Nanocube on Wheels

[Anonymous]

I thought I'd clean up the look of me ole' nanocube when I moved, so here's what I did. I placed it on a little nightstand with wheels, so that I can move it to different spots in my place. I'll probably move it into sunlight during the winter. I made it so all I have to do is unplug one outlet and start rollin'!

Also, I used one of the drawers as a place to hold a dosing pump, wavemaker, digital thermometer, and some B-Ionic topoff containers. I placed one pump on the stock return, and made another little return on the opposite side. I didn't want to bother drilling it, so I just went over the little wall thing.

Hopefully these pictures are pretty self explanatory.

 

[Anonymous]

Some more. Forgot to mention I used some of that computer hose that wraps cords up into one neat little thing. Invaluable stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

NICE! Very cool idea. Now you can pod watch while you're purging... Tell Dan I said he's not enough of a man to eat a green striped mushroom... :lol:

What wavemaker are you using? I'm thinking of running a couple minijets on a wavemaker in my 18g instead of the single MJ1200, if I can find a used one cheap. Where did you get the LiterMeter? I'd like a dosing pump to do top offs and dose supplements, but they're damn expensive.

 

[Anonymous]

Very damn expensive. I actually have a second pump module so I can dose a 2 part Ca/Alk additive. Comes out to around $400 total. I had this stuff already, so I figured I might as well use it. The wavemaker is a Red Sea wavemaster, goes for around $100. My old boss actually DIY'd one. He was a true electronics nerd. You can probably find one cheap either here, ebay, or reefcentral.com in the selling forums. Same for the dosing pump. The pump is really just a luxury though, it's not difficult to topoff every day.

I'll let Dan know he should eat a mushroom or he's no longer our friend

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah. Topping off isn't hard, but some days my MJ1200 on my Remora is sucking water because evap has made the H2O level drop too low for my overflow box. Not good... I was looking at this pump, since you've praised it, but I think it's too expensive for my need. I only top of with DI water that has Red Sea Calcium+3 added to it, so I don't need all that functionality. I'm looking to DIY an auto top off based on the California Reef system. Already bought the float switch on ebay and a Powerhead 301 for the return. Just have to wire it up and fab a snail guard so I don't flood the place. Should be easy. I'm working on a wavemaster for around 50 b/c I think I want to run a couple small minijets instead of my one MJ1200 for more random and gentle circulation. Any feedback on good small pumps that I could run dual in an 18g?

 

[Anonymous]

Reefing on the go...amazing, Matt.

Who's going to invent the 'car reef' that's powered thru the cigarette lighter?



Peace,

Chip

 

[Anonymous]

Maxijet makes mini and microjet sizes too. The MJ line is great to use on wavemakers, they don't do much clicking when the pump turns on. Depends on what you're keeping, but I think you could keep the MJ1200 and also use a MJ600 or 400 on there. My old 6 gallon had a MJ1200 and MJ600 on a wavemaker, but it was an SPS tank. This 12 gallon has a MJ600 and a 100gph pump on there. What corals were you planning on putting in there?

Re the Calcium +3...is it a balanced additive with Alk included? If not you could be throwing off your Alk levels...

 

[Anonymous]

probably going to just be a softie reef; shroom, rics, zos and the like so high flow isn't too important. The MJ1200 is great so I'm hesitant to change, but I thought some variable flow would probably benefit the tank.

Don't know about the alk on cal+3. Don't think it's in there though. I only use about 1 drop/gallon of top off water, so I don't think it's enough to change the chemistry too much, but I'll monitor that. Thanks for the warning. Alk has consistently been "high" on my test kit.

Sorry if this is hijacking your thread... Guess there's not much traffic here anyways.

I'll add: "Hey Matt. Cool tank on wheels". There, on topic again...

 

[Anonymous]

Ya know it's really not all that imporatant to have alternating flow in a softie reef IMO. I mean stuff did just fine in my 80g and your 34g (was it 34?) back at Modoc w/o it. Just don't blow them off the rocks.

You might want to peruse some of the articles here and at www.advancedaquarist.com written by Randy Holmes-Farley regarding Ca and Alk...especially the one titled "Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems". I can't link it for some reason. While you're there, you might want to check out some of the invertebrate columns by Rob Toonen too. He got his PhD here at UCD, and is sort of regarded as one of those "reef experts."

Basically the gist is that it's just as important to supplement Alk, and in equal proportions to Ca. Add too much of one or the other and you get problems. With a softie reef, it's really not necessary to supplement anything IMO--I would just do a small water change weekly or biweekly. The only reason I'm adding Ca/Alk is b/c I have a small T. derasa clam in there.

BTW, seriously start a thread with pics of your tank. I'm tired of you hijacking mine

I've never cursed you for being the one who started me onto this damn addicting hobby, you know that?

 

[brandon4291]

Great mobile setup! You always have such clean installations> looks great and non-sessile too!

B

 

[Anonymous]

Did you retro the lights, or are those stock? Now all that's missing is a baby clown trigger to chew everything up...

You'll have to cut me a frag of those frilly shroom when I'm in Sac. I'll trade you for some of my psychadelic mushrooms of the unsavory persuasion. Trippy man... HAHA!!! :?

 

[Anonymous]

The light is stock, a 24 W 50/50. I had some Rhodactis indoensis growing under it a while back, so I know it's suitable for mushrooms.

Current inhabitants:
Green clown goby, Gobiodon atrangulatus

Highfin perchlet, Plectranthias inermis

Some green and red Actinodiscus mushrooms, some green Rhodactis mushrooms, some "green star" Briareum sp. polyps, a Lobophyta sp finger leather, and a Sinularia sp. finger leather.
A small Tridacna derasa that looks like it will have to be moved soon (I don't think it's enough light, even for a derasa).
A black and white serpent star, unknown species.

Future fish: a Pacific Candy Basslet, Liopropoma swalesi.

Len took this awesome picture of one.

 

[Anonymous]

The clown goby hidden among his home of mushrooms, and a sexy anemone shrimp.

 

[Anonymous]

Here are my clearly inferior pictures of the same fish.

 

[Anonymous]

The green clown goby in the mushrooms is super sweet. I might have to bite that one if I find one at the LFS.

How's the basslet doing?

 

[Anonymous]

Great! He's out pretty much all the time now, and eating flake food. The perchlet is still ignoring anything but live ghost shrimp. Honestly the perchlet is a pretty boring fish. It really does nothing but sit there all day.

The clown goby blends in PERFECTLY with those shrooms, and he never leaves them. He rubs all over them like a cat with catnip. It looks pretty cool.

 

[Anonymous]

Here are some new photos. Undergrad sold me a great big live rock with lots of Xenia that fits perfectly in my tank. In the whole tank photo you can see the perchlet down in the bottom right corner.

 

[Anonymous]

And some more close ups of the fishies...

 

[Anonymous]

Right on Matt...Like a fast food chain...Like chip said reefing on the go..We dont make it till you order it :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

nice set up, Mattt. congrats :wink:

antoine

dp