Matt's Nano

[meschaefer]

I am just about to get started on my nano tank, a relatively small system for this forum with a 180 gallon display tank. This will be an inwall set up, with a dedicated "fish room" behind it. My contractor is just about ready to start refurbishing my basement and this is my last chance to make any special requests. (You can jump to the bottom of the post if you just want to get to my questions)

This will be an SPS dominated system, with hopefully some open space for fish to swim about. I have a good idea on how I want the system to be laid out, and what equipment I want to use. Some of the equipment will migrate over from my 65 gallon that I have currently set up.

Fish room- The "fish room" will be a 7 foot x 10 foot room. I am going to have two 20 amp circuits. A ceramic tile floor, with a floor drain for the inevitable misshaps. I am not sure about where I want to have the outlets placed. Unless someone has another idea, I will probably have each circuit run to a set of outlets on either side of the tank. The room will also have a slop sink.

As you can see part of the space in this room is taken up by half my oil tank. The back wall, across from the tank, is taken up by some water pipes and my utility meters.


Sump - The sump will go under the tank. I currently have a custom acylic sump on my 65 that will be to small for this system. In order to get started I am thinking of converting a standard 55 gallon tank, by placing a couple of baffles in it.

Lighting - Right now the plan is for 3 250 mh on HQI ballasts, and Lumenarc Mini Reflectors. I want to set up the rock formation in two pillers, and thought about only using 2 x 250 MH, one over each piller and will probably start out this way and add the third 250 after I have recoverd from some of the initial start up costs.

Flow - I am debating between 2 x Tunze 6100 and the vortechs. I am leaning toward the Tunze because their customer service has been outstanding when i had problems with my nano-streams. I have also been debating between the 6100s and the 6200s.

Filtration - I will use the DAS EX2 that I currently have running on my 65 gallon. It is oversized for the current tank, but got it knowing that I would eventually upgrade my tank. I will also run phosban in a TLF reactor.

Return pump- Sequence Dart. It has a little more flow than I will need, but I figure that I will be able to split off the flow, sending some to a refugium (Not sure I am going to add one), and a frag tank.

Supplmentaion - I currently dose randy's 2-part with a aquamedic doser twin. I will continue to use this on the new system.

Controlers - I will use the Aquacontroler JR, that currently runs my 65 Gallon.

My initial questions, at least in this thread, are:

1. where would you place your electrical outlets?

2. I am also unsure how I want the opening in the wall built for the tank.

Do I want the wall built with extra support so that the wall will act as part of the stand and the front fo the tank will be flush with the vewing side of the wall- I would build a stand that could be slid up to the wall, with a peice of 3/4 plywood covering the stand and the lip on the wall so as to help evenly distribute the weight

- or -

Is it better to have a completely seperate stand, where the tank will be flush with the non vewing side of the wall, and would accordingly be set back about 4 inches from the vewing side of the wall? How do others have their inwall tanks, set into the wall?

Did that make sense?

Thanks in advance for any help?

 

[hatfielj]

I'm confused about why you decided to call this a nano tank. I'm assuming you are joking, but anyway...About your pump choices. I vote for vortechs over the tunzes. Tunze are big and ugly and too expensive for what they look like and do. Vortechs look very sleek and clean and the best part besides the amazing flow they put out is the fact that you don't have any wires or electrical parts in your tank at all! If you're concerned about controllability there is a wireless vortech controller coming out very soon that will be able to control up to 10 pumps and provide all the wave simulation and flow patterns that you might want. ANyway, sounds like it will be a nice set up. Keep posting pics.

 

[meschaefer]

I was only half joking about calling the tank a "Nano", we commonly use the term "nano" to denote "small", as opposed to technical definition as a suffix denoting 10 to the -9 power. In a forum full of threads regarding the next 800 gallon tank, 180 gallons is small.

I really like the concept of the Vortechs, no in-tank wires and a nice sleek design. But I have been really impressed with Tunze customer service, and I have read of some problems with the Vortechs. I forget whose thread it was, but he purchased 4 vortechs and had a problem with three of them.

 

[hatfielj]

Ah ha, I see what you mean now about the nano name

I wouldn't make your decision about vortechs based on that one thread. I know of tons of people (including myself) who absolutely love theirs and would never go back. If you like the look more than go for it. Mine has worked flawlessly since I got it and thats all I can really say. Good luck though no matter what you decide.

 

[meschaefer]

Flow issues aside, I am faced with more pressing concerns. How do I have the cut out in my wall for the tank built.

