I had been toying with the idea of building a frag tank to grow out some zoas for a little garden in my nanocube. But, then I quickly realized that I had no room in that tank for any more coral... so what would be the point? Seemed like a good enough excuse to embrace my multi-tank syndrome and start a new build.
I'm going to try to keep this build as simple as possible; no skimmer, no fuge/sump, and no dosing schedules. Just good old water changes as needed. I plan on running an HOB...not drilling the tank due to the location and honestly just a lack of space. My macro in the nano cube is doing extremely well...so I'll be taking a chunk and placing it in the 20L for some nutrient export. If that's not enough I may consider a small diy algae scrubber, but the goal is to keep the equipment to a minimum. Plans so far:
Lighting- (2) 31W T5 bulbs, 10k and actinic 120W dimmable LED fixture (2:1 blue/white ratio)
Filtration- AC50 Modified AC70 with mini-refugium
Circulation- Temporarily a koralia 1...will probably be the only upgrade down the line as I'll want to replace it with an mp10. Dang vortechs and their irresistible awesomeness. MP10wes...called it.
Livestock- Primarily Zoas and Palys (added a Duncan for some movement) and a sixline wrasse African Flameback Angel. I'm purposely keeping the bioload light so I can get away with the HOB.
I have some marco rock on the way, and will be going bare bottom to keep detritus suspended and cleanup easy. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the look...but it's more practical for this build so I'm gonna see if it grows on me.
Ok...picture time. Not much to see yet, I just de-rimmed the tank (top only) and put it in place. I'll leak test it again but I'm not expecting any issues as things checked out over the weekend.
For Chad...Here's the glass after popping off the rim and getting the heavy silicone off with a razor (or 2 or 3).
After the acetone and steel wool scrub
Teaser pics
Yea...the tank is in a weird corner and the back end is sort of obstructed by that bookshelf (which, by the way is full of tropical fish hobbyist magazines...thanks Martin!). The primary the viewing angle will be from corner to corner for anyone (me) seated in that chair though, so it works nicely. To the left of that table is my kitchen counter, so there is really no loss of view with that back end tucked beside the bookshelf. It actually makes for a good spot to hide the HOB... there, now I've convinced myself that this build is justified. Lol
I'm going to try to keep this build as simple as possible; no skimmer, no fuge/sump, and no dosing schedules. Just good old water changes as needed. I plan on running an HOB...not drilling the tank due to the location and honestly just a lack of space. My macro in the nano cube is doing extremely well...so I'll be taking a chunk and placing it in the 20L for some nutrient export. If that's not enough I may consider a small diy algae scrubber, but the goal is to keep the equipment to a minimum. Plans so far:
Lighting- (2) 31W T5 bulbs, 10k and actinic 120W dimmable LED fixture (2:1 blue/white ratio)
Filtration- AC50 Modified AC70 with mini-refugium
Circulation- Temporarily a koralia 1...will probably be the only upgrade down the line as I'll want to replace it with an mp10. Dang vortechs and their irresistible awesomeness. MP10wes...called it.
Livestock- Primarily Zoas and Palys (added a Duncan for some movement) and a sixline wrasse African Flameback Angel. I'm purposely keeping the bioload light so I can get away with the HOB.
I have some marco rock on the way, and will be going bare bottom to keep detritus suspended and cleanup easy. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the look...but it's more practical for this build so I'm gonna see if it grows on me.
Ok...picture time. Not much to see yet, I just de-rimmed the tank (top only) and put it in place. I'll leak test it again but I'm not expecting any issues as things checked out over the weekend.
For Chad...Here's the glass after popping off the rim and getting the heavy silicone off with a razor (or 2 or 3).
After the acetone and steel wool scrub
Teaser pics
Yea...the tank is in a weird corner and the back end is sort of obstructed by that bookshelf (which, by the way is full of tropical fish hobbyist magazines...thanks Martin!). The primary the viewing angle will be from corner to corner for anyone (me) seated in that chair though, so it works nicely. To the left of that table is my kitchen counter, so there is really no loss of view with that back end tucked beside the bookshelf. It actually makes for a good spot to hide the HOB... there, now I've convinced myself that this build is justified. Lol
Last edited by a moderator:
