20xL rimless reef

[D5HP]

Hello all,

I figured I'd stop drooling in the Large Reefs subforum and go ahead and start a thread for my tank here in the nano section.

This tank has been running since 9/2/2010 and I haven't had any real issues. The controller is based on an arduino and does the simple stuff (currently working on including some daily 2-part dosing and dry food feeding).

The tank is a custom from glass-cages. For the price I don't think it can be beat. The stand and canopy were custom built by myself.

There are 26 CREE 3W LEDs for the lighting and the dimming is also controlled by the arduino.

AC70 HOB filter/fuge. AquaC Remora Skimmer. Two koralia nano 425's. Closed loop system with phosban reactor recently installed (1/13/2011).

Anyways, you all just want pictures! Ask questions about anything and I'll be happy to answer.

POST CYCLE:

Pardon the white balance --> most recent FTS I have.

Hopefully this tank will continue progressing through the year until it has to come down in December. At that point this tank will become SPS only and I'll be building a large >150g FOWLR system.

 

[blkg35]

Nice build on the stand/canopy. Great job on the aquascape too.
Any issues with running just a modded AC70? What's your feeding schedule?

 

[cloons411]

Tank looks pretty nice. What SSR's did you go with for the controller?

 

[D5HP]

Nice build on the stand/canopy. Great job on the aquascape too.
Any issues with running just a modded AC70? What's your feeding schedule?

Thanks blk. That was my first piece of 'furnture'.

No issues with the AC70. Occasionally after a water change it gets stuck and won't start up, so I have to drain it and clean the impeller but I've gotten better about doing that monthly without having to worry.

I feed every night and sometimes at lunch if I make it home right when the lights come on. At lunch I'll just throw in a couple of new life spectrum pellets. At night I give them more pellets, spirulina flake, cyclopeeze, and frozen mysis every other night.

I dose Phyto Feast (8-10 drops) and Oyster Feast (4 drops) nightly before lights out. Here's a HD video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eMcFIVOhzw

There are currently six fish:

• Two true occelaris clowns
• One tank raised banggai cardinal
• Two small chromis
• Yellow watchman goby

Tank looks pretty nice. What SSR's did you go with for the controller?

Thanks.

I have 6 of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Solid...ultDomain_0&hash=item27b8db29a5#ht_2968wt_907

Love them. No problems and the red LED indicator is really helpful for debugging if necessary.

 

[duncantse]

How big is your tank and do you have a protein skimmer or sump?

I have a 20 gallon FOWLR but I don't know if I just install a sump or not, seems like it's too much work.

 

[D5HP]

The tank is 36"x12.5"x10" --> 20g

I do not have a sump but I have an AquaC Remora Skimmer that doesn't really do too much. I empty it once a week but the skimmate is just a brownish water. Never sludge.

I am about to add more fish for a total of 7 or 8. Lots of fish, but they're all small and friendly. This tank has to be torn down in December and moved. It will then become a full blown SPS reef. I plan on drilling it for a sump and adding two MP10 synced up to create a really nice wave. I'll most likely keep the same fish in there. My nitrates are consistently zero and just had my salifert test verified with a LaMotte.

 

[D5HP]

Here's some updates for everyone...nothing really exciting.

Alice

Torch stinging the cap...need to sell two of four of its heads:

Where the cleaner hangs:

The new super fast sixline...she isn't eating really well yet:

Winston looking mad being happy

These clowns are getting FAT....mainly because I'm feeding so many times a day for the anthias....and they never get full....I watched one clown eat like 20+ NLS pellets at one time.

GSP forest...engage:

Ric stomping:

 

[duncantse]

Nice progress! I have always wanted an extra long tank. What is your fish livestock right now? What is in your HOB filter?

 

[Theprettycolors]

Great tank!

 

[JasonBJones]

Really a great tank, well done.

 

[D5HP]

Nice progress! I have always wanted an extra long tank. What is your fish livestock right now? What is in your HOB filter?

Thanks.

It sure makes it look bigger than it really is.

Livestock list has changed a little bit. I lost a sixline back in January and then I lost the green chromis as well so I was down to four fish in the tank.

