Here it is... 20 gallon nano tank build

[ordi260]

Hey guys!

After a couple of threads...advices and lots of reading.  Here is my 20 gallon build!


I puchased what was missing today and started to assemble everything!


Pictures of what ive done today are incoming...
More later!

[JetJumper]

haha, oh what a tease that was..

[ordi260]

Haha here are some pics...i had a bad time trying to upload from work...

So here we have the list of stuff (preliminary) i still need to take some of the stuff out of storage...ill add it later!

-Stingray Stand (24 X 13 footprint)
-24" Dual Satellite    1 x 65 watt (6700K / 10K daylight) and 1 x 65 watt (460nm / 420 nm actinics)
-20 gallon tank
-Glass top
-Backdrop
-Natural wave powerbar / wavemaker timer
-Maxijet 400
-Maxijet 600
-(Not on pic) Koralia 1
-Salt
-15 lbs Aragonite sand (medium grain)

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[ordi260]

Stand building!

...

15 minutes later

...

Stand assembled...IKEA style by the way...pretty easy to do and NO PARTS OR HARDWARE MISSING   

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[ordi260]

Lets install everything together now!

Ah it looks good already!

Note that ive already installed the stuff in the cabinet (out of my wife's sight) haha 

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[ordi260]

Water test #1

Filled the tank about halfway...waited an hour, no leak...

Filled the tank to the top...waited another hour, no leak...(no pics)

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[ordi260]

Installed powerheads in it...making sure they all work 

Drained the tank becasue it wont stay in that room...

I will now start moving one of my tank to my brothers place before being able to go any further...

It was a pretty busy day but WOW it was exiting to go buy everything...its been a long time I was waiting for that day 
Now I can't wait to clean the aragonite sand and pour it in!!!

[Severum]

Congrats on the good start. The hardest thing you'll deal with over the next few weeks is patience.

[ordi260]

Congrats on the good start. The hardest thing you'll deal with over the next few weeks is patience.

Hehe i hope it will be the hardest...i usually am pretty patient but when it comes to fish its different! 
But i totally want to have great success with this build so ill take the necessary time!

[mikerobart]

Looks like a good start !

[ordi260]

Ok so on sunday ill move one of my tank to my brothers place so i can install the setup at its final destination and get it going.

I am thinking of buying the Reefkeeper lite...anyone has one?  Feedback would be appreciated.  The reason im looking forward to buying right now it is to control 4 devices (fans, daylights, actinics and moonlight) separately...(regular timers are sort of expensive IMO).  If i get it I might buy the Lab 2 later on to monitor PH and salinity...

Oh yeah and one more thing...is 8 inches clearance behind the stand enought or i should allow more room for further modifications??
One little question about filtration:  Would i rather get a small aquaclear so i can mecanically filter if needed or its unnecessary??? If necessary what model should i get?

So my match plan for sunday is:
1: installing the backdrop with the anti-bubble sealant
2: rinsing aragonite, install it
3: put powerheads in it 
4: Let it settle down

[barabe]

Looking good!!! I remember so well...

[salvini55]

the RKL is a great tool, I have one and i am happy for now. The RKL cannot measure salinity, only PH and ORP. For salinity, you need the Reef Keeper Elite. 8 in. behind the tank is plenty. Dont waste your money on an aquaclear, save for a protien skimmer!!! this is one item you have overlooked and is key. live rock will filter the water. Do a little more reading before making fast moves, it WILL SAVE you money!

[Hookup]

Great start.  I would suggest you get a two-little-fishes reactor, an MJ400 and some GAC (basic carbon reactor) and throw that onto your system while you save for your skimmer.  The main goal of Carbon is to filter-out DOC (Dissolved Organic Compounds) but uses a different method than a skimmer.  This should help your system both now and in the long run and it's an cheap and easy thing to do.

[White Lightning]

Looks great! I remember starting out in salt a little over a year ago and I can totally empathize with your excitement. What are you planning to keep in this tank. Corals? If so, were you thinking softies, LPS SPS mixed? Or were you planning a FOWLR tank? If you are going with corals, I don't know whether or not you want to keep that glass cover on your tank. In my opinion, it affects the amount of light that is able to penetrate the water to your photosynthetic corals.

[Funkmotor]

The RKL cannot measure salinity, only PH and ORP. For salinity, you need the Reef Keeper Elite.

The SL2 module measures salinity and now works with the RKL.
     http://www.digitalaquatics.com/saltwater/RKL

RKL will accept *any* module, except for NET.

Of course, the limit of 4 modules and a temp probe would be enough to drive most to the RKE if they were thinking of so many modules.

