bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 So I found an old tank in my storage and decided to turn it into a nano! I had an old 8 gal hex with basic softies and lps that I tore down years ago and have been "itchy" to start another small tank... 14" x 14" x 20" is the dimensions of this 20+yr old all glass aquarium... not wanting to spend an excessive amou t of money starting it (LOL yeah right! Like thats gonna happen. ..) I decided to go with a single Orphek PrXp25 par 38 led. I made my own overflow box and drilled my own drainage and return holes, using the BRS glass drilling bits... Single 1" drainage, two 1/2" returns with a 3/4" SCWD powered by a Sicce 3.5 return pump. My friend helped me build a basic stand for this guy, which I painted and drilled a large hole in to for the drain and return lines to run through. Made a sump outta10gal glass Tank...single baffled dividing the 6" oolite dsb from the return pump, heater, and float valve for the ato. Cheato under a 32w 10k Pc. Began cheato with the beginning of the setup...added a small snail package from online store along with some pods... pics are of newly drilled drain (center) and two 3/4" return holes, second pic is custom overflow box with bottom rim being clamped for drying... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Pics of the dsb and sump... Front view of sump... Synchra 3.5 return pump... finex 50w heater, wasnt enough so I added a 50w stealth...diy float valve from BRS for ato... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Siliconed some sand to a 12" x 12" acrylic for substrate effect... second pic its in but will not be glued down. You can also see my 8g hex for my ato and RO/DI water on the left...lighting is still the standard pc that came with the clamp lamp... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Power supplies... natural wave wavemaker for nano koralia(s)... coralife single timer for my main lightning and RDP fuge light... you can barely make out the 3/4" SCWD returning to the 1/2" bulkheads... also used a 3/4" true union ball valve for main flow adjustments if necessary. Majority of my plumbing is threaded in case I needed to relocate the tank...it would make disassembly and reassembly so much easier... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Ready to rock! Or should I say "live rock"! lol. 1st day setup and running with saltwater... BRS dry tonga branch seeded with some pieces of live fiji... Lowes $10 clamp lamp running my Orphek LED par 38 - PRxp-25... has the red and the uv bulb... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 7 days after... phospahte reading was at .57 hanna checker. WTF! BRS dry rock perhaps? Started with store bought ro/di and reef crystals mixed to 1.025... only added bio spira...and a nice blood shrimp to eat the 7 spectra pellets per day, im using for ammonia...lol 14 days after... phos down to .35... glad I put cheato in! Weird tho, I have no detectable amm, nitrire or nitrate... I was adding Stability for the first week and a half... added a cleaner snail package of ceriths, turbos, and nassarius; along with 200+ pods from an online source...May put the BRS gfo/carbon reactor online if I dont see a good drop in po4 soon. Getting itchy to add stuff...good stuff... Link to comment
zooman72 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I have that same tank (in fake oak wood trim), and it is that old too - was a fan-footed gecko tank for some 7-8 years after being home to freshwater angelfish for 5-6 years! I have had mine lit by a Boost Par30 for a couple of years now (was PC's for 2 years before that). I like your set-up, except for the light fixture housing the Par bulb - those Par LED's really should have their heatsinks open to the air for proper cooling, otherwise it shorten their lifespan... Nice work so far though - good luck... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 I was wondering about that myself... I was thinking to drill a bunch of holes into the lamp to help dissipate heat... then I touched it after being on for a few hours and it seemed warm, not hot to the touch. So then I said f it lol. But since I have a second oponion in favor of more ventilation I will drill the holes. Better safe than sorry..im not buying another $200 bulb! Im curious to see your tank and how the boost led looks...mind sening or posting a pic? Thanks for the response and the advice zooman! Link to comment
zooman72 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I was wondering about that myself... I was thinking to drill a bunch of holes into the lamp to help dissipate heat... then I touched it after being on for a few hours and it seemed warm, not hot to the touch. So then I said f it lol. But since I have a second oponion in favor of more ventilation I will drill the holes. Better safe than sorry..im not buying another $200 bulb! Im curious to see your tank and how the boost led looks...mind sening or posting a pic? Thanks for the response and the advice zooman! No problem, glad to help... IMO, even drilling the light you have probably won't be enough - try hanging a lamp cord/ fixture, or grab a BoostLED gooseneck. Here is a recent quick (and poor quality) pic of my 15g XT... http://s1148.photobucket.com/user/aaroncobaugh/media/temporary-5.jpg.html'> An even older one with the Par30... http://s1148.photobucket.com/user/aaroncobaugh/media/100_1379.jpg.html'> A really old one under 12" PC's... http://s1148.photobucket.com/user/aaroncobaugh/media/100_1223.jpg.html'> Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 WOW! Nice tank! Colors really pop out in the second pic. Especially the greens... is it the same par 30 In each pic? Controllable? Looks more blue in the middle pic... also seems brighter than my par 38... lol... Instead of holes then maybe ill hack the whole shield/reflector thingy off... itll be easier and take less time too... Have you. Tried any sps or clams under your par 30? Wondering if it can support that type of life...as I want to add those to my top and mid section of my tank respectively... my bulb 'looks' dim compared to hqi but orphek 'says' the spectrum of each diode is more useful to corals so the bulb need not be as intense, or bright... Link to comment
