Living Room Nano Peninsula

[YHSublime]

80 gallon is still chugging away. Unfortunately, the live edge wood I gave to Ben ended up bowing out as soon as he cut it, so we're just going with a regular top. Not as interesting, but I'm confident it will be perfect. 

I have been cycling a bunch of rock downstairs, but honestly, I don't think I'm going to use any of it. I took it all out of a 150 gallon rubbermaid today and moved it into a 20 gallon Home Depot container, I don't need all that space taken up in my basement. I took the "waste" water and hauled it upstairs 5 gallons at a time and started filling up the 80, despite not having the top on it yet. The reason I did this is because today is the day I wanted to test the PAR!

Because I'm lazy, I only did 3 spots, and they were all on the bottom of the tank. The water is very cloudy, and there is nothing else in the tank, so all this should be taken into consideration.

 

 

 

So here's how you can decipher my findings. Spot 1, 2, & 3, are literally all as close to centered under the two lights that I used. I then gave readings with the T5 bulbs on at the same time, I didn't give them time to warm up, so that's probably a thing as well. I took readings at 50%, 75%, and 100%. I will say this, for the price point, it's hard to find this kind of par, we will see how it holds up over time, but I will say navigation and programing of these lights is a huge PIA. Remember, these readings are on the very bottom of the tank, and with only 2 lights.

2 Noop lights at 50%
1. 130
2. 150
3. 180

W/ T5 @ 50%
1. 170
2. 190
3. 200

2 Noop lights at 75%
1. 230
2. 275
3. 230

W/ T5 @ 75%
1. 250
2. 330
3. 340

2 Noop lights at 100%
1. 300
2. 320
3. 300

W/ T5 @ 100%
1. 320
2. 400
3. 400

I casually ran the meter around the nano around 8pm last night without T5's on and as the lights were winding down for the evening, and my lowest par was 250, highest 350, I think it's safe to say I will be able to replicate my lighting situation for the corals with 3 lights and the 4 T5 bulbs.

[lynn.reef.nerd]

Looking good! Noops aren't bad, I just hate the controller. 

[howaboutme]

Looks good! Wow, some of those options have tons of light at the bottom of the tank. Looks like you have some dialing into do. Looking forward to the progress.

[AlanM]

11 hours ago, YHSublime said:

I casually ran the meter around the nano around 8pm last night without T5's on and as the lights were winding down for the evening, and my lowest par was 250, highest 350, I think it's safe to say I will be able to replicate my lighting situation for the corals with 3 lights and the 4 T5 bulbs.

 

Did the CPVC pipe arrangement that gets included with the PAR meter these days work ok?  It's my attempt to make it convenient for people to hold it steady where they need it.

 

[YHSublime]

3 hours ago, lynn.reef.nerd said:

Looking good! Noops aren't bad, I just hate the controller. 

 

Thanks, I agree with you, the controller is the biggest pain. Luckily I'm a set and forget type, so once I get it dialed I should hopefully be good! 

 

2 hours ago, howaboutme said:

Looks good! Wow, some of those options have tons of light at the bottom of the tank. Looks like you have some dialing into do. Looking forward to the progress.

 

Yeah, I was pretty surprised! But I have a somewhat better understanding of a baseline now. 

 

1 hour ago, AlanM said:

 

Did the CPVC pipe arrangement that gets included with the PAR meter these days work ok?  It's my attempt to make it convenient for people to hold it steady where they need it.

 

 

My favorite part! It's especially easier in an empty tank.  

[tpallas]

What are noop lights?

[YHSublime]

1 hour ago, tpallas said:

What are noop lights?

 

Chinese LED's. They are called Noopsyche (I believe pronounced "new-psyche") I got x2 for free in exchange for documenting their progress over 3 months, and ended up purchasing one more. I added all 3 to an Aquatic Life because I like the T5/LED combo. 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

9 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

 

Chinese LED's. They are called Noopsyche (I believe pronounced "new-psyche") I got x2 for free in exchange for documenting their progress over 3 months, and ended up purchasing one more. I added all 3 to an Aquatic Life because I like the T5/LED combo. 

