CalmSeasQuest's 36" Desktop Nano

[CalmSeasQuest]

Hooray for the new lesser layout.

Thanks its fry, I'm liking it too. I think I can perhaps open it up just a bit more.

Still looks great!

Thanks Sara It will improve dramatically as things start to grow in.

Make sure you check out Calvin's 12 footer build thread. He has it on a few of the sites. Its dimensions were something like 144" x 18" x 18" and I can vouche for it being one amazing tank in person.

Thanks Gabe - Calvin's build is amazing, I've been following it for quite some time. His tank is 144" X 15" X 15". I'd love to see it in person, it's a great way to use 140 gallons

 

[revhtree]

It looks great my friend! It is going to be even more sick as it grows out!

 

[skinz78]

Sweet little tank!

 

[gparr]

This is our Noteworthy Tank in this week's Reef Threads podcast.
Gary

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

It looks great my friend! It is going to be even more sick as it grows out!

Thanks Rev, It's exciting to see things start to encrust - I'm looking forward to the Acans growing together.

Sweet little tank!

Thanks skins - Loving the 1 quart water changes

This is our Noteworthy Tank in this week's Reef Threads podcast.
Gary

Thank you Gary! Thats quite an honor for a brand new tank that at this point is essentially little more than a Frag tank.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

I've been struggling with gaining adequate flow. I had hoped to keep all the mechanics relatively hidden on the right side of the tank, but even with the Tunzes and adding an MP1-10, I wasn't able to get enough flow on the opposite side of the tank. I broke down and moved the MP-10 to the left side. Visual distraction aside, the flow is much improved. ReefCrest @50% fixes all the dead spots.

SPS are continuing to improve in color and some have begun encrusting on the aquascape. I moved the Ric Garden to the right side of the tank and moved a few Frags to create a more open look. The daily water changes and Kalk laden ATO are still maintaining 420CA and 9DKH.

A few pics...

 

[Reef UP]

I think this is one of the top nanos I've seen for sure nice!

 

[swannyson7]

That tank is going to be packed when that sps starts growing! Looks good!

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

I think this is one of the top nanos I've seen for sure nice!

Thanks Reef Up It's been a lot of fun building this little tank.

That tank is going to be packed when that sps starts growing! Looks good!

Thanks swannyson7 I'm really looking forward to leaving the "ugly Frag" stage behind. I think I mentioned earlier in this thread that this tank is entered in a Nano Build contest on my local reef forum that has strict limitations on the cost of livestock used. After the conclusion of the contest (end of May) I'll be able to R&R many of the tiny Frags with nicer stock my my DT and FT. At present, the reverse side of the tank is completely bare. I'm planning on creating 3' of Zoa garden that should look very nice.

I'm also considering a change in substrate....

The amount of flow I'm able to generate is being limited by the fine grain (ReefSnow) Arragonite substrate. I may remove it and see what this tank looks like bare-bottom. The mounting plates for the pillars will be partially exposed, but should cover with Coraline quickly. I'll have to mount the individual Frags on the substrate onto Bommies, but as the foam pad below the tank is black, it might be an interesting look.

Here's a photo sans-substrate from the early aquascaping phase. Much of the rock shown in the photo has since been removed, but it provides a hint of what it might like bare-bottom. I think it might look even better with the newer, more open design.

I've never had a BB tank and odds are I'll end up replacing the substrate with slightly courser ReefFlake, especially with the tight spaces, as there is no way I could clean Coraline from the bottom glass. It would at least be interesting to see what it looks like BB.

 

[UncleJT]

I like builds like this although the bonsai-esque scape isn't my fancy. However, as I read about your struggles with flow it reminded me that I've always wanted to do something similar, and probably will someday, with a tank that is roughly 72" long by 24" wide and 14 or 16" tall. Half of the tank would be an SPS dominated reef flat where the strongest currents would be and then the reef flat would slope down to a back reef or lagoon/grotto area for LPS where not strong varying current but decent laminar flow is all that would be required.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

The tank continues to progress with lots of new growth in the Acans (most everything started off as single head/eye Frags.) The SPS are improving in color albeit slowly. I've reduced the photo period on the ReefBrites to avoid bleachng. So far no losses however the birdsnest did lighten but is starting to recover.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Photographing this tank has been a challenge. The LEDs are difficult to correct for white balance and the wide width makes it tough to get a nice FTS.

I tried the various photo-stitching options within Photoshop Elements, but none were able to correctly combine multiple photos into a single panoramic of the tank (I'm sure it's a case of equipment superior to operator.) As a result, I manually combined a few photos to try and create a better sense of what the tank looks like when seated at my desk.

They are crudely assembled, but hopefully provide a sense of "sticking your nose up to the glass."

 

[flyfish4trout]

Full tank shot

Very cool look to this tank. I am having the same problem with the LEDs tough to shoot and white balance correctly. Very clean look, well done I can't wait to see some of your SPS grown in.

 

[dougers31]

That tank is going to be soooo sick when it all grows in. Are you worried that the high lighting might mess with your acans colors?

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Very cool look to this tank. I am having the same problem with the LEDs tough to shoot and white balance correctly. Very clean look, well done I can't wait to see some of your SPS grown in.

Thanks flyfish4trout. Many of the SPS are beginning to encrust on the aquascaping - A good sign I think

That tank is going to be soooo sick when it all grows in. Are you worried that the high lighting might mess with your acans colors?

Thanks dougers31 The Acans appear to be very happy. It's difficult to tell from the photos, but the ReefBrites are mounted in such a way that the light is angled toward the very top-center of the tank for the SPS. Far less falls on the Acans or the reverse side. I did recently reduce the LED photo-period as even a few of the SPS were showing early signs of bleaching.

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

A bit of serendipity...

I have been contemplating adding a Ca Rx to my home DT and FT for some time - Today I "pulled the trigger" and ordered a GEO 612 and AquaticPlants digital regulator to replace my dosing pump / 2-part regimen. The fortunate circumstance came a bit later in the day when I tested Ca and ALK on the Desktop Nano. Even with the water changes and Kalk-laden ATO, the growth in the tank has increased Calcium and Alk uptake to a point exceeding what the water changes and Kalk can provide (ALK dropped to 7 and Ca ~420.) I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering how quickly the Acans are growing.

As luck would have it I have a couple soon-to-be spare BRS dosing pumps on hand. I'll relocate them to the office and make good use of the roughly 10 gallons of 2-part presently on hand.

The nano contest this tank was entered in has drawn to a close, (winner to be chosen on 6/15) so I'm now able to make changes and additions. I'm going to begin populating the reverse side of the tank with Zoas. It should create quite a dichotomy, with the tank taking on two entirely different persona's depending on which side you view.

 

[LeviTillie]

Update?

Just caught up on your build. Pretty cool stuff going on. How have things progressed?

 

[skinz78]

Any updates on this tank?

 

[CalmSeasQuest]

Sorry for the long break. The tank is doing well, I did make a few major changes. I found that after a while, I got bored looking at a tank completely stuffed with rock. That coupled with the fact even with an MP10 and small nano-Tunze, I had problems getting enough flow in the center of the aquascaping. So I changed things up a bit...

• I removed the substrate to try bare-bottom (I subsequently learned I don't care for it and will be replacing the substrate. :beat_brick: )
• I remove one pillar and a significant amount of the bridgework to open up the flow. I'm even considering throwing in a non-fish or two to get my staff to stop asking "where are the fish".

I'll try and grab some photos (after I get the substrate replaced.) All in all, I really like the carved "puzzle-rock" look. I just used way too much.