2balive's 128l Nano with MH light

2balive

2balive

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Vredehoek, Cape Town
Finally convinced myself and my family that it is time for another marine tank . This will be our 3rd.

The first one was a converted 20l trickle filter tank with a rock and mushrooms, a blenny and a clown, an absolute pleasure, no issues, had lots of fun and hours watching things coming out of the rock.

Having kept Discusses for years, this was "so easy" and interesting that we upgraded to this one:

My "new" 24 gallon JBJ Nano - Page 2 - Marine Aquariums of South Africa

Loved it, just started to get the hang of it and then it got wiped out completely by Bryopsis (beware, it all started from 1 strand on an LPS branch that I bought).

Torch and macro green algae - Marine Aquariums of South Africa

As my objective is still to keep an anemone one day I did a bit more homework this time. Decided to again go with a nano with a 150w MH and chiller.

Want a tank with lots of movement and colour, so will focus on LPS, with small peaceful, interesting fish and a bubble tip anemone after a year or so. Seeing the new mini carpets, may just slip one in as well then.

I travel a lot, so it has to be simple, and must be able to run with minimal help (water changes only, if easy to do) for at least two weeks at a time. :wubclub:

Tank:

It is a 128l (note, this tank is not 180l as "advertised") Boyu HS-60 on a Boyu stand.

Filtration

Natural:

8kg of live rock and a 5cm (16kg) of CaribSea Aragonite Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand in the DT.

I have placed the rock on a hidden framework of acrylic rods for stability and better flow.

Mechanical:

I run a WG-308 Boyu Protein Skimmer doing 120l/h (still planning to upgrade this to a Hydor or Tunes) in my first compartment

Also "constructed" a DYI quick release bracket for filter floss between the second and third compartment.

Chemical

I build a DIY media basket out of acrylic sheet (pls PM me if you want the local guy who help me cut this stuff, he is amazing). It has four compartments:

Bottom: still empty but planning to add a Nitrate resin product (still deciding which one)
Second: 250ml Purigen
Third: 330g Chemi-pure Elite
Top: 50g Kent Marine Phosphate Sponge (intermittent)

Refigium (in progress)

I will used the last compartment as a small refigium. The rock with sit in a media basket, and cheato on top. Main purpose is pods, not so much filtration.

Biological

Used Prodibo StopAmmo and BioDigest for startup, will continue with BioDigest

Flow

The main circulation pump I upgraded to a SICCE Extrema pump (2,500l/h 2.5m 32w). I plumbed this straight into my chiller, with the return going directly into the DT. Was very worried about the overflow and chiller being able to handling it, but it works like a charm. Silent as well.

I have an Aqua Medic wave 4 plug controller linked to an assortment of wave makers in the DT:
Tunes Nano Turbell 2500 lph
Seio M620 Super Flow Pump 2400 lph
Seio Prop 320 Super Flow Pump 1200 lph​
I had the Tunes, and wanted to test flow rates first, so bough the Seio's, may upgrade them later to something else. Tunes moves the water beautifully, I am not impress with the Seio M series, liked the form factor, but for the size it hardly moves the water and it is expensive once you have added the magnet. The prop pump is not to bad for the size and cost.

I run the controller on a slow change cycle to spare the pumps. (The Seio often start in reverse as well?).

Also got a Seio Prop 320 (1200lph) in the refugium to blast clean it (and get some pods out) every now and then. The refugium is fed by a 350lph pump.​


Lighting

Running the stock standard 150w MH unit in the hood (twin fan cooled) with the no-name 14000K bulb.
Also got two NANO-GLO LED magnetic lights with 4 x 2W LEDs each for the refugium. (Have not set them up yet, still got to get the black rapping off the back area of the tank).

Temperature

Hailea HC 250A Chiller and a 150W electronic heater.

CUC

1 x fighting conch
2 x mecican turbo's
1 x Nassatius Snail
1 x Stomatella Snail
1 x electric blue Hermit Calcinus elegans (looking for a new tank)
2 x Pop-Pom Crabs

Corals

So far I have only added a small rock with Zoanthid polyps last night.

Fish and others

None

Other

Ordered a Top-up unit, and may add a UV light later.

Here it is, been running for three weeks. So far so good, everything measuring OK, a very small amount of nitrate.

Big thanks to everyone that has helped.

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Getting the rocks in

Here is some of the setup process. The tank is very "high" with a smallish footprint, so had to go up with the rocks, needed something to keep it of the sand and stop it from falling over.

Build two plates with holes that the rods fits in. The rods can be removed from the areas without rocks.

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The LR installed on the rods. Some of the rods goes trough the live rock, the rest are used for the rocks to stand on, about 6cm off the bottom of the tank.


