Modified 24g NC in the making

[jervismun]

See how beautiful the rocks are!

[jervismun]

My Tunze Reefpack 500 will only arrive tomorrow, so I just simply arrange the rocks so that they can get enough light! Kinda messy... but actually, it's not too bad looking

[jervismun]

Surprise!!! It came with the rocks. Bro you will miss your hermit crab

I promise to take good care of it (since it is my nano's first tenant)

I shall call it "Ris"

[Qxnviolet]

Haha, nice rocks with all the coralline....

Erm, you do not have to use fishes to cycle your tank. Its pretty cruel, the damsel prob won't die though. Its a super hardy fish. But you'll have a hard time trying to get it out of your tank. Not worth the risk. Use a piece of market prawn or something....

[Firestarz]

Hmm .. bro think its cos ur aircon is running. My parents refused to allow me to put any tank in my bedroom (my study as well) .. so i could only use the hall .. plus my hall only got fan .. n it gets direct sunlight at certain times of de day .. super hot.

Btw i juz started my set up too .. now cycling .. very nice work u did with ur nanocube .. My parents at first also didnt approve of my hobby ..i had to propose to them my best n most cost effective idea b4 they allowed .. so yea .. had to make do with wad i hav.

Yea .. as for the cl85 i find its ability to cool my tank down not very good .. i set the tempt at 26 .. n it is running for almost the whole day cos my water tempt is arnd 27. I was told that it can at max bring the tempt down by 1 or 2 degrees .. so yea .. cant really complain. As a suggestions go for something better .. the cl85 works juz like a fan juz that it doiesnt cause any evaporation.

Hmm .. bro mayb can consider rearranging the LR .. can go higher, make full use of de height.

All de best bro!

[jervismun]

Oxnviolet: Yeah, it's cruel and I figure a piece of prawn will do... err... can u reconfirm? A dead market shrimp? Can I remove the shell first?

Firestarz: No I didn't run the aircon in this room. The room is too small and the aircon is directly facing my computer, so cannot "tahan". Thanks for enjoying my setup, I will have more equipments coming in this week. At first I wanted this to be a cost effective setup, but after all the reading... you know... and this is gonna be my last chance, either get it right or So not gonna risk, must get the best I can afford.

I know CL-85 is not sufficient for a 24g, but those "real" chillers are so exp! I saw one the other day, 1/10hp costing $1100!?!?!?

And as mentioned before, the rocks are there temporary la! I will get my internal pumps tomorrow, so only then I will seriously look into it. Also bearing in mind the danger of hanging a mountain... landslides, lol. You know how thin my NC right?

Picture: Although that MH is really warm and expensive to run... the effect is priceless! The light reflection on my walls and ceiling is just... dunno how to describe... just like some "spa" or "yoga" experience... serene and tranquil

[jervismun]

I read from somewhere that MH bulbs emit a low quantity of UV (not the really harmful ones). How true is that? And if yes, will it do any damage to our eye if we look at the tank for too long? One thing I notice, my 150W MH really rocks! It's so bright! I already adjusted it even further away from the surface, will it cause any damage to the fishes and corals?

Respond if you're a pro Really appreciate it

[nkh]

if u consider using CL85, maybe u should consider using CL280 just by paying the most 50 dollar more if u getting from P*tm*rt.

[jervismun]

Oh really? Do you have any experience with that chiller? Is it noisy? Humming noise irritates me and sometimes drives me crazy, lol. (Example: I can't concentrate at work when there are roadworks near my office).

What about IceProbe? You think I should give it a shot? I might need 2 of them, which is equivalent to a CL280 I guess (in terms of price).

[bezz]

Oh really? Do you have any experience with that chiller? Is it noisy? Humming noise irritates me and sometimes drives me crazy, lol. (Example: I can't concentrate at work when there are roadworks near my office).

What about IceProbe? You think I should give it a shot? I might need 2 of them, which is equivalent to a CL280 I guess (in terms of price).

CL-85 and Iceprobe though quieter than a compressor base chiller will have a soft humming sound due to the large fan blowing on the heatsink.

I for 1 find the noise of the CL-85 fan very irritating when I first encounter it at a LFS. I guess Iceprobe will be the same.

Compressor chillers will sound like a fridge and gives off heat. So if your room is small, place it near a window or the heat from the chiller will heat up the room pretty fast.

