Reef Sparky's 18" x 18" x 18" Nano Build.

I'm building a tank to house all my LPS and softies so I can devote my 90 to SPS corals. The internal measurements are about 17" cubed, and it holds about 21 gallons.

I'm using a bean overflow. I have leak-tested, but not put my sump into action yet. If it works as the poster who popularized it says it does; it's reportedly 100% silent and brings not a single bubble down into the sump.

Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I'll not explain it here. Pics are uploading at the moment, and I'll post them as they are available. If all goes as planned, It'll be running within a few days.

The overflow is kinda unique in that the vertical weir portion is simply glass, and has no teeth. Also, the return is plumbed through the overflow box. It's gonna be pretty sweet if I haven't missed anything. The build is also unique in that I'm going to see if moving 600 GPH (30X tank volume turnover) through the sump will produce ample water movement without powerheads. I'm pretty excited, as this has been months in the planning.

I have about 60 or so lbs. of LR that I've been curing in total darkness in a Rubbermaid Tote with a powerhead with oxygenation (protein skimmer powerhead with the venturi att'd) for about 4 months now--changing the water monthly and swishing the rocks upon each change. The rock is cleaner than the Men's room at a Cheesecake Factory. It's so clean that the makers of Lysol, Oxyclean, Brillo and Comet all offered me about $100 per pound, but I had to turn them down. It's so clean, I caught my wire brush crying in the corner, but I digress. More to come shortly!

I'll be needing a 150W capable DE halide pendant to house the bulb I already have. I also have the ballast--so I need only the pendant housing. See the Wanted ad for more info.

 

nice ill be tagging along for this build

 

The build has been a learning experience and I've overcome a couple of hurdles the hard way: by doing stuff 2 and 3 times. I first made a stand for a cube, 18" x 18", only to realize that the sump would have to be a cube too, and I didn't want it to be smaller than the main tank, so I rebuilt the stand to hold a larger sump footprint underneath, and a smaller square tank above.

Again, pics are coming, so I won't go into explanations here. Suffice it to say that the platform is made to hold a midsize sedan, without being rough on the eyes.

 

i gotcha but yes pictures are a must lol

 

what do you have in plans for skimmer and live stock

 

This should be good. Congrats on making your first tank.

 

OK--a few firsts for this build. I drilled the tank with 4-1 3/4" holes to accomodate the 3 drains and single return. The first set of pics are the drilled holes, and placing the overflow in place. The GFO and Carbon containers are there to hold the glass level while the silicone dries. The pics are in no particular order. Enjoy.















More to come.

 

For the time being, I'll be using my old Coralife SuperSkimmer 220. It should suffice for a 20 gallon tank, but I plan on maybe getting the smallest SWC Skimmer once it's up and running. The lighting will be a single 150W DE SPS Bluelife 14K halide bulb with no supplementation. As for livestock, I think I'll have maybe just a pair of Banggai cardinals, but that might change.

Thanks!

 

Good job on the construction.

 

Looking good so far, I'm interested to see this later on.

Just wondering, are the holes right above the wood from the stand (corners), or is it just the angle? lol