10 Gallon Custom Build

BCreefmaker

New member
well i lost my last thread, so i just thought id start a new one.
it all started out with a vision, of a completly self contained nano cube, not like one of them fancy BC's or JBJ's that cost an arm and a leg to upgrade and usually end up looking like the "park place" of aqauariums because of the cost per gallon,or they end up looking really bad, almost like that huge HOB skimmer, or them hack saw cuts in the hood sohuldent be there . I needed something that would allow for lots of extra room for upgrades, allow seemless upgrades, or if i ever wish to support more life in this one tank i can easily add in some more filtration. a build in over flow was also a must in the design, not only would it allow it to skin the surface, it would keep the display tank level constant and made the entire tank sump set up only require one circulation pump. Holes in the main display tank were out because i didnt want any water flowing back into the sump and overflowing when the power goes out. this was the best tank design that i could think up. remeber the picture is done in MS paint and is badly out of scale and dosent seem as streamlined as the real thing. (which is probbably by the plexi glass shop has such a hard time making some of the peices)
127600tank1.JPG


even know i told them to go by all the measurements itemized on the bottom of the paper and not the numbers i wrote on the drawing. but they sort of did exactly what i told them not to do.... never the less a few bike trips to the plexiglass shop later i got everything i needed and was ready for glue and tape!

This is what i started with:
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heres a partially assembled pic:
IMG_0058.jpg


a few more seams glued and water tests later i had this leak free beauty:
IMG_0059.jpg


when i water tested it it worked perfectly, all the water stayed on the overflow sheet and was containted by the sides of the tank, so it dosent seem like covering the overflow will be needed, plus the overflow creates a realy cool waterfall effect that you can see when you look in the front of the tank to the back
all the important veiwing sides stayed pretty much scratch and plexi glue free plus everything was very square in the end, so its not too bad of a job for my first plexiglass project, all that remains now is to hook up all my equipment and create a hood and possibly a base to cover up the sump.
everything arived today heres what i got:
IO Salt
Hydrometer
25 watt visitherm heater
Ehim water pump
Loc-line pipe fittings
2x 20watt 50/50 coral life bulbs
hopefully i will have enough time befor work tommorow to get my LR, sand, and mixed salt water together too start the cycle.
untill i make an adaptor for the loc line to fit the Ehim i will probbably be running the pump with the normal flexi tube attachment.

questions? comments?
and more pics to come! :bum::p
 
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UPDATES!!!
well in the last few days i managed to build an adaptor to fit onto the loc-line onto my pump,add sand to the tank(unfortunatly unwashed :( i rushed and forogt to read the instructions on something as simple as the sand and it made my tank cloudy untill it put in the live rock, but im told thats sometimes normal even after washing), mixed up some salt water, warmed it up, put it in the tank, turned on and tested the pump and jets, and then placed my live rock that arrived this morning on the bus in a semi rushed manner befor bolting off to work. the live rock is qiute nice it was very nice shaped peices with lots of little baby coarls growing on it a few big corals, lots of coraline(mostly green and red as far as i can see) and some macro aglea, a lots of dead stuff so far including: little shrimp, misc. crab parts, and little clams. the only real life iv seen alive so far is one big ol' biristle worm, a little red spagetti worm (i think), and there are a few little red and brown worms crawling around on the sand and im not quite shure what they are...
here are the pictures:
IMG_0059-1.jpg
IMG_0058-1.jpg
IMG_0057.jpg


in retrosepect, i think i should have gotten a larger return pump and heater, because my flow is pretty low, but i think it will be fine for the cycle, and my 25 watt heater runs almost 24/7 i think i guess 12 gallons is too much for it. im not too angery tho, because i belelive the pump and heater that i got will work nicely in another project i have planned with a mangrove tree, or i could just throw in an extra powerhead, but i think that would take away from the clean look of this setup. well the next step is to make a canopy so i can mount both my light properly with a reflector... stay tooned for more updates :bum:
 
well its finally cleared up to a point where i can see across the tank, but now i see how cruddy my digital camera really is when i tired to take a picture of some of the critters i got with my LR, but none of them really turend out. but i can describe everything that i have seen so far: 5 red worms,5 or 6 super super small brown worms,1 really long whie worm, and a bristle worm, 2 polyps: 1 clear one sort of purple, 4 little white blobs of goo that let out little filaments to catch food i belive, and a white crusting coral of some kind, or it could it just be the sketelton of a dead coral should i put in some fish food or will they be fine scavening off the LR for now?
 
im looking for a really nice fuge light, id rather not have a big flood light for such a tiny cheato, im still open for suggestions.... i might even build a bottom case for the sump and line it with mirrors to give the sump more light, i doubt the ambient light from 2 20watt 50/50's in the top tank will be enough when the canopy is on, the tank it going to look about 4 times brighter once the hood is build so it will much look nicer and almost able to support clams :D. i know i should add some more live rock, but i need room for LR w/ corals attached to it, so this should be good for now.
 
