Enigma's 2012 Nano Contest Entry

[nanoreefnewbie]

And happy wife = happy life lol... ..this tank is looking great

[fishoholic]

This is looking pretty cool so far.

Originally Posted by Enigma

If I do have to go VDSB . . . I'm totally going to get a blue spot jawfish!

FYI (I found out the hard way) blue spot jawfish generally survive better in colder water tanks, 72-73. They are very prone to disease in warmer tanks.

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by fishoholic

This is looking pretty cool so far.



FYI (I found out the hard way) blue spot jawfish generally survive better in colder water tanks, 72-73. They are very prone to disease in warmer tanks.

Bummer. I'll be running this system at 79F.

I'm very glad that you chimed in about the temperature issue, as that was something I was totally unaware of. I did know that they require a VDSB, as they build their borrows four inches deep in the wild.

Now I really don't want a VDSB . . . The only consolation in it for me was the potential to house a blue spot jawfish.

If I have a hard time filling the void, I may slip in some pieces of dense base rock underneath the dry rock. I have given myself a half gallon of wiggle room, but I don't want to use any of that.

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Bummer. I'll be running this system at 79F.

I'm very glad that you chimed in about the temperature issue, as that was something I was totally unaware of. I did know that they require a VDSB, as they build their borrows four inches deep in the wild.

Now I really don't want a VDSB . . . The only consolation in it for me was the potential to house a blue spot jawfish.

I was totally unaware as well until the one I bought started fading in colour then stared getting blotchy patches then stopped eating then died After asking around about what on earth could of caused it, I found out about their issues with higher temps. Totally made sense to me as when I 1st got my BSJ it was early spring and was cool outside and my tank sat around 76. Unfortunately as summer hit and the house heated up so did my tank but it was sitting around 79-80 so I didn't think to much of it. Until I noticed my BSJ going downhill fast and found out they do better in colder tanks, sadly by then it was to late to reverse the effects Now I try to let others know so they don't have to go through what I did.

[Enigma]

It's a shaved down pill bottle cap with a hole in it . . .



An itty bitty switch . . .



And a bit of #24 wire . . .



This may be the part of the build that I think is the most clever.

No. I'm not telling you what it is, yet.

[Enigma]

One of the "salvage" parts of this build is the stand.



It is one of those old cabinet end tables, that my parents purchased from Sears in 1976. We lived on CFS Holberg (now closed down) at the time, on the north-western tip of Vancouver Island (by Coal Harbour).

Here's the date from the bottom of the table.



Now, I know the table is ugly. I don't want to discard it, and I think it will make a very functional stand for this build.

Here's the back before I started hacking it up.



The first hole . . . and the rest of the holes laid out in black china marker.



The top holes are for the cables running into the stand. The bottom holes are for the cables running out of the stand.

I learned how to use a jigsaw (it made my hand numb) . . .



A little crooked . . .



The rectangular cut out is for a vent.



The stain isn't a perfect match . . . but the vent was "salvage" too. It should perform its job.

These fans from Modular LED are being mounted on the inside of the vent (to disapate humidity from the topup reservoir and the heat from the Apex and powerbars:
http://www.modularled.ca/antec-truequiet-120mm/
I'm short a fan power adapter and power supply, but those are now on route from Martin. I should have them tomorrow of the next day. Then I'll get the fans installed.

Cheap black schedule 40 bulkheads are going into the holes, to pretty them up a bit and to protect the wires. I ordered those cheap off of eBay. I'm sure they'll get here eventually.

The tank is a nice fit on this table. I'm kind of thinking that the table needs to be painted black . . . but I'm on the fence about actually doing it.

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by Enigma

The tank is a nice fit on this table. I'm kind of thinking that the table needs to be painted black . . . but I'm on the fence about actually doing it.

Cool I like the table stand, I think it would look more modern painted black, but that's a lot of work and looks ok as is.

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by Enigma

This may be the part of the build that I think is the most clever.

No. I'm not telling you what it is, yet.

Oh . . . kinda messed this part up. Reboot!

[nanoreefnewbie]

Everything in this build is soo well thought out keep up the great work

[Enigma]

I just made the cutouts in the hood a bit bigger: in the event more equipment is squeezed in, and for the airline for the skimmer to poke out.

With the pH issues in these little tanks, I decided it was definately worth running the airline for the skimmer outside the tank. This could be risky, but as long as the airline stays above the waterline it shouldn't siphon any water out. I'll zip tie the airline to the power cord for the skimmer, so it doesn't fall.