livestock from my nanocube, it will be awhile as the system is still new.

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  • 1 month later...

It's been awhile since I've updated on my tanks progress. I still need to complete my canopy, but I did get some drawer slides for the front doors. I will add some pics of the canopy build later. I've transferred some more corals from my other tank and added a few Chromis and a Firefish. Anyway enough talk here's some pics. I'm still working on my camera skills so if you have any input please give me feedback. I'm shooting in manual mode only to learn the functions.

 

FTS

031811FTS.jpg

 

Left side

032511-1.jpg

 

Center

032511-4.jpg

032511-3.jpg

 

Right

032511-2.jpg

 

Firefish

031211Firefish.jpg

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I added an anemone this past week and placed an order for a pair of Aussie B/W clowns. The anemone seems to have found a happy spot for now. It has a green base with red tips. Here's a couple pics.

 

RBTA with Duncan

032911-RBTADuncan.jpg

 

closeup

032911-RBTACloseup.jpg

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Man Cichlid I forgot about this build. You need to update more. Everything looks awsome!!

 

Hows that skimmer working for you. I have been looking to maybe switch over to one of them. I like the small footprint.

 

Also those duncans are awsome!!

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Thanks gutterguy. The tanks coming along great. I'm still adding a few things from my other and as $ allows. The skimmer has broke in nicely as my bioload has increased. It took me a little time to get it dialed in, as this is my 1st experience with a skimmer. It works great, I have to empty the cup about once a week, smells bad.

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  • 1 month later...

Been slacking on my updates. I still haven't finished the canopy, which is alright as I'm in the process of building an LED setup. Currently I have 2 12-LED retro's and plan on adding a third. Until then I will run 2 T5's with the 24 LED setup. Here's some updated pics of the tanks progress.

 

FTS

051711-1.jpg

 

Left

050211-5.jpg

 

Right

051711-3.jpg

 

Center

050211-4.jpg

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Another update. I finished my 24 LED fixture yesterday, now waiting to finish the canopy this week. I haven't ordered the 3rd set yet, waiting to see how it looks with just the 2. Let me know what you think and if you have any input on the design. I'm trying to decide if I should mount the drivers on the fixture or to the stand. Any way here's some pics.

 

Acryliccover.jpg

 

coverandheatsinkmount.jpg

 

coverstandoff.jpg

 

Fanmount.jpg

 

fansonfixture.jpg

 

fixtureon.jpg

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Here's a quick video of my tank with the new LED setup. I also did some par readings tonight and here's the results. The fixture is 4.5" above the water surface and the LED's have no optics on at this time. I plan on adding 55 and 65 degree optics after corals acclimate to the change in lighting. Let me know what you think.

 

PAR readings

PARwithoutoptics.jpg

 

 

Video with LED lighting

 

 

Thanks

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I was tanking some pics for growth comparison now that the LED's are on and wanted to share a couple.

 

RBTA and Hammer holding hands

Anemonehammer-1.jpg

 

My other RBTA at dinner time

AnemoneEating-1.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Canopy finally completed and on the tank. I used the same stain as the stand and just polyurethane on the inside. The center is painted brown to match the built-in desk. Here's some pics.

 

Closeup of light rack front to back adjustment. I used a rivet that fits in the slot cut in the wood.

lightrackadjustment.jpg

 

light rack

canopy1.jpg

 

front doors

canopy4.jpg

 

top opened, I need to add a locking hinge to hold it up

canopy3.jpg

 

Full shot of tank, stand and canopy. I need to add moulding to the bottom to cover the pink 2x4.

fulltankandstand.jpg

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