custom built 10g frag tank

[hondadude2k5]

I modified a standard 10g fish tank into an AOI frag tank. I took some scrap acrylic that I had laying around and I made a false wall in the back of the tank. Then I took another piece of acrylic and partitioned off that area into 2 chambers. The smaller side has an MJ900 and my heater in it while the other side has 1lb of kelini rubble rock. Monday i am going to place some chaeto into that chamber as well. Ill end up placing probably another pound of rubble in theback between the 2 chambers as well. The main display area is just short of 8 gallons. I added 10lbs or CaribSea Aragonite and 2lbs of a nice figi rock. Ill add another 2 or 3 small rocks in a few days to make an arch/tower combo in the center of the tank. Spacing is good around the rock so I can clean all 3 sides without any interference. I am building a removable frag rack out of acrylic that i will be placing up to 8 frags at a time. The inhabitants of the tank will be an emerald crab, cleaner shrimp or a blood red, a few snails, and maybe a small clown goby. i want to keep it very simple. Lighting for the tank will be a 6700k CFL for the refugium section, 70w halide for the maintank(coming this weekend), and a 4x1watt LED strip for supplemental lighting with a 1x1watt blue moon night light. I plan to frag SPS and LPS corals and start a nice multi colored zoo garden. First frags to be added will be my eagle eye zoos, a purple and a neon geen digi, and some small green and red candy canes.

Pictures to come for the build this afternoon.

 

[hondadude2k5]

Here is the 10g sitting on the stand from another thread. I actually used the stand when i was done and it is holding up very well.

Here is the rough drawing plans of it.

Siliconing the partitions. Keep in mind these were scrap acrylic. My next one will be cleaner whith new acrylic.

Top down

From the front. i cleaned up the overflow so the teeth were more even and cleaner.

Starting to fill with water.

Ill post another picture later after the cloudiness settles. Enjoy

 

[hondadude2k5]

I accidentally deleted some of my pictures. the only one to survive was the last one. here are the new ones of the tank filled and running.

FTS, you can see the rock in the display and fuge.

From the top. You can see the current and the three chambers.

Here are some of the zoos that are going to be seeded onto the rock for the garden

They are my green eagle eyes, my strawberry wine, and some that are brown with orange mouths. Out of the picture to the side is some others that are kind of red with orange mouths and some that are brown with green mouths. I have a parent colony in my 26g and a 3-4polyp frag of each already to go.

 

[aquaph8]

thats a cool idea. kind of like the biocube in a way.

 

[hondadude2k5]

So I got my MH fixture over the weekend. I am working on the canopy and setting up the fixture today. Ill post pics when I get it built.

 

[hondadude2k5]

View from the front with the room lights on

view from front with only the halides on

View from corner angle with only halides on

 

[hondadude2k5]

I bought a large rock of green eagle eye zoos today and fraged it down into 4 good size frags of 5-6 polyps each. 1 in here, 1 in my 26bow, and the other 2 in my 12g Aquapod for grow out. Halides are installed, I am running a 14kebay special to see how I like it. My other 2 options are a 10k or 20k ushio. I will be adding 4x1w LED's to the tank for supplemental lighting.

I also got a small CUC consisting of 1 nassarius, 1 astrea, and 2 margaritas. No crabs in this tank. Next will be a shrimp and an emerald crab.

This is the end of week 1 and start of week 2........Enjoy!

 

[SPCLMANAGE]

very ingenious, like the idea

 

[phenom5]

Looking good Justin.

I will say this, the 20,000K Ushio has some really nice color to it. Not sure how it does in terms of PAR, but the bulb has a nice, crisp color to it, not too blue at all IMO. Guess it depends on what you're looking for...growth or color.

Are you planning on skinning the hood with anything, or leave it open?

 

[hondadude2k5]

I will be making doors for it in the next few days. Also going to be adding a glass top for evaporation. I loose about a half gallon of water a day. Have to add in the morning and at night.

Those pictures are atually with the 14k bulb. Right now I would rather have growth so i may be switching out the bulb again.

 

[hondadude2k5]

Got the chaeto in the fuge section and switched bulb to the 20k ushio. Colors are awesome. I added another zoo frag to the tank today. 3 polyps of Aromor of GOD and 2 polyps of some very vivid green. Pics to come later. From this point on, the tank will be left alone from changes till the first week of january. Gonna let it do its thing. First SPS frags to go in will be an orange and a purple digi.

 

[outcastjra]

More updates need...looks cool to me!

 

[hondadude2k5]

I got hit with the cycle from hell. Went 3 weeks with nothing so right when I thought things were ready....bam a cycle. Brown algae everywhere. Working on getting that cleaned up now.