Jump to content
inTank Media Baskets

schg's long term project: Ultum Nature Systems completely invisible build


schgr.cube

Recommended Posts

7 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

My vote is that you should stick with the light you already have and build the 24x14x14" tank. Unexpected costs come up during builds, not having to spend more on a light would give you a lot more flexibility. I also like the idea of a slightly taller tank at 14" vs 12".

 

You just built that stand though! What are the top dimensions? Is it for this hypothetical tank or a different one? If you are still planning for the tank itself to be custom built, perhaps you could push it a little to a non-standard dimension like 28" x 15" or the like.

 

Yeah, unexpected costs are definitely my driving force here, and that is why I am abandoning the custom built tank route. It is stupid, but after going low-iron before, I can't go back to standard glass for a project like this, and going custom is just too expensive. I am going with a pre-built, so those are the two dimensions that would fit my needs.

 

As far as the tank sizes, the 12" appeals more since I will basically be having a straight piece of PVC (or two, if I go with an emergency overflow) that will be part of the aquascape, and I figured a 12" piece vs 14" piece would be a little easier to aquascape around. This is even more of a concern when I have less length to work with, as I'll have to cram more info a smaller footprint. I definitely appreciate the feedback though, it is a tough decision and I like having other perspectives on it!

 

Edit: as for the stand, it took me like 30 minutes, and I have plenty of free material to work with if I am redesigning. I fortunately didn't get the laminate yet, so I won't be wasting anything. Maybe I can sell this one to someone local with a IM 25 Lagoon!

Link to comment

If you did do the 36" one, is there some reason you couldn't do a T5HO retro?

That would be much less expensive, and you sound like you have no issues with building stuff so a canopy shouldn't be hard for you. 

 

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Weetabix7 said:

If you did do the 36" one, is there some reason you couldn't do a T5HO retro?

That would be much less expensive, and you sound like you have no issues with building stuff so a canopy shouldn't be hard for you. 

 

Good point, I could go that route. I normally don't like the look of canopies, but I suppose I could try to come up with something nice looking. I wish I could justify the cost of a NanoBox Quad right now :closedeyes:

Link to comment
4 minutes ago, schgr.cube said:

Good point, I could go that route. I normally don't like the look of canopies, but I suppose I could try to come up with something nice looking. I wish I could justify the cost of a NanoBox Quad right now :closedeyes:

 

A nanobox quad and low iron glass would reallllyyy add up.

Link to comment
6 hours ago, schgr.cube said:

There is a possibility I will be getting a low iron, rimless tank in the dimensions of either 24" x 14" x 14", or 36" x 12" x 12".

 

Is the 24x14x14 a UNS tank?  I've had one, unfortunately empty, for a few months as I gather equipment.  If this is the tank you are looking at, they are gorgeous tanks.  Plus, I appreciate the extra depth vs a 12" deep tank.

Link to comment
4 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

A nanobox quad and low iron glass would reallllyyy add up.

Alas, that is how things always are. The things I want are always more than I should be spending! I wouldn't mind, but I will be needing an EcoTech Vectra M1 to really get where I want with this build, so I need to factor that into my budget.

Link to comment
11 minutes ago, mattskims said:

 

Is the 24x14x14 a UNS tank?  I've had one, unfortunately empty, for a few months as I gather equipment.  If this is the tank you are looking at, they are gorgeous tanks.  Plus, I appreciate the extra depth vs a 12" deep tank.

;) maybe! I do like the extra depth, but my worry is having a massive straight up and down piece of rock that will be the overflow(s) take up such a large part of the smaller footprint. They are really nice looking tanks, I'm hoping I can get my hands on one.

Link to comment

Well I still need to work out some of the details, but I am officially going with an Ultum Nature Systems 90L! Specs are roughly 36" x 12" x 12", so basically the same as my original plan but 12" shorter. I'm pretty pumped about this, but this does change my lighting situation quite a bit... :haha:

  • Like 3
Link to comment
32 minutes ago, JR! said:

Nano box maybe?

Unless I can work out a deal washing Daves dishes, I don't know if I'll be able to swing one. I would need a quad, and I would want moonlights :unsure:

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Great choice of dimensions, mine is 36x15x12 and I love it. Shallow and long is the way to go. 

 

I second the Nanobox Quad fixture. Only because that's what I went with.

Link to comment
On 6/30/2017 at 0:03 AM, schgr.cube said:

Unless I can work out a deal washing Daves dishes, I don't know if I'll be able to swing one. I would need a quad, and I would want moonlights :unsure:

Yeah they are expensive that's for sure. Really worth what you can customize though

Link to comment

I think there was a Quad for sale in the forums here recently?  Check the hardware classifieds, may not be in your budget but just throwing it out there.

Link to comment
schgr.cube
On 7/1/2017 at 9:20 AM, samnaz said:

Great choice of dimensions, mine is 36x15x12 and I love it. Shallow and long is the way to go. 

