Another 6 gallon Eclipse in constuction

[WaveFanatic]

Finally, we got our first successful "flow" test on our 6 gallon tank. Wanted to share the construction pics to you all, because the tanks on this site was our inspiration. First of all, thanks to Brandon for being so patient with my PMing him with questions. Also thanks to Matt's posts on his 6gal, cause it definitely put is in the right direction.

We started off trying to create an internal baffle sump, based on Brandon's .75 design and principles. But we decided to scrap that idea because the pump and plumbing would take about the same space in the back of the tank if we put in an external sump/fuge. Plus, we wanted to really do an SPS tank, similar to Matt.

Anyway here are the pics. The first one shows the tank with freshwater using a PVC pipe (might change, might not) as our overflow. We used spa jets (non-directional) with some bent plastic tubing on the returns coming from the SQiWD.[/img]

 

[WaveFanatic]

The pump is spare Quiet One, until we get a replacement. We use a bucket for now cause we are still going to build the sump.

 

[WaveFanatic]

We are open to any suggestions. Our next piece to construct will be the lights. We already have 3 x 32 watt PC, a 65K, a 10K, and an Actinic. We are keeping the Eclipse hood externally intact, as much as we can of course.

Thanks again all,

Robert

 

[Anonymous]

Very.....Cool.

The SQWD is going to work wonders. If you hide that standpipe with rock, your tank is going to look awesome as well. I can't wait to see your fuge once it's not a bucket :wink: :wink: :wink:

 

[brandon4291]

That is some serious plumbing work! The bulkheads look cleanly installed eliminating any leak hassle, opening the doors to any combination of components one could need. In this case it was nice to plumb it for an extenal refugium and/or sump to save the internal space. We'll nominate her for Nano of the Month once you get it installed with a few purple and red stick bushes. Really great job, and thanks for the pic. Our resources are enriched greatly each time a series shot of a tank construction is posted.

Excellent

Brandon Mason

 

[Anonymous]

Something I just noticed...the intake for the quiet one will lose siphon in a power outage. I assume once you build your sump you'll be drilling a hole through the side, which will eliminate this problem yeah?

Hehe, I just realized...a QUIET ONE on a 6 gallon tank. That's some serious flow. What do you estimate the gph to be, and does your standpipe handle it all?

 

[WaveFanatic]

Thank you for the kind words all. My brother, Peps, is my "partner in crime" for this project. He's a plumber by day, so cudos to him on the plumbing work.

Regarding the back siphon issue. We are planning to put a check valve where the pvc and the flex hose meet. You might also notice a piece of brass in that area, but that will be changed to a plastic reducer. Also the intake of the Quiet one will be connected to the sump with a bulkhead.

As far as excessive flow, the standpipe did handle the quiet one's pull and we actually had to turn it down a little. We are also adding a ball valve on the out take of the pump for further control the posibility of a sand storm.

Robert

 

[Anonymous]

All I can suggest is that check valves have a pretty poor rep in marine aquariums. They tend to get covered in coralline algae, calcium deposits, feather dusters, etc, so that when there time comes to work, they don't. I just wouldn't have it be the only thing preventing a flood.

 

[WaveFanatic]

Thanks for the advice with the check valves. We account for a water "dump" by making the sump larger.

I do have some questions regarding DSB. We plan to put one in (like the Wombat 6 gal :wink: ). About 4 inches. Are you happy with yours, Matt? Any problems? Do you wish you did not go with DSB? I lot of people don't cause it takes too much space. I believe in what Brandon stated, that it helps on worm/pod population and clean up duties. But there is an issue with biodiversity being that is too small. I even read that one guy with a 10 gal got it to reduce nitrates, not sure where though. Maybe I just read too much. :?

What creatures would be great for a DSB nano? We do want to get a shrimp and fish, but we are unsure which.

Robert

 

[Anonymous]

I'm completely happy with my DSB, whether it reduces nitrates or not. I like that it brings stuff up closer to the light. The eclipse is a bit too tall with a small footprint, IMO, and the DSB lets me put corals/clams on the sand without worrying about the light intensity. I use caulerpa in my refugium to soak up the nitrates, along with small weekly water changes, anyway.

