Burchill88 Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 Hi all, I’d like to introduce myself, I’ve been looking into the reef keeping hobby for a long time now but never thought I had to space to keep a tank. after looking more and more into the nano size I decided to bite the bullet and but a UNS 60s shallow tank which I’m going to convert into an AIO. That’s where the questions begin 😊 I bought the tank and the acrylic to make the AIO compartment but I’m unsure on which heater and pump to purchase. I was looking at the sicce silent 0.5 which has a rate of 700l/h well above what I’d need but I believe it’s adjustable. I’m also unsure on what size return pipe and fittings I should use? and I’d also like to a RFG nozzle. possibly 1/2inch? I might create a build journal once I get this underway as I have a lot of questions but don’t want to bog it down all at once. Regarding the heater I was just thinking of a eheim 50w or similar, will 50w be enough for a 9-10g tank? thanks for any response to these all the help is much appreciated. Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 Welcome aboard. I have never made a AIO so I can't help there. I do have a premade AIO a studio12 by reef casa. I have been using a Finnex 50 watt titanium heater for over a year and it has operated perfectly. I got mine from Premium Aquatics. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 3 hours ago, Burchill88 said: I’m also unsure on what size return pipe and fittings I should use? and I’d also like to a RFG nozzle. possibly 1/2inch? That should be fine. Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 4 hours ago, Burchill88 said: UNS 60s shallow tank Just curious what your coral plan is for a tank that's only 7" deep? Will you do a sand bed? Rock structure? How are you going to light it? It will be hard not to go overkill on everything....and from a quick survey on reefs in this tank (pics look neat, of course) overkill seems to be a common problem. Quote Link to comment
Burchill88 Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 Thanks for all the replies! regarding the plans for this tank I was hoping to some sort of long shallow rock structure maybe even slightly touching the water surface at points. Definitely a sand bed not sure on depth as of yet because as you said it is shallow already. light wise was thinking of a prime 16hd as that’s what most who use this tank use? Do you think mounting height could be a problem due to the shallow tank? Onto the corals I was actually going to ask for suggestions on some beginner friendly corals which would suit a shallow tank and also hardy to a lot of light. Quote Link to comment
OakenGoby Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 I have this tank setup for African cichlids - shelldwellers to be exact. I would recommend either a hang on back, a canister (yes, even on a reef), or something like this to a sump: https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/inout-overflow-and-return-freshwater-xaqua/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhc-sBhCEARIsAOVwHuQxPoQV79M2lpOD2AvJXv_KMEH7G3gzf4tTNYLOPnyMhPeoQTZEaaMaAsL5EALw_wcB This tank is very shallow, as you know. Keeping low growing corals - zoas, plates, mushrooms, clove polyps, star polyps, etc. are good choices. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment
Burchill88 Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 Thank you it certainly does help, I think I’m gonna start with a few Zoas, mushrooms and gsp to begin with but I am slightly concerned on how fast the gsp can grow. is this an over reaction by reefers or does it really grow and take over that fast? regarding the filtration I was thinking about a sump but for my first I just fancied a AIO so as stated earlier I’ve already purchased some acrylic to convert it. im just a bit unsure on the diagnosis whether to do it standard or peninsula? the peninsula leaves more area in the tank available to fish but not a lot of room for the heater due to the higher of the tank. these were the 2 designs I’ve mocked up but could do with some critiques and advice from the pros. As you can see there is only 7 inches available in height so was thinking the heater may have to lay flat in the back for it to work? also do you think the 7” is enough for the filtration chamber? thanks again Quote Link to comment
OakenGoby Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 GSP does grow fast but I still love it. It's relatively easy to trim. You can attempt to isolate it somewhere. As for the AIO insert, I would strongly recommend against this. If this was a standard 60cm tank, then the extra height makes up for the loss of space in the back for filtration. With the 60S, I think you may regret the AIO. I know you are already slightly invested, but considering a HOB or canister might be a better option. Seachem Tidal are nice hang on filters. Oase has a hang on filter that incorporates a heater. Oase also has canisters that incorporate a heater. Another benefit of a canister is an inline heater. Quote Link to comment
Burchill88 Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 Originally I did want to do a sump underneath because I have got the room for a 10g tank in the cabinet and I love the clean look of a display tank. Haven’t really looked at canister filters because I always thought they required a lot of maintenance and were quite noisy?? Maybe I’ve been mislead. The tank itself is the same volume as the IM 10g AIO which also has a built in chamber which is a common model it seem, so would most concerns be more about the depth of AIO chamber or how much room it would take up in the tank itself? I’ve seen a few small heaters which I could fit in I think even in a peninsula setup, but I don’t want to start ordering anything if it’s just gonna be problems in the future. thanks again for all the replies they’re all greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment
NoOneLikesADryTang Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 What are you trying to accomplish by building an AIO? Is it just to hide your heater? Not to toot my own horn… But Toot Toot! Check out this award winning Nano-Reef tank. It’s essentially the same dimensions as the UNS 60 shallow. The heater was just hidden behind the rock work. We had a small hang on back filter that we could throw on if needed, but it was rarely used on that tank. Any issues could quickly be corrected with a fairly large water change. 2 Quote Link to comment
