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3 Foot Nano Tank (1 Viewer)

RyanTurner said:
Invest in two MP-10 ES and call it a day. You won't be disappointed.

The reason why I recommend these over the much cheaper Koralias, is because the Vortechs match the "modern/minimalist" approach you are trying to accomplish.
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I was really trying to not have any powerheads. So I went with a powerful pump and the nano spinners to get some random movement.

But more than anything was the cost of the Vortecs that scared me away. I guess if I knew my design wasn't going to work I would have just done a single drain and return on the left and a MP10 on the right.... Now there is very little room to put one with the tubes in the way.




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Sorry, Im becoming very whinny just reading what I type. Money spend + not getting what I expect does that to me.
 
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Is there any way to use my current holes, bulkheads, tubes etc and make one into a closed loop with a single pump?

Say closed loop drain on left ---- pump ---- return on right. Then use the right drain as normal into my sump ---- small pump ---- return on left?? Will a closed loop even work if the bulkhead is only half submerged? After the elbow would I reduce it down to 1/2" and put a hole in the top of that single drain so the water constricts and the air escapes?
 
I haven't posted any updates cause there really wasn't much to talk about. I really wanted to figure out my flow issue before I added everything in. But in the end I just started the tank. I found out once I mixed the salt in the tank and watched the floating particles inside the water there was a lot more flow than I thought.

One of the things that I used to like were my nano spinners. However they were only effective at a flow rate of about 400gph. With my flow being around 200-250 per return the spinners were actually slowing my flow way down. So much so that the water wouldnt even move in the middle of the tank. Once I removed them I was getting current from one side of the tank to the other. There is a small area in the middle where the two flows crash together but for the most part they move right past each other and flow into their opposite bulkhead.

Some pictures from Thursday I believe.

Mixing the salt.
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Full Tank Shot with rocks and sand added. The spinners removed also opened up more space in the tank.
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Cute! Now start loading it up with tangs, angels, and puffers. Lol. Jk.

Seriously though, have you thought about fish? Pipefish are my favorite, but they require a lot of pods and constant feeding. I have a tank around that size with a mated pair of blue stripe pipefish, a mated pair of green banded gobies, a pair of sharknose gobies, a small orange spotted filefish, and a tailspot blenny. I do a lot of frequent water changes and have an overpowered skimmer. I wouldn't recommend putting that many fish in there unless you have a lot of time to maintain them.

Great looking tank!

Edit: I keep forgetting this is only 12 gallons. My small system is double that. No way would I recommend putting that many fish into that tank.
 
RyanTurner said:
Cute! Now start loading it up with tangs, angels, and puffers. Lol. Jk.

Seriously though, have you thought about fish? Pipefish are my favorite, but they require a lot of pods and constant feeding. I have a tank around that size with a mated pair of blue stripe pipefish, a mated pair of green banded gobies, a pair of sharknose gobies, a small orange spotted filefish, and a tailspot blenny. I do a lot of frequent water changes and have an overpowered skimmer. I wouldn't recommend putting that many fish in there unless you have a lot of time to maintain them.

Great looking tank!

Edit: I keep forgetting this is only 12 gallons. My small system is double that. No way would I recommend putting that many fish into that tank.
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Ya it looks a lot larger than 12 gallons :p I was thinking about a clown trigger actually :banana:

But for real Im thinking 2-3 fish max. My clown being transferred from the 5.5 that sits on my desk currently and then I was going to let me wife pick out a fish in a week or two so she has a little bit more enthusiasm for the tank. Then I'll choose the last one to change the shape or color up.

I was thinking one of the smaller wrasses, puffers, or dartfish. The tank has the same width of a 40 gallon breeder or 50 gallon tank so they will have some room to swim.

I've always wanted a helfrichi firefish for a long time, but with it being open top that might be too expensive to swallow. Gobies are just too small for my liking and never really swim around. So I want fish that are still small but very unique and active.
 