The idea is/was that it will not only support the rock and stabilise it when things dig tunnels, but also allow flow under it.

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Think I got a bit carried away with the sand so the clearance is not as much as I wanted and some if the big bits sticks quite deep into the sand.

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This is how it looked with all the sand in. One problem with this way is that once the sand is in, adding or changing a rod is impossible without taking the sand out again.

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Filling up

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Things got a bit messy, rocks in the miss.

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A few hours later:

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Media Basket

On the right, do not like all the stuff lying on top of each other so thought I would build a media basket for all the bags. The water also flows up trough it so should help with stopping stuff settling on it.

Also will keep LR in the one on the left with cheato on top, at least now I will be able to remove the rock easier when something falls/jumps/get dropped into the refugium. Also will make cleaning the back glass easier when it is needed.

Took more effort than what I thought it would, but the next set will be much easier. Had great service and lessons in perspex glueing from a small company that did all the cutting.

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Not that good at removing filter floss, idea is that this is an easy takeout, wash and put back.

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niiiiiice :thumbup:
 
Rocks for refugium going into the cage, what flow?

OK, finally got around to put some LR rubble into the cage that will serve as the refugium. Have put it in a cage to allow me to lift it out if I need to scrape coraline agea of the back glass (still need to add the lights for the cheato). Will also help to clean if required. The rock is also in the "air" so detritus will not accumulate at the bottom of the area.

Still a bit confused about the flow requirements. As I mainly want to use it for pod production, a apparently need to have low flow. So got a small pump (300l/h) dropping water in from the top. But worried that I will get a build up of detritus in the rock? So got a small powerhead that I will switch on every now and then.

Any suggestions and/or examples of a small, vertical refugium?


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From below, the cage drops about 15cm down, will put cheato in the space above it, 2 x 4 led, magnetic lights on the side.

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Looking good!! How did you stick the egg crate together? Also, 128L is not a nano, that stops at 120L :p
 
I like the idea with the acrylic rods!! :thumbup: Where did you buy them?

Btw. your tank is a nano! On MASA nano's go up to 130 liter, 130 liters and up counts as medium tanks. Have a look on Nano-reef.com, they have nano's that goes up to 200 liters.
 
eb.adam said:
How did you stick the egg crate together?
Click to expand...

Louis Scheepers said:
I like the idea with the acrylic rods!! :thumbup: Where did you buy them?
Click to expand...

I use a small company in Montague Gardens for most of the stuff, they also cut the holes and perspex panes, but most plastic companies stock the acrylic rods. Fibre glass rods are better (acrylic eventually gets brittle), but think that it is academical.

I used perspex glue (bonding liquid), think it is called E20, also can buy it from plastic companies, hellishly expensive, but works and does not stick to your fingers, would not use supper glue for this. As far us I could assertion, it is completely inert once cured.

I want to get a pistol shrimp/goby pair, so needed something stable, also allows me to go high.

In terms of the size, just following the rules ;) , but with all the sand, RL and pumps, I think the actual water volume is about 100l.
 
Len said:
I use a small company in Montague Gardens for most of the stuff, they also cut the holes and perspex panes, but most plastic companies stock the acrylic rods. Fibre glass rods are better (acrylic eventually gets brittle), but think that it is academical.

I used perspex glue (bonding liquid), think it is called E20, also can buy it from plastic companies, hellishly expensive, but works and does not stick to your fingers, would not use supper glue for this. As far us I could assertion, it is completely inert once cured.

I want to get a pistol shrimp/goby pair, so needed something stable, also allows me to go high.

In terms of the size, just following the rules ;) , but with all the sand, RL and pumps, I think the actual water volume is about 100l.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!
 
Refugium flow?

Len said:
Still a bit confused about the flow requirements. As I mainly want to use it for pod production, a apparently need to have low flow. So got a small pump (300l/h) dropping water in from the top. But worried that I will get a build up of detritus in the rock? So got a small powerhead that I will switch on every now and then.

Any suggestions and/or examples of a small, vertical refugium?
Click to expand...

Bump ?
 
Cheoto and lights in

Had some time this weekend, got my cheato and lights in!!! Now how do I get pods and other stuff into the rock and cheato?

With hindsight, i could have fitted more rock in as the cheato is about 15cm from the water level. I may put a piece or two on top of the cage.

The refigium with LR in place, no cheato, no lights.

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Cutting the "holes" in the black rapping the the back was relative easy, if you careful it comes of clean, the bit of glue on some areas comes of with peanut-butter.

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Lights in place. Will run them on a counter cycle .

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Cheato going in and in place. Not quite tumbling, but easy to turn over.

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