30 Gallon Micro/Nano AIO DIY Reef Tank

[dward0487]

Hey guys! This will be my first post here, as I'm new to the forums. I'm relatively new to saltwater aquariums, having only had some experience with 1 other tank that I ran with my father when I was younger (and had no clue what I was doing...). Since the reef tank bug hit me, I've been doing a lot of research, and I think I'm ready to take the plunge! In this thread, I'll be presenting my plans for my new micro/nano reef tank, as I come up with them. So, let's start off with a little background information:

While I would absolutely love to have a 150 or 200 gallon tank, my wife and I live in an apartment with limited space, and our budget is equally limited! For this reason, I have decided to go with a nano/micro 30 gallon reef tank. I know that I'll have to be diligent about monitoring my water parameters and doing my regular water changes, but I'm confident that I'm up to the task. I plan to have a maximum of 5 fish (1 or 2 Oscellaris clowns, a goby/shrimp pair, a six-line wrasse, a Helfrich's firefish, and perhaps a blue dot jawfish or a blue eye royal dottyback), with an assortment of soft and LPS corals. I'll probably be using about 30-40 pounds of Pukani live rock in the tank. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I want this tank to have an absolute minimum of clutter. This means that anything that hangs off the back of the tank (overflow, refugium, skimmer, etc.) is out of the question. I also don't have a lot of space for a large cabinet to house an external sump. For these reasons, I have decided to go about planning an AIO tank. I have seen a few designs where the sump is located on one side of the tank and blacked out, but I'm not keen on the symmetry of that look, so I have decided to use a 40 gallon breeder tank that is a little bit deeper (36"x18"x16") and create a false wall which will form a 5.5"-deep sump located in the rear of the tank. Given that the tank is slightly more than 4 gallons, my plans should result in a a 30 gallon display tank (36"x12.5"x16") and a 13 gallon sump (36"x5.5"x16"). I'm going to be using black acrylic for the false wall, and I'll be blacking out the portions of the glass that will comprise the sump. Below is my sump design (drawn to scale and pictured as if you were facing the back of the tank, looking toward the front):

I'm going to have some notches cut in the right side of the acrylic to keep my inhabitants out of the overflow/intake area. The water will pass through a sponge which will be suspended on a grate supported by acrylic notches. Then, the water will pass through my GFO and carbon, both in filter bags that will be suspended on grates supported by acrylic notches. As you can see, the width of the grates will be such that they can be removed, in order, so that I can replace the media in the bags as needed. The intake section of the sump will be approximately 10" wide. I have included a bubble trap so that no large bubbles make it into the skimmer portion of the sump. I'm going with a Tunze Comline DOC 9004 skimmer for this setup. I've read good things about it, and its small size should work well for this sump design. The skimmer includes a magnet for mounting, and I plan to mount it to the bubble trap baffle that separates the skimmer and return sections of the sump, against the back wall of the sump and facing the intake section. The skimmer requires about 9" of water height, so my baffles will be 10" tall and the skimmer will sit about an inch above the bottom of the tank (supported by acrylic notches so it does not slip down) in order to avoid any blockage of water flow to the return section of the sump. The heater, a 100-watt Eheim Jager, will be housed in the skimmer section of the sump, along the back wall. The skimmer section of the sump will be approximately 14" wide, and the return section will be about 12" wide. I think I'm going to go with a Sicce Syncra Silent 1.5 (357 GPH) pump as my return pump, as it will provide plenty of flow for the tank and I can adjust the output rate to my liking. My return line will include a check valve to prevent siphoning in the event of a power outage, and will be plumbed into a centered hole fairly near the top of the acrylic sump wall. I will be using a split-Y configuration for the return nozzles in the display tank. The depth of my sump, coupled with the fact that the skimmer will be sitting against the rear wall of the sump, should give me plenty of room so that I can remove the skimmer cup without the return line being in the way.

