Kev's Nano Build

KevPool

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Good morning Folks.

So since I am new to R2R and the hobby I thought I would share my project with you all that now has me hooked on the hobby and diving in head first... Pun intended .

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So here is my Nano and my first saltwater tank. Yes first thoughts are right " he's nuts for starting out with a nano" . Regardless that headed me into a much deeper dive, I will explain that more on my next build which I have started since I have time waiting for this to cycle.

Not very creative on the name Kev's Nano but here are her specs

Tank: Fluval EVO V Marine.
Return pump: Aqueon AQ600 150gph.
Heater: Marina mini 25w ( it isn't cutting it so I will upgrade it this weekend).
Lighting: Current USA Orbit 11k loop remote control.
Filtration: Marine Pure gems 3.2oz and bio blocks cut approx 4oz from my LFS tank, each in separate Chemi-Pure media bags, stacked one on the other with an air bubbler line running between the two to add air over night on a timer.
Substrate: 10lbs of Caribsea Super Naturals sand, yes 10 lbs I'm trying a deep bed.
Dry Rock I Aquascaped approx 5-7 lbs ish I never weighed what I built.
Stand: Hand made solid maple with a worn aqua stain. Almost done need to add the door and hide the wires.

So at the start of this journey I wanted to reward myself for making it a year sober as I'm not shy to admit I'm an alcoholic and for health reasons I needed to quit, also I thought this is a great past time to keep me busy, and I've always loved fishkeeping.

So the build started with some 2x4's of solid maple I had in the garage for the past 3 years doing nothing but collecting dust.
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So that's the inspiration that lead to a couple hours of cutting and shaping my stand for a dry fit before glue.
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So that's without glue or nails everything was snug.

The wife really likes blue so I found an worn aqua blue stain and did a fast wipe with a rag then sealed it with 4 coats of diamond finish to give it a kinda worn antique look.

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So I went to an awesome little LFS here in town and George set me up with all the test kits and this little Gem of a starter kit.
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Now as I learned the hard way DON'T overdose your Ammonia sheeeeesh the lid popped off while I was squeezing the drops in and POW instead of a drop she shot a small stream of Ammonia in when I was doing the second part of the setup dose. I was way too excited and twisted the cap too far . So after a week of crazy high ammonia levels I did a 60% water change and added some more MicrōBacter Start XLM a week later and my ammonia is sitting at around 1.2ppm, nitrite 0.2 and nitrate 5.0 as of last night.

So that's the start of my little build. I hope you all like it I think it's kinda cool, and I look forward to any advice, tips or comments.

I will post more here while she grows and am working on a much larger adventure that I will start a thread on once I have my tank room built over the next week or so. FYI my wife made me do unspeakable things in order to build a tank room ( I have to renovate the bathroom ).

Have a great day happy reefing.
 

PR_nano

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Nice progress, really like the overhang rock. Best of wishes om staying sober and recovery, lost an uncle to alcoholism/dialysis.
 
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KevPool

KevPool

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PXL_20201121_060916564.jpg
Testing out my moonlight setting.
W:0 R:0 G:0 B:10

I kinda like this light for this shallow water, the lightening storms look awesome in a dark room as well.

Water change day tomorrow I might change it up a bit and add a small wavemaker on the right side to get at that bottom left corner, I can see this being a dead spot for movement with the way I have the rock formed.
 

Tenecor Aquariums

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Not a bad looking stand. Since yours is finished, This may not have applied to your build but others building their stands should consider picking up a kreg pocket screw jig. (Google it.) easy to use and adds a great deal of strength to the joints.
 
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KevPool

KevPool

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Not a bad looking stand. Since yours is finished, This may not have applied to your build but others building their stands should consider picking up a kreg pocket screw jig. (Google it.) easy to use and adds a great deal of strength to the joints.
I have one they are great and well worth it. for peoples larger setups I would also suggest using GRK screws as regular screws hold no shear value
PXL_20201211_015411576.jpg
 
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KevPool

KevPool

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This morning I had my first jumper :(:( I'm wicked sad about it yet I feel I am completely at fault, I changed the heater and the old one was their hosting spot . Poor Marlin is all alone now and lost his woman. Honestly I'm wicked sad over the loss.:( I need to design a cover for the Nano any suggestions?:(
 
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Congrats!!
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

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