I got two more tiny chromis after that bringing me to six.

Then I ordered a small lyretail anthias who is doing fantastic. The tank has a ton of flow (think 100x :eek1 and she just fights in the current all day long where its the strongest waiting for food. I feed between 3-5 times a day. Frozen once a day and artcipods once a day...the rest is a mixture of dry foods via an automated feeder I built.

The HOB is an AquaClear 70 (AC70) that holds filter floss and carbon. There's a closed loop system for a GFO reactor below the tank. It added about 2 gallons of volume and a lot of flow, which helped eradicate cyano when I was having some troubles. The pump is a nice eheim that will eventually be used as the return when I tear the tank down and add a sump (end of the year)

Great tank!

Really a great tank, well done.

Thanks to you both! Much apprecaited :wave:

 

[jabbott]

Looks great

 

[InvaderJim]

Great looking tank. Did you build the stand and canopy yourself?

 

[Jadams]

Sweet tank :thumbsup:

 

[HandOfGod]

I really like the aquascaping, it makes the space look much bigger. It's very clean looking too, not just piles of frag plugs :thumbsup:

 

[D5HP]

Thanks guys!

It was suggested I do this on another site so I thought I'd share here as well.

The FTS progression:

September 6, 2010

October 3, 2010

October 24, 2010

November 5, 2010

November 17, 2010

[

December 4, 2010

/

January 10, 2011

January 28, 2011

February 26, 2011

March 25, 2011

​

 

[Jadams]

Ntotm...????

 

[ange062]

Love the FTS sequence showing all the growth. Really awesome looking tank.

 

[SkullV]

Wow it looks fantastic! Can you give a little more info about the controller? I am in the market right now and have heard a lot about these DIY controllers but nothing concrete.

 

[D5HP]

Ntotm...????

Wow....that would be something else but I thought tanks had to be a year old to be considered? I'll read up on the submission thread.

Love the FTS sequence showing all the growth. Really awesome looking tank.

Thanks ange...I really enjoyed seeing it as well...lots of consistent monitoring pays off.

Wow it looks fantastic! Can you give a little more info about the controller? I am in the market right now and have heard a lot about these DIY controllers but nothing concrete.

Thanks Skull.

Sure. The controller is based on an arduino microcontroller, which I programmed. I'm willing to provide the code to anyone that wants it...that's an offer I've maintained since I set it up. Does it help to know that I haven't had a single issue with that system in the 7 months I've had it? Thought so

The controller has two float switches that enable me to control salinity. I top off between 30-50 times a day using a little aqualifter. They're terrible for dosing but great for this...because it has about 3ft of head and trickles water in slowly.

There are two arcade style buttons that are used for feeding mode and movie mode, though I don't use the movie mode anymore. When you press the button all the water flow in the tank stops (pumps all lose power) for five minutes before coming back on again or until you press the button a second time.

Same as a pinball machine:

There are two temperature sensors that are extremely accurate that keep the tank's temperature at 80 degrees precisely. .1 degree fluctuations in either direction cause the heater to come on, or off accordingly. If the temperature rises above 81 the lights go off (if they're on) and all but one external pump operating the closed loop cut off to minimize heat interaction. That has actually never had to happen though.

I log my top off number each day, the maximum and minimum temperature, and the last time the system topped off. The tank cannot top off more than once every 20 minutes. Period. (some snails can hold down both float switches somehow!)

There is a real time clock that governs the light cycle. There are two trim pots that can be used to manually dim the LED arrays. Otherwise they ramp up slowly using a simple circuit to feed the meanwell drivers. Simple may be relative, as I'm an electrical engineer but I could walk you through any of this stuff. I have helped 4 or 5 other people build controllers...most without any experience whatsoever.

I linked the relays up above, which are essentially the switches of the system which control power to the different components. I purchased them on eBay from a Chinese seller because they were $6 each and American made equivalents are >$60/unit. YIKES!

If you want to know the specific parts I've used PM me and I can provide links to everything. I think the total system cost was just under $130.

I do not have pH control or any other chemistry parameters. I haven't tested the pH of my water in at least 4 months though :hmm4:

Thanks again for the compliments everyone.