Totara Posted July 19, 2014 Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 Yes, I know I have had lots of ideas and changed my mind about what type of marine set up I want to do. But I have settled down and made a start, I know its been done to death but here is my AquaNano 40 Build I got the tank last weekend from Living Reef, I also got ~5.8 KG of Dead Coral Rock and a bag of sand. While I was down there I built a nice stand for it out of Rimu using my Grandfathers considerably better equipped workshop. This morning I finished the aquascape, which I am pretty happy with. I will add the sand in later when I am certain I am happy with the aquascape. I also ordered a couple of other things from ebay which you will see in my Build List. I am deciding whether to go with the CoralBox M1-30 on this or a DIY LED, I am leaning towards the DIY led which I enclosed a design of so please tell me what you think. From the front, its sitting in my dining room, which is very open planned so this tank will get a lot of attention. From the right, the only thing I am unhappy about with this scape is that its not very "wide" looking from the right. Hopefully the corals will fill that in though. A bad picture from the left. The left is quite close to a wall, and probably wont get seen as much but it looks pretty good from that angle anyway. FTS from a bit further back. On the bottom shelf you can see my selling point for having this tank in the lounge "You can put the phone and modem on it!" :lar: Also shows off the stand nicely. My LED Fixture design. It has 6 Royal Blue LED's, 6 Whites, 2 Violets, 1 Red and one Green. I based my design off of the CoralBox. I can design a controller board to dim each color individually pretty easily, so I will be able to mix up the spectrums. I think I will run 80 degree optics, but I am not too sure about that, anybody know what optics are best? My main concern is that it wont have enough coverage / penetration so if anyone can advise me on what to fix I would be happy. This is my build list, as you can see, I still have a lot of stuff to get. Please point out anything I have missed. Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 19, 2014 Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 Looking good dude, though instead of wasting $80 on a crap test kit spend a little more and buy decent ones like salifert or red sea pro kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 Looking good dude, though instead of wasting $80 on a crap test kit spend a little more and buy decent ones like salifert or red sea pro kits. Yeah I had heard a few bad things about the API Test kit. I will check out a Red Sea one, my LFS stocks them I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Li@m Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 You Sir are brave putting that router under there! Im guessing its temporary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted July 20, 2014 Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 I would get a cheap API one from the US, one of the "saltwater" ones which is ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/ph. This is helpful in determining your cycle, and you don't need that much accuracy to be honest. http://www.amazon.com/API-Saltwater-Master-Test-Kit/dp/B001EUE808/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405829813&sr=8-2&keywords=api+marine Then for the more important parameters, I would get Salifert. This includes nitrate, Alkalinity and Calcium (if you plan tohave lps/sps, if not don't bother). Phosphate one is questionable, a lot will recommend but they aren't very accurate because algae quickly consumes free phosphate in the water so you get very low readings; the best way to test for phosphates is to watch for any algae growth. The API pH test kit is fine enough for what it does. I would recommend NOT getting the "fluval wavemaker" and instead get the WP-10 from Fishstreet,http://www.fish-street.com/jebao_wp-10_4000l_wave_maker?search_string=wp-10&search_category_id=0, its about $68 shipped and a will probably be a much better unit. Thoroughly recommended, variable speed settings and wave functions. For a bit more you could get the RW-4 from fish-street, it gives a wider flow pattern and the control box has better controls on it. For your RODI unit, I would recommend purchasing 1 micron pre-filters for it (carbon and filter), it extends the life of your RO and DI. Make sure you change these out every 6 months or so. For your DIY lights, I think I mentioned this in your last thread but I will mention it again, in my opinion you need a mixture of warm white (or neutral white, but I prefer warm) as well as cool white. The warm white provides the orange/yellow spectrum for nice coral coloration (for corals that aren't green). Red has practically no utility for corals (has been proven in the past but can't be bothered finding the thread), and there is no point in having green since white has LOTS of green in it already. You will just get disco'ing if you do that. IMO you are better off with something like this, off the basis of roughly 60 blue/40 white (to achieve around 14000k temperature, this can be adjustable if you use 2 drivers for independent dimming): 3 Warm White 3 Cool White 6 Royal Blue (460-450nm) 2 Super Actinic (410-420nm), basically a better color violet 2 Blue (465-485nm) If you want something a bit whiter (ie 10000k - 12000k range), swap out 1 Royal Blue for a cool white. For optics, it will all depend on how high you have your fixture, 6" or less above the water line you won't need them if you space out your LEDs well. I would go without optics at the start and only buy them if you end up needing them Also do NOT buy the heatsink from rapidled, you will end up paying double the cost of the stuff just in shipping because of the size and weight of the unit, and their insistence on doing priority shipping. Get a heatsink from