Zia Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Yea Buddy! Sexy looking lil tank. Not sure ifi understand or dig that glued sand/acrylic situation but a for creativity. But im loving that tonga branch rockscape. Good job on that diy overflow. Great start. Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Thanks zia reefer! Just siliconed it as to have a bare bottom with the look of having substrate... (dont really like the bb look) also want to grow gsp on the bottom so I thought they might 'self adhere' or more so prefer to...alnog ome subtrate as opposed to glass...althoght it probably dosnt matter as ive seen them grow all over everything lol... Thanks again! I will try to picture update this tank on a weekly or bi-weekly basis... Link to comment
zooman72 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 WOW! Nice tank! Colors really pop out in the second pic. Especially the greens... is it the same par 30 In each pic? Controllable? Looks more blue in the middle pic... also seems brighter than my par 38... lol... Instead of holes then maybe ill hack the whole shield/reflector thingy off... itll be easier and take less time too... Have you. Tried any sps or clams under your par 30? Wondering if it can support that type of life...as I want to add those to my top and mid section of my tank respectively... my bulb 'looks' dim compared to hqi but orphek 'says' the spectrum of each diode is more useful to corals so the bulb need not be as intense, or bright... Thanks. The colors may pop more in the second pic, but the camera is oversaturated (?) by the LED's - the first pic is truer to what you would actually see. Also, I was using an older 3RB:2CW fixture in the second pic, the first is with the newer 2RB:1CB:1NW:1CW fixture, which is much better in terms of color rendition. Also, keep in mind that brightness with regards to LED's can be tricky, as our eyes may not register the light as being overly bright, but it may still pump out a lot of PAR (and PUR) that is useful for the corals of course. Also, I have seen an Orphek fixture, and I and others have noted that their overall brightness is lacking in comparison to other Par 30/38 fixtures, but that does not mean that it won't have useful PAR for the corals. As for their "claims", I will refrain from comment... I have not tried any clams or SPS in that tank, but you may keep some in the upper half to third probably, although the clam might be difficult to place there. I agree that completely removing the entire reflector would be the way to go with that fixture... Link to comment
longchao Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Pics of the dsb and sump... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Pics of the dsb and sump...See post #2 for now... I will post recent pics of the dsb and sump later tonite when I get back to take the pics... any particular shots/angles you want to see? Thanks. The colors may pop more in the second pic, but the camera is oversaturated (?) by the LED's - the first pic is truer to what you would actually see. Also, I was using an older 3RB:2CW fixture in the second pic, the first is with the newer 2RB:1CB:1NW:1CW fixture, which is much better in terms of color rendition. Also, keep in mind that brightness with regards to LED's can be tricky, as our eyes may not register the light as being overly bright, but it may still pump out a lot of PAR (and PUR) that is useful for the corals of course. Also, I have seen an Orphek fixture, and I and others have noted that their overall brightness is lacking in comparison to other Par 30/38 fixtures, but that does not mean that it won't have useful PAR for the corals. As for their "claims", I will refrain from comment... I have not tried any clams or SPS in that tank, but you may keep some in the upper half to third probably, although the clam might be difficult to place there. I agree that completely removing the entire reflector would be the way to go with that fixture...I see... I had a feeling it was a diff bulb too... well I ll keep ya posted on how the clams and or sps do in a couple months... ill be sllloooooowwwlyy stocking... but stocking soon enough... Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I have the exact same tank! Just bought it about 3 months ago and I decided to set it up as a mandarin suite full of macroalgae. When I saw it set up on the stand in the store I was immediately sure it would be an awesome looking nano. Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 Niceness! I bet your mandy has a bunch of pods to munch on! Do you have two bangaii cardinals? I was thinking of a pair for my tank... maybe I can get them to breed... Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 The tank police would have a warrant out for me if they knew my stock list. I have 3(soon to be 4) mandarins, a pair of Pygmy angels and a pair of Banggais. I'm hoping to spawn the Banggais and two mandarin pairs. That was the original purpose for buying this tank, to spawn my mandarins. Their old tank wasn't tall enough for complete spawning rises. Link to comment