 

I second the Nanobox Quad fixture. Only because that's what I went with.

 

On 7/1/2017 at 10:15 AM, JR! said:

Yeah they are expensive that's for sure. Really worth what you can customize though

 

1 hour ago, Lula_Mae said:

I think there was a Quad for sale in the forums here recently?  Check the hardware classifieds, may not be in your budget but just throwing it out there.

Yeah the quad is definitely a great value for what you get, and I am sure I should go with it. I'm really quite interested in getting back into T5, or even a T5 / MH combo, as I miss the more natural looking light that LED just seems to lack in my eyes. I think I might compromise on the two and look for a used 36" 6 bulb fixture, and later on retrofit the two middle bulbs out for the Nano Box arrays.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
schgr.cube

Happy Fourth, everyone!

 

I forgot to post my updated rendering of the build. My wife and I have been discussing where the new tank will go, since it's too big to go in the same spot as the Fusion 10. We are debating finishing up some renovations in our breezeway, and there is a perfect spot for the tank in there. I have a lot of thinking to do on how I'm going to situate everything. 

 

90L render

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

After I found out I will be getting the 90L, I realized it would not fit well anywhere in our living room, and would need to find a new place to reside. We discussed moving into the adjoining hallway, or back upstairs, but ultimately we decided to move it out into the laundry room. Why the laundry room? Well, first of all, it is fairly unused otherwise, and was at one point in its life a TV room for the previous resident. It has a large window and door on one side, and doors leading to a small patio out back, so it would be great to actually sit out there and get some air during the summer. There is plenty of space along the back wall to build whatever kind of stand / cabinet I want to, and I have easy access to a water line.

 

35603755170_73d17d8a93_k.jpg

 

The gears in my head are turning with what I can do to make this a really great setup, and I have toyed once or twice with the idea of doing a large cabinet along the back wall for multiple tanks. A tryptic of tanks; freshwater planted, saltwater macro / seahorse or predator, and then full reef would be absolutely amazing, but would definitely have to be done in stages.

 

What would you do to prepare the space for an aquarium setup if you had free reign? I am going to try to get a water line over to that wall, and find a way to mount the lights as clean as possible, but would love other ideas!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
On 7/17/2017 at 8:06 PM, schgr.cube said:

After I found out I will be getting the 90L, I realized it would not fit well anywhere in our living room, and would need to find a new place to reside. We discussed moving into the adjoining hallway, or back upstairs, but ultimately we decided to move it out into the laundry room. Why the laundry room? Well, first of all, it is fairly unused otherwise, and was at one point in its life a TV room for the previous resident. It has a large window and door on one side, and doors leading to a small patio out back, so it would be great to actually sit out there and get some air during the summer. There is plenty of space along the back wall to build whatever kind of stand / cabinet I want to, and I have easy access to a water line.

 

35603755170_73d17d8a93_k.jpg

 

The gears in my head are turning with what I can do to make this a really great setup, and I have toyed once or twice with the idea of doing a large cabinet along the back wall for multiple tanks. A tryptic of tanks; freshwater planted, saltwater macro / seahorse or predator, and then full reef would be absolutely amazing, but would definitely have to be done in stages.

 

What would you do to prepare the space for an aquarium setup if you had free reign? I am going to try to get a water line over to that wall, and find a way to mount the lights as clean as possible, but would love other ideas!

Check out urbanek's ADA trio build, that might help with some ideas!

Link to comment

I know this probably isn't the longest running thread without getting a tank wet, or even getting a tank, but I feel like it has to be up there!

 

BUT, as we decide to start looking at a new house situation and I am now back in the reef game, I decided to pick this idea back up and start making it happen. While I would LOVE to make this a larger tank overall, I think going with a smaller tank would probably suit the idea better. I have landed back on the Ultum Nature Systems 90L like I first started the idea with, and believe that I can pull off a totally invisible build with the wavemaker technology available today.

 

I'm going to start fine tuning the details on this build again, and will try to make some progress over the next few months as I prep to move. I'll likely pull the trigger after moving, and once I am sure I can get the water movement where I want it, I may just transition my existing tank into this one.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • schgr.cube changed the title to schgr.cube's long term project: Ultum Nature Systems completely invisible build

Wish the success of my semi invisible UNS 45u using glass pipe for inflow / outflow on the closed loop wavemaker, I am feeling more confident than ever on making this work successfully. I think I am going to need to increase the size of this tank though, as a wider footprint will allow me to really set up the hidden overflow properly AND safely.

 

I am definitely still interesting in doing a @UNS tank for this build, but likely one of the shallow tanks, like the 90s or 120s. I'm going to feel awfully nervous drilling either of those tanks, so I'll definitely need to plan this out further. I might start working on the dry rock overflow setup now, since both tanks are the same height.

Link to comment
  • schgr.cube changed the title to schg's long term project: Ultum Nature Systems completely invisible build

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...