Do people have the tank set back abit so that it is not flush with the wall, or does the tank sit ontop of a reinforced wall?

And

Where do people like their outlets?

 

[yaktop]

early on vortecs had issues and from what I understand those issues have been worked out. pretty much backed up by Ice Cap who has excellent customer service. have three in their boxes so I hope so

 

[hatfielj]

I would check out some of the other in-wall build threads (like melev's or servo's for instance) and see how they did theirs. I would think it would better to actually have it in wall sitting on top of the studs rather than with a space between the wall and the tank.
As for the outlets, if you want your house to be 'up to code' there are certain rules the contractor has to follow in order to pass an inspection by an electrician. I would just do what the standard is if I were you, but its your house so really you can do it however you like.

 

[jnarowe]

I built my system "in-wall" but not really. You can see the construction progression by clicking on the Red House.

I was mainly concerned with noise abatement when I did my install so I spent a great deal of energy on that. Long story shortened, I added a second 2" deep wall in the tank room with offset studs so that the interior sheetrock is not mechanically connected to the viewing room sheetrock. This helps mitigate noise transfer through vibration. I also foamed in all the outlets, switches, etc. and filled the walls with insulation.

I built the opening for the tank to be 1 foot less in length and 6" less in height, and mounted the tank & stand up against the wall but with a slight gap. I then foamed the gap. The reason why I did this was soley for noise and light leakage, of which there is nearly zero. This creates window frame around the tank which can be used as a bar or just as it is. Hiding part of the tank is useful as well in that the seams, sand face, waterline, and pipes are all hidden from view.

As far as outlets go, I kept some of the ones already in the tank room, like two under the tank, and moved the others up to about waist or chest high. Then I ran a separate line in from the main panel to a sub panel in the tank room. From there I used all surface mount watertight boxes and flexible conduit, mounting some above the tank and some under the tank and refugium. I made sure that none could be splashed with water no matter how creative I get! Each set of plugs has its own breaker in the sub panel.

HTH!

 

[meschaefer]

Construction began this weekend, although I really should just say the demolition begain this weekend as that is all that has been done.

I am still split on how I want the tank to push up against the wall. At this point I figure that i will have the contractor reinforce the wall where the tank is, so that it could carry some of the tank weight if I decide to go in that direction. If i have the tank sit back from the wall, so that the wall creates a lip around the tank all I need to do is some finishing work.

I am going to have him place a set of outlets on either side of the tank, each on its own circuit. I think that i will have him place them waist high. I am somewhat concerned about access to the outlet on the left of the tank, as that is where I intend to put my ro/di water, a salt water mixing vessel and a frag tank. These will all be on a multi level stand.

I have been thinking more about my stand, and am thinking of doing something simmilar to Sanjay Joshi's stand, where he used cinderblock with steel I-beams spanning between them for the tank to sit on. I just need to find a source for the steel, and get a bead on the price.

I have pictures of the ongoing construction of the basement, and will start posting some pics tonight.

 

[meschaefer]

Construction is ongoing, I was hoping to have some pictures of the fish room framed out but as with all home renovation projects problems arose. My contractor cracked one of the main cold water pipes wich feeds most of my house. So I was without water last night and this morning. Framing of the fish room had to be stopped until the pipe was dealt with. He was working on it this morning, and I am hoping to see some real progress very soon.

I have been giving some thought to my flow. The cost factor between the Vortechs and The Tunze 6100 is pretty much a toss up. ALthough I have been really happy with my nano streams and the customer service I have received from Tunze when I did have a problem, I really should give the Vortechs a try. I think I might order one and give it a test run on my 65gallon. If I hate it, I am sure I can find someone to take it off my hands.

I am concerned about the inability to direct the flow. Has anyone found this to be a problem, or with this much flow is directionality really not important?

 

[jnarowe]

The Vortechs have such a wide oscillating flow that it really doesn't matter IMO.

 

[meschaefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10081189#post10081189 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
The Vortechs have such a wide oscillating flow that it really doesn't matter IMO.

When you say "oscillating", does the direction of the flow actually change or is it so wide that it doesnt matter.

 

[jnarowe]

well, it's strange and hard to describe, but the flow itself, as viewed in swaying polyps, does have some sort of uneven impact that makes things sway back and forth. It doesn't move side-to-side as far as I can tell, except for the possibility that the ebb and flow causes some widening and narrowing, but you would have to confirm that with Eco-Tech.

But the flow is much wider flow that the Tunze that I have seen. What I would do if you have any questions about it, is try to hook up with someone in NYC that already has them, and go see how they work. There are some videos available of them in action as well.