As for creatures....what a great question. I'm compiling a "Suitable for Nanos" fish list right now, and hopefully I can make a good invert list as well. If you want a shrimp and fish, I don't think there is anything cooler than a shrimp/goby pair. Lots of mail order/LFSs can get an established pair for you. I would go through a LFS if possible, as most of the Alpheid shrimp symbionts don't ship well. Stonogobiops nematodes is a very neat little goby that's readily available with a shrimp partner, usually Alpheus randalli. Keep in mind you would need a sandbed of suitable depth for the pair. Firefish are also, IMO, an ideal nano fish. A single small dottyback such as Pseudochromis springeri (they get less than 2") would be nice as well, although they tend to bother shrimps and bristleworms. A royal gramma might get a little big for your tank, but with a large sump, say 4 gallons or so, I think it could work.

 

[WaveFanatic]

OK, we are done with most of the lighting constuction. Heres the pics that shows the way we used the original framing of the eclipse for mounting. We still need to put clips though.

 

[WaveFanatic]

Heres one that shows the mounting in detail. You could also see one of our nozzles.

 

[WaveFanatic]

Since we were mounting it on the frame we needed to account for easier removal. So we used some extension cord for connecting the bulb sockets to the workhorse 5 ballasts. Heres the pic of the ballast connections.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice pics! What wattage are those bulbs? I think you'll have to install a fan, but you could probably have just about any coral under those lights. Something I noticed was that having the sockets on the left side really decreased the light on that side. Adding a reflector will help.

 

[WaveFanatic]

The bulbs are actually marked as 28 watts. But Hello Lights noted that they would work as 32 watters depending on the ballasts. So we setup the actinic to run a bit overdriven.

I'm going to get some fans and add them on the backside of the cover, similar to your config. But we are also setting up a fan on the sump for greater control. Are your fans 110 volt or 12? Do you know the CFM?

thanks,
Robert

 

[brandon4291]

Robert I can't help much with the CFM measures but I just want to remark again at the quality and preparation you have put into this design. Truly a world-class nano reef and I can't wait to see it pumping water. You will never ever need a lighting upgrade!! Matt did you say you power your fans from an external source or were they tapped into the ballast setup (given the voltage translates)

You 'll be surprised at how many natural creatures will seed your sandbed upon regular food input. The burrowing worms will show in a few months, and in 4-5 it will be completely tracked with worms of all kinds and beautiful algae patches (red, purple, some green)

I believe our friend Daniel ordered some copepods from ISPF.com and this can get you some instant creatures without the wait. Depending on predation (a function of stocking choices) they will thrive and reproduce indefinately. Garf also sells something called "grunge" which is purely sandbed organisms, not so much pods as various worm species. Try both online and update us when you decide.
B

 

[WaveFanatic]

Brandon, thanks for the compliment again. We have always strived to make it as clean as possible. This thing is planned to be in my living room, so has to look good. But construction is just taking too long!!!

Well, we decided to use a 7 gallon plastic trash can as the sump. In our first test, it sprung a leak, so we had to reinstall the bulkhead. We are testing again tomorrow, when the silicone dries. I'll try and take some pics. Also, the stand pipe must be modified for better flow control. We will make it "durso" style, and use a air tube and a needle valve. We have bought the fans from nexfan.com, so are also waiting for 40CFM 60mm fans. The PC clips are hard to get locally, and I do not want to pay for the shipping if I buy it online. Might have to jimmy rig that. Will plastic zip ties melt with PC bulb heat? I saw another tank that used it, but I can't find the thread now.

We gotta check the local Home Depots to look for some Southdown to start. We already have some fully cured rock with pods (from our 55gal), so I guess we just gotta seed the sand with grunge or something.

Robert

 

[Anonymous]

Zip ties won't melt, but they will become brittle and eventually crack. Please don't make this mistake, trust me. Use metal fasteners if you can. It looks as though you don't even need them though. Does the plexiglass underneath the sockets hold the bulbs up?

 

[Reef_Monkey]

I really like the way you drilled the PVC in the back for the return...

 

[usafresq1]

WOW!! I think I am going to model my fowlr eclipse 6 gallon after yours once I move outta here and can keep a reef tank with ease. One thing I might have missed but wanted to bring up. How are you going to keep fish, crabs, shrimp, and other critters from going down the pvc pipe in the back? Perhaps for a non permanent solution (if this is a problem) get some netting and just rubber band it over the lip so you have good water flow and fish stay out. Would hate for like a snail to get in there and then you end up flooding cause he is blocking flow.

Awesome design though!!!! truly amazing