[ordi260]

Wow thanks for the carbon idea ill dig on the web to find how to do that!

And thanks for confirning me that sl2 works with rkl!  I have just stoped at rays place to get one! It looks awesome! Cant wait to start fiddling in the menus

[RossW]

RKL will accept *any* module, except for NET.

With the last firmware, the RKL now supports the NET module!

[salvini55]

The SL2 module measures salinity and now works with the RKL.
     http://www.digitalaquatics.com/saltwater/RKL

RKL will accept *any* module, except for NET.

Of course, the limit of 4 modules and a temp probe would be enough to drive most to the RKE if they were thinking of so many modules.

Good news for all then! NET module works too

[ordi260]

What are you planning to keep in this tank. Corals? If so, were you thinking softies, LPS SPS mixed?

I am actually planning on keeping softies, something to host a clown and some lps...im not thinking about hard corals or sps...i dont think light are gonna be strong enough...i might do some experiments tho...

any suggestions on nice corals to begin with?  I love those who move with the current and also those who glows when actinics are on!

Oh yeah and i was wondering if a 3/4 inches (3 quarter) sand bed will be good?  I read many confusing infos about sand beds...another thing, should i put eggcrate under sand to dissipate weight or its not worth it (heard it can trap bacteria on the long run...).

Anything else i should know before putting the sand and salty water in?

[ordi260]

[ordi260]

A word about filtration...i had a good talk with ray about the filtration for my tank...do you guys think the biological filtration from the live rock with the use of a small (appropriate for my tank size...) protein skimmer is gonna be enought or should i look into adding other means of filtration???  Note that i dont have a sump!

[Severum]

I'd say that live rock and a skimmer should be just fine. If you notice you are having nutrient problems you can start adding other components.

[ordi260]

Any ideas about the skimmer type i should use??? I am a very regular water changer (im used to it)...so i wouldn't mind doing it weekly or twice a week if needed...

i was thinking of getting a small prtoein skimmer to start with and see if the parameters are good and upgrade later on, if necessary because my tank is quite small.

I guess it depends of the bio load anyway...any ideas???

What about my sand bed... 3 quarter inche to an inch is gonna be OK eh?

[SWFitzy]

Do not put the eggcrate in the bottom. It is not good for your tank.

Some coral suggestions are Bubble Coral, Torch Coral, Elegance coral and long tentacle plate coral.

As for a skimmer, go to Ottawa Inverts. They have some good deals on later models.

[Vincenzo.]

Ya get a hob skimmer, they are some nice affordable models. Or place a add for a used..

If u want a mech filter, look into getting a small one and make it into a chaeto mod. Cheap simple and good for pod pop.

for 20g aim for 20-30lbs of LR.

up 2 an 1'' is fine for ur sand bed. Im a fan of DSB i had 2.5''/3'' .... But words of wizz-dumb, NEVER stir ur sand bed when its that deep. Or ull end up like me..

[ordi260]

Updates!!!!

Just purchased 25 lbs of totoka and indo live rock!!!

Tank is full of salty water (adjusting relative gravity to 1.020 rights now)

So cycling start now!!! 

What water temperature should i aim for?  I settted the heater to 78...any ideas?

Ill be adding the live rock in there in the next hour...place everything nice and clean and rinse / add sand later on!

Lots of pictures taken...ill post them later tonight!

[RossW]

This is an excellent article which will address your heat question and may make you question your saltinity also

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

[ordi260]

Alright so here is the liverock!

Tank with backdrop.

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[ordi260]

Ebay stuff just arrived!



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[ordi260]

Natural Wave and Digital Aquatics PC4.

Digital aquatics ReefKeeper lite (Ill hang it on my stand's door later on)

Tank with saltwater in

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[ordi260]

Live rock and aragonite in place (its not too cloudy...im surprised)!   

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[ordi260]

Living room's lights off and fixture on!

That's about it for today...temps is now stable at 80 F and salinity (RG) at 1.021.

Should I put the lights on or off during the cycling period?

What's next on the to do list???

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[salvini55]

bump up that salinity to 1.025  looking good. Is that a wooden airstone skimmer?

[dakrazyone]

setup is looking good, keep the pics coming

[ordi260]

bump up that salinity to 1.025  looking good. Is that a wooden airstone skimmer?

Yes its a wooden airstone skimmer... I took it on ebay cheapo style (less than 15$) I bought it just to help before i buy something more effective (probably a HOB event tho i find the very big and UGLY!!!)  Reef octopus HOB BH-1000 might be a choice...also heard about aqua C remora...don't know wha to choose...any ideas?

