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CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano


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  1. #21
    CalmSeasQuest - Reefkeeper
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    Jan 2010
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    Brighton, MI
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    Thomas
    Awards Nano Contest Winner - Winner of 2012 Nano Contest

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    Quote Originally Posted by rosebud161616 View Post
    Those are beautiful fish! Very jealous!
    Thanks Erika
    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Patrick View Post
    The piecing together of acrylic has gotten me perplexed.......I have no idea what plans you might have!
    It's got me a bit perplexed too I'll also be surprised to see how this all turns out.
    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw

  2. #22
    CalmSeasQuest - Reefkeeper
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    Awards Nano Contest Winner - Winner of 2012 Nano Contest

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    A bit of an update -

    I got word that the tanks should ship on Monday. That will allow me to do the build at home, without tearing down the current office tank.

    As I mentioned, I'm new to acrylic fabrication - As I progress through the learning curve, I've found that my existing table saw is not fit for acrylic duty. Its replacement will be here Monday along with an 80 tooth, triple chip ground, PermaSheild Diablo blade. I'm done screwing around with having to spend more time cleaning up every cut then it took to make the cut.

    I'm still waiting for quite a few pieces and parts - some coming from as far as Japan. It will likely be a couple of weeks before I've got much to show.

    On a more exciting note, although I hadn't yet given much thought to a coral stocking plan, I stumbled on an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. A huge, mostly LE Monti collection - delivered for $190

    Tyree Superman monti
    Tyree Pokerstar Monti
    Tyree Purple Haze
    Tyree Sunset
    Tyree Seasons Greetings
    Copps Vesuvious
    Tyree Palawensis
    Tyree Undata
    LA Lakers
    Tyree Pink Sand Dollar
    Tyree Setosa
    Tyree Flower Petal Cap
    Tyree aequituberculata
    Leng Sy Cap
    Tyree Idaho Grape
    Confusa, spongotes
    ATL Forest Fire Digi
    Greg Hillers Teal digi
    Orange Digi

    Monti1 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    Monti2 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    Monti3 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano
    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw
    Likes AJ :), Sir Patrick, creefer liked this post

  3. #23
    MizTanks - Reefkeeper
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    Jamie
    Awards Photo of the Month - October 2012 Photo of the Month Post and Reply Award - Winner of the first PAR Contest. Monthly Giveaway Winner

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    Wow awesome pack is putting it mildly! MontiNano-has a nice ring to it don't ya think?
    There's nothing like being a Reefer! www.upmmas.com

  4. #24
    rosebud161616 - Reefkeeper
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    Awards Nano Contest Winner

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    Wow that is quite the collection! I know you said stocking plans are unknown, but is the current feeling to include most of these?

  5. #25
    CalmSeasQuest - Reefkeeper
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    Thomas
    Awards Nano Contest Winner - Winner of 2012 Nano Contest

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    Quote Originally Posted by MizTanks View Post
    Wow awesome pack is putting it mildly! MontiNano-has a nice ring to it don't ya think?
    Thanks Jamie, I'm hopeful they look that good once received. MontiNano is cute, but for reasons that will be evident later - I think a different name will apply

    Quote Originally Posted by rosebud161616 View Post
    Wow that is quite the collection! I know you said stocking plans are unknown, but is the current feeling to include most of these?
    Thanks Erika - I'm not sure. Truthfully, I had a somewhat different plan in mind, but when I saw those at that price point - I just couldn't pass them up. I'm trying to adjust the plan to see what will fit.

    I can tell you that I'm planning on including these (or at least some of them)...

    IMG 20120106 143653 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano
    These were purchased through Colin at Coral Morphologic. That photo was taken during acclimation and really doesn't show the beautiful coloration. Most are multiple-mouths and now that they are happy, have since doubled in size.

    I also acquired some Mangrove Propagules that I'm hoping will be part of this build.
    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw
    Likes AJ :), MizTanks liked this post

  6. #26
    AJ :) - Reefkeeper CR Member
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    That's a great selection to choose from.
    Thanks for the updates.

