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The Kurupt 10G Build


KuruptPixel

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I have been lurking around here for many years. About a year ago I decided to finally pull the trigger and start small. I built out a modified Fluval Spec V. Basically used all the same stuff I was reading about in the other Spec V forums and it has been working out very well. I have been learning TONS along the way. Especially maintenance and routine wise, how to make things smoother and cleaner. It's still running and will be until I can get this new one fully operational and cycled.

 

I wanted to go bigger BIGGER but I also live in downtown Vancouver so my space is limited. I needed to split the difference between it’s footprint and being big enough to at least have a bit of space inside the tank. On top of it I needed room for all the rest of the gear that goes along with this hobby. I needed to keep it all clean and organised so my wife stayed interested in the tank and not the mess I was making.

 

I wanted to make this thread because it helped me so much looking at all the other build threads and getting ideas and tips along the way! I am not in any way a ‘handyman’ and as much as I’d love to build things from scratch I know full well it will not turn out how I want it to look in my head. So DIY wise there may not be anything useful from me! Sorry for rambling...

 

SPECS:

 

DISPLAY: 10 Gallon Glass Standard

10lbs Caribsea Bahama Live Sand//9lbs dry rock

LIGHTING: Kessil A160w Tuna//Spectral Controller//Gooseneck//90Degree Adapter

FILTRATION: AC70//AC70 inTank Media Basket//AC20//AC20 inTank Media Basket

AC70 - 12 MarinePure Spheres//Filter floss.

AC20 - Media bag with 2 scoops (BRS) ROX 0.8 Carbon/1 scoop (BRS) GFO//Filter floss.

HOT/COLD: NeoTherm 75w heater//Digital Thermometer//Old School floater

FLOW: Vortech MP10wQD

MISC: 2 x 15g Rubbermaid Roughneck tubs. SpectraPure RO/DI unit w/in line TDS meter, membrane flush and float valve add ons. All plumbed (pg.4).

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I saw this little mini stand someone built on another thread. I fully can't remember who it was from since I was cruising around. I loved the look of it.It elevated the tank slightly and created a slightly smaller footprint which worked well for what I wanted.

 

So I grabbed the idea and built my own!


While I was base coating my stand with the matte white I decided to paint the bottom of the tank white as well. Now, I realize no one has probably ever done this in... I don't know... the history of man, but I figured it the sand gets blown away it'll be white instead of black and show less.

 

Maybe it'll be a new thing?

 

Anyways...

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​I also knew I wanted to paint the background of the tank. Being so small and needing hang on fixtures it would be cleaner to not see anything hanging back there from within. Obviously your mind goes to black because that's what EVERY tank has or what EVERY person paints it.

 

I get the black thing but for this size tank I wanted to go with something brighter so it made it look bigger in general. I grabbed a few shades of blue and tested them on an old 20 gallon I had laying around.

 

I very happy with the blue though! I think it opens it up a ton. It may not be 'conventional' but it works in this case simply because of the size. It makes it brighter and feels longer and deeper than it is.

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We have avoided Ikea furniture since we bought our place but I had to get this shelf because it fit perfectly into the space I wanted it to go. They also have these inserts now to add doors so I can hide buckets and what not and keep it all nice and clean! So it worked out!

 

I still love the floating stand idea!

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I was having a hard time trying to figure out how to mount the light fixture. I didn't want to stick it right on the tank itself because I knew there'd be lots going on with the hang on stuff. Originally this tank was going to go in the second bedroom which has drop ceilings so I was going to hang them from there. I ended up putting this in our master bedroom which has a high, exposed concrete ceiling so that wasn't an option.

 

I ended up grabbing a slab of pine and staining it a dark walnut and just screwing it right to the side of the shelf. It's totally stable and worked. This also worked/looked better than I thought it would, haha.

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Ok... so this might be weird as well... Does anyone else do this?

 

Last Christmas I picked up one of these NOMA remote controls for a Christmas tree. I think it was MAYBE $15. I figured I may as well hook it up to my Spec V and plug the filter in so I can easily turn it on and off via remote control!

 

It's amazing! It makes it SO easy! I stole it off the Spec V and plugged the AC70 and AC20 into it so I can turn off the filtration when I need to. If you have a big stand and its a pain to get to any plugs I highly recommend this maneuver!

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Filled and cloudy!

 

The rock I broke down and rebuilt over about a week. I epoxied once piece at a time, let it dry, and built upwards. I wanted it high and sloping and when I tried to pile too much on top it would just topple unless it was dry and hard.

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Grabbed 2lbs of live rock rubble and put it in the two shelves of the AC70 inTank Media Basket. Also added an AC20 for Floss/ChemiPure Blue when the cycle is complete.

 

I know the whole 'live rock in a hang on' thing is bad because of the build up but it'll be easy enough to maintain because these things are so easy to pop off and rinse. If it's an issue I'll change it. I have a similar setup with my Spec V running for the last year. I am actually running a Fluval 206 canister off that with live rock rubble and my corals grow like weeds.

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Very cool ideas here, especially the remote control and painting the tank bottom

 

Thanks! It's already worked out! Playing with the MP10 when I first threw it in, it blew a hole in the sand bed... so the white worked awesome.

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inTank media basket for the AC20 came early. Now loaded with Floss/Purigen/ChemiPure Blue.

 

Also got my Red Sea package early! It's been a great week! I'm not sure if I'll need the Reef Foundation or not with the smaller tank. I do very regular water changes with Red Sea Pro salt as it is. I got it anyways. Just in case!

 

I have also wanted to try these Reef Roids but they are hard to come by locally. So we'll see how that goes!

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So I switched the Fluval glass heater with the NeoTherm 75w the other week. This thing is SOLID. I am very impressed! I would very much recommend a NeoTherm to anyone! It's more expensive... like double the price of most other heaters, but very much worth it. It's so bang on it's incredible. It barely fluctuates more than .2 degrees at any time. That's stability.

 

Anyways, I'm impressed.

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I am not sure if the Spec V was getting jealous but it suddenly decided it didn't want to be the holding tank any longer. It crashed pretty hard last week so I was forced to move into the 10G in full force. I was in no rush and it had just finished it's cycle so I wanted to let her run for a week or two longer but that just couldn't happen.

 

​In any case, I found a bowl that was just sitting around being annoying and not doing anything... so I put the live rock rubble I was running in the Spec V canister in it with a pump. Now it has a job. Now it's useful. Thanks bowl. Thanks for being there when I needed you most.

 

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Apparently I have exceeded my allotted space for attachments. I will have to figure out how to post pictures later...

I could send you a vial of reef roids to try out for just the $$ of shipping ($3?). It's a sample from RAP, lasts a long time

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