Hello all. I'mnew here at r2r. I was looking for a place to start documenting my builds andaside from building a new website, r2r looked like the right place.
note (I have been out of the hobby for about 2 years. But I started buildingreef tanks back in 2003)
So I'll get right down to business.
As the title states I'm working on a Fluval Edge 12 gallon nano. Budget $800(before livestock)
Build start date... Jan 4 2012
Where I am sofar.
The tank itself...
I purchased the aquarium online for $149 + $5.99 shipping. Budget $800 >$644.02
My first impression of the Fluval Edge as a reef builder. ahh where to begin.First off the positives. Well, its elegant and attractive, quality constructedand I like that you can view from the top. The flange or rim around the top ofthe tank is plastic and this is a positive for a reef builder because it meansI can drill the plastic and have a gravity fed overflow instead of a siphonoverflow. Considering that the open area on the tank is so small if you had a siphon overflow and loss siphon your tank would overflowin seconds and create a mess.
The negatives. First the lighting. This aquarium comes with an led fixture withan 8600k spectrum. Simply not good enough for a respectable reef but I will beable to use it in the sump to grow macro. Target feeding.. Because of the smallopening on top, simply putting your hand in the tank would cause it tooverflow. That means to target feed corals I will have to remove water, eitherthat or only target feed when I do water changes. Then there’s the price, at$149 this tank is way over priced for use as a saltwater aquarium but I wouldimagine if you were a planted aquarium person it would be reasonable consideringyou would have a good enough light fixture and filter for that.
Substrate...There is 10 pounds of Nature's Ocean live sand currently in the tank. Ihave used this stuff for years and have always been happy with it.
price $19.99 free shipping Budget $644.02 > $624.03
Live Rock...
I ordered 18 pounds of Fiji (premium) live rock from a company in California(one state away) and I am not happy with what I received. No coralline algae tobe seen and a lot of die off. I'm going to have to take a 60 mile trip to Salem(Oregon) to buy a small piece of live rock with coralline algae on it to seedthe tank, this is an unexpected set back. But the rock itself does look goodand works well in the tank so with a little patience and work it will donicely.
price including shipping $63.98 Budget $624.03 > $560.05
Flow...
2 Koralia Nano 240 powerheads price $35.98 shipping $8.99 Budget $560.05 >$515.08
Misc...
Petco 50 watt heater. The reviews on this were great and so far it’s beenprecise in keeping the tank at my desired temp. Price $22.39
Salt mix so far $10.98
RO DI water from local store. $4.80
Misc electrical fixtures to wire the stand aprox $10
As of now Budget $515.08 > 466.91
To do...
I still need tobuild a sump, overflow box and buy a return pump.
Still need to buy and retro fit new lighting.
Need a protein skimmer.
Need master test kit and various individual tests.
A quick note about the stand. I manage the apartment building I live in andthis tv stand was left over by a resident before I ever moved in. I thought itwould go with the black accents of the tank so I reinforced under the tank with3/4 inch plywood and 1*2's for stability and wired three electrical boxes inthe cabinet along with a junction box. It looks ok, one thing I like is that ithas a flat bottom which makes it easy to level with shims. I will be using thetwo shelves that came with it to make a door to cover the sump area.
I will update this thread when I make changes to the setup and I will try topost pictures of the custom sump build.
Dalton.
note (I have been out of the hobby for about 2 years. But I started buildingreef tanks back in 2003)
So I'll get right down to business.
As the title states I'm working on a Fluval Edge 12 gallon nano. Budget $800(before livestock)
Build start date... Jan 4 2012
Where I am sofar.
The tank itself...
I purchased the aquarium online for $149 + $5.99 shipping. Budget $800 >$644.02
My first impression of the Fluval Edge as a reef builder. ahh where to begin.First off the positives. Well, its elegant and attractive, quality constructedand I like that you can view from the top. The flange or rim around the top ofthe tank is plastic and this is a positive for a reef builder because it meansI can drill the plastic and have a gravity fed overflow instead of a siphonoverflow. Considering that the open area on the tank is so small if you had a siphon overflow and loss siphon your tank would overflowin seconds and create a mess.
The negatives. First the lighting. This aquarium comes with an led fixture withan 8600k spectrum. Simply not good enough for a respectable reef but I will beable to use it in the sump to grow macro. Target feeding.. Because of the smallopening on top, simply putting your hand in the tank would cause it tooverflow. That means to target feed corals I will have to remove water, eitherthat or only target feed when I do water changes. Then there’s the price, at$149 this tank is way over priced for use as a saltwater aquarium but I wouldimagine if you were a planted aquarium person it would be reasonable consideringyou would have a good enough light fixture and filter for that.
Substrate...There is 10 pounds of Nature's Ocean live sand currently in the tank. Ihave used this stuff for years and have always been happy with it.
price $19.99 free shipping Budget $644.02 > $624.03
Live Rock...
I ordered 18 pounds of Fiji (premium) live rock from a company in California(one state away) and I am not happy with what I received. No coralline algae tobe seen and a lot of die off. I'm going to have to take a 60 mile trip to Salem(Oregon) to buy a small piece of live rock with coralline algae on it to seedthe tank, this is an unexpected set back. But the rock itself does look goodand works well in the tank so with a little patience and work it will donicely.
price including shipping $63.98 Budget $624.03 > $560.05
Flow...
2 Koralia Nano 240 powerheads price $35.98 shipping $8.99 Budget $560.05 >$515.08
Misc...
Petco 50 watt heater. The reviews on this were great and so far it’s beenprecise in keeping the tank at my desired temp. Price $22.39
Salt mix so far $10.98
RO DI water from local store. $4.80
Misc electrical fixtures to wire the stand aprox $10
As of now Budget $515.08 > 466.91
To do...
I still need tobuild a sump, overflow box and buy a return pump.
Still need to buy and retro fit new lighting.
Need a protein skimmer.
Need master test kit and various individual tests.
A quick note about the stand. I manage the apartment building I live in andthis tv stand was left over by a resident before I ever moved in. I thought itwould go with the black accents of the tank so I reinforced under the tank with3/4 inch plywood and 1*2's for stability and wired three electrical boxes inthe cabinet along with a junction box. It looks ok, one thing I like is that ithas a flat bottom which makes it easy to level with shims. I will be using thetwo shelves that came with it to make a door to cover the sump area.
I will update this thread when I make changes to the setup and I will try topost pictures of the custom sump build.
Dalton.