Do you guys have any links to a salinity calculator...something that would tell me how much salt to pour in to bump it up from 1.021 to 1.025 in 20 gallons volume...?

[beertech]

You should be using a refractometer or at least a hydrometer to measure your salinity. Don't go any further until you have one of these to check it. You measure it when you mix it before adding it to your tank. 

[LEROY]

How do you know your specific gravity is 1.021? If you are following the directions on the bag "1/2 cup per gallon" then that is more of a guideline than an accurate way of measuring your specific gravity. Since you are cycling your tank when you do your next water change you can bump up the salinity, but I believe it is best to do that by .002 per week. When mixing your water it is best do so over a 24 hour period and to have good circulation and the temperature will have an effect on your SG reading and your best bet is to have the fresh salty water temperature and SG matched to your tank water (once you have inhabitants). Getting it right takes some fine tuning and once you start mixing every week you will find that you will be able to gauge how much salt to add if it's too salty add fresh RO water to take the level down accordingly. Hope that helps.

[ordi260]

Hi everyone! 

I think i might have written something incorrectly! (Sorry about that...) 

I already have a hydrometer, my question was if there is any chart that would allow me to see how many salt is needed to bump it up from 1.021 to 1.025 in a volume of 20 gallon.  Leroy answered it by saying no.

Quote from leroy:   Getting it right takes some fine tuning and once you start mixing every week you will find that you will be able to gauge how much salt to add. Quote
I was thinking about something like:

Example: to bump 20 gallons of water at 1.021 you need 5 gallons of water at 1.035 but apparently there is no way to calculate that, i looked online and didn't found anything.

Thanks for your help!

[ordi260]

Talking about water changes...what are my daily / weekly tasks during hte cycling period???

[Sharbuckle]

looking good, looks just like my old 20 when i first started it, i would do a %25 water change weekly, or a bigger one bi-weekly, what are your stocking ideas?

[Vincenzo.]

Keep ur lights off for 2-3months. Water change 15-20% weekly.  add 1hermit and 3snails in a month, or a single damsel or chromis ..

[ordi260]

All the stuff that was suspended in the water has now settled down...water is almost crystal clear...whats next?  How much time to wait?  Any daily task?

[ordi260]

looking good, looks just like my old 20 when i first started it, i would do a %25 water change weekly, or a bigger one bi-weekly, what are your stocking ideas?

For cleaning crew:
4-5 mixed snails
3-4 blueleg hermits
1-2 redleg hermits (are they reef safe?)

Fish:
I am thinking about a pair of true perc or 1 true perc and 1 six line wrasse.

Corals (eventually)...
Bubble Coral
Torch Coral
Elegance coral
long tentacle plate coral
pulsing xenias
Eventually some lps (havent read much about them yet)

[nissannx]

get all red legs if you still want your snails lol.. blue legs are vicious

[mikerobart]

Well the torch, elegance, and plate are considered lps. Red legs definitely safer than blue. Scarlets good too. Blues you will lose snails more often as mentioned.

[QueensU]

Keep in mind that LPS corals like torch, elegance, frogspawn, etc will take up a lot of real estate when they are fully extended. They also don't play nicely with others, e.g. they will sting zoas and mushrooms, etc. Its a good idea to roughly plan out where you will put things before you get them (and remember to plan for their size at full extension).

[Vincenzo.]

if you want nice 20g (just my opinion again) .. forget the plane shrooms, and brown/green zoas.... if you want shrooms just pick up Ricordia's, both floridas & yumas. i know they are expensive, but they have awesome color variations and they are SOOOOOO easy to frag. 1 shroom at 20-50$ can be made into min 4 in a matter of seconds. an say u spend 40$ .. and frag it to 4... keep 2 and sell the other 2 for 20$ each.. boombap u just got free Ric's as for zoas bite the bullet and pick up Aussie frags.

[ordi260]

Another little update...tank is cycling nicely so far...

Made some purchases...

Reef Octopus BH-100F

Im having a couple of problems with it...if your interested you can see this thread!

http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=43418.0

More to come soon!

[cn]

if you want nice 20g (just my opinion again) .. forget the plane shrooms, and brown/green zoas.... if you want shrooms just pick up Ricordia's, both floridas & yumas. i know they are expensive, but they have awesome color variations and they are SOOOOOO easy to frag. 1 shroom at 20-50$ can be made into min 4 in a matter of seconds. an say u spend 40$ .. and frag it to 4... keep 2 and sell the other 2 for 20$ each.. boombap u just got free Ric's as for zoas bite the bullet and pick up Aussie frags.

