20L Custom AIO Tank

[C_man7]

Ok here me out. I found a user on NR who did a custom AIO on a 20L.
Well I bit the bullet yesterday, petco had one 20L left for the $1 a gallon sale so I bought it. My previous intentions thanks to you guys was to do a biocube, but because of cost, (I'm super cheap) I decided to take the concept of the bio cube and the 20L AIO and merge them.

Here's the idea. On one side of the 20L I will have a false wall giving me a space roughly 4"x12" I will have 3 chambers, the first will be 4"X4" have the overflow slits and house the protein skimmer and heater, the water will flow through the bottom to the next 4"x4.75" chamber which will have live rock, chemipure elite, purigen, and polishing pad, the water will flow over another wall and underneath the 3rd wall to the return chamber 4"x2" with my return pump.

This leaves the final dimensions roughly 26x12x12 about 16-17gallons. Walls will be 1/4" acrylic.

Equipment.
20L-$20
Acrylic pieces for the walls-have to get pricing
Aquarium safe Silicone-$6
Coralife Protein Skimmer(any ideas on another nano size skimmer)-$17.46
100w heater-$12.99
Current USA Orbit Marine LED 24-36"-$101.99
SunSun 800gph wave maker-$8.59
Rio Plus 800, 211gph pump-$30.60
Caribsea 20lb live sand-$29.47
Instant Ocean 7.5lb salt-$14.98
Coralife Hydrometer-$6.99
Digital Thermometer-$2.88
20+lb Live Rock-have to get pricing.
Total-about $250.00 not including live rock.

Stocking 2 clownfish and maybe one more fish, inverts and clean up. I don't want to overdue bioload.

Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think will work the best for filtration.
Or I can make it simplier, From chamer one flows over wall, down the media to live rock rubble, under wall to return pump? what do you all think. The walls will be adjusted depending on equipment.

 

[ReefWreak]

Love the idea. I've always loved DIY-AIO tanks. You should have gone for a 40B though, but 20L will be fine to learn with.

Don't buy that skimmer. If you really don't want to splurge for an Aquatic Life 115, then just don't get a skimmer, either put the money towards upgrading that hydrometer (which will suck) to a $35 refractometer, or put it towards salt for water changes.

I probably also wouldn't buy one of those orbit LED fixtures. If you're on a budget, I'd look online for an inexpensive T5 retrofit kit with GOOD reflectors, and do that. Then you can supplement LEDs when you've got some more cash. LEDs are far too narrow, and that marineland fixture won't be good, for you to use on that tank.

 

[C_man7]

Love the idea. I've always loved DIY-AIO tanks. You should have gone for a 40B though, but 20L will be fine to learn with.

Don't buy that skimmer. If you really don't want to splurge for an Aquatic Life 115, then just don't get a skimmer, either put the money towards upgrading that hydrometer (which will suck) to a $35 refractometer, or put it towards salt for water changes.

I probably also wouldn't buy one of those orbit LED fixtures. If you're on a budget, I'd look online for an inexpensive T5 retrofit kit with GOOD reflectors, and do that. Then you can supplement LEDs when you've got some more cash. LEDs are far too narrow, and that marineland fixture won't be good, for you to use on that tank.

Actually the aquatic life isn't that bad only about $50, I'll switch that, would I be able to move my heater to the return chamber? Since I would need more room for the bigger skimmer.

 

[ReefWreak]

My heater is in my return chamber, it just depends on the height of the water line and the height of the heater. You want all if not most of your heater to be under water. The flat and short cobalt heaters are pretty short.

 

[C_man7]

Anyone know where I could pick up a Yankee pete kit? I seen he has been online I'm forever, but his kit is exactly what I need.

 

[edinphilly]

I have that Current USA fixture and it would be fine on a 20L.

I wouldn't DIY AIO the tank though. You're losing space and not gaining much. Throw a big aqua clear HOB filter (plenty of how to mods online) on it and you can use it like a "sump" to hide a heater and run media etc. That way you lose no tank space and gain more water volume.

 

[C_man7]

I have that Current USA fixture and it would be fine on a 20L.

I wouldn't DIY AIO the tank though. You're losing space and not gaining much. Throw a big aqua clear HOB filter (plenty of how to mods online) on it and you can use it like a "sump" to hide a heater and run media etc. That way you lose no tank space and gain more water volume.

If it were really up to me I would AIO, but I'm not supposed to have an aquarium at my new place. Since I didn't pay the additional $500 pet deposit. It was aquarium or my dog (Mini Australian Shepherd). But being a fish tank lover I'm going to do one anyway. The AIO is to alleviate any chance of overflow or leaks.

I edited the the back to mimic a bio cube. Chambers will all be about 4x4 the first will hold the aquatic life 115, then over flow the top down my media rack, floss, purigen, the chemipure elite, (no lr in the filter since I will have 25lb in the tank. the flow underneath to chamber three which will have a maxi jet 900 and heater.

For the first baffle How low from the top of the water line like 1.5" and the second how high from the bottom about another 1.5"

 

[chlwodud85]

I had one of yankeepetes AIO kits before and made the exact tank you are trying to build. From what I found out later down the road it's just easier (stress free) to buy a made AIO tank. (IM fusion, JBJ, or Cobalt C-View). I got out of the hobby sometime ago and now I am looking to jump back in and waiting to see the Cobalt.

I also think yankeepete works with oceanboxdesign now? When I did a google search that website came out and it is very similar to what he use to do.

Hope this helps and good luck on getting the setup to start.