Rovster's Custom Reef Savvy build......FINALLY!!!
- Thread starter rovster
- Start date
rovster
New member
Yes, that is one of the small projects I need to complete. I did not build it to fit on the tank, but it will be inset and will use tabs on the corners to suspend it. The frame is built, I just need to paint it and install the netting. I do plan on a wrasse or 2, and with the amount of fish I plan, something is bound to jump. I recently lost one of my purple chromis to jumping. I've also had my clown and blenny jump, but fortunately I was there to put them back in, covered in dog hair and all!:eek1:
nick12881
New member
How are you planning on insetting it? I found a few clear tabs on ebay, only like $10 for 4 of them. Haven't gotten here yet, so can't comment on how they work. Was thinking of having a thin piece of clear acrylic cut to the inside diameter and then putting clear netting on that.hopefully you really won't see it much that way
rovster
New member
Exactly! I thought about siliconing some glass tabs inside but that would kill the clean look. I was thinking of using very thin acrylic for the tabs so its as flush as possible. Not sure how I'll attach them. We'll see how it turns out once its done. Don't worry, I have pics of that project as well:crazy1:
As far as getting a custom acrylic piece fabricated. Contact Synergy. They did one for Daimyo I believe. He sent me pics of it and it looked really slick. That is probably out of my current budget, but something to consider for the future. I think the only problem with that is that the acrylic is not very rigid.
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AquamanE
Active member
So, as I stare at this empty tank, I've been thinking a lot lately about how and with what kind of fish I want to stock it with. I was hoping I could get some pointers on compatibility, and order of stocking if it makes a difference. As far as fish load, the more the merrier, LOL! I currently have 9 fish in my 30 gallon, but most are on the small side. I definitely prefer more smaller fish than fewer large "show" fish. I like the aquarium to look busy, with lots of movement and such. Below I'll list some of my thoughts on what I would like to stock the tank with. I'll break it down to Large medium and small. These are relative terms, and "large for me" is not necessarily a big fish, but big for the size aquarium.
Large:
What is an aquarium without a tang? Face it, they are active, beautiful, and provide lots of movement. They are also very nice for the "non-reef" visitors. Unfortunately, my favorite fish the Achilles gets way to big for my tank, so getting one will have to wait for the next upgrade. Discussing tangs with different people will give you a huge range of opinions, from the tang Nazi's on the general forum, to some that have told me I can have multiple tangs in there. I believe the truth to be somewhere in between. My top choices for tangs are:
- Purple
- Yellow
- Kole
- Powder Blue
I was thinking realistically 1-2 from that list would be appropriate. My favorite fish from that list is the purple, that said I think a yellow tang, even though it's a very common fish, is a gorgeous blast of color for any aquarium. I would be worried that a yellow and purple would fight to the death.
as both are considered pretty aggressive. My concerns with the powder blue is how prone these guys are to ich. I do plan on a qt period for all fish, but if I decide on a powder blue, I will likely treat it actively, or at the minimum do an extended QT. The Kole is the obvious most "practical" choice, and although its a nice fish, the other 3 are much more attractive to me. The other reason for a tang or 2, although secondary, is hopefully they will help with grooming.
On to the medium fish. In this category, the first I would love to get is a dwarf angel. Very risky with all the corals I want, but man are they nice. Top contenders in this category is a Potters or a Flame. I'm thinking of adding this guy last, after the aquarium is a little more established, and most of the frags have had a chance to settle and grow out a bit.
Other medium fish I want to get are a group of anthias. Sunset and Bartletts are my favorite, but I may stick to the Lyretails because they seem to be a little more hardy. I love the color and movement a group of anthias provides. Whether I can keep them long term history will tell. I know some of you have had issues with them in the past. I will try though, that is one of my MUST TRY fish, LOL!
I was thinking that the first additions to the tank would be a trio of Blue Green chromis. Personally, I think these are cool fish. I hate the last man standing reputation, but they are cheap, good looking, and a good "tester fish". I know that sounds all wrong
The last guys in the medium category is I think it would be nice to have a wrasse or 2 in there. Top contenders are the flame wrasse, but any of the variety of flasher and fairy wrasses is fair game.