[Qxnviolet]

Erm, just a piece of market prawn will do. Small piece with or w/o the shell, doesn't matter. I had enough die offs from my uncured LRs to kick off my ANN cycle so didn't need the prawn..

[nakazoru]

What do you guys think about this product?

IceProbe Aquarium Chiller and Temperature Controller set

If what they claim is true, this tiny chiller can bring down my 24g NC from 30ºC to 28ºC. I get slightly more than 30ºC after 4 hours of 150W MH. You think this will work?

It's noiseless and low in power consumption... pls share your thoughts

I actually bought 2 of those and yet to try it. Need to install it somewhere. I was designing my sump (yet to have a sump.) to accomodate 2 of the iceprobe.

[jervismun]

Oxnviolet: Oh the reason I need a piece of dead prawn is becoz my LRs are already cured? But the cured LR is so cool! No bad odor at all! But I miss out the fun of discovering tiny little critters. Ok I will go get a piece of prawn, or steal one

Bezz: I will take your advice on both CL-85 and IceProbe. So won't be getting any of those. But the problem with my tiny room is, there isn't any natural ventilation. I usually close the windows coz there's a construction going on opposite my place. I still have a week or two to finalize this issue. Do you think cured LR + Cleaning Crew will do badly in warm water (around 29.5ºC)?

Nakazoru: Wow you spend a bomb there... well, I'm sure it will work well for the sump tank. Do keep us update re the IceProbe.

I will receive my Tunze ReefPack 500 today and I will have a more or else final reef construction tonight. Can't wait to get out of office... although the day has just begun...

[Firestarz]

From wad i heard from aqua marine, if ur getting an iceprobe, get the Cl85 .. its actually a big iceprobe, n i think its cheaper.

Hav to agree that i kinda find the cl85 abit useless .. as the tempt it can maintain depends on ur room tempt. so yea .. get the the cl280 for ur set up .. it will help esp. with the MH running.

Yea .. the cl85 can b qite noisy esp in a totally quiet room which i presume ur study room to b so do consider this factor.

29.5 degrees is abit too high .. i think 28 degrees would b the max i would ever let my water go.

Hmm .. abt the LR .. sry .. it slipped my mind that the NC hav very this glass. I understand ur plight as currently my tank glass is only 5mm thick .. when i bought my LR i did a stack of the LR at the LFS n confirming that they can stand without the need of using the glass, b4 i bought them ..

All de best to ur set up bro! .. do rmb b patience n let the water cycle for at least 3 wks to 1 month first .. my is currently in its second week .. dun wry .. the days pass fast.

[jervismun]

Firestarz

Ok I will seriously consider getting a proper chiller. May run around town to look for something suitable. You guys can even help suggest besides the CL. My priority would be (in accordance to importance):

1. Quiet operation

2. Able to maintain a 26ºC water temp without overworking

3. Sensitivity to temp change

4. Brand/reliablity/country of origin

5. Price

6. Aesthetic

Yes, must be extremely careful when it comes to stability of the reef structure. Any rockslide can cause a flood disaster! Well, I studied architecture, so it shouldn't be too hard for me (I guess)

Agree 29.5ºC is too high. My room temp is around 28.5ºC without aircon, so don't thing the IceProbe / CL85 can do significant improvement. Need a chiller with proper compressor. Meanwhile, I will just on the aircon more frequently.

Patience... yes I will let the tank cycle properly. But perhaps 3 weeks is too long since I've jump-started the cycle with cured LR. Those LR in my tank was bought over from a reef member. He has kept the rocks for more than a year. So no odor at all, amazing!

Anyone knows anything about adding a layer of Plenum into the sand bed? Need scientific readings to be sure.

[nkh]

No matter the rock is cured or not, during the transportation of it, they bound to have some die off thus kick-starting the cycling process again. Just tht how fast or slow the tank needed to be cycled.

As for stacking of rocks, you can try sticking them together using superglue gel. If u dun mind taking all of them out and wipe dry the part u r applying the gel to.

[iantoh]

hi there bro! great looking nano setup!

[jervismun]

Thanks Iantoh!

Of course the tank is not even near to finalize... I am still trying to work out the hardwares... now where should I put the chiller, lol.

Nkh: I will try not to put superglue gel on my rocks, in fact I will try not to permanently fix them into 1 giant rock. Let me try out tonight and see how stable is my rock formation. Will keep you guys update around 10pm tonight.