I know that some people don't use skimmers in tanks of this size, but I want to keep this water as clean as I can. I think this design will accomplish that, while looking pretty sharp. I do need some powerhead advice for this tank... I know I should probably be looking for something in the 900 GPH range. I want something that I can place in the tank without looking too cluttery. I'm considering 2 Sicce Voyager 2 powerheads (perhaps with the Wave Surfer controller). Each one flows up to 800 GPH, and they can be attached with magnets, which I would prefer to suction cups. I'm thinking of attaching them to the back wall of the display tank (so that the cords can be as far out of sight as possible) on either side of the tank and angling them down and inward, to create semi-opposing flow. Does that sound good?

So what do you think of my plan? If you guys have any suggestions or comments, let me know! I'd also love to hear what you guys think of my livestock choices. I'm looking for some beautiful, colorful fish with a decent amount of movement that will share the space well and be friendly to my corals. I greatly appreciate the knowledge and experience that all of you have, and I look forward to hearing from you. I'm sure as my planning progresses I'll be coming to you all with LED lighting questions, too. Thanks, and happy reefing!

 

[dward0487]

Given that the tank is slightly more than 4 gallons, my plans should result in a a 30 gallon display tank (36"x12.5"x16") and a 13 gallon sump (36"x5.5"x16").

This should read:

"Given that the tank is slightly more than 40 gallons, my plans should result in a a 30 gallon display tank (36"x12.5"x16") and a 13 gallon sump (36"x5.5"x16")."

Just a little typo on my part. It's been a while since I wrote the original post, so I no longer have the option to edit it...

 

[Holokai]

Wow! Love the planning you're doing on this, and now have me thinking about doing an AIO.

Do you need a third baffle for the pre-skimmer bubble trap?

 

[dward0487]

Wow! Love the planning you're doing on this, and now have me thinking about doing an AIO.

Do you need a third baffle for the pre-skimmer bubble trap?

Thanks for the support! You know, a third baffle might not be a bad idea on that section... I'd have to find a way to incorporate it into the design, as the first baffle currently doubles as the "wall" of the filter section. I'm not sure if it would make a big difference, but it wouldn't hurt to add it in. And after looking over my design here, I just noticed that the water level is wrong in the simmer section. The height of the water in the skimmer section will be determined by the height of the leftmost baffle, and I mistakenly drew it as if it were determined by the baffle between the intake and skimmer sections. I will re-work the picture a little and post the new design shortly. It's so nice to have another set of eyes looking over this stuff!

In other news, I just picked up my 40 gallon breeder tank from Petco today for $40! I was under the impression that the "dollar per gallon" sale was over, but when we walked in to price check the tank, my wife noticed the sale sign. For those of you interested in the sale, it should be going on until the 12th of this month. I'm in the DFW area, so I'm not sure if that date is valid for any other areas.

 

[dward0487]

Alright, so here is the revised sump design, drawn completely to scale, including measurements. I went ahead and added an extra baffle to each section to increase the efficiency of the bubble traps. I also corrected the height of the baffle between the skimmer and return sections to properly regulate the water level for the skimmer.

I chose to go with an "under-over-under" design for the bubble traps because I felt that it would promote a better flow of water through the filter media. I have read that "over-under-over" designs promote better surface skimming in the sump, but I feel that the flow of water through the comb section will keep any surface film in solution, and the use of the initial sponge should help to remove surface scum, as well. "Under-over-under" designs are apparently easier to clean, too, so that is a nice bonus.

As you can see, the space between the baffles, as well as the height of the baffles from the bottom of the sump, have been set to 1.5 inches, for proper water velocity. Given that my skimmer will be attached to the baffle, the extra height of the baffle raises my skimmer to a total height of 1.5 inches off the bottom of the sump. To account for this increase, I changed the height of the water level-regulating baffle to 10.5 inches, thus maintaining the proper skimmer depth of ~9 inches.

The only other change I made was to increase the overflow comb height from 1 inch to 1.5 inches, to allow for better flow.

In total, I should need the follow pieces of black acrylic to create the sump section:

(1) 35.5" x 16" panel, with notches cut across ~8.75" of the right side, as well as a hole 1.5" - 2" down from the center of the top edge
(1) 14.5" x 5.5" panel
(3) 12" x 5.5" panel
(2) 10.5" x 5.5" panel

Cutting the main panel to 35.5" should account for the width of the glass and still give me a little room for silicone. I will use Weld-On #16 for the acrylic-to-acrylic work, and RTV 108 for the acrylic-to-glass work. Any remaining acrylic will be cut with a hacksaw to create the various notches that I will use to support the filter media grates and the skimmer.