zooman72 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 The tank police would have a warrant out for me if they knew my stock list. I have 3(soon to be 4) mandarins, a pair of Pygmy angels and a pair of Banggais. I'm hoping to spawn the Banggais and two mandarin pairs. That was the original purpose for buying this tank, to spawn my mandarins. Their old tank wasn't tall enough for complete spawning rises. As long as you keep up with maintenance you can make it work I am sure - I have 15 (and a cleaner shrimp) in my newer 40B... I am jealous about the cherub angel pair though - I had a pair for over a year in my 29g Caribbean gorgonian setup, and suddenly lost the large male for no apparent reason - now the growing female is becoming a male and I have to wait to have her/ him grow large enough to accept a new tiny female or two... Oh, and nice unique "biotope" too... Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Thank you thank you. Everyone is happy and healthy and has their own niche. Did I mention I run the whole thing totally Berlin? Nothing but a powerhead and live rock for filtration. I started it with rock from another tank and dry crushed coral. It's getting seeded with 2200 amphipods that should be arriving Thursday as supplemental CUC/snacks between feedings. I must say the 15 column is a freaking awesome tank you don't see much of. Link to comment
zooman72 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Thank you thank you. Everyone is happy and healthy and has their own niche. Did I mention I run the whole thing totally Berlin? Nothing but a powerhead and live rock for filtration. I started it with rock from another tank and dry crushed coral. It's getting seeded with 2200 amphipods that should be arriving Thursday as supplemental CUC/snacks between feedings. I must say the 15 column is a freaking awesome tank you don't see much of. A skimmer would probably help long-term w/ water quality, unless you plan on significant water changes - I use an AquaticLife Mini115 on mine in the 5g sump, but I think I am going to move up to a Tunze 9002 in there. As for the pod shipment incoming - the mandarins will be in heaven! Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Sweet setup joe! Must be so enjoyable to watch how the pairs of fish act towards each other, compared to being another fish in a tank... keep me posted on how the breeding goes! Zooman: how do you like the AL skimmer? Why the switch to the tunze? Ive seen the AL in person but not in action.. both will probably fit in that last available space on the right hand side of the sump... and may be my last piece of equipment I purchase for this tank if (needed)... although to save space in the sump, I may just keep less fish and run the BRS dual reactor or at least some of the BRS rox8 carbon To keep my organics down... I ran a lps softie DT in an 8gal hex with a 10g refugium (filled to only 7gal) with no skimmer just calerupa, with much success for 3yrs before tearing down. Still in the air about the skimmer though bc this time around I want to try raising clams and sps and I know the sps will need 'cleaner' water. Hopefully the par 38 can handle the task... Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Here are some recent dsb/ refugium pics taken earlier today. Front view... Link to comment
JoeDigiorgio Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Sweet setup joe! Must be so enjoyable to watch how the pairs of fish act towards each other, compared to being another fish in a tank... keep me posted on how the breeding goes! Zooman: how do you like the AL skimmer? Why the switch to the tunze? Ive seen the AL in person but not in action.. both will probably fit in that last available space on the right hand side of the sump... and may be my last piece of equipment I purchase for this tank if (needed)... although to save space in the sump, I may just keep less fish and run the BRS dual reactor or at least some of the BRS rox8 carbon To keep my organics down... I ran a lps softie DT in an 8gal hex with a 10g refugium (filled to only 7gal) with no skimmer just calerupa, with much success for 3yrs before tearing down. Still in the air about the skimmer though bc this time around I want to try raising clams and sps and I know the sps will need 'cleaner' water. Hopefully the par 38 can handle the task... I'll be completely honest, I have this weird Noah's Ark type obsession with keeping things in pairs...particularly breeding pairs. Naturally, a pair of clowns was my first interest when I started this hobby and wasn't very knowledgeable about other species but since then I've developed a secondary obsession with the dragonet family lol that's how this tank was born. I'm proud to keep some of the healthiest mandarins I've ever seen, and in pairs nonetheless. Maybe I will start my own tank thread lol Link to comment
bizzal Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Keep us posted! And a link to your thread if you start one Link to comment
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