My 36" nano build (not Mr. Aqua)

dantimdad

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I have been in the hobby for decades. I have had many tanks through the years and was never really happy with any of my smaller tanks.

So, two years ago, I went to glass cages and bought a clearance tank from the warehouse that caught my eye.

My goal is to set this one up little by little so I can get everything I want incorporated into the tank and have minimal maintenance issues. I love to DIY so everything will have something I have changed/built/modified in some way.

Fast forward to three months ago. After layoffs and other delays, I started tinkering with this:

fullshot1.jpg


The tank is dusty from storage. I'll get it cleaned up this coming weekend. It's been took cold to do it in the carport. :)
 
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dantimdad

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It's a really weird tank to be sure. 36"x12"x10.5" 1/2" starfire glass that has been pencil edged. Coast to coast overflow. Two huge holes for a closed loop.

The tank holds right around 15 gallons with the overflow.

So, I plugged the holes for the closed loop, built the sump/fuge out of a new 15 gallon aquarium, ran the plumbing for a herbie drain and have built custom LED pods on bent conduit arms.

I will post pics of where I am now on the project shortly.

IMG_20171108_155614.jpg


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IMG_20171108_155753.jpg
 
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dantimdad

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Here is a look at one of the pods and the full lighting system test run:

IMG_20180106_125404.jpg


IMG_20180115_101656.jpg


IMG_20180115_150213.jpg


I have been storing supplies and such in the tank. Sorry I didn't take them out for the pic.

I also figured out how to take better pics so the white balance is better. I will take some when I get home.

Oh, the rock archway is held together with super glue gel. Works great on dry rock.
You can barely see one of the closed loop patches to the right of rockwork.
I will build a near mirror image rock arch on the other side to help cover the plugs for the holes. Then a small island of rock in the center of the tank.
 
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Brew12

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That is a crazy setup! I can't even visualize how it was originally intended to be used.
 
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dantimdad

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If I had not gotten some backstory to it, I would have trouble figuring out what was going on with it too.
 
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dantimdad

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Well disaster struck with my corner bow front last night. Both drains clogged at the same time! About 10 gallons of water on the floor.

This tank was scheduled to be broken down and move the contents to a through the wall 55 that is currently freshwater. Guess this steps up the schedule.

We will break it down, move part of the rock, the fish and the few soft corals in it to a temporary tank.

I will get back on this one next weekend after the 55 is ready and the livestock is moved to it.
 

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Well disaster struck with my corner bow front last night. Both drains clogged at the same time! About 10 gallons of water on the floor.

This tank was scheduled to be broken down and move the contents to a through the wall 55 that is currently freshwater. Guess this steps up the schedule.

We will break it down, move part of the rock, the fish and the few soft corals in it to a temporary tank.

I will get back on this one next weekend after the 55 is ready and the livestock is moved to it.
Ouch! There is luck, there is bad, luck, and there is 2 drains clogging at the same time. :(
 

Brew12

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I have been using drilled tanks for about 18 years. I have NEVER even heard of this happening. I think it was a sign that I need to pick up the pace. LOL!
Agreed! You hit the inverse lottery!
 
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dantimdad

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OK, found the problem with the drains on the corner tank, replaced 2 gallons of saltwater. Tank is up and running for a few more days in order to get ready for the swap out to the through wall tank.

The water test on the Nano is going swimmingly (yes, I just said that).

Gluing the plumbing tonight or tomorrow night and putting in more water for the final test before teardown for painting the stand.

The bad part of this whole thing is, once all the work is done, it's going to be wrapped up in plastic and put in the storage closet in the carport for at least two months. I have to have the flooring in before it gets setup. :(
 
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dantimdad

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Since I wound up saving so much money along the way on this I switched to two dimmable drivers instead of one meanwell. It dawned on me today that I had to update my spreadsheet to reflect extra money spent and money saved.

I have noticed that people very rarely post what it actually cost them to do a project. Also, the sheet doesn't have the stand or tank. The tank was $50 + $2 for the glass patches. The stand was free from lumber I have collected over the years.
 

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dantimdad

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Also, I need an educated answer. My fuge is about 7.5 gallons lit by 8x3watt LEDs. 1:1 red and royal blue. Do I need more light or add colors? I can whip up a second one in a matter of an hour so it's no biggie to add on.

Not going to go buy a kessil or something. I will build it.
 

Brew12

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Also, I need an educated answer. My fuge is about 7.5 gallons lit by 8x3watt LEDs. 1:1 red and royal blue. Do I need more light or add colors? I can whip up a second one in a matter of an hour so it's no biggie to add on.

Not going to go buy a kessil or something. I will build it.
Hard question since every setup is different. The brighter the lighting in your DT, the brighter the lighting needs to be in your fuge. If you have relatively dim DT lighting and can get those 3 LED's very close to the water line, it could be enough. If you are blasting your DT with 350 PAR you will need a much higher amount of power for your fuge.
 
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dantimdad

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I kinda figured that. I will be running about twice the light in the display. I can easily double the refugium light without spending anything more than I already have.

Everything I have read says that my spectrum choices are correct so I will stick with it.
 

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I kinda figured that. I will be running about twice the light in the display. I can easily double the refugium light without spending anything more than I already have.

Everything I have read says that my spectrum choices are correct so I will stick with it.
I think I miss read it initially. I would go 6 red and 2 blue to start. If you are only running double that in your DT it is likely to be fine because of how much closer to the water, and how shallow, the fuge will be.
 

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