NOW, HERE'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION:

I have read all sorts of opinions on the efficacy of bonding acrylic to glass. Some people say it works fine, and others say it will fail. I should also note that most of the arguments I have read seem to be over the addition of acrylic baffles to a glass sump, where little pressure is put on the acrylic. Given that this project will involve an entire ~36" x 16" acrylic back wall which will be under water pressure from the display tank, should I be considering glass for the back wall? I feel like the 6 baffles in this design will provide adequate support for the back wall, so I'm not sure it's a huge issue.

If I did go with glass, I'd have to do something different for the overflow comb. I could simply have an 8.75" x 1.5" notch cut out of the top right side and install a comb made out of a Soffit vent strip (pictured below).

As you can see, if I were to cut the strip in half, lengthwise, it would make a perfect comb, and the plastic lip would fit over the edge of the glass in the cut overflow area.

Here's another issue... If I were to use glass, I'd have to have a way of blacking it out, and that would mean painting it. I don't like the idea of having paint on the inside of my display tank, and if I were to paint the sump side, which would look better from the display side, I'm afraid the paint would interfere with the bond of the silicone. If I tape off the joints so that they don't get painted, you'd be able to see the lack of paint in the joints from the display tank side when it's done. So, it's a conundrum. What are your thoughts? Acrylic, or glass? Let me know! Thanks.

 

[dward0487]

After giving it a lot of thought, I think I'm going to go with glass instead of acrylic for this build. After reading as much as I could on bonding acrylic to glass, I'm just not sure that I would be able to get a good bond that will hold up to the water pressure on the back wall (although I did think the TAP Plastics E-6100 would probably work...). I think I will put all the glass in with black silicone (RTV 103), so that I can see what I'm doing in those tight baffle spaces. Then, when it has fully cured, I'll paint the inside with a few coats of black latex paint. The black silicone will blend in with the black paint, and it should look great from the display side. As for the overflow comb, I can get an acrylic comb insert and attach it with silicone, since it won't be under any real pressure. If I really wanted to, I could bond a small acrylic "lip" to the comb instead, so that it simply "clips" to the glass and can be removed when needed. With a glass setup, I just don't think the intricate notches that hold the filter media are going to be feasible, so instead, I'll simply fabricate a little "filter rack" out of egg crate and plastic rods. It will essentially be a square column with levels of egg crate that will hold the filter bags, as well as the sponge. I should be able to lift it out of the tank and replace the filter bags, and the weight of the media should keep it submerged and stationary in the tank. From what I've read, the skimmer's magnets should be quite strong enough to keep it in place without the need for notches. I think this setup seems a lot sturdier, and a little easier to assemble!

 

[Holokai]

Someone with more experience than I will chime in, but if you put paint inside the tank you won't be able to scrape anything off it if you ever needed to.

Personally, I'd go acrylic and add more braces if necessary. and even then, the difference in water level between the bottom of the teeth and the sump area is not much and should not result in too much pressure for the existing 'braces.'

To be safe, you could extend your 'under' baffles to the top of the tank too, drilling a hole in the left two for the return.

But I write computer code, I do not build bridges

 

[dward0487]

Good point about not being able to scrape the inside of the glass... I suppose there is also always the option of using black glass for the back wall, and painting the outside of the side and back portions of the sump...

 

[dward0487]

Alright, so I figured it was time for an update on my progress:

I recently got my stand in the mail, and it took about 20 minutes to fully assemble it. It's an Aquatic Fundamentals 50/65 gallon tank stand from Petco, and it was on sale. It's the perfect height for my setup and it matches my decor, as you can see. My wife loves it. I also leak tested the tank, and the seams look fine. So far, so good!

I went ahead and picked up my rock at Dallas North Aquarium for $1.89/lb. It's nice and porous, and I think it looks great! I picked up about 45 lbs. so I'd have enough to work with... Here's what I came up with:

I picked up an RO/DI filter from Marc at Melev's Reef. He lives about 15 minutes away from me, so it's very convenient. He's also cutting my acrylic panels for me for much cheaper than any of the estimates I got from the local plastics supply shops. He's very friendly and quite knowledgeable, and I highly recommend his services to anyone interested in reefing!