In the small category, I already have a few of those, but one of my must haves is a Goby shrimp pair. I would also love to maybe have a few different varieties of gobies, as I think its cool to see them all hanging out in front of their dens around the perimeter of the islands.
Some of the fish I currently have will also be joining the party, which includes a pair of clowns, starry blenny, tanaka wrasse, pair of swissguard basslets, and 2 purple chromis.
The last one I am undecided on is whether or not I want to be brave and get a jawfish. They are SO COOL! That said, I know they come with their baggage, so I'll save that decision for later.
I know I listed a lot of fish up there. By no means am I going to get all of them, but those are the top contenders. I figure I got room to add a good amount of the smaller to medium fish, and I purposely went with a heavier skimmer for that reason. I also plan on carbon dosing to keep nutrients in check.
Any suggestions, recommendations, and tips regarding QT, compatability, and concerns with the above mentioned, feel free to comment. I'll try to get some more pics and DIY going in the next few days.
Too much to read at one time, but... regarding tangs, yellow tank and purple tang are both sp. zebrosoma, so expect issues. How about a zebrosoma and a sp. Ctenochaetus (aka bristletooth tangs).. Chevron, and Kole, both in same family. Better chances of less aggression.
I have Sailfin, Yellow tang, chevron, in a 200 and all three are fine with each oth. Mind you different families.
rovster
New member
Thanks Eddie, I was not planning on the yellow and purple together, or at a minimum know of the risk. Chevron tangs get huge, so that's out. Plus, adult chevron tangs are ugly IMHO.
I think the most likely combo is the yellow/kole. If I get ambitious, maybe the purple/powder blue, but my gut tells me that's too much fish. What do you think?
I think the most likely combo is the yellow/kole. If I get ambitious, maybe the purple/powder blue, but my gut tells me that's too much fish. What do you think?
rovster
New member
BRS posted this to their facebook page today..
for inspiration.
That's really nice, but I feel like the bottom half of those islands needs to be chopped off. Similar to the look I'm going for though. Those Elos tanks are amazing as well!
blackthunda77
New member
What? No Achilles tang love? LOL Then again they are recommended for 200+ gal tanks.
My Achilles was one of my MUST HAVE, HOLY GRAIL fish when i set up my 200.
My Achilles was one of my MUST HAVE, HOLY GRAIL fish when i set up my 200.
rovster
New member
That is my favorite fish, period! I could probably have one in my tank for a while, but that would be pushing it. Even the powder blue and purple I'm considering need a larger tank, but at least I'm close to the minimum recommendation:blown:
If I ever upgrade, which chances are at some point I will ( I already know what I want, LOL!) I'll get one!
G_Sanab922
New member
Gorgeous tank! Following along as well!
Daimyo68
Active member
I designed/built my "lid" from a 1'x4'x3/16" sheet of black acrylic in my garage.
The initial look was sleek and imo, complimented the tank since the black acrylic matches the black silicone used to build the tank, and I was completely satisfied with the way it came out... at first. The lid is a 2 part construction, with an upper and lower frame.
Believe it or not, materials to build this were on par with building a "screen door" frame setup. It did however take more time due to cutting all the strips, channeling the lower frame, beveling the edges and gluing it all together.
The lower frame provides both centering of the frame while resting on the edge of the tank (because the lower framing sets inside the tank), and a channeled groove for the spline and screen, which gives it an incredibly clean look since you cannot see any spline or channel, almost as if the screen is floating under the frame.
The issue with something like this is with the acrylic warping, and possibly weight. The upper frame is 1" wide on 3 sides, and the rear of the frame is 3 5/8" wide (this is due to the fact that my returns are coming over the back of the tank. See the image below and you'll understand why). Anyways, this covers both the 3/4" glass right to the edge of the tank, and also provides the 1/4" mounting/gluing area for the lower frame. Over time, all 4 corners have warped in an upward direction. This completely ruins the nice clean look that it originally had. I believe the problem stems from the acrylic absorbing moisture over time, and possibly the weight of the rear edge being wide. I know that "absorbing moisture" sounds nuts, but research it and ask your local acrylic expert. You will be shocked to know that it's possible with standard acrylic. I think the narrow 1" strip's also adds to this as they are not as rigid as a wider piece can be.
