cmcneil's elos mini build

[cmcneil]

hey all,im kind of new here,long time lurker and new poster.since im new i dont have any tank build threads on this forum yet.that all changes today :wink:.ill try to keep the story short and sweet but i might go off on a tangent.i work at a LFS on saturdays,i do it for several reasons,one being extra money along with livestock discounts and continued learning.one of our customers ordered an elos mini.he had the tank setup for a few months when it started leaking.the LFS contacted elos and they replaced the tank.the leaker was then thrown into the LFS's storage unit and left to dust.i have been begging him to let me take it home and set it up.well my dreams have come true YEY.the LFS owner gave me the elos for free and even gave me a free stand for it,it isnt the elos stand :squigglemouth: but it is a nice little stand from the cardiff half round tanks.

so now i have a tank and stand but the stand has no front opening since the tank it was designed for was an AIO tank.i quickly took the stand to my shop and began modifying it for my needs(a sump).as of now i only have the tank/stand,sump,PO4 reactor,and return pump.all other equipment still needs to be purchased or built.for lighting i plan on going with an LED kit from Reef LED Lights,the kit is the deluxe 24 bulb with heat sink,70 degree optics and dimmable drivers. https://www.reefledlights.com/products-page/delux-led-kits/deluxe-24-led-kit/
flow will be supplied from an eheim 1050 for the return pump and one vortec MP-10 for in tank flow.
filtration will be a single filter sock in the sump and a small skimmer,im thinking of going with a bubble magus 3.5 cone.i think that skimmer will kick butt on this size tank.
BUBBLE-MAGUS - Aquarium Internal skimmer|external skimmer|Dosing pump|Calcium reactor|Nitrate reductor/NO3 reductor|Filters|Turtle shell lampshade|Water monitor and controller|Additives|moonlight LED
the sump is a custom job made by me,it is a half round sump to maximize the sump volume and almost fills the stand completely.i made the sump from 1/4" grey pvc sheet and 1/4" clear pvc sheet.it has a single wall to hold a constant water level for the skimmer and a small return section.

as for livestock it will be a mixed reef with softies,LPS, and a spalsh of SPS.im kind of on the ropes about the fish for this tank,i really dont know what to get but it will have my pistol shrimp and pair of baby perc clowns other than that maybe some small fish like gobies.all suggestions on livestock are welcomed since i have no clue yet.so here is the begining of my elos mini build,hopefully i will have more equipment and pics to show everyone in the next few weeks.comments and questions are welcomed so please post away.

 

[wsurf4me]

Very good start, I'll try to keep my eye on this one.

What LED mix did you go for?

 

[cmcneil]

i havent ordered the LED's yet but i think im going to go 18 blues and 6 whites.

 

[firereef]

That sump is a work of art.

 

[firereef]

Check out the Reefkoi LEDs.

 

[cmcneil]

That sump is a work of art.

Thank you sir,the back and bottom of the sump is made from one piece of GPVC sheet bent and shaped.the front piece was heated them laid over a form and left to cool,so the sump is made from only two pieces so less chance for a leak.it was hot air welded to join it together inside and out so it is sealed great.

 

[cmcneil]

Check out the Reefkoi LEDs.

will do,are they one of the R2R sponsors?
i will have a few more pics to post later today on the progress of the build.

 

[sts04c]

will do,are they one of the R2R sponsors?

Yes, they are.


Nice build start, looking forward to more pics and photos.

 

[cmcneil]

well ive looked into the reefkoi LED and im not liking it since it uses 1w LED's.the system i linked above uses 3w cree xre's which are powerful LED's,this tank will have sps in it so i dont trust the 1 watters.i currently have a small LED system with 1watters and it doesnt keep sps alive.i did get some work done in the past few days.my plumbing is all cut glued and ready to go,a powerstrip is mounted and ready,and the starboard is cut for the tank.this tank will be a bare bottom system like my other tank,i prefer going BB for total nutrient control.my girlfriend didnt like the way the stand looked so took the liberty to glue some 3/4" tiles around the top and bottom edges of the stand to liven it up.i am bringing the stand to work this week to make a smoked plexy door and get the stand completed.so here are some progress pics as of today.

plumbing

starboard in the tank

and the tile work

 

[revhtree]

I can see this is going to be a great tank!

