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Coral Vue Hydros

Brent's 5.5


brent-konieczny

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brent-konieczny

Hi all. Im sorta moving this project from the DIY section because it is almost ready. I'm going to post all my current construction pics. Everything will have natural wood stain, then a coat of semi-gloss clear urethane. The volume in the display ends up being 3.66gal, the fuge is .92gal, and I have mechanical/pump area of .53gal. Thats a total of 5.1 gal.

 

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brent-konieczny

So here are the current specs/plans

-rio 180 return ~60gph

-25 watt heater

-28watt pc from old setup

-possibly either PH in display or more powerful return if flow isn't good enough

 

In the fuge/sump I'm going to have lr, chaeto, (thinking about dsb post your thoughts), and one of my diy nano tube skimmers.

 

I'm also thinking about adding a small NO strip light over the fuge (would help light the display also).

 

How does it look so far? Need as many suggestions before I transfer from my set up tank. Also, how do you go about transfering an entire established tank? Will it cause a cycle? I was thinking about siphoning up the sandbed to get all the worms/pods.

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brent-konieczny

Just filled it to do a first time check. The flow seems perfect. Anything more and I would probably have to cut another slot in my overflow. Well, I'm going on a ski trip tommorow and coming back wednesday. So I will hopefully have everything built and ready to transfer next thursday. I can't wait!!!

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...(thinking about dsb post your thoughts...

 

The foot print of a pico is too small for a DSB to work. It shouldn't hurt, but it doesn't de-nitrify the way a larger tank would.

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brent-konieczny

Yeah I agree, I don't know what I was thinking. The chaeto should take care of any nitrate build up. So I will do about a 2" bed with some lr and chaeto. I also really want to get my hands on some micro stars or mini brittles. I seem to always have too much uneaten detritus. Right now in my 5 hex I had a pod explosion. Does anybody know whats probably the main reason for this?

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brent-konieczny

Today I picked out a sweet blasto frag at the lfs. It's got four heads and I bargained it for $20. I would post pics, but my camera broke on my ski trip. I also picked out a very bright green hairy shroom. Right now the tank transfer is in progress. Any tips that would help me avoid killing stuff while moving it would be appreciated.

 

Coral List

-Blasto merletti

-Hairy Green Shroom (R. indosinensis)

-Birdsnest (S. hystrix)

-Two kinds of zoos

-Bright red shroom

-Two different kinds of unidentified encrusting polyp hitch-hikers

-Leather (S. glaucum)

 

Inverts

-2 conch- Queen and fighter (Fighter moving out soon)

-2 turbos

-1 blue leg

-1 green leg

-1 curly cue (eventually moving to the ressurection project tank)

 

Shopping list

-Chaeto

-Percula (the one in my signature got sick and died)

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get a stronger pump, Birdsnest usually need high flow, unless if you put the birdsnest RIGHT infront of the return, then you need a bigger pump

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brent-konieczny

The flow actually worked out perfect. Probably 60-80gph and everything is happy, birdnest included. It has actually grown a whole lot of new buds. I'll try to post pics soon. (still gotta get my camera fixed). The new tank looks so ridiculously clean. Also, I got a new percula for the tank today. He acclimated with very little stress so thats good. Can someone tell me if clowns will host a hairy shroom or a leather? (really not sure about leather) Anyways someone post please, the pico forum has been getting so dull this week.

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brent-konieczny

The clown died after the move so I got a strawberry basslet. (much better suited for the small tank.) Who's ready for some pics? [Note: pics taken with bad camera and have no color compared to actual color]

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dude, sweet set-up! I've been thinking about doing this same design for my office tank. Your pico-skimmer, how tall is it and how effecient would you say it is running? Also, how did you fabricate your bulk head tablesaw or router?

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brent-konieczny

The skimmer isn't pulling out nearly the junk it was in my other setup, but it still works fine. I had to shorten it all the way and turn down the air so it could work under my hood. You read my DIY thread for it right? If not it's labeled nano tube skimmer. About 8" of it is under water and 4 above.

 

The bulk head is a hole I drilled with a normal large bit and hand drill.(I practiced just a couple times on a scrap piece of acrylic to test size and drilling.) The fitting fits exactly snug in the hole and isn't fastened by anything. I used the elbow and flare nozzle that came with my rio pump.

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nice tank. i have a 5.5 gallon and am thinking about building a hood and stand similar to yours, any suggestions. thanks

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brent-konieczny

My hood is 7" tall so it works really good to fit anything under. I always think about the space for a lighting upgrade. I rest my pc bulb on the acrylic cover so it is right on the water. (Big difference). If you don't want to do in tank sump you should do a nice HOB Aquaclear fuge or something similar. It could hide all your equipment except for a skimmer. What requirements on filtration will your tank have? How many fish, what corals, ect.?

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brent-konieczny

First, I measured the exact distance from each side. Then, I measured bottom to top of the rim of the tank trim and took a little off that measurement. I didn't want the display water level to be even with the top of tank or up against the rim. Next, I cut out the rectangle from the measurements (using a hand-held jigsaw). After that was cut out, I made the hole I told you about. Finally, I planned out the slots. I made an even mark for each slot making each slot slightly deeper. The mark was just a dot with a permanent marker to show the very bottom center of the slot. I then drilled a hole that would be the width of the slot right on the marks I made. Next, I took the jigsaw again and went straight down to the sides of each hole. I'll try to draw you a picture explaining. Feel free to ask anything I might have left out.

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Awesome tank b, i cant wait to get mine goin

 

im stating my 10g next week bro im shure ill call you to ask u ###### and let you know how things are goin :)

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brent-konieczny

I just got my hands wet and did some work. I cracked the birdsnest off the plug. Then I cracked it in half and glued it to the top of the rock with the zoos.

Its in a much better location and looks great.

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brent-konieczny

Yay everything is growing fast. Two of my brown zoos are making 3 new heads each. Thats 6 more. Also, the blastos have 4 new heads coming out the sides. The anemone is growing so fast that I have to figure out how to get him out very soon. He keeps stinging my tiny leather frag so I moved them apart a little more. Does anybody know if the stings just injure the other corals or will kill them with just a few touches?

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brent-konieczny

Updates:

-The birdsnest is in a much better location and is already growing faster.

-There is a beatiful new strawberry basslet in the tank. I have yet to name him.

-Got new green zoos for $5. There's about 7 polyps now.

-Nassarius for the fuge. He'll either be in my other .5 pico or in the display until the fuge is lit.

-I put a piece of foil over the light and the tank is probably 15-20% brighter. Since its a 3.6 gal display thats 7.8watts per gallon.

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