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New Custom Built 11ish Gallon Nano Build


NateDawg

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What's up everyone! A couple months ago I got a coupon for some create your own custom glass panes and decided to use it to build a small nano tank. I ended up getting some 3/8" thick panes that would fit together to make a 16"x16"x10" small tank which equals roughly 11 gallons water volume. The build was more based on the tank footprint vs. water volume. There was one other thing that I wanted to do different with this tank and that was that I wanted all the parts to be 3D printed to make sort of a challenge for myself. The glass arrived in great condition and I went with black ASI silicone sealant since all the other parts would be printed with black colored plastics so I figured it would match better.

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So far (9/07/2020) everything is 3D printed except for the wavemaker as this is quite the challenge. This includes the lock-line return nozzle, bulkheads, led light and driver. I will probably be changing out the bulkheads for real ones as the reason the wavemaker is such a challenge is that virtually all the plastics I've tried printing with have shrank in the saltwater which making me super nervous about having a nice waterfall of saltwater coming from the bulkheads one of these days. If anyone is interested in any of my 3D files, just shoot me a message and I'll be happy to share them!

Got the tank all set up and plumbed into my existing system and now its time to start building the light!20200820_210607.thumb.jpg.d54cd63727c6c13e08f394214e9a2ac3.jpg20200821_130203.thumb.jpg.6e7e545a253d07fa9f01bd63403a14ea.jpg

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Okay I've got the enclosures for the LED head and driver housing done and printed/printing. This light build will utilize the PWM controller made by Bluefish. This will allow me to monitor and control the light fixture all from my phone or tablet along with having the ability to mimic weather conditions in a specific area of my choosing which is on thing that really drew me into the hobby. The LED puck is a custom designed piece made by Cree and Semiled that is similar to an older version of the Radion but has some differences like less actual LED chips and different spectrums that I wanted to try out for better coral growth and coloration.

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Tank is now finally wet!!!! No leaks so far, fingers crossed.... Slowly adding small pieces of pukani rock to the tank.

20200824_105547.thumb.jpg.d4d7c98a2aa3593be33c1b4f6a486bf2.jpg

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Got the light set up and running smoothly after probably a half dozen issues were fixed... I stopped by CnC and picked up a BEAUTIFUL bubbletip anemone as the fist candidate for the new tank and I have to say, for no tuning of the light spectrums, this thing is so colorful. Thanks again @CuttleFishandCoral!!! 

Photos were taken with a Samsung Galaxy S8 active with no editing done except for the picture of the tank to try and kill some of the blues. I definitely need to do some spectrum adjusting.

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And one more photo of the tank with the spectrums finally adjusted and the tank settled. I will definitely keep updating this post but for now let me know what you think and let me know of any questions that any of you hate! Also what fish should I put in this tank? Open to suggestions but I'd like to done something unique. Possibly going with a nice designer pair of clownfish. Maybe some black snowflake or phantom clowns?

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1 hour ago, NateDawg said:

Okay I've got the enclosures for the LED head and driver housing done and printed/printing. This light build will utilize the PWM controller made by Bluefish. This will allow me to monitor and control the light fixture all from my phone or tablet along with having the ability to mimic weather conditions in a specific area of my choosing which is on thing that really drew me into the hobby. The LED puck is a custom designed piece made by Cree and Semiled that is similar to an older version of the Radion but has some differences like less actual LED chips and different spectrums that I wanted to try out for better coral growth and coloration.

20200824_140918.thumb.jpg.cacda5b85afee671ba8eaaac39601942.jpg

Tank is now finally wet!!!! No leaks so far, fingers crossed.... Slowly adding small pieces of pukani rock to the tank.

20200824_105547.thumb.jpg.d4d7c98a2aa3593be33c1b4f6a486bf2.jpg

Where did you find the puck?  Glad to see bluefish is still building controllers, always thought theirs looked awesome.

What a cool build!

 

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19 hours ago, TheClark said:

Where did you find the puck?  Glad to see bluefish is still building controllers, always thought theirs looked awesome.

What a cool build!

 

Thanks! I've been a huge fan of bluefish controllers, my main DT uses it and now this one does. The puck was bought from a guy on ebay I've done business with, he sells one that I believe has the exact same leds as the 2nd or third radion. I asked if he could have one made with some specific spectrums and he was able to do it. I think hes selling the same ones now too.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100mm-5-Channel-Custom-Cree-Semileds-21-chip-LED-Aquatic-Plant-Coral-Grow-Light/373076723189?pageci=50ec146d-0b02-4558-a01e-edd636c0c327

 

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21 minutes ago, NateDawg said:

Thanks! I've been a huge fan of bluefish controllers, my main DT uses it and now this one does. The puck was bought from a guy on ebay I've done business with, he sells one that I believe has the exact same leds as the 2nd or third radion. I asked if he could have one made with some specific spectrums and he was able to do it. I think hes selling the same ones now too.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100mm-5-Channel-Custom-Cree-Semileds-21-chip-LED-Aquatic-Plant-Coral-Grow-Light/373076723189?pageci=50ec146d-0b02-4558-a01e-edd636c0c327

 

Awesome, thanks!  Thais a smoking deal and a great controller.

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38 minutes ago, TheClark said:

Do the 395 nms hold up?  Mine used to smoke out / fog over after a short amount of use.  Curious if they fixed that issue these days.

On my main tank, I have a diy built fixture with ~360, ~370, ~380, and ~390 nm chips, I notice that if they are pushed to there max running voltage and amperage, they tend to only last about a year. I just run them at 80% to 90% and the ones I'm currently running have been going strong for 2+ years now. I'll be curious about the ones on this puck.

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