Burchill88 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 12 hours ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said: What are you trying to accomplish by building an AIO? Is it just to hide your heater? Not to toot my own horn… But Toot Toot! Check out this award winning Nano-Reef tank. It’s essentially the same dimensions as the UNS 60 shallow. The heater was just hidden behind the rock work. We had a small hang on back filter that we could throw on if needed, but it was rarely used on that tank. Any issues could quickly be corrected with a fairly large water change. It was mainly to hide everything filtration wise. you’ve got a beautiful tank there mate!! So are you saying you simply hang the filter on as and when you need it? I don’t feel nearly comfortable enough if myself to run a tank without constant filtration and flow? I might wait for the tank to arrive and have a little play around with the ideas. hopefully it’s arriving today 😊 Quote Link to comment
OakenGoby Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 1 hour ago, Burchill88 said: It was mainly to hide everything filtration wise. you’ve got a beautiful tank there mate!! So are you saying you simply hang the filter on as and when you need it? I don’t feel nearly comfortable enough if myself to run a tank without constant filtration and flow? I might wait for the tank to arrive and have a little play around with the ideas. hopefully it’s arriving today 😊 He's got flow with the Vortech. The rock will be your biological filtration. I imagine he ran the HOB with filter floss to polish the water as-needed. Also a place to add some chemical filtration. Here's a HOB with built-in heater: https://store.oase-usa.com/pages/biostyle-filter I think the primary reason we are discouraging making this an AIO is you already have minimal height. Your two other dimensions will be reduced dramatically by adding the AIO. Just some thoughts... 1 Quote Link to comment
NoOneLikesADryTang Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 3 hours ago, Burchill88 said: you’ve got a beautiful tank there mate!! So are you saying you simply hang the filter on as and when you need it? That’s correct - But it’s rarely used. Just some filter floss in the filter to polish the water if needed. A large water change would pretty much accomplish the same thing though, and with tanks this size a water change is a piece of cake. 3 hours ago, Burchill88 said: I don’t feel nearly comfortable enough if myself to run a tank without constant filtration and flow? Your rocks and sand will provide biological filtration. You would need some sort of wave maker for the flow. 3 hours ago, Burchill88 said: I might wait for the tank to arrive and have a little play around with the ideas. I’d say mock it up with the AIO wall and rock work, and without the AIO wall with your rock scape and you decide. Ultimately it’s your tank, and you’re the one that gets to look at it an enjoy it every day. Quote Link to comment
Burchill88 Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 Thanks guys I’ll think I’ll do a mock up take some pics and post to see what people think. Good news was that the tank got delivered today but bad new was that is was completely smashed to bits on one corner!! sent an email but the shop was already closed so hopefully hear back from them tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 On 12/31/2023 at 1:32 PM, Burchill88 said: regarding the plans for this tank I was hoping to some sort of long shallow rock structure maybe even slightly touching the water surface at points. Definitely a sand bed not sure on depth as of yet because as you said it is shallow already. Even an inch of sand will take the usable vertical space down to 6". You'll want the waterline to be an inch or so below the top, so that takes the real space down to 5". Maybe this is already part of your plan, but that doesn't sound like a lot of space for corals to grow out. On 12/31/2023 at 1:32 PM, Burchill88 said: light wise was thinking of a prime 16hd as that’s what most who use this tank use? Do you think mounting height could be a problem due to the shallow tank? Not the right light for such a long, narrow tank. It's going to blast the tank with a circle of light almost like a flashlight. Either there will be a hot spot in the middle of the tank and the ends will be mostly shadow OR the ends will be lit but half or more of the tank's light will be wasted outside the tank. (Ugly and bad for your eyes.) Use a strip-style LED for better (more correct) coverage. AI and others (CurrentUSA, et al) have good options. On 12/31/2023 at 1:32 PM, Burchill88 said: Onto the corals I was actually going to ask for suggestions on some beginner friendly corals which would suit a shallow tank and also hardy to a lot of light. I think the tank will be pretty challenging with that much light, maybe even with beginner friendly corals. Corals will need flow to be relatively high as well. A clam would be better suited to the lighting conditions, but also challenging in their own way to keep....fitting for the tank setup, actually. Clams do not have a problem with "too much light" like corals do...in fact 30,000 lux (around 400-600 PAR)is a decent target level for them, and more would be fine. Just as a point of reference (I didn't find many great ones...lots of hearsay) check out this thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/nano-clam.568918/ Once you've read ALL about dosing to keep alk (etc) stable.....everything on reefkeeping.com that you can digest.....it shouldn't be that big a deal to keep a clam along with a few well chosen corals. Plan on having a doser....Jebao 4-channel at minimum....but whatever makes sense. If you just want a dead-simple tank that looks great, you can go with a mushroom tank. They will more or less enjoy strong lighting as well....but they will irritate stony corals and clams by growing on them and stinging them, not unlike an anemone. (Shrooms are related.) You might discover some exceptions that will live in harmony with stony corals or clams, but it's a risky test to run. If you go "Shrooms for Simplicity" then I don't recommend keeping stony corals (or clams) along with them. Other softies might be a better bet....or just Shrooms. This isn't quite a pure mushroom tank, but will get you the ideal I'm talking about: Quote Link to comment
Burchill88 Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 Little update for the thread So I went with the peninsula style in the end and built the AIO section. haven’t fixed it into the tank yet as I’m still waiting for supplies so though I’d get started on the aqua scape. I’m proving to be very indecisive when it comes to the rock formations. due to the shallowness of the tank obviously height is an issue so don’t know whether to just go all low and leave a nice surface area for corals or to build some higher pieces just to give some height to the scape anyway. This is some of the ideas I’ve had so far Any critique would be welcomed!! thank you 4 Quote Link to comment
geekreef_05 Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Great stuff. I like the cave formation and the dual islands. For practical reasons id say keep the rock off the glass a few inches to allow for a cleaning magnet and water flow. The other possibility is a single island or one leaning on the sump side. 1 Quote Link to comment
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