22 gallon Sumpless DREAM BUILD!

[IanK]

That's a lot of light for that little tank, you going sps? Great work so far, my wife might want to steal the plant stand idea

 

[DaddyFish]

These drill bits come in such handy. I think I’ve had them for over 10 years and they still cut through wood like butter.

You know, that hole deserves a Cable Grommet from a big box store...

 

[Denisk]

Nice build so far!!

I have that same ato on my nano. The is directions aren't very clear, but the second pump needs to have the water exciting out the little hole in the front to create the "overflow" to where it creates a second water level inside the box. You'll see what I mean when you install it.

It works great, but makes a little too much noise for me.

Thank you! Good to know!! I wasn’t really sure what to expect the surface skimmer/ato. But it was a great concept and definitely fit what I was looking for.

 

[Denisk]

That's a lot of light for that little tank, you going sps? Great work so far, my wife might want to steal the plant stand idea

Yeah... definitely a TON of light! Haha way more than needed but I’ll most likely have them turned way down but love the spread and I didn’t want to add t5’s but also didn’t want any shadowing.

And your wife is more than welcome to take the planter box idea haha

 

[Denisk]

You know, that hole deserves a Cable Grommet from a big box store...

Hahahaha yeah it really does need one. I always used grommets for previous builds and it’s a shame I can’t find one laying around. I’ll definitely get one ordered at some point but I did end up sanding/painting that cut the gray color so at least it’s barely noticeable.

 

[DaddyFish]

@Denisk That planter box may be a tie with the other most perfect piece of equipment that provides cleanliness for the ladies and instant gratification for the dudes (pressure washer!).

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

How did I not find this thread! I have the same tank ( just low iron cause if I’m getting an overpriced tank why not pay a little more ) and can’t wait to start the transfer from my current ugly black rimmed hob filtration tank.

this as some great inspiration!

 

[Denisk]

@Denisk That planter box may be a tie with the other most perfect piece of equipment that provides cleanliness for the ladies and instant gratification for the dudes (pressure washer!).

Hahahah

 

[Denisk]

How did I not find this thread! I have the same tank ( just low iron cause if I’m getting an overpriced tank why not pay a little more ) and can’t wait to start the transfer from my current ugly black rimmed hob filtration tank.

this as some great inspiration!

Thank you very much!!! so I used to own the mr Aqua low iron many years ago. But when I was planning some of the build, I waited and waited and never saw it come in stock so hence why I just went with the regular one when Black Friday came around. Enjoy the tank transfer, never found those fun haha. But at least it’s from tank to tank. Never easy when it’s from one place to another.

 

[Denisk]

Gfci is now in! Safety first!

 

[Denisk]

IN LOVE!

 

[Denisk]

I forgot I needed to place the tablet on the bottom shelf.

 

[AnotherReefHobbyist]

I forgot I needed to place the tablet on the bottom shelf.

this is the most freaking sophisticated thing I have ever seen! Now the real question..... where is the dog in the tank pic??

 

[Pntbll687]

I forgot I needed to place the tablet on the bottom shelf.

Hot stuff right here


So after posting about the noise my sumpless ato makes the other day, I went and tried some things. Here's what I found ..

Use a small piece of tubing to connect the second pump that is constantly running to the box output, this cut down 90% of the noise. Try to angle the tube the extends into the chamber toward towards the back wall, and have it as long as possible without siphoning out of the display

 

[Denisk]

this is the most freaking sophisticated thing I have ever seen! Now the real question..... where is the dog in the tank pic??

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! It means the world to hear that and OMG you’re right, I’m going to get my dog in there soon before the water goes in haha

 

[Denisk]

Hot stuff right here


So after posting about the noise my sumpless ato makes the other day, I went and tried some things. Here's what I found ..

Use a small piece of tubing to connect the second pump that is constantly running to the box output, this cut down 90% of the noise. Try to angle the tube the extends into the chamber toward towards the back wall, and have it as long as possible without siphoning out of the display

Thank you!!!

I also appreciate the tips! That’s awesome. Did you find yourself fitting anything into the surface skimmer box like a heater? I don’t recall what size of a tank you have it on so I’m sure that’ll greatly determine whether it’ll even fit.

 

[Pntbll687]

Thank you!!!

I also appreciate the tips! That’s awesome. Did you find yourself fitting anything into the surface skimmer box like a heater? I don’t recall what size of a tank you have it on so I’m sure that’ll greatly determine whether it’ll even fit.

It's on a 20 long in my office. I did not put a heater or any media in the ato. I use a oase filto-smart thermo canister which has a heater built into it.

But if you were to try and get a heater in there it would need to be pretty small. You could try something like this, but I don't know if it would keep up depending on what the temp of the house is.

Nano Aquarium Heater with Thermostat NH-25W

*NOTE- Does not fit in Pisces Filter Boxes. Use PCS-25W or 15W in the search bar for correct heater The compact design allows for versatile placement in small aquariums, and each unit has a built-in electronic thermostat preset to 78˚ F for precise temperature-controlled accuracy of ± 1.8˚ F...

www.aquatop.com

Your best bet is finding a black heater and mounting it right next to the ato box so it blends in. I don't know where you plan on mounting the box, but if you put it on the right side of the aquarium you could mount the heater behind the box and completely hide it from view

 

[Denisk]

It's on a 20 long in my office. I did not put a heater or any media in the ato. I use a oase filto-smart thermo canister which has a heater built into it.

But if you were to try and get a heater in there it would need to be pretty small. You could try something like this, but I don't know if it would keep up depending on what the temp of the house is.

Nano Aquarium Heater with Thermostat NH-25W

*NOTE- Does not fit in Pisces Filter Boxes. Use PCS-25W or 15W in the search bar for correct heater The compact design allows for versatile placement in small aquariums, and each unit has a built-in electronic thermostat preset to 78˚ F for precise temperature-controlled accuracy of ± 1.8˚ F...

www.aquatop.com

Your best bet is finding a black heater and mounting it right next to the ato box so it blends in. I don't know where you plan on mounting the box, but if you put it on the right side of the aquarium you could mount the heater behind the box and completely hide it from view

thank you for the tip!! Yeah unfortunately that heater is probably to weak but I will most likely just find a black heater to put along side of the box so that way it’s as sleek as possible. Thanks again!

 

[Denisk]

Nothing like putting some new DI resin into your rodi and getting ready to make some water for the build to only realize you can’t bc you don’t have the right attachment for the sink/faucet haha

 

[xAndrewx]

Cabinet is awesome.
Is the front of the cabinet held on by only one magnet?

I had the surface skimmer you mention. Attempted to use it in a 20 long. I ended up sending it back. The pump wasn’t strong enough to skim the water surface clean. I did have a media bag in it, so maybe that was the cause. How do you plan to dose? I used tropic Marin all for reef, which is a one part. I used it for a good while and it worked great. The cost just got to be a little expensive, and sometimes hard to find in stock. I went back to good old b-ionic two part.