I have some rics forsale if you want to try fragging it 
By the way very good progress so far. Good luck in this very rewarding ( & expensive) hobby 

[ordi260]

I have some rics forsale if you want to try fragging it 
By the way very good progress so far. Good luck in this very rewarding ( & expensive) hobby 

Thanks!  I soon as the tank is ready to accomodate corals ill drop you a line!

Right now im trying to get my skimmer less loud and bubbly...

[ordi260]

Test results of the march 30th

Temp 80.5
Rel. Gravity 1.023
Ph 7.9
Ammonia 0.50
Nitrite 0.2
Nitrate 5
Phosphate 0.25

[ordi260]

Hey guys!

Here is a little tease of the things to come today:

New stand to house ATO and dosing stuff
Another test results batch
Pictures from my little RO/DI transport rig
Up to date tank pics

[ordi260]

Ok here is a picture update!!!

[ordi260]

Ok so here i am trying to figure out what i will need in the following months (shopping list).

Here is what I have so far...tell me what you think about it and also if you think some major stuff is missing...

-Aqua Lifter Vacuum Pump (for auto top off)

-2 part dosing starting kit (calcium, alk and mag dosing)...I need confirmation that its a wise choice in my tank size
   
-RKM-PC4 Power Bar Module - Digital Aquatics (already have one...its working flawlessly so far and i miss some outlets  )
   
-Dual Bracket ReefKeeper Float Switch Kit - Digital Aquatics (For auto top off)

-ReefKeeper Elite SL2 pH and Salinity Module - Digital Aquatics (I need the switch ports on it for auto top off and ill buy PH and salinity probes later on)

-kH/Alkalinity Test Kit

-Test Kit - Magnesium    

-Test Kit - Calcium

[93GTCANADA]

Looking good. Was your wife drinking the bud lime lol

[ordi260]

Yesterday's Test results

Temp 80.5
Rel. Gravity 1.023
Ph 7.9
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0.1
Nitrate 2
Phosphate 0.25

How about adding some cleaner crew in this weekend???

[Vincenzo.]

id wait longer.

[RossW]

I would not add a thing until your 'trite is 0.

[RossW]

Your pH seems a little on the low side.  What is your alk?

[ordi260]

Your pH seems a little on the low side.  What is your alk?

Test kit for alk will be bought tomorrow!

[ordi260]

Hey guys!

Here is an update!

The HOB skimmer is returned, its a good skimmer but a bit too much noisy IMO and microbubbles were an issue.  Im goin to get a recirc 110 tomorrow and it will be located in a bookcase with doors next to the stand to dampen the sound!

Going to buy plumbing and skimmer tomorrow...pictures to come 

[Vincenzo.]

sweet. a diy muffler is always a good idea.

[ordi260]

Skimmer is installed!  It took me a while but it was fun    I hope everything is done correctly!
There are some bubbles in the tank (many bubbles i have to say) but i guess they will dissapear as it breaks in!

Here are the pics of the day!

Tell me what you think!

[ordi260]

I have a question about the skimmer! 

I came home today and looked at it and i noticed that there was almost no foam going up the skimmer...
water level is unchanged, water flow going back to the tank is unchanged but no skimmate collected today
(and very little collected until installation...)its brown-green tho...
I tried to change water flow, adjusting the output tube rotation, checked the air intake tube, blown in it to see if there was any water in there, checked for any kinks in the tube...water level in the display tank is alright...
I just cant figure out what happenned!

any suggestions on things to check or its a normal new skimmer behaviour?

[ordi260]

Just to make things a little more clear...there is lots of bubbles in the chamber its just that they dont stack up in the direction of the collection cup as they used to do yesterday...they just blow when they come the the surface of the water and dont stack up...i would say there is about 1 cm of foam on to of water level and that's it... what's happening in there???

[ordi260]

That's been a little while i haven't posted on here!

Clean up crew has been added!

Scarlet and mexican red legs along with some nassarius, cerith and astrea snails!

[ordi260]

Here is some pics i took tonight?  Can anybody help me identify them?

The first ones are about something incrusted on my tank's glass.  It somewhat sticked on the glass and looks like the shape of baby snails but i never seen some before...am I right?

The other ones are about algeas i have in there!  Identification will be appreciated...i think everything is normal so far but i want to double check before something goes crazy!

Thanks guys!

Snails?







Algeas???



