Fluval Chi 6.6 Gallon. First SW tank.

[TurboCamaro]

Going to be adding information and pics over the next few days.

My name is Will, and as my SN indicates, I drive a turbo Camaro lol.

I also love saltwater fish and corals like the rest of you!

Here's my tank!

The tank has been going for roughly 3 years now, and has just shy of $1k in it.

Its never crashed; ever. Its a fish and reef tank. Ive had a number of different fish in it over the years. Also started with little frags as usual.

Currently its fishless until tomorrow, except for the baby Turbo snails, couple starfish and a pom pom crab.

On the way are 2 Sexy Shrimp, another Pom Pom Crab, 2 Cerith, 1 Astrea and a Yellow Clown Goby.

TrueLumens White and Blue 24v LED strips, with a 12v strip for moonlight.

Lexan top, AC50 with Intank llc's custom media basket. 10lbs liverock.

And the drawer of accumulated supplies.

More soon; probably later tonight.

 

[TurboCamaro]

Finally got a few good shots of the inhabitants.

Going to wait to add more until I transfer everything to the new tank in 2 weeks, here is a pic of the new tank, custom built to match the top of the table I built in high school. The table is sealed and I will be building a matching low profile canopy.

 

[TurboCamaro]

Here is what the tank looked like before the current arrangement.

The wrasses are now at the LPS, as they most definately not invert safe. When the new Zoa frags went in they immediately went after them. So I pulled all the rock and took the fish.

 

[TurboCamaro]

Crap, didnt realize I grabbed that pic.

And last but not least,

Contents have since been moved to the new tank. But that doesn't mean thats the end of this thread.

Ill continue to post previous pics from this tank, but I will be restarting this tank in a few weeks.

Progress will also be posted here.

Now I get to start another build thread, lol.

Cheers!

 

[TurboCamaro]

These are the wrasses I had, best guess they were closest to ornamental wrasses?

Christmas Island spotted crabs,

Some close ups of coral,

And some old tank shots,
Black and Gold Chromis and Black Snowflake Ocellaris Clown

 

[TurboCamaro]

Gonna ask for some input here, critique welcome as well.

Anyone here added an overflow inside an existing tank by adding a false wall? Kind of like the Fluval Spec tanks.

A very rough 5sec drawing, and all the way to the bottom of the tank instead of just the height of the piece of paper.

What BPA free plastic/composite should be used for the divider? Looking for textured plastic as I will be hiding the false wall and returns with rock so I want texture for the epoxy to adhere to very well.

And I probably wont even do a skimmer because its such a small tank. Was thinking floss up top (only for flossing water during tank maintenance) and a Chemipure Elite/Carbon/Purigen mix because of the success I have had with that combo in this tank. They say a "unit" is good for roughly 6 months. I change it every 3, and rinse it of detrius in RO twice a month.

Was thinking of also using another intank media basket to make things easier. Once I start getting measurements I'll better know what to look for.

My friend recommend I use a maxijet 400 for the pump, so im thinking a 2-2 1/2" deep overflow chamber, he said the maxi should be pretty close to 2" wide.

Thoughts?

 

[TurboCamaro]

Well I have come up with the design, and ordered the maxijet 400. Going to stop by the LPS to go through thier fittings box and figure out the return routing.

I know I can use acrylic, but was looking for the textured material used in most off the shelf tanks..

Anyone?

 

[TurboCamaro]

Getting some ABS cut, 1/8" for the false wall and 1/4" for the baffles and side supports.
Also have 103 RTV on the way and a heater.

The maxi jet 400 is exactly 2" wide.

Aquarium safe self adhesive rubber feet for insulating the pump?

Going to do 1 1/4" deep 1/16" wide teeth for the overflow.

 

[TurboCamaro]

$20 for the ABS
$20 for the maxijet 400
$20 for the hydor 50w heater
$14 for the momentive 103 rtv

Once the tank is up and running ill decide on lighting. With such a deep tank I think ill just attach some zoas and mushrooms to the rock going on the false wall.

Hell, the Kenya trees are going bonkers in the new tank; maybe Ill just make a forest of kenya trees in the sand at the bottom of this tank, and softies up the false wall. Some inverts and call it done.

Maybe some inverts that eat kenya trees? That would be pretty cool.

Not really sure how strong the maxijet 400 is going to be. Says 500gph in recirc mode. Might need something smaller. Looks like ill put it in a bucket of RO and see how it does.

EDIT-The maxijet 400 will be perfect. Its crazy quiet too.

Couple pics of the new tank. My Pom Poms were making babies this morning lol.