Ullrich instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2014 You Sir are brave putting that router under there! Im guessing its temporary. Ehh? Do you mean water falling onto it? If I am doing any maintenance I will move it I would get a cheap API one from the US, one of the "saltwater" ones which is ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/ph. This is helpful in determining your cycle, and you don't need that much accuracy to be honest. http://www.amazon.com/API-Saltwater-Master-Test-Kit/dp/B001EUE808/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405829813&sr=8-2&keywords=api+marine Then for the more important parameters, I would get Salifert. This includes nitrate, Alkalinity and Calcium (if you plan tohave lps/sps, if not don't bother). Phosphate one is questionable, a lot will recommend but they aren't very accurate because algae quickly consumes free phosphate in the water so you get very low readings; the best way to test for phosphates is to watch for any algae growth. The API pH test kit is fine enough for what it does. I plan on getting mostly softies, some lps, and possibly a few easier to keep sps (Plating Montipora is easier to keep? Correct me if I am wrong) I will get the Salifert for my important parameters, just in case I start branching into trickier corals. I would recommend NOT getting the "fluval wavemaker" and instead get the WP-10 from Fishstreet,http://www.fish-street.com/jebao_wp-10_4000l_wave_maker?search_string=wp-10&search_category_id=0, its about $68 shipped and a will probably be a much better unit. Thoroughly recommended, variable speed settings and wave functions. For a bit more you could get the RW-4 from fish-street, it gives a wider flow pattern and the control box has better controls on it. Which one would be quieter? Because its in the lounge I need it to be pretty silent, lest the parents complain :rotf: For your RODI unit, I would recommend purchasing 1 micron pre-filters for it (carbon and filter), it extends the life of your RO and DI. Make sure you change these out every 6 months or so. Something like this you mean? Also, will it matter if I top off with dechlorinated tap water while I am cycling? I would like to start the cycle while I am saving up for the RO/DI Unit http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Sediment-1Micron-Water-Filter-Reverse-Osmosis-Aquarium-r-o-RO-Prefilter-/290733276738?pt=UK_HGKitchen_SmallApp_RL&hash=item43b10dbe42 For your DIY lights, I think I mentioned this in your last thread but I will mention it again, in my opinion you need a mixture of warm white (or neutral white, but I prefer warm) as well as cool white. The warm white provides the orange/yellow spectrum for nice coral coloration (for corals that aren't green). Red has practically no utility for corals (has been proven in the past but can't be bothered finding the thread), and there is no point in having green since white has LOTS of green in it already. You will just get disco'ing if you do that. IMO you are better off with something like this, off the basis of roughly 60 blue/40 white (to achieve around 14000k temperature, this can be adjustable if you use 2 drivers for independent dimming): 3 Warm White 3 Cool White 6 Royal Blue (460-450nm) 2 Super Actinic (410-420nm), basically a better color violet 2 Blue (465-485nm) If you want something a bit whiter (ie 10000k - 12000k range), swap out 1 Royal Blue for a cool white. For optics, it will all depend on how high you have your fixture, 6" or less above the water line you won't need them if you space out your LEDs well. I would go without optics at the start and only buy them if you end up needing them Also do NOT buy the heatsink from rapidled, you will end up paying double the cost of the stuff just in shipping because of the size and weight of the unit, and their insistence on doing priority shipping. Get a heatsink from Ullrich instead. I was planning on going with these http://www.ebay.com/itm/360747109884?tfrom=380727172968&tpos=unknow&ttype=price&talgo=origal a heatsink for each LED. That or I could have 4 heatsinks for each row of LED's. I will run some pretty beefy fans too. I revised the diagram, am I right now? I went with 5 x Royal Blue, 4 x Cool White, 3 x Warm White, 2 x Super Actintic and 2 x Blue. I had just been looking at the CoralBox and making choices with that. EDIT: Blue is the light blue color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 I still recommend the API test kit for the basic parameters (ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/ph), and it is cheap from the USA. I can't speak for the Tunze, but I know for a fact that the WP-10 is DEAD silent, and I have a VERY discerning ear and typically buy reef stuff just based on how quiet it is. Your fans and all-in-one return pump will be louder. My flatmate has the RW-4 (basically the new model of the WP-10) and it has been quite loud so far, but these pumps often need a couple weeks to settle in. Yeah those filters are fine, I'd recommend 1 micron carbon filters too. If you top up with tap water, the biggest impact will be lots of phosphates encouraging lots of algae growth, and your algae cycling phase will last longer. You can definitely do it, just consider that you will end up with more algae from your cycle than normal. I would advise buying "Puredew" RO water from the supermarket, it is about $6 per 10L, and if you keep a lid on your tank while cycling, evaporation shouldn't be any more than 1L a week (so about $0.60/week for Puredew). How are you going to attach all those heatsinks together? For 22x22mm you won't want more than 1 LED per heatsink. Make sure you get a quiet fan or your family could be annoyed from this too. Most fans are actually quite loud and shitty. After hours of research, I got some GELID SILENT 8 fans and they are quite quiet for the