Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinecone_Jeff  Well, I had about 6 years or reef experience but been away from it for about 3 years now. I have 0 experience with plumbing. However, I do things really slowly. I've been thinking about this tank for well over 6 months now, lol. I have a few pieces of equipment from my old tank that're in great shape.
I guess I just need to decide if I wanna go DIY or All'n1. Good points so far guys. Thanks for the help! |
My Nanocube 24g (72w
PC) is fine for a
FOWLR, but insufficient for much else without severe modification. Today, you are able to get much stronger lighting - including 150w
HQI, but those require chillers or fans to cool off the
DT.
If your not plumbing a closed loop, I don't think a simple overflow and return is beyond the grasp of most people. Flexible
PVC, vinyl tubing, barbed fittings and hose clamps can reduce the task considerably. You can buy
Durso (and probably Stockman) overflow assemblies on line. The trickiest part is drilling your tank, but there are
tools that make this process a bit more surefire.
Listen to me... I have done ZERO
diy and I'm acting all confident. Sorry...
I vowed not to get another all-in-one, not because I dislike the idea (I LOVE the idea) - but because even the most recent incarnations have serious limitations. For example, some manufacturers claim they have a "full size"
refugium. By "full size", one would assume that the
refugium takes up most if not all of the back chamber - but in practice they are 1/4 to 1/3 of the
sump area. Just big enough for some rubble and a ball of Chaeto. Cadlights seems like they will do some custom AIO work if you contact them. Their AIOs look pretty nice, and you can BYO lighting if you wish.
Conversely, I think there is something elegant about just going out to a pet store and buying a $24 20T AGA tank (24"lx12"wx16"h) and add a
DSB,
HOB Skimmer,
HOB fuge and maybe
HOB filter or reactor with 24"
T5 lighting. I am thinking of setting up a second tank at work that way.
-S
