DSparks Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 Well, I've been reading these boards and working on my mostly DIY setup for months now, and last night I started taking the plunge. I'm EXTREMELY nervous about how this is going to turn out. I've had so much patience and taken so much time making sure that I had what I think to be a decent setup, that if this bombs I think I'll just die. I've read too many horror stories not to be worried. Anyway, here's what has been accomplished so far: *Hooked up all Plumbing *Filled Tank with RODI Water *Tested Closed Loop System for Leaks *Siliconed Closed Loop System to Stop Leaks *Installed AquaClear 300 "Mini-Sump" *Siliconed Closed Loop System to Stop Leaks *Installed Heater in "Mini-Sump" *Added Salt *Siliconed Closed Loop System to Stop Leak Today, after specific gravity and PH are in line I'll head to the LFS to look at thier live rock (I'm not really sure what the selection is like, and I don't know that I even need to look for). If all goes well I should start cycling by the end of the weekend. A few pics for your viewing pleasure: Link to comment
DSparks Posted January 31, 2004 Author Share Posted January 31, 2004 Here's a couple more pics with hood in place and lights running. Link to comment
minireefkid Posted January 31, 2004 Share Posted January 31, 2004 wow thats amazing DSparks, it looks really nice, can you show us some pics of your closed loop system? I really like what you did with the hood. that looks like enough light to have many great corals. I know that it will be a little scary at first but its just about taking everything slow. can you give us some names of the critters that you want to keep. thanks , scott Link to comment
kadaytar Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 Hey it looks like a good start. What are the color temperature and wattage of those energy saver bulbs? Kadir Link to comment
aqua_aaron Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 it looks like he has the 19 watt 6500K natural daylight bulbs anyways, looks good! aqua_aaron Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 Yes Aqua, they are the 19 watt 6500K natural daylight bulbs. mini, I'll attach a pic of the closed loop in a bit, give me a second to go grab a pic. I'm also going to post a couple pics of my Live Rock aquascaping. I think I need to buy another large piece or two after getting everthing settled in though. A couple lessons learned: *First, get the impeller from the AC150 and put it in the AC300 HOB filter. While I think the flowrate is manageable, it's a bit more than I want from the HOB. I'd rather my closed loop provide most of my flow. *Next, if you are drilling for a closed loop, make sure that your intake is at least 4 inches above your sandline. I made the mistake of placing mine 3 inches above the tank bottom. You guessed it, I'm sucking sand into my Ehiem, and it's getting stopped up. It's going to be a booger to take apart and get going again. I think I'll fix this issue by throwing in a 90 so that my strainer is pointing up away from the sand bed. HOPEFULLY this will resolve my issue. *Finally, 3/4" returns are fine for flow in the tank. I started with these, then reduced down to 1/2" during my test setups thinking there wasn't enough flow. Now that I have my rock in I see how wrong I was. Coral would get knocked all over the place. This might be good for some SPS and such, but since this is my first tank I'm starting with some of the easier corals. I'd rather be successful now so that I am willing to move on in the hobby later (you know, when I buy the 200 gallon). Enjoy the pics, and continue giving me your feedback. Thanks all! Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 And the right side: Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 minireefkid, here is a link to my original post about the hood. Note that I've added another 13w actinic to the mix. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=19082 I'm still not 100% sure about what critters to keep yet. I want to focus on ironing out all the "bugz" in the system, and then I'll put together my list, starting with cleaner crew. Here's a couple pics of the closed loop system. The first is the output from the tank to the Eheim. This is where I'm having my sand problem. Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 This next pic is one of the two closed loop returns from the SCWD. Notice my pretty silicone job on the one and only tiny leak I found in the setup. It took like 4 coats to finally seal the leak. All square now though Link to comment
Sting Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 Updated full tank shot with the new sand and rocks perhaps? Looks AWESOME! How exciting! Link to comment
Sting Posted February 1, 2004 Share Posted February 1, 2004 BTW, I don't think you ever mentioned the size of the tank...lol??? Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 1, 2004 Author Share Posted February 1, 2004 Thanks Sting, I'll post an updated shot once everything settles from my work in the tank this afternoon. It's a 10 gallon All Glass that I drilled myself. I've purchased about 4 more pounds of live rock to make my overall total 15 pounds. I've fixed my closed loop problem by DIY'ing a small standpipe to which I've attached the strainer (no more sand sucked into the Ehiem!). Like I said, I'll post a couple updated pics once the sand settles and the lights come on. Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 2, 2004 Author Share Posted February 2, 2004 Here's a couple pics of the tank now that things have settled down a little after adding some more live rock: Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 2, 2004 Author Share Posted February 2, 2004 The water is still murky, I'll throw some carbon in there tomorrow. Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 2, 2004 Author Share Posted February 2, 2004 Last one, I promise Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 10, 2004 Share Posted February 10, 2004 I must say, WOW! Great looking 10! I'm in the process of setting up my MB7 and have been toying with the idea of drilling it. Your tank really makes me want to do it, but I'm trying to resist right now. The tank looks nice and clean. No powerheads or heater.... ahhhhhh. I have a spare 10 laying around, maybe I should just go ahead and set up another tank...... Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 10, 2004 Author Share Posted February 10, 2004 Thanks ReeferMonkey. I've totally re-arranged rockwork to be more suitable for corals. You've got to admit, my aqua-scaping skills in the pics above are pretty lame. You can see an updated pic here. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 Well, now that you mention it, your first scape was a bit regular. Like the new job though, you gave yourself a high point and the rest looks good! Nice caves. Link to comment
DSparks Posted February 21, 2004 Author Share Posted February 21, 2004 Here's a pic of the tank after 4 weeks. You can see that I've added the Aquaclear surface skimmer attachment. Overall I'm pretty happy with it, however I still might scrap it and DIY my own. At the bottom/front of the tank you can see a pile of empy shells. I call it the "Hermit Junkyard" because no matter where I put the empty shells the hermits move them here. From time to time I'll see a hermit rummaging through the junkyard looking for that next upgrade. It's pretty funny. I have a cleanup crew now that consists of Turbo Snails, a Conch, Brittle Star, Emerald Crab, and some Hermits. I'm hoping to add my first coral this weekend or next. Link to comment
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