(This one is on the glass and its brown...no hairs its more like little spots)


(This one is growing on the live rock)


(Little green spots on the rock)

[groan]

the little snails are normal. a sign of a healthy tank. that yellow thing looks like a sponge. also good. the long green thing is algae. looks like a single strand of Chaetomorphia. a beneficial macro algae. that little bit of green stuff on the rocks in the last pic, probably just a bit of surface algae that your clean up crew will clear up.
i would expect nothing to worry about. you also may be experiencing a diatom bloom. typical for a settling tank. i am experiencing it now.
looks like a algae outbreak. brown film covers EVERYTHING.

[Vincenzo.]

pic 1 & 2 = feather star. Very good!
pic 3 = sponge. Very good!
pic 4 = i cant tell. i dont think its flatworms, prolly diatoms
pic 5 = macro algae, chaeto. Good!
pic 6 = your rock never stays 'clean' like when u buy it..it's diversifying, in other words covering in algae. eventually if your parameters are good it'll cover in coralline.

[Tyler.L]

pics 1 and 2 are actually spiroid worms they are good though  nothing to be scared off you can just scrape them off the glass if need be

[ordi260]

are those guys gonna stay there or eventually move to substrate and rocks??  If they are good i dont want to get rid of them...they dont really bother me...as far as they dont cover the whole front and side panels...

[Tyler.L]

nope they will just form on the glass and somtimes you'll get them on your rocks and powerheads etc...

[ordi260]

is the clean up crew gonna eat them??

Free food is always nice for them...  i might keep all of them where they are and just scrape those on the front glass if they ever become overpopulated...

[Tyler.L]

no, nothing eats them that i know of, maybe butterflys and some angels will eat them but nothing i know for sure

[ordi260]

Alrighty!!!

Now im starting to plan my livestock list...

Anyone have suggestions for nice and active colorful fish to start with???

[Vincenzo.]

pics 1 and 2 are actually spiroid worms they are good though  nothing to be scared off you can just scrape them off the glass if need be

^actually .. the correct name is Spirorbids. and they Are Feather Dusters

[Tyler.L]

actuallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy i hate you

and what is a feather duster? A Worm!!!!! I Win

[salvini55]

oooo i love the drama 

[ordi260]

Hey guys...i spotted a small hitchhiker crab yesterday 

...the camera wasn't ready so i dont have any pictures...

do you know any good websites where i could browse and try to compare him to online pics...?

He is brown...about the size of a dime, red'ish eyes...

i know it doesnt help a lot but throw me whatever website about hitchhikers you know and ill try to figure it out lol

[RossW]

Red Eyes usually is bad
Pointed claws always bad

I have yet to hear of a non-evil hitchhiker crab.

[salvini55]

Red Eyes usually is bad
Pointed claws always bad

I have yet to hear of a non-evil hitchhiker crab.

what about acro crabs? 

[RossW]

what about acro crabs? 

You are correct!

[Vincenzo.]

typically acro crabs would be bad. but since they solely live on acro's, they are in a way 'good'. but acro crabs are still a species of xanthid crabs..

[beertech]

If you get an Acropora coral with the proper "hosting" species of Acro crab, it's a definite win win situation. The crab constantly removes any traces of algae and or damaged or dying tissue. There is usually no reason for the crab to go after living polyps. In return, it gets unlimited food supply and shelter from larger predators. Trying to identify the crab though is next to impossible. I've seen a few living in Acro colonies that have been in the store tanks for a while, and the coral is thriving. If it were a "bad" predatory crab, the coral would be stressed and have little or no polyp extension. I think observing for a while would be best, and give you time to plan it's extraction if it does turn out to be bad. 
Gord

[ordi260]

I have a picture!!!  I will upload it tonight since im at work right now!!!

The quality is not awesome because i havent had time to adjust the camera properly before he ran away...

Picture to be uploaded tonight

[ordi260]

Here is the pic of the little guy!!!  Excuse the ridiculous size...but i dont want to lose details...

[Severum]

Definitely looks like a xanthid crab to me.

[ordi260]

What do i do now???

Is my top priority is catching him???  Or it can wait for a little bit before ending up in problems...??

Ill go buy my first fishes tomorrow!

Any ideas on how to catch it   What do i do with him after i caught it???

[Rybren]

What do i do with him after i caught it???

A little garlic, a dab of butter....

[Vincenzo.]

i would catch him before i add fish.

[ordi260]

Ok whats the most efficient way to catch him???

[Vincenzo.]

look up bottle trap.
or
spear him with a sish-ka-bob skewer

[ordi260]

Ok and once trapped what can i do with him apart killing him???

[Brent Shaver]

Would the sump be a possiblity.

