2.3 gallon AIO build

[rum_pride]

This project is based off a tank that was given to me while i was building a stand for a 5.5g tank. It was supposed to be used as a sump but ended up being too big. Now, a few years later i came across the tank and figured I'd make a new project out of it.
The display is roughly 1.5g

Equipment:
Cobalt aquatics neo-therm heater
Innovative marine hydro fill ti ATO
Innovative marine return pump
Cobalt mini mj 404
Ecoxotic panorama pro led strips on a simple timer and manual dimmer

The tank:

The stand and canopy:
I'll be staining it and working on fancying it up.

With the lights:

Some extras:

Please let me know what you think.


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[homer1475]

I see 3 things wrong(not wrong but not "quality" products either.

First thing is the API test kit. While they work, once you get into corals they are no where near precise enough.

Swing arm hydrometer. Again they work, just not very accurate and quite often are off by a few thousandths. Quite a few use them, but they also know how far off they are and adjust accordingly. A decent quality refractometer is like 20$ on amazon. Just make sure you buy one for saltwater and not for beer making(brix).

Third and last thing is the cobalt heater. These things are known to blow up in tanks for no reason. Search google for cobalt neotherm failures.

Again not that any of those things are wrong, they are just not good quality products.

 

[rum_pride]

Homer,
Thank you for your reply. I'll definitely look into upgrading my test kit, i used to use the salifert test kits with my last tank but they all expired. I'll probably go back that route.
I have purchased a refractometer on amazon.
And a big thanks for the heads up about the neo-therm heater. I'll have to look around and see what else i can find.
Thanks again, and good looking out.


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[bowen1022]

I believe they found a fix for the cobalt heaters and the new ones don't blow up.


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[rum_pride]

Bowen,
Thanks for the reply. I've been looking around and have seen a lot of information both ways. I'll probably end up using it in my "œmixing station" and trying to find something else.


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[rum_pride]

I picked up some LR from a LFS i got about 4lbs which is more than I need but i figure it'll allow me some different options.

I played around with a few different ideas but ended up just putting all the rock in for the time being. I was hoping to be done with the stand by now. But it's taking a little longer than i hoped. Once the stand is finished I'll spend a bit more time being picky about the scape.

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[rum_pride]

Tanks installed

No lights

Lights

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[homer1475]

Looking good! :thumbsup:

My only concern is the candle melter right next to it. There have been reports of those causing issues with bacterial blooms and such. My wife burns them also, but far away from the tank and I have yet to have an issue.

Just an observation.....

 

[rum_pride]

Homer,
Thanks for the reply. And for the heads up. I'll have to relocate it.

I picked up some new inhabitants today.
2 nassarius snails
1 nerite snail

I was planning on grabbing 2 cerith snails but they didn't have any. There's another LFS up the road so i might run there tomorrow to see what all they have.




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[rum_pride]

So good news, I picked up a zoa frag and i think I figured out my rock scape.

Not so good news, I noticed that the "œfloating shelf" that i had the tank on had shifted. It was only a couple mm but it was enough for me to move the tank and re-assess the situation. I think I'll be looking into either buying or building a stand for it to sit on...


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[rum_pride]

Got a new stand. Need to do some wire work and a few small upgrades. But all in all i think it's gonna hold up better than the shelf.

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[shermanang]

Anymore update

 

[IgnatiusRath]

Really nice looking tank, and I love the magnifying glass on it's own holder for looking at all the small critters you can showcase.

 

[rum_pride]

Thanks. The magnifying glass has come in handy a lot, and my kids love looking at all the critters.

A few updates, Mostly some upgrades. I purchased:
refractometer, Julian's thing, a salifert test kit, and some pellet food.

IM micro mag glass cleaner

LED accent strip

A new overflow cover

A controllable powerstrip

And some new tank inhabitants and frags from aquarium depot

I'll add some pictures of the frags and critters later

I've been doing 2x weekly water changes and so far 1 spot feed to the corals and I drop 3-6 pellets in every evening. I'll drop 2. If they get eaten I'll add another 2 and so on.


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[rum_pride]

Some tank shots

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[rum_pride]

Some stand shots

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[rum_pride]

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[rum_pride]

Built a top for the canopy. Hopefully it'll still allow for some good airflow.

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[rum_pride]

So the top came off. The tank was starting to heat up and the cooling fan wasn't able to keep the temp down. I'm gonna look into cutting a hole in the top and adding a second fan to help push out some heat. Although I did purchase a new fan. So I'll try the lid with this one for a bit to see how it works.

This fan is quiet, I mean silent.
I also picked up a new test kit.

I changed the scape a little bit And a few more frags. I think I'm done adding for now. Gonna let things grow out.

Please let me know what you think.


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