 

So I actually considered getting a bunch of their lights for the build because a lot of people have said good things. I did find out that they fund a lot of the folks that raves about them (free lights etc.) so I went another way. They give me the same feeling that Focustronic did. 

[YHSublime]

1 hour ago, lynn.reef.nerd said:

 

So I actually considered getting a bunch of their lights for the build because a lot of people have said good things. I did find out that they fund a lot of the folks that raves about them (free lights etc.) so I went another way. They give me the same feeling that Focustronic did. 

 

I hear ya. It's good marketing IMO. I have not felt pressured to 'rave' about them, and thus far have provided negative and positive aspects. I have no obligation to do so on WAMAS, but keeping up with the build information included it. So far at the price point, I think they are a good deal, although cumbersome to set up with not a lot of instructions or direction on how to do so. At the end of the day, PAR is PAR, will be able to see how they do with corals. 

 

I'm not familiar with Focustronic drama, the tea on this hobby, lol. 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

Just now, YHSublime said:

 

I hear ya. It's good marketing IMO. I have not felt pressured to 'rave' about them, and thus far have provided negative and positive aspects. I have no obligation to do so on WAMAS, but keeping up with the build information included it. So far at the price point, I think they are a good deal, although cumbersome to set up with not a lot of instructions or direction on how to do so. At the end of the day, PAR is PAR, will be able to see how they do with corals. 

 

I'm not familiar with Focustronic drama, the tea on this hobby, lol. 

 

I mean any light (design for corals) will grow corals . 

 

I can show you the Focustronic stuff later. Long story lol. 

[YHSublime]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YHSublime]

And the "frag tank"

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YHSublime]

Lots of big moves happened over the weekend. I should have been better about documenting, but this will have to do. 

 

@Ben A finished up the stand top, although not with the dramatic live edge piece we started with. After cutting the original piece of oak in half, it dramatically bowed out. The replacement boards are really nice, with knots and athletically pleasing grains on the 6" of ledge on either end. Love me a good ledge, and nice thick top. Weighs in about 60lbs. 

 

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I didn't want to plumb, fill up with water, and tank transfer two tanks all in one day, so tried to figure out what was going to be easiest. I realized, I am one of the luckiest reefers in the world, I have the ability to keep my nano setup, and can take my sweet time getting the 80 ready. With the help of @Alex Simpson, I slid the nano about 5' down the room after draining all the water out. We hooked the lights back up, and then went to getting the 80 back together with the water back into it. 

 

I'll take my time plumbing it, I have all the pieces, but worried my PVC shears are too small for schedule 80. Once I match up the water, I intend to then do a straight transfer, but for now I'll be comforted by the fact that I don't feel like I had to get it done yesterday. 

 

[Abe]

Looks great! Let me bring my miter saw to cut the schedule 80 PVC

[YHSublime]

5 minutes ago, Abe said:

Looks great! Let me bring my miter saw to cut the schedule 80 PVC

 

Thanks! Well, now that you said that, I just realized I can use my miter saw, lol! 

[Schg]

Yesss, it’s happening!!! Looking good man, can’t wait to see this filled. 

[Pedro]

Hey, you should scrap the 80 and get the 300 peninsula for that spot right there!

[YHSublime]

2 hours ago, Schg said:

Yesss, it’s happening!!! Looking good man, can’t wait to see this filled. 

 

Slowly. I'm an idiot putting it up against the wall and putting water back in it without having done the plumbing. I thought it was going to be straightforward, but it never is. Took out the miter saw per Abe's wonderful suggestion, and am very close to having it all together. I do have an abundance of unions, and I'm debating if I want to set them up for giggles.

 

56 minutes ago, Pedro said:

Hey, you should scrap the 80 and get the 300 peninsula for that spot right there!

