Totlxtc Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Here is my custom made 7g Nano. Nothing in it yet and for that fact still not done. I need to stain it, finish hood and install lights. The tank i made out of glass, 12"x12"x12" with a partition inside dividing the tank. The tank housing is made out of popular and contains a drawer below to store foods, etc. The hood will house probably two 9watt PC's. I have one but cant deciede whether i will need more. Guess it depends on what goes in it. It's suppose to be for dwarf Seahorses but may change to a reef. That's about it for now. I'll post a pic when it gets filled. Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Hey Bluedevil! Glad to see you got your tank's housing almost done! Did you ever figure out how you are going to light the tank? Link to comment
Totlxtc Posted July 23, 2002 Author Share Posted July 23, 2002 Sortof, I picked up a 9w PC (10K) bulb to see what it would be like. I like the color it puts out, just not alot of light. It was the only PC that would fit inside the hood area. I figure if i go reef i can squeeze in 1 or 2 more. Actual tank area is probably 5 gallons. I didnt want to go MH (have too many on the other tanks) but may if i get into SPS. I dont hear too much about the 70watters? Yeah its only been 11 months since i made the tank, LOL! So i'm alittle slow. Nice site you got going here and i like the upgrade. Good Job! Link to comment
Totlxtc Posted July 26, 2002 Author Share Posted July 26, 2002 Finished staining the housing and will be adding LS and LR from my main tanks. Link to comment
MKramer Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 On the topic of lighting, I just finished my 12Wx10Lx10H 5gal, and am putting two 13W PCs in it. With reflector, they're only 8" long. Considering a 13W is about 30% brighter than a 9W, it could make a considerable difference for you. 2x13 over a 7 is enough for most soft corals and some LPS. Link to comment
Totlxtc Posted July 26, 2002 Author Share Posted July 26, 2002 Thanks! I just saw that Hellolights have the 13w PC retro's like the 9w i picked up for the same price and uses the same size reflector. Wish i they had that the first time around. Looks like i can fit 3 retro's across the tank. I think i'm going to get two 13w 10K and pick up a 9w Actinic bulb for the one i have. This way i can get a dusk/dawn effect. Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 I believe their 9w and 13w kits are the same, one just comes with a 9w lamp and the other a 13w. Call them and see if your 9w kit will power a 13w bulb, they're honest people. Link to comment
Strife Posted July 26, 2002 Share Posted July 26, 2002 another unique tank...cant wait to see it in action keep us posted ... Link to comment
Cam barr Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 cool tank just wanted to know how you put the glass together and whats the black border made of cam Link to comment
Korbin Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Thats one nice job you did on that tank! Makes my eclipse look like poo. : Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 When are you going to fill it with water?! Link to comment
Metznreef Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 nice tank. i love custom tanks. if i tried to make something like that it would probably end up looking like a termite mound or something. sigh............... Link to comment
Totlxtc Posted July 27, 2002 Author Share Posted July 27, 2002 Thanks everyone! The Frame is made out of 24ga galvanized sheet metal coated sealed in epoxy paint. I work part-time in my dad's Sheet Metal shop and thought it would be neat to make a metal tank. So i made a frame one day and presto, the nano project began. The glass is from old windows i had lying around. I clean them up and cut to size. My mother does stain glass for a hobby so i had access to her tools which made cutting/grinding/drilling the glass a breeze. First i cut the bottom glass to size and place in the frame. Then cut the front and back loosely placed in the tank and cut the sides. Once everything was ground down to a nice snug fit i siliconed them in place. First placing a small bead along the edges then doing the main bead on the inside. For the back divider i cut a solid black peice of glass and ground down an over flow edge and drilled a hole for the return pipe. I will be filling the tank tomorrow afternoon and hopefully be able to get a return pump for it from the LFS. I have a PMAS(Pittsburgh Marine Aquarium Society) meeting tomorrow night and will be looking for a Mini Jet 606. I was just going to use one of my MJ400 or MJ600 but thought this pump would be better since its adjustable. Chris, i did findout that the ballast is the same for both the 9w and 13w PC bulbs. So i will go ahead and get 2 kits and one 13w actinic bulb. Thanks for the heads up. I'll post a pic once it's filled. Here's one of the steel frame before painting. Link to comment
Sahin Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Looks very nice. I cant wait to see this tank filled with corals :woot: Link to comment
Totlxtc Posted July 27, 2002 Author Share Posted July 27, 2002 Still alittle cloudy, but here you go. I added about 10#'s SD sand and 1# LS from my 3 year old DSB with lots of life. Soon as the tank settles in and the rest of the lights arrive i'll start to move some corals. Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted July 27, 2002 Share Posted July 27, 2002 Yay! Congratulations! Link to comment
rhinoivory Posted July 28, 2002 Share Posted July 28, 2002 Nice tank! Definately gets my thumbs up! Great Idea, looks grand, keep us posted on your additions. Link to comment
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