Craig's 28gal Nano

[cbau45]

Well I guess better late than never right? I should have this up and running by the end of the day. I was bummed I missed out on this contest last year so I'm in for this year. Although i'm getting a late start I hope to catch up quick. Here's what i'm using:

Equipment:
Tank: 28gal Nanocube
Flow: Maxijet 400&1200 for my returns + Vortech MP10
Lighting: 2 x Marineland Reef ready LED fixtures
Heaters: Marineland Stealth (subject to change)
Substrate: Sugar sand

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg108/cbau45/100_2509.jpg

Lets get this started! Good luck everyone!

[larryandlaura]

Looking like a great start!

[cbau45]

Looking like a great start!

Thanks! I hope it turns out well. I'm pretty excited about this build.

Ok, so it's not much to look at but I have water in it and it's cycling. I added LS and a big piece of LR to the tank so now I just have to wait. :( I have a few more pieces of LR to add but for now this gets me started.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg108/cbau45/100_2512.jpg

Unfortunately the magnet on my MP10 warped just enough that it didn't spin smoothly so I had to order a new one. I figured now was a good time to upgrade to the ES module as well so that's coming too. I'll keep the updates coming when I make some progress.

[MizTanks]

Great start! Your going to love the ES :)

[cbau45]

Well this has been a little bit more of a rough start then I thought. I tried using equipment I already had but it seems like it just doesn't want to cooperate. First my heater died, then my MJ1200, and last, but not least, the new magnet / impeller for my MP10...broke:( I just received the magnet on Thursday evening and the impeller snapped off (while running) on Saturday morning. The good news is my tank is still cycling so no harm done I suppose. I've replaced the heater, bought a new MJ for my return, and I've contacted Ecotech to get a replacement. So I should be back on the right track.

I added a few more pieces of LR and I changed my lighting. The more I read about the PAR values of the Marineland reefready lights, the more hesitant I was to use mine for this. For now I'm going to use 4 ATI T5's. That should do the trick I think. Here's the difference in lighting:

(Picture1: Marineland LED fixture, Picture2: 2xATI Aquablue Special, 2xATI Blue +)
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg108/cbau45/a3b8a553.jpg http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg108/cbau45/1bcc68c3.jpg

I hope to start adding some corals and fish this weekend.