 

[Incoralable]

Very unique! I don't think I ever saw a sump made out of PVC. You did a great job on that! Will definitely follow along to see this one finished.

 

[cmcneil]

Very unique! I don't think I ever saw a sump made out of PVC. You did a great job on that! Will definitely follow along to see this one finished.

thank you sir,i make pvc and polypropylene sumps daily for plating companies and lens manufacturers so this was an easy build for me.i have got some more work done in the past few weeks,not much but some.i made a small reactor that i will us for biopellets and cleaned up my return pump.the return pump is an ehiem 1250 and the biopellet reactor is fed from a maxijet 900 that is placed under the reactor to minimze the reactors footprint.i also made the door for the stand and mounted it.the door is made from smoked plexyglass and it is pinned in so no hinges were use.so here are the update pics as of today.i doubt i will set this tank up anytime soon since i have to move to a new place in january but figure i can get everything ready and once i move i can set everything up.

tilework and door

return pump

biopellet reactor

 

[cmcneil]

.....update time.....
i have let this thread go idle long enough.i scrapped the stand i got for free and ended up building a new one.i made the stand from 1x2's with 3/8" plywood skin(for reinforcing from racking)then finished it off by covering the outside of the stand with 3/8" white stardboard.the doors will be flush mounted in with no visible hardware.i still need to mount the doors but the stand is more or less done.i also got my lighting kit in.i got a 24 bulb DIY LED kit from reefledlights.com and made a black acrylic housing to put it all in.i am using 25 mm 80-20 extruded aluminum for my light mounting system.i wanted the light to be one of a kind and reflect my style so i went online and found some cool fan covers to dress up the acrylic shroud.so enough rambling,on to the pics.

i had to notch the back of the stand top for the 80-20 to fit,i also had to cut an opening for the elos plumbing to pass through.

80-20 light mount

stand minus doors

and with tank :)

 

[cmcneil]

onto the lights,i drilled the heatsink to pass the driver connections through

all wired

mounted in shroud

plugs for driver/fan connections

finished fixture

 

[Stingray]

Looks great thus far:bigsmile: May I ask where you picked up your leds and diy stuff? and cost..... Been looking to upgrade my lighting.

 

[cmcneil]

reefledlights.com
the kit i got cost $280ish shipped with dimmable drivers.

 

[cmcneil]

i finally have my elos up and running and full of corals.i picked up some sweet sps frags the last two weeks to add to my collection.my acans and scolys are doing awesome under the LED's and the acros are coloring up already.we have some great local reefers in our area with some superb sps to choose from.here is a list of the sps i have picked up over the past few weeks.
WWC red stag
WWC garrets tenuis
WWC highlighter acro
tyree pink jade
rommels watermelon
ATL reverse sunset milli
jedi mind trick monti
Gcarrol acroberry
palmers blue milli
Kubis ultimate blue milli(this one is crazy baby blue and a first release for him)he is a local
Garf bonsai
ORA phils granulosa
ORA hawkins enchinata
original ATL shades of fall
ichthymans watermelon chalice(LFS personal stock)

here are some pics
ichthymans watermelon chalice

rommels watermelon

tyree pink jade(this is a pic when i got it,it has already started shift color to a sweet pastel baby blue with pink coralites)

some of my acans

scolys

enjoy :D

 

[VelasCorals]

Can we get a FTS please! :bigsmile:

 

[DrTrey]

That's a sweet setup. The stand and sump look great, and you have some an excellent collection of corals. The FTS is a must...

 

[cmcneil]

Thanks for the compliments,I will post a FTS in a few minutes.