 

That's a really great idea. I can't believe I didn't think of it first. What if I just keep sliding them down the wall and going a little taller for the 300? I could just silicone them all together and make a waterfall saltwater tank. Each one just a little taller, wider, and longer. Then giant funnel in the basement ceiling that just aerates all the water that gravity feeds via cyclone into a sump/fuge in a 300 gallon rubbermaid tub in the basement with a saltwater croc. 

 

I still need to figure out what to do for a top off and dosing pump location. 

[howaboutme]

Looks great! I cut sch 80 with typical pvc shears from HD. The last one or 2 clinches took 2 hands but all good. The result is often not a perfectly straight cut (close but clearly not). Most of the time it doesn't matter as it's often inserted into a fitting anyways but it does make the smaller pieces a challenge. I guess if you can miter, why not?

[Schg]

1 hour ago, howaboutme said:

Looks great! I cut sch 80 with typical pvc shears from HD. The last one or 2 clinches took 2 hands but all good. The result is often not a perfectly straight cut (close but clearly not). Most of the time it doesn't matter as it's often inserted into a fitting anyways but it does make the smaller pieces a challenge. I guess if you can miter, why not?

honestly I feel like my cuts with the pvc shears are not 100% cut even with schedule 40 lol

[YHSublime]

14 hours ago, howaboutme said:

Looks great! I cut sch 80 with typical pvc shears from HD. The last one or 2 clinches took 2 hands but all good. The result is often not a perfectly straight cut (close but clearly not). Most of the time it doesn't matter as it's often inserted into a fitting anyways but it does make the smaller pieces a challenge. I guess if you can miter, why not?

 

12 hours ago, Schg said:

honestly I feel like my cuts with the pvc shears are not 100% cut even with schedule 40 lol

 

The miter saw works great, but it's messy, and it's a beast to bring out for what's a relatively small project. Luckily I've been working on new deck boards, so everything is setup. It would be nice to do right by the tank instead of having to walk in and out. There is a solution in play! 

[YHSublime]

Thoughts on this nonsense? 

 

[howaboutme]

Wow, could not be any simpler! You have no elbows at all?

 

By the way, the beer ledge is also great for testing, feeding, etc....Don't forget. 

[YHSublime]

1 hour ago, howaboutme said:

Wow, could not be any simpler! You have no elbows at all?

 

Yup, zero elbows, just straight drop  I wanted to do it that way so I could cantilever the sump off the back, only by about 5", but it saves me space in the front of the stand.

 

1 hour ago, howaboutme said:

By the way, the beer ledge is also great for testing, feeding, etc....Don't forget. 

 

Haha, that's why it's there. Although, while setting up and moving, it was primarily a beer ledge. 

[YHSublime]

Alright, ramblings, and questions for WAMAS! 

 

Thanks to the help of @monkiboyI have some super clean plumbing. These Milwakee sheers/cutters are dynamite! As @howaboutmenoticed, the plumbing could not be any simpler, however, I have some questions about keeping things tidy. I am using tubing on my return, and my return pump is located at the far end of the peninsula. Currently it's "pigtailing" but I'd like to hang it directly from the top of the stand and cut it down a few feet. I'd rather not drill into the stand top (bottom) of the top. I'm thinking about using the same stickers that come with MP's and zip ties, thoughts? 

 

I've been "cycling" rock downstairs in a tub, but I have not been feeding it regularly, so I don't think it's really completed a cycle. I took the water from the tank and used it in the 80, with a bunch of NSW, as well as water from my tanks from water changes. It's just water, no heater, and I've started to get a layer of algae on the glass. When I swap the tanks in, I'll be taking the nano and just swapping it right into the 80, same bio load, same rock, same fish, just more space.

 

- Should I add the fresh rock into the 80 and cycle it before transferring?

- Should I transfer and then add the rock into the sump and let the nano season it?

- Should I just transfer the nano over rock and all and not worry because I'm just adding quadruple the water volume with the same bio load? 

 

I intend to match up the water exactly before the move. The other thing I have yet to determine is what I am going to do for an ATO. My current ATO could fit under the stand, but I think I'd have to refill it every second day. I will have to come up with something either in the basement, or on the side of the tank.