Anyway, I should have the acrylic pieces by tomorrow, so I'll probably be installing the sump in the tank over the weekend. I'll be using E-6100, which is a thick adhesive that seems to be quite good for bonding acrylic to glass. I'll try to get some pictures of the process to share with you all.

 

[Holokai]

Nice scaping! Looks way more natural than most arching scrapes I see on here. Looking good!

 

[Aquavaj]

Nice start! Looks like you have a solid layout going.

I'm in the process of starting a build with a custom acrylic AIO. Almost same outside dims (36x20x15h) with 4" wide "sump". However I went with dual overflows. After seeing your design I should have gone with the under-over-under baffle layout too to reduce splashing. Mine has a bit of splashing into the center pump return area if the water drops too low but I think with an ATO that shouldn't be a problem.

You can check out my tank here. http://www.socalireefs.com/forums/showthread.php?58435-My-new-AA-custom-AIO

 

[dward0487]

Alright, so I got my acrylic from Marc at Melev's Reef tonight, and it looks fantastic! There was a slight miscommunication and the panel turned out to be a mirror image of what I designed, but having the overflow on the right of the tank is just as good as having it on the left. I decided to have the hole for the bulkhead moved to the return side of the wall so that I could run a single return nozzle instead of cluttering up the tank with a Y-split. I will simply direct the flow in the direction of the overflow teeth. Here are a few shots of the back wall (with the protective paper still on it) mocked up in the tank:

Marc did a great job on the overflow teeth. Here's a closeup of them:

Here's a shot of how the baffles look from behind the tank. Everything looks great:

I went ahead and had a cover cut for the sump section, so people walking by would not be able to see into the sump. The cover includes a small cutout where I can route my cords from the equipment. Here's a shot of the cover:

Anyway, I'm waiting for the glue to finish drying on the panel, and I'll start installing it in the tank tomorrow night. I'll try to get some pictures once it's in.

 

[dward0487]

Aquavaj, for some reason i couldn't see your post until after I made mine. Strange... Anyway, your tank looks great!

Mine has a bit of splashing into the center pump return area if the water drops too low but I think with an ATO that shouldn't be a problem.

Yeah, an ATO is the way to go!

 

[dward0487]

Alright, so apparently Tapatalk doesn't post quotes properly. No more quoting posts from my phone!

 

[915MANG]

Nice Build!

 

[dward0487]

Nice Build!

Thanks! And it's nice to see another Texan here! I actually used to live in El Paso for a short time.

 

[915MANG]

Thanks! And it's nice to see another Texan here! I actually used to live in El Paso for a short time.

That cool, where you ever in the STARS club? I just got into it about 2 yrs ago. Ill be following your build!

 

[Mark426]

I have build a couple of tanks just like the one you are building. All looks good...really good. The only thing I see is that there in no need for the check valve on the return. It has no function other than reducing your flow and causing maintenance problems.

 

[dward0487]

That cool, where you ever in the STARS club? I just got into it about 2 yrs ago. Ill be following your build!

No, I wasn't in STARS. I lived there when I was younger, before I got into reefing.

The only thing I see is that there in no need for the check valve on the return.

Actually, I noticed that the other day, and I won't be adding the check valve. I forgot to mention that. Good catch!

Alright, so I got the acrylic glued in tonight. It was a real pain working in that tight space with all those baffles. I tried to get the visible seams to look good using painter's tape, but the seams inside the sump look like crap... Tape just wasn't feasible there. No one will be able to see them, though, so that's alright. As long as they hold water relatively well when they're cured, I'll be happy. Overall, I think it looks petty good! Here's a view from the front:

I'm going to let it cure for a week, then leak test it. Am I correct in assuming that a small leak out two in the baffles isn't a big deal? I know they'll be determining my water level, but won't the flow through the sump overcome any small leaks? Hopefully I won't have any leaks at all, but if I do, I don't want to start freaking out! Let me know what you guys think.

 

[undeadmoto]

This is an awesome looking build. I am kind of intrigued by the AIO concept and might have to try and build one of my own