Thats just a guess as I dont have salt, but like you dont like killing things.

[ordi260]

I dont have a sump

[beertech]

Absolutely a predator!
I have had the misfortune of having to remove a couple of those monsters from my fully stocked reef. It was not pleasant! They feed on snails, crabs, shrimps and any fish that sleeps in the rockwork. Try to bait and trap it, then when that fails, find out what rock he's in, remove the rock and place in a container or fresh water until he scurries out. Or, in my case, the little bugger still wouldn't come out and I had to split the rock open and forcefully remove him. I forget what they are called exactly, but try googling gorilla crab or rock crab. 
Good luck, maybe someone will take him and throw him in their sump.

[JetJumper]

I will take him and put him in my sump!

[Severum]

Yours looks like the first one from the Xanthidae family.

http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchcrabs.html

[ordi260]

Got him!!! 

Tried to scoop him with a net but he felt the water moving each time i tried to get him so i ended up lifting the couple of rocks that he was hiding in...shook the rock very hard on top of paper towels and...poof 2 of them lol!

Now the water is cloudy because i messed around with the rock-scape...  ***lesson learned...ill never ever play with it anymore lol***  -_-

Next time ill set up traps...that was a lot of trouble but its worth it...now they are out (i hope there is no more of them in there...)

ill get fish at the store tomorrow!  

Thanks for your help everyone

[JetJumper]

They are happily in my Sump now! After tossing them in, they disappeared into the one piece of LR I have in there.  Never to be seen again!

Thanks again Ordi260

[ordi260]

Yoohoo!!!

Im glad they have a good home now!

[ordi260]

Hey everyone!!!

Tank update:

Purchased a pair of BEAUTIFUL onyx clowns yesterday!
Also got 2 nice riccordia frags...one rainbow frag and they other one is green!

Ill post pics later tonight!

[holachicka]

That's awesome - I LOVE the onyx clowns. They are just enough "different" from the regular orange ones that everybody has but still enough of the "same" that they add the finishing touch to any tank!

I can't remember, are you thinking of being a hosting anemone?

[ordi260]

Yes i would love to add the an anemone to host them!  I havent read much on anemones yet tho...im looking for something colorfull. But i need to keep in mind that ill only upgrade my lights in a couple of months tho

[JetJumper]

add one of these (Bubble Tip)

[ordi260]

Added 2 riccordia frags 2 weeks ago and frogspawn, favia, hammerhead and echino this week!!!

Pics toba added soon...only snapped crappy blue-ish shots so far...im not satisfied with them lol

[ordi260]

I got a very nice small black sailfin blennie and a pearly jawfish last weekend!

The black blennie chosen a hole as his home in the rock where i can see him all the time!

But the pearly jawfish is nowhere to be found... i tried many times looking everywhere for him, during the day and night...any tought???

[redbelly]

Well first be sure he didnt jump.
They can be a jumper until they have a burrow built. Then they tend to settle down.

Then check along the base of your rocks and see if anyone has been pushing gravel out from under a rock.
Pearly jawfish like to build a burrow and hide under the rock. You will see them pearing out at first before they will venture out.

[ordi260]

Im checking everyday around the stand in case he would have jumped...nothing he apparently is still in there but the only time i seen him is when i set him free from the pipe he came in...the pipe is still in there and there nothing in it...i looked under it too!

[ordi260]

Alright...here is some pics of the livestock i have in there so far!

Ill wait a bit to add more...make sure everything goes well together and also save some room for some SPS later on!

[JetJumper]

Alright...here is some pics of the livestock i have in there so far!

Ill wait a bit to add more...make sure everything goes well together and also save some room for some SPS later on!

I don't see any pictures

[dan2x38]

I don't see any pictures

I thought it was just me. 

[ordi260]

Haha guys!

Im at work so i have to work before posting you know 

Here are some!

[ordi260]

And some more!!!

[dan2x38]

Very nice setup looks great good job!

[Vincenzo.]

nice tank man.

[White Lightning]

Looking nice. I like the rock work and the torch!

[ordi260]

Good news tonight!!!

Its crack...oops nutrimar ova night for the fish and while feeding, I looked another time around the tank to try to find the pearly jawfish i got 2 weeks ago!

And SURPRISE!!!  I found his burrow on the back side of the tank, under the rocks...altough i cant really see him until feeding time, I am REALLY happy to know hes safe and sound!  He was wonderful colours and eating like a pig 

Ill try to get some pics later this week!

[ordi260]

Time has come to REVIVE my thread! 

