SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Been out of the reef scene for only a year, after selling off our 150 Gal 5ft tank, so time to get back into it, but with a Nano as I travel a lot (and May needs to be able to take care of it while I am away). Designing it myself. Design is complete now and have bought many components. Will order the tank and sump this week and will post pics once I have the tank. Will be keeping fish and some LPS. Details are: Tank: 18" wide x 17" x 16" high. (= 70 litres or 18 gal approx). Low iron/Starfire glass on 3 sides. Odd tank size is to suit the cabinet we have already bought. Sump: 15"w x 11" x 12"h. Custom design to fit skimmer, mech filter, bio filter and return pump. Cabinet: 100 cm high Teak cabinet. (we have lots of teak furniture, so cabinet must blend in). Skimmer: Bubble Magus 3.5 needlewheel skimmer (has internal pump). Return pump: Aquabee UP 2000. Chiller: Will be a Hailea HC 130. Will use the return pump also for the chiller. Lighting: MaxSpect 60W LED lighting. (I may modify the circuitry so that I can independently switch some of the LEDs to achieve a "twilight zone"). There will be no internal power head, as the return water outlet angle will be adjustable to cause water movement in the tank, and using the Aquabee 2000 will ensure a sufficiently high water flow. The concept is simplicity and low maintenance, while not skimping on water quality. We are trying to keep the budget (inc. all above equipment, tank, cabinet, etc.) to below S$1,500 (not including sand, rock and livestock). Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Tank. 8mm glass, crystal glass on 3 sides Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Tank and teak cabinet. Cabinet is solid wood. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Bubble Magus needlewheel skimmer Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Sump, 5mm glass. I had the inner pieces cut so that I could complete the design myself. Sump inside the cabinet Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Tank intake and overflow under construction. Black overflow box casing is from 3mm acrylic sheet from Dama Plastics in Ubi. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Costs so far: Tank, Crystal 3 sides - 40cm H x 46cm W x 43cm $236.00 Sump - 30cm H x 38cm W x 28cm D $51.00 Cabinet, Teak - 100cm H x 50cm W x 40cm D $300.00 Skimmer, Bubble Magus 3.5 $150.00 Return Pump, Aque Bee UP 2000 $116.00 Lighting, Maxspect 60W LED $268.00 Total $1,121.00 Only other major items are a chiller and live rock! 1 Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 I will do a water test tonight - check for leaks, tank water height, etc. This weekend will buy live rock, sand, salt and start the tank cycling. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member jem Posted July 20, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 awesome DIY work bro! do a review on the BM 3.5 soon please! hmm if you are stocking low on coral i dont think the return will be enough as you are doubling it up to use it for the chiller as well.. lots of headloss there.. how about adding in a VORTECH MP10?.. and i hope you plan to add a durso pipe to your overflow for some reason, the setup reminds me of ELOS system cant wait to see everything in action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 20, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 awesome DIY work bro! do a review on the BM 3.5 soon please! hmm if you are stocking low on coral i dont think the return will be enough as you are doubling it up to use it for the chiller as well.. lots of headloss there.. how about adding in a VORTECH MP10?.. and i hope you plan to add a durso pipe to your overflow for some reason, the setup reminds me of ELOS system cant wait to see everything in action! Well, ELOS gave me the idea! Yeah I know what you mean about the headloss, but the aquabee 2000 is overkill on its own. I'll try it and if I need a second pump then no worries, i'll put one in. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member peacemaker Posted July 20, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Bro, the green tint on your crystal glass seems a bit... too green. I might be wrong, but I thought its usually kinda grey or dark when viewed at an angle? Are you able to see clearly to the other end when you look from the edges of your glass panel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member raydiative Posted July 20, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted July 20, 2010 Great Job.. This is going to be one fantastic Nano... Keep the pics coming! Quote A man with a reef tank is a man with an empty wallet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest may&bruce Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Bro, the green tint on your crystal glass seems a bit... too green. I might be wrong, but I thought its usually kinda grey or dark when viewed at an angle? Are you able to see clearly to the other end when you look from the edges of your glass panel? I know what you mean but I think its the photograph colouring. Looking through the edges of the 3 sides is definitely clearer than the rear side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 21, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 21, 2010 Water test completed last night. No leaks but more importantly the overflow size is perfect, and if the power fails the sump can hold all water that drains back down through the pump. Btw the Bubble Magus skimmer is very quiet and the Aquabee 2000, is extremely quiet. I'll do a review on the Bubble Magus in a month or so once I can fully evaluate it in real operation. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 21, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 21, 2010 Will buy salt, sand and live rock this weekend and start cycling the tank. Also going to get a Hailea HC-130 chiller. Anyone have any experience with the chiller? I am particularly interested in how quiet it is..... Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OooFishFish Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hi bro, i got to say its a very nice n neat setup. At first i thought u will use a overflow box like the skimz overflow box but instead u DIY an IOS. Good DIY skills for the IOS n SUmp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member peacemaker Posted July 21, 2010 SRC Member Share Posted July 21, 2010 I know what you mean but I think its the photograph colouring. Looking through the edges of the 3 sides is definitely clearer than the rear side. Glad to hear that. Looking forward to your updates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue33 Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Hi. May i know where you make your cabinet? Looks very solid make. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 22, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 22, 2010 Hi. May i know where you make your cabinet? Looks very solid make. Thanks! Its not custom made. It is simply a solid teak cabinet that we found and was approximately the right size. We looked around a lot of teak furniture places before we found this cabinet. Cost $300 and bought from an Indonesian teak furniture place in Lam Soon Building, Hillview Ave. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 25, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 25, 2010 Picked up a chiller yesterday from Dr Evil (Hailea 130) - surprised how noisy the cooling fan is in it Anyway, you get what you pay for. Tank now full we water, sand and rock. Used Caribsea live sand together with live rock so I expect the cycle time to drop significantly, but I wont be adding anything livestock until it is fully cycled. Will post a pic or two later Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Supporter Harlequinmania Posted July 29, 2010 SRC Supporter Share Posted July 29, 2010 Keep the photo coming .. What do you intent to use to kick start and cycle your tank ? Quote 1000 Gallon Tank in the Hole http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/topic/120957-1000-gallon-3d-hole-in-the-wall/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OooFishFish Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Yeah bro, keep the photos coming. Been checking ur thread everyday. share share ur updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted July 30, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted July 30, 2010 Will add some more pics this weekend as the rock scaping is done and the tank is cycling. I used Caribsea live sand and have 7kg of live rock. Started cycling last weekend and threw in a market prawn yesterday to kick start the cycling. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted August 2, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted August 2, 2010 Here's the lighting system - Nice little LED system from DE Lightings - works well and does not get very warm at all Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member May&Bruce Posted August 2, 2010 Author SRC Member Share Posted August 2, 2010 Rock scaping done last week. Quote Real reefs don't have glass bottoms....(...think about it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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