price. http://www.ebay.com/itm/GELID-SILENT-8-cm-80mm-Low-Noise-Silence-Rubber-Mount-PC-Case-Fan-FN-SX08-16-/160772893060?ssPageName=ADME:L:COSI:US:1123 Regarding the LED colors, you may want to get out there on the internet and do your own research. That is just the combination that appeals to me, I find colored LEDs (red/green) quite pointless and the lack of warmer whites a bit archaic, but some wouldn't agree with me. As with anything, always good to come to your own conclusion rather than listening to the first/loudest person. However, you're fortunate with DIY in that replacing your LEDs is not a big deal as you don't have to worry about trying to conform to a manufacturers design, or having to remove thermal epoxy from a heatsink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 I prefer the whiter lights, it just seems to have a nicer look to me. After trawling through peoples LED build threads, I think I have one. I have 4 x Warm White, 4 x Cool White, 6 x Royal Blue and 2 x Violet / UV. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted July 21, 2014 Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Yeah looks good mate. It might be worthwhile to buy a few extra color LEDs, then build up your unit and try a variety until you get the color you like. LEDs are pretty cheap after all, just don't thermal paste them on (double sided tape will hold temporarily). My research has shown that UV will get drowned out by the rest of the colors, the only reason to have them is if you run them on their own for "moonlighting". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2014 Yeah thats the plan, they should make a nice moonlight / night viewing. Now to design the heatsinks, case and drivers :-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Looking good so far. I look forward to seeing it get wet. I am in Nelson too so if you ever need any help with anything, Just let me know :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Looking good so far. I look forward to seeing it get wet. I am in Nelson too so if you ever need any help with anything, Just let me know :thup: Cheers, at the moment its a bit boring whilst I save up for parts, but I am hoping to buy a 200L barrel and pump to fill with NSW sometime soon and get it wet. Do you sell your frags? It'd be nice to buy my first couple locally :bggrn: Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Looking good so far. I look forward to seeing it get wet. I am in Nelson too so if you ever need any help with anything, Just let me know :thup: You would have been able to meet each other on Tuesday, (kinda like a blind date) if you had not for gotten si......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 You would have been able to meet each other on Tuesday, (kinda like a blind date) if you had not for gotten si......... Is si_ sphinx the "marine guy" who didnt turn up? :rotf: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 Yip that 'him' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted July 25, 2014 Report Share Posted July 25, 2014 :oops: sorry guys. Next time I'll make it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2014 I changed around the aquascape a bit and added in the sand, tell me what you think? It doesn't reach as high as I would like, but I want to fill that space in with some simple SPS corals, and possibly a plating montipora. Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2014 Can anyone tell me if these lights are any good? The guy at Living Reef told me they would be perfect for my tank and I could grow anything including SPS. Just wanted to check. http://www.livingreef.co.nz/p/210/micmol-aqua-mini-color-led Cheers, Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted July 28, 2014 Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 Same as my other comments, cool white only is just bad design. IMO the blue:white ratio is just wrong, you want at least 3:2 if not 2:1. Blue is for growth, white is for coral coloration and for our own viewing pleasure. Too little blue and you get no growth, there are more non-blue diodes than blue diodes. You could build a perfect DIY unit for much less. I did a quick google, see http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2329647. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 The only LED I can find on rapidled.com is the Royal Blue, can someone steer me in the right direction of which LED's to buy? So many choices Royal Blue: http://www.rapidled.com/cree-xp-e-blue-3w-led/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted July 28, 2014 Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 That's actually blue and not royal blue. They're just on the "LED" drop-down menu. http://www.rapidled.com/warm-white/ http://www.rapidled.com/cool-white/ http://www.rapidled.com/royal-blue-and-blue-leds/ http://www.rapidled.com/violet-uv-leds/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 Sorry I keep changing my mind, but I want to explore each and every option. What would the CoralBox M1-30 be like? Could it grow some of the easier SPS like I want? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 28, 2014 Report Share Posted July 28, 2014 The Coralbox will grow pretty much any sps, especially in that sized tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted July 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 The Coralbox will grow pretty much any sps, especially in that sized tank. Sweet, I guess that sorts my light. Building my own would not be a lot cheaper. I now have a question about test kits, I am going to get a API one for my basic parameters. And then get Red Sea ones for important things, what I want to know is what test kits should I get, and what ones are important that I should get from Red Sea. Cheers, Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 29, 2014 Report Share Posted July 29, 2014 really aren't any non important parameters for your water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.