 

[TurboCamaro]

The extra blue channel is really making the blue limeade zoas turn blue. Both the zoas have started spreading so ill probably leave one on the plug and put the others in their final spots.

My friend just got his 125 into his new house, and im fragging out some of these for him once his is up and going.

 

[TurboCamaro]

Forgot the zoas.

 

[TurboCamaro]

Here is where im at. Going to mock up with some cardboard so I can figure out the return tubing. Simple and straight forward. A swivel 90* at the bulkhead will let me pull the pump up by disconnecting from the bulkhead. So everything will be easily accessible even though the overflow is only 2".

The media chambers will be more towards the top of the overflow so I can get to it without having to go all the way down. Also a second area to run floss when cleaning the tank.

The whole depth of the tank obviously.

And the heater will be further down depending on where the water level winds up.

 

[TurboCamaro]

Rough mock up of the ABS. Going to measure and finalize the chambers tonight, as well as cut the overflow teeth and return hole. Cut the two inner baffles to complete the whole rear chamber, glue a few ABS strips in the first chamber for media racks, then 103 silicone the whole assembly in place.

Its really quiet in here.

*chirp* *chirp*

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[TurboCamaro]

Hmm. Maybe if I post the Turbo Camaro ;p

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[Pnewt]

looking good, when do you plan on finishing the build

 

[TurboCamaro]

Well the plastics place cut the strips that I wanted 1/4" thick only 1/8". So they are recutting and reshipping the order of ABS.

Once thats here I can put it together then rtv it into the tank and let it cure for a couple weeks. I already have measurements on where to put the baffles and such so once thats here itll be quick.

Hoping to have water in it within a month.

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[Fish Friend]

Hi Will
I am looking at all the pictures here while waiting for my first tank to balance and I enjoyed your pictures very much, thank you. The arrangements are very nice, and the coral-forest idea was pretty to imagine at least. Isn't it hard to move that much between two tanks? Do you use anything to fixate rocks in place as you build it?

 

[TurboCamaro]

Hi Will
I am looking at all the pictures here while waiting for my first tank to balance and I enjoyed your pictures very much, thank you. The arrangements are very nice, and the coral-forest idea was pretty to imagine at least. Isn't it hard to move that much between two tanks? Do you use anything to fixate rocks in place as you build it?

Thanks!

I used a few large bowls for water and coral and fish etc, and positioned the bowls on a large stool by the new tank. I started with three fresh gallons of RO salt, added three gallons of tank water, then the sand and rock slowly while only running filter floss.

Takes awhile waiting for the water to clear, but not too bad when you are only dealing with 10 gallons.

In the new tank I didnt use anything but the structure of the rock. I just moved it till it interlocked and became styrdy one piece at a time.

In this tank I epoxied the main tower together, then interlocked piece by piece to finish the back wall.

This tank might wind up with a single flat cut rock. Im still undecided. Im leaning towards a single rock due to the reduced volume. But a rock with caves and shelves and such for just some zoas or mushrooms or something. I was thinking some macro algae too.

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[Fish Friend]

You're welcome

Wow, I would probably knock the bowls down, but it sounds like a wonderful workspace actually.
Well my sand still dust up when I mess with it, so I think I'll give it a good whirl and a water change before adding fishies or they'll hate me..

Ah I see, I actually thought you would explain that you bought the backwall or something. It looks really good. I can understand why you would consider the simple décor, but it's almost a shame when you build so good looking rockreefs. I only got a single rock I carved into a copepod home (fit for kings), but the shop was closing and basically had no more rocks really.

Oh I want anemones and clownfish... Seriously, those things are cute!
Can one keep macro algae in the tank? Not out of sight in sump\refugium, just in the tank as decor?

 

[TurboCamaro]

You're welcome

Wow, I would probably knock the bowls down, but it sounds like a wonderful workspace actually.
Well my sand still dust up when I mess with it, so I think I'll give it a good whirl and a water change before adding fishies or they'll hate me..

Ah I see, I actually thought you would explain that you bought the backwall or something. It looks really good. I can understand why you would consider the simple décor, but it's almost a shame when you build so good looking rockreefs. I only got a single rock I carved into a copepod home (fit for kings), but the shop was closing and basically had no more rocks really.

Oh I want anemones and clownfish... Seriously, those things are cute!
Can one keep macro algae in the tank? Not out of sight in sump\refugium, just in the tank as decor?

As long as you have the lighting spectrum to keep it alive there are a lot of macro algaes to grow outside a refugium.

Eh, the workspace was the end of a hallway where the new tank sits, LOL

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