Hognoxious Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Hello fellow nano-reefers, here is a look at the start of our new nano build ... this is a father/son project (my son is 11) and we are hoping to have this thing 'wet' by January. I started by sketching out what we had in mind, focusing on the key features we wanted to incorporate into the build: • tank to hold between 20-25 gallons ... volume is 23 gallons • rimless tank with a cube'ish shape (19" x 19" x 15" tall) • slightly thicker glass than typically found on nano tanks • taller stand than we currently have ... new stand is 35" tall • incorporate wood trim and finished in satin white to match our home interior • interior storage in the stand with easy accesss to all the 'fish stuff' I then modeled the concept to work out the final design and get a good feel for how the tank, stand and light will look. Next steps were to order the tank, for my son and I to build the stand, and order the light and base controller. Tank: Chris at Pico Aquariums (3/8" Starphire all 4 sides) Stand: built and finished by myself and my son Lighting: Aqua Illumination Nano w/ Base Controller Our plans at this point are a simple reef and run it on minimal mechanical filtration as we currently run our 20L. Livestock may consist of just a pair of clowns, a scarlet cleaner shrimp, a few other unique inverts plus a handful of snails/crabs. I don't have a great camera (only an Olympus point-n-shoot) so my pics are coming out kinda blue. Please let me know any suggestions or advice. Link to comment
basser1 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Man..... What a beautiful work of art!! The stand looks outstanding. And I really like the rock-scape, it looks like a Bonsai!! Can't wait to see this thing wet! Link to comment
Rehype Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Wow that is incredible.... Link to comment
mmcguffi Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 damnnn... this is going to be a great build if you dont mind me asking, what do you do for a profession? that sketch looks suspiciously 'pro' lol Link to comment
pyrocreep Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 That's a pretty impressive setup up so far. Are you planning on drilling this so that you have fewer cords in the display or what are your plans for the rest of the equipment? Link to comment
iball1804 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Now THAT is some serious sketchup. Link to comment
JR! Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 thats just amazing work. id do anything to have the talent to make something like that Link to comment
iball1804 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Reminds me of a chippwalters thread Link to comment
Hognoxious Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Thanks for the nice comments everyone! My son is super excited (as am I) to finally get this build going. To answer some of the questions / comments ... • We may or may not use that dry rock structure that is sitting in the tank. Still debating whether to go the dry rock route or go with fully cured live rock from our LFS. I'm not sure I have the patience to wait for the dry rock to encrust with coralline! • As far as filtration - we are not planning on drilling. Our plan is to design and build a small in tank acrylic housing that skims the surface and holds a heater, filter pad and a small bag of carbon. I have a similar setup in our current reef (20L) and it has been running with success for 2 years. Of course the primary filtration will be the live rock and water movement (MP10). • As to what I do for a living ... I am an environmental designer by training and lead a staff that specializes in retail design - so yes, I do get paid to draw pictures . Link to comment
iball1804 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Thanks for the nice comments everyone! My son is super excited (as am I) to finally get this build going. To answer some of the questions / comments ... • We may or may not use that dry rock structure that is sitting in the tank. Still debating whether to go the dry rock route or go with fully cured live rock from our LFS. I'm not sure I have the patience to wait for the dry rock to encrust with coralline! Dry rock or fully cured will grow coralline at the same rate. Cured rock just already has some! • As far as filtration - we are not planning on drilling. Our plan is to design and build a small in tank acrylic housing that skims the surface and holds a heater, filter pad and a small bag of carbon. I have a similar setup in our current reef (20L) and it has been running with success for 2 years. Of course the primary filtration will be the live rock and water movement (MP10). Sounds great. PM glazer if you want a professional overflow. Link to comment
JR! Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Reminds me of a chippwalters thread it sure does. i love the sketch ups Link to comment
Hognoxious Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 I posted this last week but will repost in our build thread ... For anyone interested in doing the same ... the Aqua Illumination mounting arm takes paint very well. I simply just washed it in soapy water to remove any oil and applied about 5-6 light coats of Rust-oleum plastic paint. I painted ours white to match the light module and stand. And then we just got this in the mail today so I guess I'll play around with setting up light intensity transition points tonight ... Link to comment