  7. #27
    CalmSeasQuest - Reefkeeper
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    Thomas
    Awards Nano Contest Winner - Winner of 2012 Nano Contest

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    Tanks shipped - I should have them on Friday and be able to sart mocking up over the weekend.

    I'm not sure which direction I'm going to take with filtration. For reasons that will become apparent, this tank is going to be a bit atypical when it comes to reef filtration schemes.

    For the moment at least, I'm planning on running without a skimmer. The current tank's skimmer produces next to nothing due to the very light bio-load. As this next build will be home to a pair of Clowns, I'll need to accommodate a larger bio-load. I've got an AC50 fitted with an InTank insert that will fit perfectly on the end of the tank, but it's so small, it will limit my media options. I also purchased a Fluval 406 that provides tons of flow and filtration (maybe a bit too much, but it can be dialed back) and gives me much more room and options for media. I'll have to see which method works best as the pieces start coming together.

    I ordered a Elos Osmocontroller. My Tunze Osmolators have functioned perfectly, but the sensor and back up float take up a huge amount of space (relative to a 12 gallon tank.) The Elos uses a single, tiny sensor that should all but disappear in this design and as I use an Apex salinity probe as a fail-safe, I'm not worried about the loss of the float.

    I also received a few items that I have been waiting on from Japan. So far, everything is as I had hoped - I'm very excited.
    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw

  8. #28
    CR Member
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    Wow!! Awesome livestock, Tom!! I'm even more intrigued than before.

  9. #29
    Sir Patrick - Reefkeeper A2 Club Coordinator
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    Sweet! Friday!!!

  10. #30
    CalmSeasQuest - Reefkeeper
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    Thomas
    Awards Nano Contest Winner - Winner of 2012 Nano Contest

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    We have glass...

    IMG 20120121 093127 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    IMG 20120121 093512 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    IMG 20120121 093338 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    IMG 20120121 094156 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    IMG 20120121 113712 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    My present challenge is how to hide most of the equipment. This tank will sit on my office desk, and as I travel a lot it has to be as self-sufficient as possible. This includes filtration that can go for a couple weeks without being touched, ATO, 2-part dosing and the Apex probes. As the location doesn't allow for a sump - it all has to be crammed into the tank with minimum detraction from what I hope will be a minimalistic look.

    My first thought was to duplicate the filtration used in the 2011 Nano build, which consisted of an AquaClear 70 HOB modded with an InTank insert. I purchased a smaller version (AC50) which fits nicely on the end of the tank.

    Although it fits nicely, the drawbacks are that it provides much less space for filtration media and the fact that it occupies all of the tank end wall, leaving no space for dosing, ATO or probes. The filtration concerns are paramount as this tank will be home to a pair of clown fish and (eventually) a BTA.

    After consideration, I decided to "upscale" the filtration. I installed a Fluval 406 canister. This allows for far more mechanical, chemical and biological filtration and opens up more space for the rest of the equipment...

    IMG 20120121 113859 - CalmSeasQuest's 2012 Desktop Nano

    I've attached a surface skimmer to the intake of the Fluval that allows me to "balance" the filtration between surface skimming and bottom filtration. In addition to what's shown, I still have to add the pH, ORP and Salinity probes, the Elos Osmocontroller sensor and ATO and the Ca and Alk dosing tubes (I'm going to polish off the brand name on the probe holder.) I've had great success with the Hydor Theo heaters - I'm going to try and use only 50 watts due to its diminutive size. In the 2011 build, 50 watts was not enough, but I think the evaporative cooling from the AquaClear 70 and the skimmer contributed to the heat loss. I'm hoping that the Fluval will result in less heat loss and that 50W will be enough.

    It will be a tight fit, but everything should fit on the end wall. It's a bunch of mechanics crammed into a tiny tank, but I'm hoping the design elements of the tank will minimize the impact.
    Last edited by CalmSeasQuest; 02-05-2012 at 02:51 PM.
    The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. - George Bernard Shaw

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