My 2.5ft x 1.5ft x 2ft tank...

[ervine]

Hi guys,

I had my old 1ft Nano for 2 years I think... and finally I have upgraded to something a little more substantial in size but still manageable for a student budget...

Please note that I'm still in the process of stocking up... so might look a little bare...

Here are some specs:

Technical stuff:

- 2.5ft x 1.5ft x 2ft 10mm glass with internal overflow (50+gals)

- DIY Chengal wood stand

- 250W BLV 20K MH for tank (modded casing from victron)

- DIY PVC rack for MH casing

- 36W 6500K PL for sump

- ~15kgs LR on PVC/eggcrate rack

- 4-6" DSB (No. 0 with some 1) (seeded with old sand)

- 1.5ft x 1ft x 1ft sump & fuge

- Undersized Weipro 2011 skimmer (hope to upgrade soon)

- Externally run Haliea 6540 return via loclines

- small eden pump for circulation behind rocks

- DIY autotop up

- DIY Kalkreactor

- Table fan "chiller"

Corals:

- Yellow Polyps

- Brown Polyps

- Green Zoos

- Hairy Shrooms

- Purple Shrooms

- Brown Shrooms

- Misc Schrooms

- Hammer Coral

- Recovering Candy Cane

- 2 small frags of acro

Livestock: (Am I overstocked??)

- 1 x "old bird" false clown

- 1 x algae blenny

- 3 x firefish

- 1 x 6 line wrasse

- 4 x Princess Anthias

- ? x snails

- ~5 x hermits

- 1 x cleaner shrimp

Yup.. comments and advice most welcomed!

[ervine]

Here's another view

[ervine]

Here's a close up of the modded MH casing from Victron with the DIY PVC rack sprayed black

[ervine]

Here's a look at all the DIY stuff... DIY kalkreactor, external MH ballast, auto-top up...

[ervine]

A view of the sump... it's a little small because it used to serve my 1ft nano... but still okay lah...

[ervine]

Lastly a view of the tank from one of the sides... (er the best looking side.. hehe the other sides still can see a lot of the PVC rack)

[ervine]

Hope you guys like it... please tell me if I have gone wrong anywhere or where I can improve upon...

[sunny03]

nice rack ervine

but dont u think the bottom of the rack u can add another pvc pipe instaed using a coated wire to hold it or u scare that the pvc pipe will melt or cast shadow

and the rack that use to hole the mh look kind of

[ervine]

nice rack ervine

but dont u think the bottom of the rack u can add another pvc pipe instaed using a coated wire to hold it or u scare that the pvc pipe will melt or cast shadow

and the rack that use to hole the mh look kind of

primarily shadow.... the wire is actually there as a safety precaution it's not structurally holding anything...

Oh the rack is pretty safe I can put my whole body weight on it without it giving way (of course not while it's on the tank!!)

It's the connection between casing and rack that I worry about... using annealled steel wires to hold it... actually also quite safe lah... but u know us singaporeans lah.. kiasi

[freewill]

You have too many DIY stuff...

hahaha...

you will have to sell me your Kalkreactor! (kidding lah, but can teach me how to do one not? or sell me one lah... cheap cheap one leh... im a poor working adult...

but i guess you have lotsa of space left for stocking...

i kinda regret getting the 2x1.5x1.5 liao, now no more space for stocking... sad!

next time i upgrade, sure look for you to do up a stand for me... hahaha

[riot]

real interesting setup. Lots of character- can see there's a lot of sweat & effort involved. You might want to mod a casing so to minimize light spillage from the sides of the tank. Might be a bit warmer, but you wont be blinded by the mH if you sit on the floor and stare into the tank.

Nice job!

[weileong]

your kalk reactor is giant sized????

[ervine]

Freewill: Kalkreactor ah... donno leh mine very terok... cannot look thru, kept leaking (till i FINALLY fixed it!), the inputs at the wrong place.. etc etc... quite terok lah...

Weileong: No lah not super sized... just big enough such that I don't need to touch it for extended periods of time...

Riot: Haha.. good idea man, now the light spreads everywhere!! Will see how in time to come..

[ervine]

long time never update this thread huh... Hm.. this is what my tank looks like now... most of the fishes hiding behind the LR... camera shy lah!! haha...

was testing my new lens...

[dkk08]

Sighz can't slp... so here I am...

Great looking nano if only I've all ur DIY stuff...

[Ancelot]

Hey ervine! How are you doing man?

Anyway I want to know where did you get your chenggai stand done and at what price?

All the best for your tank mate! Cheers!

[ervine]

I DIYed it for under 100 I think...

Also.. i don't think my tank qualifies as a nano leh... haha

[cityofangels]

Wow, I'm impressed with your DIY skills!

More pics, pls!

[ervine]

here's a look at the whole tank now... nothing much has changed actually... except the skimmer and the chiller and the "DIY cover" for the lights...

[ervine]

Here's a look at the lights.. added 2 x T5s...

[ervine]

here's a view of the sump and refugium... I've been wanting to upgrade the sump since FOREVER.. somehow never got down to it... grumble...

[ervine]

here's a view of the insane 16 wall sockets hidden behind the chiller which I recently got done when my mum got increasingly worried about a fire hazard.. (managed to pull out 2 extension cords and 8 multiplugs!!)... btw.. half of the plugs run the computer...

also new is a UPS for backup power just in case... (not seen in this foto)

[ervine]

other unseen upgrades over the 2 years include full proofing the auto-top up by adding a 2nd float switch and replacing the air-driven water reservoir to a water pump driven one...

also the kalk reactor's mixing pump has been changed twice due to break down of pumps but otherwise still going strong...

In terms of circulation, added 1 x sawn off maxijet and a seio 620 running on timers...

[somebody]

bro!! ifirst time i'm seeing your thread!! very nice tank1!! =)

[Travy]

WOah... Very impressive tank... My old 2 ft was far... far from that.

If only u can tidy up teh surroundings.. HAHA! Understandable la... Being a guy's room.

When its due for upgrade?