20 gal plans underway (with pics)

[Nikkiheartsfish]

Hey guys The 20, after sitting for about a year with hermits and incremental feeding, is finally getting the work it deserves. It's pretty smelly at the moment, as I added a lot of uncured LR, but it's getting better. Refugium was added! Next will be the filtration, then the lighting, then the chiller. That's for a later date. Here are a few pics-

They are pretty blurry because these were taken just after rock was added, sand was shifted and stuff:

1. Uh, I don't think 40 lbs of LR are meant to fit in a 20 gal tank



2. Removed some LR and put it in the refugium. Ahhh, a lot better!



3. DIY 10 gal refugium. Still have to cut holes in the back of the stand to put tubing through the back. So for right now it's coming out of the front, but the tank needs more time to cycle so I'm not too concerned :p




So that's it for now. Water is looking much clearer since that pic. Next pic will be the top (being built between posts ), more pumps and a protein skimmer, and hopefully lighting!

[Lance M.]

Cool, looks like a neat little project you have there. Do you have a heater? And may I ask why you want to get a chiller on such a small tank?

Fyi I have 65lbs of lr in my 20 gallon and there's enough space in the front to move my hand around and if I wanted to I could put more, but then the water volume.... Maybe my rock is just denser? lol

Well keep up with the pictures. I love pictures (even though I dont have a camera lol).

[Nikkiheartsfish]

Well, chiller is for when I put a 175 watt 14k metal halide bulb on it.:P The heater? Yes, but I don't need it. The tank reads a steady 77day 76night.

[Lance M.]

Lol. For MH lighting first of all it should be at least 10 inchs above the surface of the water and from the looks of it your not going to have a canopy to trap the heat so I wouldn't buy the chiller til you definitely see a problem with the temperature and before that I would try a fan which would probably help out. You probably wont need a chiller.

You would probably want the temperatue a little higher for a reef. Around 80 degrees. I would keep the heater set at around 80 to keep it consistant at night. Even if it never comes on it's great to have just incase so the temp is stable.

[Nikkiheartsfish]

I guess I should have posted http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=100472 along with this post, so people would have all the information about the setup... :p

1. What is the "Lol" for? To be honest, it seemed sort of derisive. From the LOOKS of it, the top isn't even on yet. Due to many factors, I am putting a canopy on top. I am making my own top, and the way I will have it, it WILL be more than 10 inches above the water..It's half made as it is.

2. This is an SPS tank-- I'd prefer the MH lighting over the T5 for a few reasons-- I like the aesthetic, the shimmer of the MH, it's something I'd like to try for this specific tank setup, etc.

3. The chiller would be yet another DIY project, not a purchase.. I need projects to keep me preoccupied. The chiller will be assessed after the lighting is on-- I figured one would assume that I wouldn't build a chiller before I built lighting and had it set up. And on top of that, there is no reef yet. It is live rocks only. And for live rocks, 77 degrees is perfectly fine, IMO. If anything, warmer temperatures at this point would distress to rock inhabitants. Temperature adjustments will be assessed after lighting is taken care of. I really hope I took that "lol" the wrong way

[Lance M.]

Ha. Yeah you did. lol

For the chiller I didn't know you were gonna make it. That's why I suggested just using a fan so you wouldn't have to buy one.

With that much light, one would only assume you wanted to keep sps. I was gonna add that if you wanted to keep any like softies, mushrooms, or others to becareful acclimating to the light, it'll most likely kill anything low light.

I wish I had free time to do a diy like you are but I dont have the time or tools to do it.

Well have fun! Post pics.

[Devilishturtles]

Looking good! I've always appreicated people who can make the tonga branch rock "work" in a tank, as in look good and not really weird, and you pulled it off nicely. That's a huge challenge in itself. lol.

Can't wait to see how it unfolds!

[Nikkiheartsfish]

Sorry then Lance Devilish, I haven't even began to try to aquascape yet! I'm glad it looks good dumped in there I guess *lol*