tpallas
New member
Introduction
Some of you may know me from my other thread on the nano forum, my 11.4 gallon Mr. Aqua SPS tank. I've been keeping fish since I was 6, and saltwater fish since I was 12. My first job was at my LFS, Marine Care Specialists. Needless to say, I've been hooked ever since.
First and foremost, I am 100% keeping the 11.4 gallon tank, and am very excited to see it grow out into a full-blown SPS nano forest. My original intent was to make this a soft coral tank, but with all the planning and effort going into it, I can't help but make it a SPS tank. Maybe I'll set up a third tank for softies?
But instead of the normal rectangular tank, I am jumping on the dropoff bandwagon. There are some great dropoff tanks starting on RC, so I thought I'd throw in my hat as well. So hopefully my build will be interesting and entertaining, and give me the results I'm looking for.
Design Concept
Here's a Sketchup of my concept:
The idea is to have the tank and stand match my 11.4 gallon tank as a piece of furniture in my living room, and a semi-room divider. This sketchup is very preliminary; I intend to lay out the exact setup in detail before I make my first purchase. I've been working with Adam of Artfully Acrylic who has been working with me for two weeks now to ensure that every exact specification is met. The tank will be rimless 1" cell cast acrylic, 30" deep with a 6" deep coast-to-coast overflow, 18" wide, and 24" wide on the bottom step/12" deep on the top step. In the overflow I'll use a Bean Animal setup to reduce noise to a minimum. There will be two 3/4" returns with Loc-line. The back panels will be black and there will be a 1" lip on the lower back wall to retain sand on the upper step. Adam will also be building the stand for me which will match my 11.4g stand, plank style with an all white interior.
Equipment List
Lighting: I'm a little torn on this. I intentionally made it large enough to accomodate a 24" unit if I opt to go with MH/T5 combo. I'm using a Sol Super Blue on my 11.4g, and I do like the LEDs, but I wonder if I might get better colors from MH/T5. There is also the heat to worry about. Other options might be a Radion or a Vega if the reviews are good.
Skimmer: Bubble King Mini 160. 'Nuff said.
Sump: I plan on going to Jeff at LifeReef to build a custom sump for this. He does amazing work. I'd like to incorporate a small refugium and potentially an area for frags to be lit by a AI Sol Nano. That way I have a place to prop frags in the stand, out of view. All told this should add another 20 gallons water volume to the system.
ATO: Tunze Osmolator.
Controller: I will use an extension box for the Profilux 3 and run a control cable to my tank from the 11.4g stand. This way, I will be able to control both tanks through one controller.
Return Pump: Tunze Recirculation Pump Electronic.
Flow: 2 x Tunze 6055s. I had hoped to use MP10s, but with the 1" thick sides, they're out. So I'll mount the Tunzes on the overflow wall.
Way Ahead
I'm currently finalizing my order with Artfully Acrylic. Build time is looking to be 2 months out so I'll be collecting the equipment in the meantime. The only big equipment choice I have remaining is, what type of lighting to use? I suppose there's as many answers as people.
More to follow.
Cheers!
Tom
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