I know it's not the screen being pulled to tight causing the warping because I installed it loose on purpose, so not to distort the frame.
fyi: If I hold down the 4 corners, the entire lid looks perfect. I've considered using Velcro at the 4 corners, but that would also mean adding in 1/8" runs along the edges of the frame to "level" it out. I feel that this would take away from the sleek look, and it will make it a pita to remove the lid when needed.
I'm in the process of building a new one. The new one will sit inside the top edge of the tank and be held up with tabs that will rest on the edge of the tank. Using 1/4" strips will be the way to go, but the issue I will have again will be with my returns coming over the top rear of the tank. Rovster, your tank has a clean edge all the way around, so building one that sets inside the edge of the tank, imo, would be the "slickest" look.
Couple images, both when first installed, and then 6 months later. You can also see the cover I made for my external overflow box. Even this piece warped. It has since been replaced with a glass lid. This prevents any "splashing" getting outside of the box from the water running into the overflow, which was an issue at first. The cover completely solved that problem.
I added this image because the tank looks like crap in all the images above
Daimyo68
Active member
To make the channels, I used a table saw (contractors table). I did have to make 2 passes to widen the channel. One pass yields a channel that is just enough to get the spline in (about 1/8" wide, which is the width of most common circular saw blades). The 1/8" channel is tight, and what happens when you try to install the netting and spline is that the netting will get cut clean on the sharp edges, and not be held in.
By moving the fence 1/32" over, it opens up the channel just enough so that I could install the netting and spline without issue. I also ran a razor blade on all the channel edges to smooth them out. It's amazing that fresh cut acrylic can be sharper than a fine knife.
By moving the fence 1/32" over, it opens up the channel just enough so that I could install the netting and spline without issue. I also ran a razor blade on all the channel edges to smooth them out. It's amazing that fresh cut acrylic can be sharper than a fine knife.
Jgoal55
Active member
I think the warping may be due more to the heat from the lights (are they LEDs?) than water absorption by the acrylic.
That's too bad though because I bet that did look sleek and was a nice solution to covering a rimless tank.
Me personally, after my experience with the rimless nano, I don't think I'll be doing rimless on my next aquarium. While I love the modern, sleek look, I don't like that you can always see the water line and eventually, that water line starts to leave a permanent line on the glass that has to scraped with a razor blade.
That's too bad though because I bet that did look sleek and was a nice solution to covering a rimless tank.
Me personally, after my experience with the rimless nano, I don't think I'll be doing rimless on my next aquarium. While I love the modern, sleek look, I don't like that you can always see the water line and eventually, that water line starts to leave a permanent line on the glass that has to scraped with a razor blade.
Jgoal55
Active member
I think the warping may be due more to the heat from the lights (are they LEDs?) than water absorption by the acrylic.
That's too bad though because I bet that did look sleek and was a nice solution to covering a rimless tank.
Me personally, after my experience with the rimless nano, I don't think I'll be doing rimless on my next aquarium. While I love the modern, sleek look, I don't like that you can always see the water line and eventually, that water line starts to leave a permanent line on the glass that has to scraped with a razor blade.
That's too bad though because I bet that did look sleek and was a nice solution to covering a rimless tank.
Me personally, after my experience with the rimless nano, I don't think I'll be doing rimless on my next aquarium. While I love the modern, sleek look, I don't like that you can always see the water line and eventually, that water line starts to leave a permanent line on the glass that has to scraped with a razor blade.
Daimyo68
Active member
Definitely not a heat issue. My fixture puts out no heat at all. With 4 fans pushing and 4 pulling, the air coming out of the fixture is cool. You can hold you hand on the bottom piece of clear acrylic, 1/2" away from the LED's, and there is almost no heat at all.
My next tank most likely won't be a rimless either. Like you, I like the sleek/clean look, but the hassle of getting water running down the glass when you pull your arm out of the tank, the water line/buildup/stain, and a couple other things, have made me realize that in the future, I may go with a custom size, but it will have some type of trim on it.
My next tank most likely won't be a rimless either. Like you, I like the sleek/clean look, but the hassle of getting water running down the glass when you pull your arm out of the tank, the water line/buildup/stain, and a couple other things, have made me realize that in the future, I may go with a custom size, but it will have some type of trim on it.
