2.5 gal Minibow LED tank

[stevie]

This is the progress of small tank I bought alittle over a month ago. I have a 10 gal thats been running 2 years with a small amount of sucess but wanted to try something smaller as alot of yal are doing. I also liked the LED tanks and wanted to try some DIY rocks if case I start a big tank one day. I kinda wanted to build a tank but was afraid (maybe another day) so bought the 2.5 Minibow plus it already has hood,base and pump for me to start with.

I have it on an old ugly tv cart with some other stuff I got.

[stevie]

I wanted to try a false wall but couldn't find much info or find glass or plexiglass so cut the blue tub ($3 @ dollar store) and got 3 chambers. Hope it works. Chanber 1 is overflow and will have some DIY rock rumble. Chamber 2 plants and chamber 3 pump. The pump Im using is stock just pulled it off the filter.

[stevie]

Later I smeared some aquarium silicone on back wall and fine play sand.

Since I spot glued some reef sand on too. I have made some small DIY rocks and they are in my toilet tank for now. I wanted to have like a rock cliff or something on back wall. But will have to see what I can do on the rockwork.

[stevie]

Here's pic of the DIY rocks I made. I first made the top 2 using mostly reef sand some crushed coral and portland cement. The next 2 I used more CC. Next bach I made 3 trying to get more holes and the last one made just 1 rock but think I'm getting better. I was trying to blast some more holes using sprair bottle on them before they got hard.

Here is a closeup of last rock.

[stevie]

This is a test on how I might do rockwork. I was thinking of glueing them down since they will fall. I had to tilt the tank to try them. Then I may add alittle more wet cement rock on back wall and where rocks touch

So I returned rocks to toilet tank to cure. After looking at this pic I saw words ugly roof above tank so I may call this my ugly reef.

[stevie]

To keep down on evaperation I thought I would try a full glass top. I found out a 8x10 picture frame glass fit good. I tried cutting the curbed part and it broke. I got another one and came out soso but manged to grind it out using dremel. It now fits on top of tank but not yet to hood. I want to have it mounted to hood but also have to have it open. The cutout corner is for pump cord.

I have also gutted the hood so got to figure out how to mod hood to fit LED main lights, LED fudge lights , fans and the glass pane.

So this is as far as I've got. I had ordered some mixed LEDS off ebay ($13 total)to first make a test light and if goes well will get better LEDS. So going on 2 weeks and still waiting.

[stevie]

Got my LED's today but still got alot of work to do on hood. I'm using the stock plastic hood and may have to split it open to expand to space. I think I will try fiberglassing to fill it in. Does anybody think this will work?

[stevie]

Here are the LED I got to start. I am planning on making the fudge lite and a temporary main light.

There were 25 Red, 25 Green, 25 Blue and 25 white with no ratings but said Ultra bright and 25 degree veiwing angle on the ebay page. Got them from Sure Electronics and here's there ebay store.

http://stores.ebay.com/Sure-Electronics_LE...7QQftidZ2QQtZkm

not sure on the mcd ratings but will start with these incase I burn up some.

Heres another pic with desk light out.

And how I wired them one of each color fron 9v charger and 10 ohm resistor

led1__Small___WinCE_.bmp

[irishtexan]

Cool!

[stevie]

Been working on hood. Cut out back and moved it all the way back, then cut out some on front cause it was to shallow for lights. Used hot glue gun to spot glue and glued thin cardboard over holes. Also made front deeper.

So used auto body filler (bondo) and spread several thin layers with alittle cloth for reinforsement on inside.

Let it dry overnight and peeled off form and started some bondo on top.

After several more coats and sanding.

Kinda funny looking. Still need to sand down and make divider wall under hood.

[schaadrak]

Man thats a lot of DIY. Keep it up.

[stevie]

Thanks it looks like a lot but I think anyone could do the same. This is my first DIY project. Plus hasn't cost me too much so far(fingers crossed). I'm hoping to use small frags from my 10g tank but need more. So whatever I buy will go in my 10g and get fraged to Minibow tank. I did get some xeina and small arrow crab that I may put in later. Got a little painting done before the thunderstorms today.

I'm going start with the stock pump. I pulled it off filter and siliconed the top off the silicone tube to pump after I cut to size. The airline tube is from a gravel vacume and the nozzel is off stock filter. It all just fits together tight no glue.

[stevie]

Its going slow but I got some rocks in a box.

But I'm running distilled water only right now (no SW). The DIY rock takes time to stablize for PH and if I add some more got to wait longer. I'm trying DIY rock in this to see how it goes since if I get a bigger tank and need 100+ lbs. it will not cost much.

Im also waiting for the electronic boards to come from Hong Kong since RS no longer sells them (but they will sell you a cell phone). By that time I hope to add sw and ls.

[schaadrak]

The only complaints I've heard about DIY rock (a.k.a. "aragocrete") is diatom bloom, which makes sense when you take into account cement is made with silicate sand.