Lot's of update pics tonight

[nakazoru]

Firestarz

Ok I will seriously consider getting a proper chiller. May run around town to look for something suitable. You guys can even help suggest besides the CL. My priority would be (in accordance to importance):

1. Quiet operation

2. Able to maintain a 26ºC water temp without overworking

3. Sensitivity to temp change

4. Brand/reliablity/country of origin

5. Price

6. Aesthetic

Yes, must be extremely careful when it comes to stability of the reef structure. Any rockslide can cause a flood disaster! Well, I studied architecture, so it shouldn't be too hard for me (I guess)

Agree 29.5ºC is too high. My room temp is around 28.5ºC without aircon, so don't thing the IceProbe / CL85 can do significant improvement. Need a chiller with proper compressor. Meanwhile, I will just on the aircon more frequently.

Patience... yes I will let the tank cycle properly. But perhaps 3 weeks is too long since I've jump-started the cycle with cured LR. Those LR in my tank was bought over from a reef member. He has kept the rocks for more than a year. So no odor at all, amazing!

Anyone knows anything about adding a layer of Plenum into the sand bed? Need scientific readings to be sure.

For the chiller that you are considering, do bear in mind that resun (China) are the cheaper ones and thus more likely to break down. Look out for brands like teco... with is more reliable.

Also as much as fellow reefers said that thermo-electric is limited in its functionality, do bear in mind that it all depends on your configuration. I bought the iceprobe because of its maintainence free operation, meaning that it does not require coolant and the fan is easily replaced with a 12V fan from Sim Lim. As for the price I did not spent too much as I did not buy the controller and the power supply. Both for less than 200SGD and the power consumption is total 110W so much less than any other chiller can offer.

Another possible ways to cool your tank is evaporative cooling to you MH fixture. By attaching fan with a misting unit blowing at the MH but not into the circuitry, it can bring down the temp by some 2 deg or more.

Anyway, you can keep mushie and zoo at 29.5 C. Other stuff can get after the chiller.

[elimmel]

best not to use the misting unit.

the water vapours when in contact with the HOT glass might just crack it.

blow the fan across the water surface.

read somewhere in RC that blowing wind across the mh light while have a negative impact on the PAR output... not sure if it's true though ...

i'd highly recommend you to get a resun cl280. or if budget is not a concern, get an artica unit. 1/4hp unit is more than sufficient.

[nakazoru]

best not to use the misting unit.

the water vapours when in contact with the HOT glass might just crack it.

blow the fan across the water surface.

read somewhere in RC that blowing wind across the mh light while have a negative impact on the PAR output... not sure if it's true though ...

i'd highly recommend you to get a resun cl280. or if budget is not a concern, get an artica unit. 1/4hp unit is more than sufficient.

You are alsolutely right glass will crack if the glass is already heated up. If the cooling is on before the MH then it will not. Crack occurs when drastic temp drop.

[jervismun]

Thanks for all your reponses

Here's my new setup, sorta final in terms of equipments. The only missing equipment right now is... well as you all know the CHILLER!!!

[jervismun]

A close up of the rockworks. I did not use any epoxy/adhesive to hold the rocks together. But I really make sure they stay at their position well, no sand at the base, so more stable. Another thing to avoid is Turbo Snail and others that may weaken my reef.

It may seem very packed, but in reality a lot of holes and small caves. The MH somehow makes it look kinda flat.

And sorry for the tiny bubbles in the water. New filter/pumpheads/skimmer always create lots of bubbles. Things will surely improve in a day or two

[jervismun]

My new filtration system, the Tunze ReefPack 500. It's kinda cool with a powerful filter (which I will upkeep every week), a powerful skimmer and auto-water-topup... all-in-one. Costs me a bomb but it does answers two great concerns:

1. No more overhanging skimmer, even if the cup overflows with saltwater (due to irregular flow), the salt water will still maintained inside the tank.

2. No need to top up water daily. Since I am using a MH and planning to get a fan to cool the water surface, I expect the evaporation rate to be pretty high. It comes with a sensor, once it detects low water, it will activate the mini pump inside the water container (10g) to level. Cool piece of technology!!!

And it's kinda overpower actually, meant for 50 to 100g. I am running in low mode, so this will allow me to upgrade to a 50g tank without worries.

Please share with me your thoughts

[hobbes]

Hell nice yeah!!!