1.9g

P

PlayWithBob

New member
Maybe I'm insane but I think a little tank on my desk at work would be wonderful.

How little is little you ask?

11 x 5 x 8 or 1.9g

I'm also including a matching sump/refugium but the entire set up will still be under 4g.

Thus far I've only cut the glass from a sheet I had, marked where the holes will be drilled in the bottom of the tank and gotten the bulkhead plumbing.

If I make it to harbor freight today I should have the mini return pump (on sale for 5.00 right now) and the diamond tipped dremel bits I need to cut the holes.

I plan on building a stand for this little set up out of 1x1/2 trim wood and hobby plywood.

Lighting will probably be some of those high intensity LED (low heat) set ups for clear computer cases. maybe these
http://www.directron.com/hyperlight.html

All this to keep from doing homework. I'll post pics when my wife gives me back the camera.

Bob
 
I love DIY. Keep us up to date.

If you have a spare power supply for a computer laying around you wouldn't even have to modify the lights.
 
The tank is built, The bottom has been drilled and the bulkheads installed.

The sump is built but I need to put in a baffle to keep the algae out of the return pump.

The plumbing is mostly done, I need to build a stock-man cap for the stand pipe and paint everything.

The "sump pump" is a Maxi-jet 400 I found in a box in the storage room.

The stand (frame) in built. Out of would moulding from the local lumber yard. (Hurray! Any excuse to use my chop saw is a good thing!) I still need to set the rest of the brads, puddy, sand and stain.

It holds water and makes flow!

I need to come up with the lighting, build a hood, and build panels/doors for the stand.

My homework is about 1/2 done.

Bob
 
I added some pictures on the main Chico reef club site.

Its time to paint the stand and plumbing then find a light or build a light for the canopy.

Bob
 
Hmm...whats new...

Hood is built and the tank is lighted with one of those coralife mini aqualights.

I seeded the sand bed with sand from home and added some LR rubble.

Down in the refug is a little bit of algae. Not sure what kind it is to tell the truth, what ever reef connections sold me when I set up my main tank at home.

I see micro feather dusters and pods starting to emerge.

I need to add a little piece of shrimp for the pods to eat and kick up the cycle, then wait, watch, and test.

There are some more pictures posted on our main site.

Bob

image.php
 
If I call 10/11 Day 1 when the water, salt and sand went into the tank, This should be Day 3...

I think I'll use this thread as a diary/not to self page so that I don't loose my notes on my desk somewhere.

Day 3

Added .89 lb LR from the LFS up here in Paradise and picked up a test strip kit so that I can watch the numbers.

Currently:
Temp 81 F
Salinity 1.24
PH 8 or just a hair under (Is that reddish-orange or orangish-red)
Alkalinity over 180ppm but lower then 240ppm. Should be fine for getting the correct PH
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

Note to self: Don't use hot-glue to attach the Refugium light.

Disaster = Temperature + Gravity

Probably lucky that I turned the Refugium light off last night.

Does anyone know how to post a picture (not a link to a picture) in this forum? Every time i use the IMG button, I just end up with a link.

Bob
 
1192206336.jpg


use the following: <font color="red">http://www.chicoreefclub.com/images/users/gallery/playwithbob/1192206336.jpg </font>

reef central doesn't seem to like the php code in the url.
 
Day 5

Currently:
Temp 81 F
Salinity 1.23 (After a 16 oz water swap. Salt water for RoDi)
PH 8 (Added 4 drops of PH up on Day 4)
Alkalinity (Call it 200ppm)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

Added the timer plug strip I won in the raffle and have started to alternate refug and tank lights.

Still not seeing any ammonia or other cycle activity.

However, with near 8 lbs of live sand, 1.5 lbs of cured LR, and macro in the refug in a 3.5g set up, will I really get a cycle?

Should I still drop in a piece of shrimp or just let it go as is?

Opinions?

Bob
 
Bob,

My thought on cycling is this: If you have live rock and live sand that you just transferred from another tank (so that there is not a lot of die-off of organisms), then they will still be cycled. If you got live rock shipped from someplace in wet newspaper, I would think that some of the good stuff will have died and need time to build back up. You're filter is the refugium that has macroalgae and LR in it already. You're tank just needs to balance (i.e. bioload vs. beneficial bacteria). If you have more beneficial bacteria than bioload, you should be good to go. Add things slowly, don't overfeed, and you should have no problem. I transferred the contents of my 50 gallon to my 90 gallon tank. The 90 gallon went from empty to corals and fish in 1 week. I put in a new sand bed (aragonite - not live) with a handful of live sand in the tank. The refugium got the old live sand from my 50g. I had no casualties (coral or fish) from that. I may just be lucky, but logically, there should be no cycle if just transferring from one tank to another. Just don't overstock until the beneficial bacteria/algae/etc. can handle the load. That's my two cents!
 
Currently:
Temp 81 F
Salinity 1.23
PH 7.8 (Still dose not look like 8 to me on the test strip. Added 4 drops of PH up )
Alkalinity (Call it 200ppm)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

I fragged for the first time today. Cut a dime sized red/green mushroom off of a rock from home and super glued it to a rock in the little tank

I added all my pictures to my personal gallery. Please feel free to take a look. I'll add some to this thread as well.
Bob's Pictures

main.php

The little mushroom

main.php

Tank shot

It seems my gallary hides the pictures from direct viewing through the chmod permissions. Before I can link pictures from there to here, I'll have to do some hacking...
 
Last edited:
sounds like its time for a shark in that bad boy!
i've got some orange/green zoos and maybe a shroom or 2 for you. cmon by and get em.
965 central park (by mc D's)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10983280#post10983280 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kinghokus420
sounds like its time for a shark in that bad boy!
i've got some orange/green zoos and maybe a shroom or 2 for you. cmon by and get em.
965 central park (by mc D's)
Click to expand...

main.php


Thank you for the livestock.I'm half tempted to lock the store up for 30 minutes and come over right now!
 
hahaha thats great!
does that overflow make any noise with it like that? i just noticed the swirly water. maybe i have enough goods in the box o plumbing to make a durso or stockman we'll see.
i will be home all day doing homework so if you want to stop by tonight that would be fine. plus the lights dont come on till 2.
 
It does not make much noise at all. Its only 1/2" PVC so there is not a lot of volume flowing through the pipe.

It does "burp" once in awhile, you can hear that, but I don't have any suction noise at all.

I may swing by this afternoon or evening. It all depends on my homework and if I can find someone to cover the shop.

Thanks,

Bob
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10965314#post10965314 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PlayWithBob

Does anyone know how to post a picture (not a link to a picture) in this forum? Every time i use the IMG button, I just end up with a link.

Bob
Click to expand...

Hey Bob,

Make sure the Show image attachments and
 
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