Snake's 20g Nano Build thread

snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Oh, and I have decided that I am going to go with an LED lighting system in the future. I think I want to do it all DIY, and I'm going to do some of the DIY stuff on this thread. When I can, I want to save up for a reef controller and monitor as well. Since the whole tank is going to be SPS dominated, I want to get everything perfect. :D Plus, I like some of the reef controllers out there and I don't have much experience with one, so it would also be neat to try out....
So, anyone have any thoughts and opinions on reef controllers?
Anyone have any thoughts and opinions on DIY LED lighting systems?
Remember, I'm looking at some of this stuff long term...
 
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eric b 125

Guest
I like the idea of LED's but aside from what I learned when Mark Vera came and spoke at our reef club meet I am clueless as to how to build a fixture. Something I ought to start reading about.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
My coral shipment should be arriving any moment now!!! I'm so excited!!! I hope shipping didn't kill me. lol!
Oh, my fish are doing just fine. Coralline is starting to spread like crazy since I've been dosing my tank with kalkwasser. My salinity is a little on the low side this morning for coral, but I plan on increasing salinity over the next couple of weeks - so it shouldn't be a problem soon. I am still building on my new stand, and I hope to have that entire project done by Christmas. I'm also redesigning an algae scrubber to fit inside a 10g aquarium underneath my new stand. I know that in the future, I am going to upgrade to a 110g tall tank, so I'm leaving plenty of space in my sump for a large protein skimmer. I'm aiming for an SPS dominated tank... as always. :D
lol, Eric, at least you and I have SPS addictions in common. :D
 
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eric b 125

Guest
dude, i hated sps when i first got into the hobby. i was all about the softies: they had movement, they got big fast, easy to care for, etc.. i dont know what happened, but i'm hooked on sps: the colors, the different growth patterns/shapes. now my sps grow faster than any soft coral i've ever had. i still keep a few softies and lps for movement but nothing that will get in the way of my stonies.
what is your SG? i keep mine at 1.025 and i've gotten great results with that. having an ATO helps when keeping the SG high, as i'm sure you know. i would get 2-3 gallons evap in a day which isn't so bad because the evaporation is slow; it's the quick drop in SG when i would top-off that worried me. not that 3 gallons is much in a 160 gallon system
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
It's at 1.021 now. I'm going to get it up to 1.025 over the next few weeks. I think those SPS I got will be ok for now. I'm upgrading the whole system in the next couple of months. Other than that, the ats is doing a great job keeping nitrate and phos at zero. I'm Gona put an ato on the upgrade. Just gotta make it a few months. Lol
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Yeah. When I got into the hobby it was about mushrooms and zoas. Lol. Then I got interested in Lps. But when I got my first stony coral, I was hooked.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
YES my package arrived at about 2pm. I temp acclimated for around 35 minutes, and I'm dripping them all now. About another 30 minutes and they will be ready to put in the tank!!
Everything made it alright except for one acro. :( but it will be ok. The mushroom and sinularia combo rock is pretty cool, but I don't think it did really well during shipping. The bag water was all brown and mucky. I';l know more tomorrow.
I just went to the store and bought some superglue gel so that I can attach the frags to the rock(s). I also got some extra stuff to finish my stand. :D :D
 
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eric b 125

Guest
c'mon seth, you know better----PICS DUDE!!! i hope you are happy with everything.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
that didnt make it through very well. it doesnt matter, though, really, because in a month or so all those pieces will grow together into one colony.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, I'm not worried one bit! I know it will all grow back together again. No worries. IF I can just get my stand done, and my new sump built and a new scrubber built and and and and... lol... I'll be good to go.
I want to prove that you can grow SPS in a 20g nano tank, with my system....
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Yup. I'm Gona run a scrubber and a diablo protein skimmer. I'm getting more into two part solutions, but I'm Still considering a small ca reactor.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
You should be able to do a 20 gallon, have a look at this 6.6 gallon.
http://glassbox-design.com/2009/the-remarkable-pico-reef-of-marcello/
 
al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
That is really nice, I just built a tank the same dimensions almost are the little grey fish blue eyed cardinals? Thanks for sharing that Henry.
 
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