FragIt Dan's 2012 nano contest entry

[FragIt Dan]

Theme: The Cave... two micro habitats created in one small reef tank.

Objectives: Low budget, recycle used bits and pieces to make a unique reef tank that is stable enough to not need checking for as much as a couple of weeks at a time (I frequently travel for work).

Livestock: SPS/LPS, softies, zoas, inverts and a couple of random fish.

Circulation: Closed loop with Mag drive 5 running externally (I hope)!

Lighting: 20K XM 175W mogul in some sort of pendant I was given a while back (this may change). I may add some mood lighting in the cave too .

Filtration: Phosban 150 reactor(s) packed with ammonia, nitrite and nitrate reducing media as well as Ferric Oxide and carbon (Brightwell Aquatics XPort BIO/NO3/PO4 and Bulk Reef Supply ROX 0.8).

Skimming: Red Sea Prizm with overflow protection mod (just drill a hole at the top of the skimate chamber above the return overflow). I don't like this skimmer as it has never worked very well for me but I have one kicking around.

Water Changes/Supplements: 33% (5 gallons) weekly-ish water change, I will attempt to do no supplementation at all (not even Ca or carbonates).

ATO: Marine Magic dosing pump adding RODI top off water with periodic spot checks to make minor adjustments. I might end up doing Kalk for ATO depending on whether or not my water changes can keep up.

Heater: Finnex HMO-100 Titanium with LCD digital control, set to 78f (purchased from Bulk Reef Supply).

Feeding: a little splash of various different coral and fish foods whenever I remember.

Substrate: Bare bottom with live rock reef

Aquascaping: Live rock placed on cross-members to create the cave (cross members will be pre-glued into the tank prior to filling). Crushed barnacle shell will be silicone glued onto the cross members and overflow to give them a bit more of a natural look. I used 2" abs pipe cut into thirds lengthwise and will silicone glue them onto the glass (see photos in future posts).

Coral Growth: I have found corals really like up-flow. I will try to create this by feeding the closed loop outlet into the cave forcing the water through the live rock and up past the corals above.

ASW: RODI with Brightwell Aquatics salt made to 1.025 sg.

Total estimated water volume: 15 gallons (I will get an exact measurement upon final placement of live rock and post in this thread). The glass tank itself has a capacity of 18.7 gallons filled to the brim, but I will be about 2 inches short of this, less live rock, plus phosban reactors and plumbing.

Budget (me): $75 for a new bulb for the lighting fixture. Everything else has been pulled out of my spares/junk bin.

Budget (you): $300 + livestock for decent used gear; all of this stuff can be sourced used fairly easily (all of the gear used in this build was stuff I originally bought used). New, this would run you about $750 from your LFS.

Questions/Feedback/Constructive Criticism: Always welcome

Dan