I have built a wood canopy with great help from HomerJ (Thanks  ). 

And will be getting an Icecap 660 ballast this weekend!  T5HO here i come!  Corals will benefit of better lighting now!  I will install 4 tubes in the canopy + my reefbrite actinic fixture (if there is enough room).  Ill try to fit in a couple of moonlights in there too but im not sure I will have enough room.

I got sealant, expresso stain and varnish! EDIT 1:30AM: Applied first coat of stain to the door and inside spacers. Now i go sleep 

Now I need to choose the fan's layout and bulb combination.  Any ideas?
The best idea received so far was to put 2 fans on the right pulling air in and 2 fans on the left drawing heat out!

Pictures!

[ordi260]

2 coats of stain later...




...and my pearly jawfish patiently waiting for the canopy to be ready...   

[HomerJ]

Quite the craftsmanship if I can say so myself... Of course it would have helped if the wood had been straight. ;-b  Nice color with the stain.  Can't wait to see it on the tank.

[ordi260]

3rd coat of stain on the door is now done!  I think I was removing too much stain with the rag in the beginning so i think staining is done...ill look tomorrow morning once dreid but I think door and canopy will be matching now

Varnish here we come!

[ordi260]

Of course it would have helped if the wood had been straight. ;-b

That's for sure...but we've been able to deal with it

[ordi260]

Got the t5 lights today!

What do you think about this layout?  Do you think it will be OK?

Pics:

[ordi260]

Two of them are at 45 degree angle, in the middle Reef Brite LED strip and 2 of them flat on the bottom (top i guess) of the canopy!

[ordi260]

I will just lay the all on the bottom of the canopy and figure out how to attach the reefbrite later...

-Pics of the fixture fired up! 

Fixture working

[ordi260]

-Here is a couple of pics of the fans im thinking of using: they are 4 inches 

Will that be enough to cool the 4 t5HO?
Nevermind the crappy picture brightness...I had to boost it with photobucket, they were much too dark...

-First fan pushing cool air on the bulbs




-Second one extracting hot air out of the canopy


-The picture with the 2 fans on the back would be an option to add later IF the 2 on the left and right panels are not cooling enough.

[JetJumper]

Hey man,

I was doing some reading about this and according to what I have found you don't want to cool your T5HO's TOO much as this will actually be detrimental to the performance of the bulbs.  Although I can't find information yet to say whats an ideal operating temp.  You just want to make sure they don't cool them too much to keep the Gas inside from "burning" at its optimal temps.

[RossW]

I agree, cooling T5's is not a blast it and forget it.  I understand you want to cool the end w/ the label... if that makes any sense.

[HomerJ]

Do you really NEED to cool the lights themselves?  I think as long as your fans pull out the hot air from your canopy and you have an equal amount of fresh air intake, they'll cool themselves.  I might be wrong, but i'd think a fan on one side pushing in and another one on the other side pushing out is all you need (or even simpler, a fan in the back middle pulling out, and an intake on each side).

[ordi260]

  I understand you want to cool the end w/ the label... if that makes any sense.

What do you mean?

[ordi260]

Do you really NEED to cool the lights themselves? 

I think that they would benefit from being cooled directly...the ballast is overdriving them!

Id like some opinions before drilling 2 X 5 inches holes on the side of my nice canopy 

[Malyon18]

If it was me I would try and hang them in the back somehow that way there keeping the sides of your canopy in one piece incase you change your mind down the road. Or you could even drill a bunch of smaller holes in a nice design or pattern eliminating the big 5'' holes, might not be as efficient as the big 5'' hole but would still work and look a little cleaner in my opinion.

[RossW]

I seem to recall that the fixtures with cooling, only cool the label end of the bulb... or is it they heat the label end and cool the rest?!?

I am confused now... I would do more research before I cut holes in the side of my cabinet if I were you.

http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=35648.msg222011#msg222011

I understand you want to cool the end w/ the label... if that makes any sense.

What do you mean?

[JetJumper]

From what I found the other night... Florescent Bulbs have a cool zone which is the part of the bulb you want to cool.  If you cool the entire bulb it will effect the output of the bulb.  They require running at a certain temp. at a minimum.  If it doesn't then the gas inside the glass will not emit the correct colour spectrum.  Ever looked at a T5/8/12 bulb in the garage in the winter time?  Takes a while for it to give off the 'normal' light effect of that bulb due to having to heat the gas inside. 

If you cool the ends of bulbs, this is idea and not the center of the tubes were it requires the heat.

I am still trying to find more info on this as I wanted to cool my fixture as well but have put a hold on it.