Updates: well everything is looking great i see some of pods, and a bunch of what looks like purple baby mushrooms or maybe SPS, lots of aispasita, or whatever they are called, il probbably give em a hot waterblast befor they become a problem. added some live stock: a blue damsil and a little blue legged hermit crab, i didnt really care if they died in the cycle because my parents got them because they wanted to see something in it plus they were half price :D (the fish,the crab, and a big thing of food was 9$). the fish is really shy, but im pretty shure he just thinks im trying to net him again, he spends most of his time hiding in the LR cave in the middle of the tank. the crab is just like every other hermit i guess just wandering around aimlessly, its pretty funny watching him try to get up the corner of the tank and fall when he gets half way up. im probabbly going to be able to get my hood build this weekend, it will make the tank alot brighter, sleeker, stop some evaporation, and cover up the jets some more. feeding my first fish showed me that i really need to improve my flow, because there are lots of spots where food just sits on the bottom. my next investment after the hood is upgrading the pump or a powerhead and possibly the heater, if the new hood dosent help the evap/temp problem.
more pics too come. :bum:


MrMexReefer:
thanks bro, its not as bad as a thought, but yeah my heater runs 24/7, it needs a hood, and maybe a splash guard for the back i thubk that will help alot.
 
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Oh hey, i dunno if you know this about aiptasia, but instead of blasting them with hot water... try injecting them with concentrated lemon juice. I used it in the past, and it wipes out even the smallest ones. You will need a syringe. Just strike and inject them with the juice as quick as possible, since they retract quick. Also, i would siphon them out once they fall off. I never had any come back, but just as a precaution :)
 
Oh hey, i dunno if you know this about aiptasia, but instead of blasting them with hot water... try injecting them with concentrated lemon juice. I used it in the past, and it wipes out even the smallest ones. You will need a syringe. Just strike and inject them with the juice as quick as possible, since they retract quick. Also, i would siphon them out once they fall off. I never had any come back, but just as a precaution

MrMexReefer: thanks for the suggestion, but i looked into all the options, and hot water seems to be the best option since im looking for sometihng that will not effect ph since i have no test kits ATM :D , but if it dosent work il definatly try your idea. i hear vinager works well too.

and im looking for something i can use to scrape the silt off the inside of my tank with that wont scratch it, i was thinking maybe a credit card? or some rubber? and suggestions?
 
actually, from what i read, the lemon juice has a negligible effect on pH. Because the water is so basic, and the lemon juice is slightly acidic, it dissipates quickly in the water. But yeah... up to you, it worked great for me tho man :)
 
For the aspestis I suggest Joe's juice I used that and never had any problems at all. That is a cool looking tank great idea can wait to see it once it is full of corals and fish good luck with it
 
only 3 more weeks till corals, green algea is starting to grow on the rocks and the side of the tank... yay? thx for the suggestion keener. but i dont really wanna buy an entire bottle for like 6 little guys, my tank isnt that big, and i have to order it online.
 
well the green algea is starting to die back and more brown algea is moving in so it seems like my cycle is still working away. I was wondering it anyone could help me with a few questions i had also. will pods grow in my tank guarneteed with the LR i got or will my damsel fish eat them all?. I only ever seen one pod and im pretty shure he was dead and floating with the current. how long does it usally take to see lots of them?am i guarentted to get at least some on my LR? secondly i was wondering what set up for my fuge would be best for pod cultivation. should i make a big rubble pile around my heater where there is less flow? or should i put it where there is the most? is a little bit of sand better then bare bottom? im going bare right now because my fuge/sump is only 6" deep at most. and i dont want the very fine sand getting into the pump.
 
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ive found that just buying pieces of live rock introduces a lot of pods to the tank. I dont have a refugium or anything, but they are multiplying like crazy. I dont have any damsels tho, just a couple clowns that leave the pods alone. Also... i would let the algea grow on at least one side of the tank, so that they have something to eat.... they seem to love the algrea on the back wall of my tank.
 
well there probbably wont be many more updates as the top tank did a dive bomb into the sump throught the bottom of the main display :(.... i got 8 gallons of water all over my rug.... i managed to get everything together in a rubermaid tote that is sitting in my kitchen, the damsel fish is really unhappy hes trying to jump out, but the container is too deep. the sad thing is i watched the thing bust right befor my eyes.... i almost cryed :( i think im gunna take the fish and the hermit back to the LFS tommrow. maybe buy a new tank with my birthday money. its really my own fault, i didnt use thick enought plexi glass, the weight of all that rock, sand and water was too much.
 
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