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Look at wrasses from the wetmorella family. They are known as possum wrasses, and they are freaking adorable. There is a chance that they may jump though, so be careful.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/10/fish
 
I LOVE the look of the bulkheads and black plumbing on the sides. Great choice! Also I LOVED the fourth setup for rockwork that you had posted - It was AMAZING. :fish:
 
Goberson79 said:
Tank looks great! Nice job on this build.
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Thanks Goberson

Alunai said:
I LOVE the look of the bulkheads and black plumbing on the sides. Great choice! Also I LOVED the fourth setup for rockwork that you had posted - It was AMAZING. :fish:
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Thanks Alunai. I was a little leary of the exposed plumbing being too much like a frag tank. But I kept it neat and all black so it turned out quite sharp. It has the modern loft apartment feel with clean lines and exposed wood beams and duct-work.

The pedestal idea I REALLY liked. And I would have done it if it wasn't planning on doing corals. In that configuration I lost so much real estate. The rocks flat top would be about an inch below the surface so there would be no room for growth. While there is nothing in it I could see how it looks with sand and water and see if its a possibility.
 
Tank looks just amazing! Plumbing looks great also nice and clean looking. Where did you get the drain screens on the overflow pipes?
 
Fragtastic Reef said:
Tank looks just amazing! Plumbing looks great also nice and clean looking. Where did you get the drain screens on the overflow pipes?
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Thanks Fragtastic,

I just typed bulkhead screen into google shopping and that was the only flat one. All the others are the long cone shapes. I ended up buying it off Amazon from a third party called MarineAndReef. They have their own website but with shipping it was cheaper through Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/JT-Manufactur...CBEK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1332817651&sr=8-3
 
Haven't posted in awhile.

Well things were going well and then left me sad and a little depressed, I kinda didn't feel like sharing about it but things are starting to look up again.

I had my tanked cycling and everything was going well with the biospira. I transferred my clownfish of 6 years over to the 12gallon and he was loving it. Swimming back and forth cruising the tank at top speed. He was previously in a 5.5 so his swimming length was quite small. Now with 36" to cruise he was having a great time. A few days pass and I come into work and he is no where to be found. I look all over the sides of the tank, the floor, the sump. Sometime in the middle of the night he jumped out flopped around behind the tank and then slipped behind the stand. Everyone at work was very sympathetic. A few suggestions were brought up to cover the tank from now on, and I probably will in the future. I plan to do a mesh or eurobrace type top that I will place on the top whenever I leave and take it off in the morning for feeding.

This sunday I went to SWE with the wife and we picked out a new clownfish as well as the first coral. This clown was sorta unique amongst his tankmates as he was misbared on one side and no bared on the other. The coral is a tiny torch. If these guys do well the stocking will accelerate.

Pictures tomorrow when I go back to work.
 
Sorry to hear about your loss. Thats a long time to have one fish I am sure it was tough.

I am glad to hear that everything else with the tank is moving forward
 
Sorry for your loss D: I really love this set-up! Did you get you get your pump/ flow issues resolved?
 
derek121760 said:
Sorry for your loss D: I really love this set-up! Did you get you get your pump/ flow issues resolved?
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lr9788 said:
Sorry to hear about your loss. Thats a long time to have one fish I am sure it was tough.

I am glad to hear that everything else with the tank is moving forward
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Thanks guys, it was hard but thats life. I won't let it bother me and keep me from getting this tank looking awesome.

As for the flow I removed the nano spinners. The flow is constant, and not as random as before but the spinners were heavily restricting the water movement. I took them out and had a nice movement throughout the tank. Dropping a few flakes into the tank showed me how much flow I actually have and after adding my torch and seeing all the tentacles sway put my mind at ease. And there is enough flow to create ripples on the surface for shimmer so I can't complain. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I designed the tank but it still turned out quite well so I wont let the spinner thing get me down.
 
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