If you have airflow around the fixture and not directly on / across the bulbs I think you will be good.

[JetJumper]

Here is one link I found.  I know its not really a credible site, but I have seen lots of duplicate information on other sites as well.

http://home.comcast.net/~stevelarsen00/site/?/page/T5_Basics/

Another was they ran so cool there was no need for cooling. This is partially true; the lights typically don't create tank heating issues. However the performance is greatly enhanced by proper cooling. T5's have what is known as a cold spot where the temperature determines the gas pressure inside the lamp. Some, but not all of the lamps have a dedicated cold spot which is at the label end. On other lamps regulating the temperature at either end will give you top performance but it is good practice to just cool the label end of all lamps to remove any doubt. Using a fan on the center section of the lamp will quickly over cool the lamp which actually will hurt performance more than not cooling at all in the case of the normally driven T5's.  T5 VHO systems which are T5's ran on Ice Cap ballasts to overdrive the lamps must be cooled. Not doing so will lead to early lamp failure which is typically a crack at the reflector clip. The Same rule applies to cooling HO or VHO T5's, don't cool the center of the lamps.

Update:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_lamp_formats

T5 tubes operate at a higher than ideal temperature for the purposes of regulating the mercury vapor pressure in the tube. A fluorescent lamp's "cold spot" is the area where the internal glass wall temperature is at its lowest. It is the temperature of the coldest spot which effectively sets the mercury vapor pressure for the whole tube. Unlike a T8 or T12 fluorescent lamp, where the cold spot is in the middle, in T5 lamps it is at the tube end which is marked with the rating label, in the extended space behind the filament. By having this extended area outside of the discharge run cooler, this reduces the mercury vapor pressure in the whole tube to more ideal levels.[17]

[ordi260]

@ Jet jumper: this is good info!

Thanks ill take that in account and keep you guys posted

[ordi260]

I seem to recall that the fixtures with cooling, only cool the label end of the bulb... or is it they heat the label end and cool the rest?!?

I am confused now... I would do more research before I cut holes in the side of my cabinet if I were you.

http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=35648.msg222011#msg222011

Also good info!  I use icecap 660 ballast with 24 inches bulb.  That's why im converned about cooling 

[ordi260]

First coat of varnish is done!

Still thinking about the fans setup 

[Bob P]

Looking good.
I picked up some 3.5 inch fans and 12v transformers
at Princess auto in the surplus area. I have a 75 gal with
homemade 6 bulb t5 light canopy  2 fans on the back pulling
air out only. I drilled a row of holes along the back
to allow more air into the space. Looks like your
cover has a gap a few inches high along the back
between cover and tank rim, as mine also does.
I have no heat issues even in mid summer. The negative
air pressure created by the fans will draw air in from every space
available. Doesn't make much difference where you put fan.Back or end.
However back is nice, you don't see them.
Fairly even cooling will be the result. Sure use two in case one fails.
Good luck.

[ordi260]

Varnished canopy pics.

Only 1 more coat to be done on the inside.  Then ill start installing the lights in there

That one is pretty dark...not the correct color 



There the color is about ok...its a little less brown tho...



Yeah... that's it i guess



The door



The inside: only 1 coat of stain to keep it as lightly colored as possible (light reflection i guess  )

[JetJumper]

haha, love the bottle of Appletons

[ordi260]

haha, love the bottle of Appletons

LOL I forgot to remove it before taking pics 

[ordi260]

Its almost done! 

I can't say done yet  because stain / varnish touch-ups have to be done in the fan holes but the thing is up and running now!

Here are some pics

Mounted ballast / wiring *I installed plastic mesh thingy so the wrasse can't jump out  *



Exhaust fan (hot air out)



Fan drawing cool air in on the side panel



Lights mounted in the canopy



Tank shot 3



Onyx clowns looking happy about the new "sun"    Lately the started to go behind that piece...when they do it they are totally hidden...I freaked out the other day 



Good looking trachyphillia









Oops...gone 



Almost got you 



Oh well ill snap a picture of you jumber fish later 

[JetJumper]

Looking good Ordi260!

Slap something like this on the fan holes and you are good to go!

[ordi260]

Looking good Ordi260!

Slap something like this on the fan holes and you are good to go!

Im still debating on whether or not doing it, one is on the back and the other one is on the right side, hidden by the cabinet there...

[JetJumper]

Im still debating on whether or not doing it, one is on the back and the other one is on the right side, hidden by the cabinet there...

Helps keep the dust out as well.

[NjOyRiD]

very nice build, if you need green yumas, or small live rock,  let me know!