JR! Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 might be one of the best builds ever!!!! Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Hey! Thinking from your user name you live in AR. Do you? I also do and am thinking of getting out of salt and getting back into freshwater. I have a pair of Onyx clownfish that you might be interested in if you are planing to do clownfish in your tank. Just hit me up if you are interested. I live in LR. We could meet up somewhere instead of shipping. Just let me know! Wish you good luck! You're set up is amazing! Link to comment
Hognoxious Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 Hey! Thinking from your user name you live in AR. Do you? I also do and am thinking of getting out of salt and getting back into freshwater. I have a pair of Onyx clownfish that you might be interested in if you are planing to do clownfish in your tank. Just hit me up if you are interested. I live in LR. We could meet up somewhere instead of shipping. Just let me know! Wish you good luck! You're set up is amazing! Mini-Dude - first I would like to encourage you to stick with saltwater ... ya' know whats gonna happen if you go back to freshwater - your gonna get bit by the salty bug again and be right back in it soon enough! And yes, I'm up in Fayetteville about 3 1/2 hours away so if you do reach a point you are getting rid of your Onyx clowns I would be interested in seeing what we could work out. Are you a member of Razorback-Reef MAS? Link to comment
Mini-Dude Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Mini-Dude - first I would like to encourage you to stick with saltwater ... ya' know whats gonna happen if you go back to freshwater - your gonna get bit by the salty bug again and be right back in it soon enough! And yes, I'm up in Fayetteville about 3 1/2 hours away so if you do reach a point you are getting rid of your Onyx clowns I would be interested in seeing what we could work out. Are you a member of Razorback-Reef MAS? I want to stay, but it's a factor of space, money, and parents. It's costing me a lot of money keepin up with the upkeep of salt, plus since I'm only 13 I really don't have resources. My grandma lives in Batesville so that could be cool. I'm not starting to get everything until after Christmas. I thought of the clowns because you wanted to get your tank "wet" by January and after you cycle and you are still interested we can start working things our seriously. No, unfortunately I'm not a member because you have to pay and I can't afford it. I've looked at it before though and it seems cool. Good puck with your tank! Link to comment
Deleted User 4 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Wow nice setup, could you take a better pic of the rockscape? It's a bit hard to tell how the rockscape looks from the pictures above though, it looks really nice from that angle. Link to comment
Trav86 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Wow nice setup, could you take a better pic of the rockscape? It's a bit hard to tell how the rockscape looks from the pictures above though, it looks really nice from that angle. +1. I think I might be in love with your scape. Link to comment
Hognoxious Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 Wow nice setup, could you take a better pic of the rockscape? It's a bit hard to tell how the rockscape looks from the pictures above though, it looks really nice from that angle. +1. I think I might be in love with your scape. Thanks guys! Here are a few pics of the rockscape ... We actually hadn't planned on using this rock structure in our new build but may change our minds. Still trying to decide between buying a few select pieces of nice coralline covered live rock from my LFS and going with very minimal look or using this dry rock and being patient in waiting for the rock to encrust in coralline. Link to comment
JoelRHale Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 As a big fan of custom rockwork, my vote is for the structure you have now. Link to comment
iball1804 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 That scape is probably the best I have ever seen. Link to comment
saltwatercoral Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Wowreal nice setup! Love the scape! You should join the Aqua Illuminations Club! Just post a pic of your setup with the nano light in it and alittle about your tank and I will add you to the list! Link to comment
Hognoxious Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 That scape is probably the best I have ever seen. Wow - appreciate that! There are a lot of great aquascapes here on nano-reef. Some of our favorites are the ones that look very natural. Link to comment
Hognoxious Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 As a big fan of custom rockwork, my vote is for the structure you have now. Thanks for the vote! Were gonna have to make a decision soon - dry rock or live rock ... Wowreal nice setup! Love the scape! You should join the Aqua Illuminations Club! Just post a pic of your setup with the nano light in it and alittle about your tank and I will add you to the list! Thanks! I will definitely post our setup in the AI thread. Link to comment
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