L8 2 RISE July 27, 2011 Share July 27, 2011 I think I used the wet, I'm not sure, it was "live" sand and was damp, not sure. It was the same as what you have I believe. It only took a couple days to clear with the foam filter on the back, however my issue was with the 1/4-1/2 inch thick layer of detritus that covered EVERYTHING, and any disturbance at all would cloud the tank again. It's taken weeks of siphoning and finally I'm able to disturb the sand a little without clouding everything. I would suggest rinsing all new sand, no matter where it comes from. It won't be that hard for you, considering the small volume, and should only take about 5-10 min, trust me it's worth it. Just dump the sand into a 5gallon bucket until it's 1/2-3/4 full, then shove a garden hose down into the sand. Move the hose around and mix everything up until the water overflowing from the bucket is clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas July 28, 2011 Author Share July 28, 2011 Thanks Sam, I'll be sure to do that. How has it settled down now? Does the MP10 disturb it? I'm also looking for input on recommendations for rock....my current front runner is dry Pukani rock from BRS. I'd throw in a piece of live rock to seed it. Any other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua July 28, 2011 Share July 28, 2011 I saw his tank a couple weeks ago, it did seem to be running well. Especially since you can vary the flow rate. So you can dial it in to what ever you may need for your system. Making it one of the most flexible powerheads I've seen. Only tunzes were on par, but the price is too high for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE July 28, 2011 Share July 28, 2011 Now that I've gotten most of the small stuff out through siphoning, etc. It doesn't get disturbed by the vortech. When I first had it in though, every time the speed of the pump increased, the tank got cloudier. You can see the rock I used on my build thread. I had about 150-200 pounds downstairs in my big tank that I figured I would pick and choose from to fill the nano, however I ran across some particularly nice stuff at Marine Scene from indonesia I believe (they usually have some in stock) and decided to go with that instead. The thing with aquascaping a nano, is that most rocks just won't fit right and it always looks best if you use just a couple big ones. That was my fear with using the rock I had downstairs, I just didn't have any pieces that were intricate and the right size, whereas the stuff from Marine Scene was perfect. Since the tank was so small, I just brought it in during a quiet hour and aquascaped it on the spot, picked the pieces I want, and brought them home. As I said, you can see the rock in the pics, but it's one big piece, and three small pieces that are epoxied together. It cost an arm and a leg because LR from LFS's is always that way, but I figured it was worth it for something as essential as the rock, especially if I got to hand pick the pieces I wanted. That's just what I did and my thoughts, entirely your decision though. Pukani dry rock is a good choice too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas July 28, 2011 Author Share July 28, 2011 Yeah. I think the real trick is to maintain a sense of scale in a small tank. I think I'll plan on drilling the rock and mounting them together with plastic rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas July 30, 2011 Author Share July 30, 2011 I ordered 15 pounds of reef saver rock from Bulk Reef Supply. Unfortunately, they were out of Pukani, although this does keep me from having to cook the rock and I think the reef saver rock would be better for stacking. I also ordered a 5-stage RO/DI unit to mount under the sink. I'm also strongly considering whether it would be worth it to ditch the fuge/chaeto concept on the sump and go with a bio pellet reactor. Since this is supposed to keep nitrates and phosphate near zero - what's the point of the chaeto?? I'm considering the Reef Octopus BR-70. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 2, 2011 Author Share August 2, 2011 Aqua Illuminations Sol Super Blue arrived in the mail today: She works: Cheers Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic August 2, 2011 Share August 2, 2011 Sweet deal Tom! At least one of us got a fully working AI Sol Super Blue, lol! How high are you gonna put the AI? Let me know if you need help with anything, I would love to come and check out your setup. You are in Arlington,VA right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 2, 2011 Author Share August 2, 2011 Yeah, I am in Arlington, but unfortunately the tank is not much more than a pile of equipment right now....this thing is coming together slowly and surely. I find whenI rush it I'm not satisfied with the end result. Did you get your light fixed yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic August 2, 2011 Share August 2, 2011 Yeah, I am in Arlington, but unfortunately the tank is not much more than a pile of equipment right now....this thing is coming together slowly and surely. I find whenI rush it I'm not satisfied with the end result. Did you get your light fixed yet? Yeah, I got it fixed. They shipped it on Tuesday and it is arriving on Thursday. I am very much looking forward to putting it up and everything. But my project today is to safely spray paint the back wall of my tank to black. I will post some pics when I am done How high are you gonna have your AI fixture from water line? Mine will be 11" above the water and I was thinking I can always adjust their intensity to compensate for PAR needs since it is only a 20 gal tank. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 2, 2011 Author Share August 2, 2011 I'm thinking about the same. I'd like to minimize heat spillage and give myself enough room to work in the tank. I'll probably be using the mounting legs until I can get a tree made. It would also be nice not to be blinded sitting down - particularly when the unit runs the thunderstorm sequence! On other fronts, the RO/DI unit came in from BRS today. Looks like a pretty solid unit, I'll be installing it under my bathroom sink. I'm very pleased with the great value of this unit. BRS eco-saver rock came in as well. In all I ordered 13 lbs, but I could have gone with 3 to 4 lbs less. I played around for about 10 minutes and came up with this. What do you think? Next step is to order some plastic rod to hold these rocks together. Cheers Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic August 3, 2011 Share August 3, 2011 Looks good. My suggestion would be to try to create more caves and holes for the water to flow. Also, try to prompt the rocks on some PVC pipes over the sand bed. That is one thing I regret about my rock work. I believe you can eliminate detritus to a great extend by doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps August 3, 2011 Share August 3, 2011 I like the way you have the rock work. With those pieces I think you have made the best of it. I dont think you need to go with acrylic rod, just some epoxy putty IMO. I made a similar arch in my tank with just epoxy and it holds up just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 9, 2011 Author Share August 9, 2011 I like the way you have the rock work. With those pieces I think you have made the best of it. I dont think you need to go with acrylic rod, just some epoxy putty IMO. I made a similar arch in my tank with just epoxy and it holds up just fine. Thanks....the only thing about the BRS reef saver rock is that it is HEAVY....I'll have to see how it holds up with epoxy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 9, 2011 Author Share August 9, 2011 Placing the RO/DI unit in its spot...tight fit, but about perfect: Now....how to plumb it in. I may need to route the waste line back into the sink. Drain pipe is metal and as I am renting I'm not to keen on making a lot of holes...any thoughts? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps August 10, 2011 Share August 10, 2011 Since the drain is metal I wouldnt do anything with it either. Just run your waste water line extra long and place it in the sink or shower drain. As for plumbing the water supply, you can find plumbing parts that will split off the fittings you have there. Its a tee fitting that splits into a compression fitting that will work on your RO tubing. Easy to install and cost about 5 bucks at lowes or home depot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad August 10, 2011 Share August 10, 2011 The lines coming out of the hot and cold supply look like they have a threaded connection on the output, which could be tapped into using additional parts that can be removed when you move out. On the drain line, I would probably purchase a new plastic U and use one of those saddle valve taps to pierce it. Then replace it with the metal one that is in place now when you move. Your setup looks well thought out, by the way. When these small tanks are done right and with an artful eye they can be awesome little gems. You certainly seem to be heading in that direction, I am looking forward to seeing what you put together here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 10, 2011 Author Share August 10, 2011 Since the drain is metal I wouldnt do anything with it either. Just run your waste water line extra long and place it in the sink or shower drain. As for plumbing the water supply, you can find plumbing parts that will split off the fittings you have there. Its a tee fitting that splits into a compression fitting that will work on your RO tubing. Easy to install and cost about 5 bucks at lowes or home depot. Good idea, I believe this fitting comes with the kit. The lines coming out of the hot and cold supply look like they have a threaded connection on the output, which could be tapped into using additional parts that can be removed when you move out. On the drain line, I would probably purchase a new plastic U and use one of those saddle valve taps to pierce it. Then replace it with the metal one that is in place now when you move. Your setup looks well thought out, by the way. When these small tanks are done right and with an artful eye they can be awesome little gems. You certainly seem to be heading in that direction, I am looking forward to seeing what you put together here! Good idea...does the waste return need to be higher than the drain return going into the wall? Or do I simply need to install a valve on the waste line? Thanks for the comments....I agree, particularly when things are kept to scale, a small tank can look just as spectacular as a large system. That's the plan here, but I guess we'll see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JungliztKruger August 11, 2011 Share August 11, 2011 My rodi unit came with a waste line bracket for which I had to drill a hole. I also rent and my plan was just to leave the bracket with a something braced in there to fill the hole or a small length of tubing capped off. I'll just replace the bracket/clamp at the next place. I will do the same with the supply line tap (for PVC) the next guy can use it for a refrigerator water line and the cost to replace is way cheaper than the hassle of doing something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad August 11, 2011 Share August 11, 2011 does the waste return need to be higher than the drain return going into the wall? Or do I simply need to install a valve on the waste line? I don't know for sure, I wouldn't expect so, but I would shoot a quick email to AWI as I am sure they would know and are usually quick to respond to stuff like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 20, 2011 Author Share August 20, 2011 While waiting on the stand, I installed the RO/DI unit. Feed line adapter: Ball valve installed: Leak testing: It works! Set in its place: Will a saddle valve work on that drain pipe? And lastly, since I was feeling lucky, a successful leak test: Cheers Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraffitiSpotCorals August 20, 2011 Share August 20, 2011 Use the drill kit from lowes for the waste and drill it above the trap in the tailpiece for the grid drain, I wouldn't think you would want it low because thoes traps get lots of crap stuck in them. You can drill a hole and it comes with a padded piece you bolt on and plug your line right in. Lookin good on the build too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 20, 2011 Author Share August 20, 2011 Thanks! Do you mean I should drill the top of the one PVC pipe that goes into the wall and feed the waste line into that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni August 20, 2011 Share August 20, 2011 Tom, where did you get that black fitting to feed off your drain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpallas August 20, 2011 Author Share August 20, 2011 It came with the complete setup (included saddle valve, garden hose adapter, faucet adapter & that), but they should have them on the Bulk Reef Supply website. Works great and took 5 minutes to install. Needs a ball valve though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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