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GettingStarted


Hello everyone, been stalking you all for a year now and time I got started on my second tank. I'm actually new to Austin, moving halfway across the country means I had to leave my first reef tank behind. I have left my first employer in Austin due to lack of opportunities to grow. While I'm between work, I've been setting up this tank slowly, painfully slowly...

This post is for me to share with those of you who are interested in nano reefs, the all in ones, the natural approach. If you skim this post to look for images, there will be plenty, but my approach and slow and steady so don't expect too frequent of updates. Feel free to ask any related questions you may have, let my knowledge be of guidance and I too will learn from you.

I like to keep things short and share as I go, for now, the setup.

Equipment:

20G Long, top rim removed

diy acrylic all in one sump

maxi-jet 900

Finnex HPS-100

Most of what I currently have, has been recycled from my last tank with a few donated bits from mbrown. Standby as cloudiness goes away for me to continue share.

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Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. It's my first time playing with acrylic weld and it was well worth it. Makes the AIO walls far stronger then my first tank with silicone.

I had very good success growing LPS and Softies using a cheapo Odyssey t5ho fixture last time around. This time I'm aiming for an LED fixture and add SPS for a more diverse mixed reef. Still debating if I should go DIY or buy a name brand. I believe my deciding factor currently is if I want to put money into a system with a controller. I know for the health of the coral, all they'll really need is a dimmable fixture connected to an outlet timer. Thoughts from anyone who has a LED light with controller? Simple pros and cons?

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In general I like having a controller for lights, temp, and dosers. My tank is small and for SPS I like to think it adds necessary stability. I am using a Kessil fixture and really like it. I think there may be some used ones still available in the equipment section.

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welcome vu! you are at the right place. arc has been a great resource for me as well, and a build thread is a great way to share your progress.

i also have a 20g long rimless. i did the same thing you did: removed the top rim to get the rimless look, and i love it. check out my build thread: http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/31045-furam28s-15-gallon-rimless-nano-tank-budget-build/page-3 . I started off with a different tank, but then switched to the 20g long. I wanted a sump so I drilled it to make it RR. Since you mentioned lighting, I will let you know about mine. I am using the cheap chinese 165w full spectrum LED and my zoas and SPS are growing very well. I recently borrowed a PAR meter and took some readings. I will put them up on my build thread soon. But basically at 75% setting, I am getting about 300-400 PAR below the light about 6-8" below water level, which is just about right for SPS. What's your plan for powerhead? If you are keeping SPS a good powerhead is a must and with a small tank like yours, you can't go wrong with a Jebao WP-10 or the newer RW-4.

good luck with the build. your slow and steady approach is going to payoff big time!

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The Jebao seems like a real good alternative to the MP-10 I had my eyes set on. I also see you're using one of those 165w generic style lights I considered as well. I'm pretty interested in that light for the value, I may PM you sometime to come see them in person if I decide to go that route instead.

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I've got both on my tank (MP10/WP10). MP10 is absolutely a superior pump, but at 2-3x cost, 4x if you add in a WXM for apex control. I don't know if it's worth the increase in cost. If neptune ever gets around to modifying they way they do voltage control to allow you to use ecotech profiles on a WP10 pump, its game over for ecotech in terms of apex use.

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Cost will certainly be a primary deciding factor for me when it comes time to purchase the rest of the equipment. I prefer "best bang for you buck" stuff but I do see the merit in spending the extra when you can. I'm hoping for a new job I enjoy so I can come home less stressful and depending on how much they pay I'll know how to proceed forward. Certainly keep you guys/gals posted, lots of great info you've provide already.

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Yeah of course... anytime. Keep in mind I am in San Antonio though!

I've had the 165w for 5 months or more, and love it. Only thing I will tell you: at 16" wide, these fixtures don't have enough spread to cover the whole 30" width of the 20g long tank. You could probably get good coverage if you raise the lighting high enough from the water level, but then you will get light bleeding on the front and back.

In your case, if you block of 6 or 8" for the AIO setup, then its probably going to be just fine: the specs of the fixture say its good for a 24" by 24" coverage. In my case, I ended up adding 12 diy LEDs - 6 on each side, and now I have perfect coverage.

The Jebao seems like a real good alternative to the MP-10 I had my eyes set on. I also see you're using one of those 165w generic style lights I considered as well. I'm pretty interested in that light for the value, I may PM you sometime to come see them in person if I decide to go that route instead.

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  • 2 weeks later...

professor.jpg

Got a job offer this morning, as such I can feel the progress on this project resuming, and it does feel very good indeed! Tank currently sits cycling without a light. I've decided to go with a cheap chinese full spectrum led unit. Unless there's a nice higher end lighting unit that pops up in the hardware section before I place the order.

Since I know you guys like pictures here's what the tank currently looks like.

20Long 11/12/2014

Now, since I know you guys really like pictures, here's a few highlights from my old reef tank which I still have no clue how it did so well considering it was my cheap/starter tank.

20111217 DSC 0201

~6 months in, lost images of 1yr mark when it was more mature and nearly filled in.

Gallery will contain more images.

20120213 DSC 0786

20111212 DSC 0014

20111108 DSC 0008

20111108 DSC 0005

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  • 3 months later...

welcom to the club.....

yep...slow and steady is a key to happy reefkeeper...

since u have not had a light yet, try to look into led/t5 combo. t5 has many good benefits, one of em is it has wider spread that helps take out any shadows that letf behind from leds...

cant wait to see more updates...my other brother Vu.

Vu...wave.gif

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