Scott's DIY 10 Gallon Nano Build

[scottayy]

Nope, I'll be doing water changes from the sump. Evaporation has plenty of venting with the open back stand and canopy. But I suppose I will if the wood starts rotting lol

 

[needmorecowbell]

True.. What type of paint are you using? I'm thinking of repainting mine also. Its a weird looking grey, wish it was black.

 

[scottayy]

Not sure the brand. Just used a regular satin indoor black. Polyurethane for the coating (which I think would waterproof it, the outside at least).

I know when I put a canopy over my 55g, the skimmer skimmed out a bunch of stuff for a couple of days. So, I think I'm going to let this one extra dry so no fumes or anything get in the water.

Or, I could just put it on while I'm cycling. I'm going to be doing a very large water change anyways. hmm.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Oh okay, thanks! How did you do your canopy? What is going into it, just lights?

 

[scottayy]

I used 1x4's (which are actually .75x3.5) for the front and sides, and a 1x2 for the top of the back. This leaves a two inch gap at the bottom. On the inside i put some 1x2s to hold the light (this LED light is only 1 inch thick).

I'm hoping it all fits good. I measured right but you never know! I'm thinking of putting little screws on the inside bottom edge so it won't fall off of the aquarium.. i wanted it the exact same size as the rim of the tank. Maybe with the screws in there it will stop it if it tries to slide.

Pictures coming soon. All I have to do is put the door on and hinge the canopy.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Sounds great. Youll definitely need screws though. Then just use putty and paint over them on the outside to make it look clean.

 

[scottayy]

Not all the way dry yet, and the pictures don't do it justice:

canopy.. i'm holding it hinged open a bit

 

[needmorecowbell]

It looks great! Even better with a reef on it how are you going to move it on there? Just lift it?

 

[scottayy]

No idea! lol, guess we will figure that out today.
I'm thinking just empty the water into a bucket, lift and place, refill with the same water.

I hope I have the shelf and drain hole in the right place. Going to be so mad if I have to saw or drill some more.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Just be careful with the rockwork, if it topples it will likely crack the glass.

 

[scottayy]

needmorecowbell, you are keeping me excited about the build
thanks for keeping up with my build thread!

 

[scottayy]

All set up and moved over to the new stand. Went without a single hitch. This looks so so so so so much better than the old stand. It's a little bit uneven, I'll have to put a small board under one side of it.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Wow it looks great! Lol no problem it's keeping me busy with planning diy projects.

 

[scottayy]

Thank you, I do feel mighty proud of it.

Thinking about using some sticky-back velcro tape so the canopy doesn't slide off. I think that would be better than screws. Gravity holds it on, velcro would stop it from sliding.

Velcro Sticky-Back Tape

What kind of DIY projects?

 

[needmorecowbell]

Velcro would work to, I don't know how easy it would be to take it on and off though.

The more I look at threads the more I want to do.. A canopy, Cree led fixture, sump, and a water change station.

 

[scottayy]

Don't need to take it off really. The top hinges open. A water change station would be sweet if I had the space.

Those are some nice DIY projects to do.

 

[ilostnemo]

You might have said but where did you get the leds from?

 

[scottayy]

I got them from drs foster and smith.

Reef Aquarium Lighting & LED Lights: Marineland Reef Capable LED Lighting System

 

[ilostnemo]

Ahh marineland! Lol I probably over looked it. Tank looks great! Subscribed

 

[scottayy]

Thanks!

It's a pretty sweet light fixture. My only complaint is it doesn't have a separate cord for blues and whites.

Also the 3W of actinics isn't a whole bunch. I'm going to add a 6W stunner strip.