NZMike's Aquanano 40

[NZMike]

After a hiatus of around five years, I'm back in the game with an Aquanano 40. My previous tanks have ranged between 450 and 700l with the luxury of a big sumps, so going nano is providing some previously unencountered challenges.

If you didn't already know, and while the basics are fairly constant, a hell of a lot changes in five years with reefkeeping so please step in with comments and suggestions.

 

 

 

 

Equipment


Tank:
Aqua One AquaNano 40 AIO (40 x 40 x 40cm)
Approximate water volume 55l or 14.5 US Gallons

Stand:
Upcycled office credenza

Lighting:
PAR38 LED with upcycled fitting
Bluefish Lighting Controller

Filter:
No Skimmer
GFO & GAC
Eheim Heater
Eheim Compact 1000 Return Pump

 

Automatic Top Off:
AutoAqua Smart ATO

In Tank Flow:
Jebao 2 x WP10
JBWave Dual Wavemaker/Controller

Rock:
Dry natural coral rock

Substrate:
White HDPE

[NZMike]

The tank cost the equivalent of USD130 online from a local NZ outlet and packaging was pretty good. I managed to get it without taking the standard Aquaone pump, light and heater which would have been largely ineffective for reef use.

 

I replaced the return pump with an Eheim Compact 1000, increased the diameter of the return and neatened it up with a bulkhead fitting.

 

Build quality is not bad at all with the only issue being a lack of silicone under one of the baffles which I've sorted out with a liberal smear of silicon. Good thing it's hidden as it damn awkward not being able to get your hand in there to smooth things off.

 

The standard base of the tank is glass of course, and I've siliconed in a piece of HDPE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NZMike]

So "She who must be obeyed" decreed that the stand had to fit in with her Mid Century Modern Design theme. I hunted about for a suitable cabinet without too much success until I found a somewhat used office credenza on Trade Me, a local online buy anything/sell anything website, that had potential.





I've started tidying the cabinet up and reinforcing it to cope with the weight of the tank and contents. The carcass was quite badly scratched but the doors and base were in fairly good nick. The plan is to sand, fill and paint the carcass and sand the varish off the doors and base, and then oil them. I'll also replace the door pulls during this process.

Following the MCM directive above, I'll be painting it in Resene Clockwork Orange.

[NZMike]

So after considering a number of options to support the top of the cabinet and prevent flexing, I settled on 25 x 25mm extruded aluminum tubing and found some end caps made for this. It's easily removable to allow easy access for a sump install in future.


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[NZMike]

Although I'm still short of a couple of bits and pieces to finish off the cabinet electrics I had an itch to get things moving along so I headed off to the hardware store to pick up some epoxy and get going with sticking some rocks together.


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Why is it you can never get rocks to stack/fit together the same way you assembled them in the store... anyway, I messed about with a couple of configurations and settled on a pillar.


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Got stuck in with the epoxy and assembled the pillar. I also added some feet to stabilize the structure and lift it slightly off the base. Left to cure overnight and got it into the tank this morning. Then set about mixing up some Red Sea salt and got things wet. Excuse the tank shot.

Cycle started 25 May 2014.


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[Illuiix]

Is that acrylic or real glass? Nice setup btw.

[BattleAthletics]

Um, excellent documentation and start! I'll be following.

[NZMike]

Is that acrylic or real glass? Nice setup btw.

 

Thanks Illuiix, it's glass with acrylic separating the filter section from the display. I've never measured, but would estimate the glass to be about 4.5 to 5mm and the acrylic slightly less.

 

The top edges are really neatly ground and beveled.

 

Um, excellent documentation and start! I'll be following.

 

Thanks BattleAthletics. I hope it turns out as I'm planing. I have bigger plans, so this is to ease myself back into the game, so to speak.

[dpoltsdsu]

Looks really well done, great thread so far!

[NZMike]

Looks really well done, great thread so far!

 

Thanks dpoltsdsu. Hopefully my remaining electric bits arrive soon so that I can get things neatened up.

[gabe3eb]

Nice start! I'm not sure how that Blue Fish will interface with the PAR38 though.

