WOW! Best Day Ever!

[kmitch]

Hey guys and gals of the NRV-

I am a long time lurker of RC and spend most of my time on nano-reef.com since they are tanks more my size!

I have yet to find a VT or NRV area reefer on there, so i am really excited that I found some people on RC.

Figured I would introduce myself.... I am a VT senior and member of the Corps of Cadets there. I am the only cadet with a reef tank! I also am an avid scuba diver.

I am definately going to have to start coming to your meetings.

I currently have a 10 gal nano reef that has been up since January and my summer project has been me building a 1 gal pico reef. You can see my thread (N-R.com) for my pico:

PICO
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=90463

I will take pics of my 10 gal later if anyone is interested.

 

[manderx]

howdy howdy. i guess we need to have a meeting then!

i skimmed your pico thread, if you're still looking for the tahitian moon black sand, we got you covered. i had a bucket that i pulled out of an old tank and gave to hokiejoe to use in his fuge, he still has plenty. it's got some shells and stuff in it, but if it bothers you you can soak it in vinegar or just pick it out since you'll be dealing with so little.

so, how do you deal with an on-campus tank? do you take it home on breaks? there's an incoming student who is thinking about bringing a tank but is worried about that.

 

[kmitch]

Awesome! I am a long time shopper of ZQ in blacksburg but didnt need 22 lbs of their black sand!

I have had a freshwater tank for awhile at school and left my 110gal at home (it was too big )

Since the 110 was then adopted by dad, and I missed my finned friends, I converted to SW in January. Over spring break I setup an auto feeder and said "god speed." It got pretty hot and they werent pleased about it, but everyone survived that week. For christmas I just have my dad setup a 10 gal at home and I bring the fish and "touchey corals" home and drop em in there and let the hardy stuff fend for themselves. I was really amazed how well everything did on the drive back and forth. Over summer the whole tank came home. Aug 3rd it goes back to the burg and I will be using some LR and coral frags from that tank to get my pico going. It is great fun and I have alot of people who come in just to see the tank. Only prob I have found is finding a good source of clean water. I usually settle for .64 cent distilled water from wally world.

 

[manderx]

you're more than welcome to steal a few gallons from me every week or so. i live right on main street across from vincent's (i'm sure you've seen the lights).

or, if i was on campus i'd consider a DI. bburg water is pretty soft, so it should last long enough for what you'll need with such a small tank. we can make the chambers and just get some bulk resin (i think a few of us were thinking of splitting a big order soon anyway).

 

[kmitch]

Yeah I live on campus. How would you go about making a DI canister?

 

[manderx]

we can either make it from scratch with acrylic, or go cheap with pvc, or simple with a tall skinny tupperware, or use a filter housing. depends on how pretty you want it, how big it needs to be, if you are going to regenerate the resin or just swap it out with new resin each time, and how much you feel like spending.

 

[Shivaji]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7659456#post7659456 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by manderx
we can either make it from scratch with acrylic, or go cheap with pvc, or simple with a tall skinny tupperware, or use a filter housing. depends on how pretty you want it, how big it needs to be, if you are going to regenerate the resin or just swap it out with new resin each time, and how much you feel like spending.

I have a TWP (Tap Water Purifier) from before I got my RO unit. You can have it if you want to use it with fresh resin. Pretty easy to use, and should work great for a nano/pico tank.

 

[kmitch]

That would be great! You guys rock. I have always been bummed there are only Cali reefers on the other forum and that I could never find a hokie!

 

[surfnvb7]

welcome kmitch!

i would love to see some pics of your 10g nano. what light do you have over it?

i have an unopened 22lb bag of the black tahitan moon sand if you want it (free)

i'm getting ready to move, and less to move the better.

i saw on your pico thread you converted a HOB filter as your make-shift fuge.

back in my nano days, i used the AC 110 (the biggest version) as a make shift fuge. i have made 2 of them, and one is currently in use on my mantis tank. you are welcome to the other one if you want it (again one less piece of junk to move).

the only problem with it is that the u-tube was laying under a pile of clothes on the floor. and of course i stepped on that pile of clothes and heard a "crack", knew it couldnt be good by the sound.

so the u-tube for it is history, but you may be able to fashion something out of tubing, or a u-tube from another HOB filter. it would be ashame to throw away a HOB filter that costs $80 at PetSmart just because a cheap piece of plastic broke. but you could easily DIY something to replace it.

i also have 2 AC-surface skimmer attachments around here somewhere, another good thing to have for a nano.

let me know if you want them are you currently in town?

 

[kmitch]

Wow you rock-- I am currently in ATL for the summer but will be back in the Burg on 4 August (Friday). I would love to take whatever you dont want off your hands for you!

On my 10 gal I made my own canopy and I have a 70w MH and a 55W PC light on there. Pretty dang bright. I also made a refugium for the back of the tank which adds another 2 gals to my total volume. Here is a tank pic taken a few weeks ago:

http://filebox.vt.edu/users/kmtchll/Reef Pics 002.jpg

I have a few friends who are currently in blacksburg, and if you needed to unload some of that stuff before I get back I can prolly ask them to take it off your hands for a few more weeks.

 

[kmitch]

Wow I just looked at my own pic--- it sucks pretty bad. I will take some new ones this weekend. Wayyy tooo whittteee

 

[surfnvb7]

did you have any heat problems in the dorms w/ that MH over the tank? i know those cadet dorms can get pretty hot.

i'll hang onto the stuff for ya until you get back into town.

 

[kmitch]

I appreciate it!

The MH is a recent summer addition, but my temps are actually cooler with the MH than with the PC because I now run 2 fans to keep the tank cool. My high temps are in the 81F ballpark and low in the 78 in my basement which is set to 79F. I know those temps will go up at school, but I was going to keep the tank far from the window (something that didnt happen this year) and I made the hood with a flip-up front so I can open the front to move air out of there. I dont expect heat issues too much. Hopefully after we get past the super hot portion of the summer it wont be a concern. I'll keep you posted though!