Nano sps? 27g build!! finally :)

[MAthU]

Hello,
Im Matt this is my build!
heres a bit of history, started off in saltwater 7 or 8 years ago. Very very very uninformed! it was a 20g with tangs! then it was a 40g long with yep more tangs! FINALLY found a local reefing site after discovering the internet, and was verbally abused by all the knowledgeable people on the site. It was all for the good, which then drove me to do things right :thumbsup: i upgraded immediately to a 72g bow,

then to a 155g bow,

and to a 400g,

downgraded to a 240 cube,

more pics here=
http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c.../c199/MathuV/?action=view&current=mathu7.jpg& college came around= then to nothing! now 2 or so years later I am able to set up another reef! and its been in the planing stages ever since the 240 was taken down, Im plans for this SPS dominated tank have evolved a lot over the years, here is what I settled on.
40x16x10
27g built by me!
sump 24x12x16?
lighting 4x39w t5
return pump Mj 1200

no skimmer) yet or maybe never..
i made the stand, tank, and 50% of the rocks (cement)

here it is!

 

[MAthU]

its been running for a few weeks but its just fresh water atm i plan on getting salt, but with out a car its quite hard to do!! it was a hassle doing the plumbing and the stand with things from around the house...LOL i knew i should have brought that salt back from MACNA!

 

[mcdonaldjosh7]

I would be scared to keep SPS in a nano tank just because every can fluctuate so much...then again 27 gallon isnt really THAT small

 

[MAthU]

I know, i did have a 29g bow-front for about a year while the other tanks were still up and running i was able to keep it fairly stable, then again i was using my stable larger reef water for the nano!! lol so it dont count!
but that is a huge challenge that i am going to need to face. you never know it just might make me soo much better at keeping my params in check!

 

[Dustin1300]

Seems like you knew what you were doing with the other tanks. This should be a challenge with a smaller volume. Good luck and keep posting. Why no skimmer though?

 

[MAthU]

well, i have never tried skimmer-less before and i see alot of people have good success with out one, i figure i do a 5-10g water change a week, with low bioload I may not need one. I forgot to mention this is going to be barebottom for a while, with remote SB, if i am not pleased with the unclean bottom and such i may add a sand bed but i doubt it! i have had good things with BB...and i will also have some sand in the clam shell in the right corner.. for some wrasses to sleep in! lol

things on my to do list are
set up ATO!
set up gravity dosing system with CAL/ALK/MG... this will be a experimenting faze.
i also would like to play with some bulb combos, i do not really like the look now, its 2 daylights and 2 atintics.. i would like to try some ATI bulbs and a fiji purple.
if i can find a good deal on a skimmer I will gladly add it to the system!

OH i forgot to mention the most important part of this build, im doing it on as limited budget as possible! so far it has cost me $300!
tank $85= glass/cut 60, hole 20, silicone 5..
stand $25.. old hardwood flooring and a 15$ sheet of mahogany!
2 tunze pumps with controller around $200.. but i will only be using one i think since its way overkill. so $100.
sump Free!!, plumbing Freee.
light $100 brand new!
thats about it atm, My limit for this build i would guess around 400.. but thats not including the livestock. i think i have kept if fairly cheap so far.

 

[dvanacker]

It seems you had thousands tied up in the other tanks....what has changed that you now have such a limited budget?

I think if you do religious 10g water changes a week then skimmerless may work.

Good luck with the build. If you get to the point where you are looking for frags send me a PM.

 

[MAthU]

It seems you had thousands tied up in the other tanks....what has changed that you now have such a limited budget?

I think if you do religious 10g water changes a week then skimmerless may work.

Good luck with the build. If you get to the point where you are looking for frags send me a PM.

Well, the other set ups were still on budgets compared to what people on here spend on there reef/equipment.. I never really had any of the big names in equipment before. It was all pretty much second hand, and low end. except for my pig purchase an OM 4 way.. LOL which i used for 6 months!! I still have a lot of equipment from the other reefs too which i plan on using.. one day! maybe a large scale Prop system??

but I really did want to try and save money where i could on this one. So i could have that unlimited budget for the next ..(if you know what i mean.)

oh and about the frags! i will defiantly be getting in contact with you! you have some beautiful corals.

 

[Fsurocks99]

Nano sps are for the most part easy, IMO. I kept a biocube 14 for 2 years with no real problems. It was skimmerless as well. Just keep up with your water changes and you will do great!

 

[MAthU]

Nano sps are for the most part easy, IMO. I kept a biocube 14 for 2 years with no real problems. It was skimmerless as well. Just keep up with your water changes and you will do great!

I hope its not has hard as i think!, even your 40g is still nano in my mind. I dont think that it is any different from my 27g other than the 10g difference! which i think i make up for in sump volume.

does any one have any good or bad experence with Tunze skimmers? i have one of those HOB smaller foot print ones. I have never used it it came with a tank setup i purchused. it was running on a 220 reef. i think it would be overkill for this small setup, I also have a seasclone? ... I am hesitanit to use as well. I know the collection cup is really small. that might be an issue and i have also had problems with adjusting these so they stay consistant. I might just give them both a try for a month or so and see how they work for me,. it should be a fun experience.
not.
lol

side note.. i just might be getting salt today!!