[NZMike]

Nice start! I'm not sure how that Blue Fish will interface with the PAR38 though.

 

Thanks gabe3eb.

 

In it's native form the PAR38 can't interface with the Bluefish, but I've been giving some thought to performing surgery on a Coral Compulsion 40W PAR38 by removing the mains voltage feed and standard driver and then modifying the LED board to accept multiple inputs from remote drivers controlled by the Bluefish.

 

The form factor of the PAR38 lamp make mounting really easy in that lamp fitting and that particular PAR38 has a built in fan but I suspect I may still have an issue dissipating the heat within the actual fitting and end up frying the LED's.

[BeardedReeferLLC]

Cool little build. Following.

[gabe3eb]

Thanks gabe3eb.

 

In it's native form the PAR38 can't interface with the Bluefish, but I've been giving some thought to performing surgery on a Coral Compulsion 40W PAR38 by removing the mains voltage feed and standard driver and then modifying the LED board to accept multiple inputs from remote drivers controlled by the Bluefish.

 

The form factor of the PAR38 lamp make mounting really easy in that lamp fitting and that particular PAR38 has a built in fan but I suspect I may still have an issue dissipating the heat within the actual fitting and end up frying the LED's.

Sounds really interesting. Good luck and make sure to post pics! I'm sure a lot of folks would like to be able to do this with a PAR30/38.

[dpoltsdsu]

What do you plan on stocking the tank with?

[NZMike]

Cool little build. Following.

 

Thanks SaltCube

 

 

Sounds really interesting. Good luck and make sure to post pics! I'm sure a lot of folks would like to be able to do this with a PAR30/38.

 

I sure will document everything. I'll probably start a thread in the lighting forum and get advice from the experts. If it doesn't work out I'll likely get something from Dave at Nano Box.

 

 

What do you plan on stocking the tank with?

 

It started off barebottom as I intended to go high flow with a few select SPS but I don't think the rockwork, as it is, works for that, so It'll probably end up as a Zoa garden, but we'll see. Usual CUC and a shrimp or two.

 

If I do go with Zoa's I can reduce the flow, include substrate and a Goby/Shrimp combo. Apart from that I'm keen to explore options with small schooling fish, but nothing finalized yet. I'm not sure that anyone's had too much luck with small schooling fish though.

 

It's less than 15G so not too much place for swimmers.

[dpoltsdsu]

That would be beautiful. You can appreciate the Zoas a lot more in a small tank as well.

[NZMike]

That would be beautiful. You can appreciate the Zoas a lot more in a small tank as well.

 

I hope so dpoltsdsu, although we don't get the variety of choice Zoas available in the States.

 

 

I've picked up the remaining bits to complete the electrical work and plan on getting that all sorted this weekend.

 

I also went to my LFS on Saturday morning to collect a few small pieces of live rock to seed the tank, and ended up with an ATO as well.

 

 

 

 

I'd read a number of reviews but honestly didn't realize just how tiny these really are.

 

 

 

 

[land_lubber]

Geez that ATO is tiny. Would be a nice little Zoa garden tank with maybe one SPS like a monti digitata. Have you looked at a Rainsford or hectors goby?

[NZMike]

Geez that ATO is tiny. Would be a nice little Zoa garden tank with maybe one SPS like a monti digitata. Have you looked at a Rainsford or hectors goby?

 

Thanks for the suggestions land_lubber. I've kept both in previous tanks and they're great. I'd probably let the tank mature a little to build up a decent pod population before introducing either of those two.

 

I'm really tempted to throw in the odd SPS too.

[land_lubber]

Rainsford gobies are def one of my favs. I reckon one or two branching SPS and the rest Zoas would look awesome.

[dpoltsdsu]

Rainsford gobies are def one of my favs. I reckon one or two branching SPS and the rest Zoas would look awesome.

+1 That would look really good

[NZMike]

I couldn't get the white finger trunking I was looking for to tidy up the electrics, so settled for black, and then had to ditch the white boards I already bought, and get black power distribution boards to match.


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