# Nano Frag Tank Build



## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

I dunno if anyone remembers the Cubearium I built for the nano tank contest, but after several months of pilot testing, the design turned out to be solid! Actually, I was so happy with it that I'm building another one 

The biggest problem I run into with running an 8 gallon reef tank is that when I buy colonies of coral I have to frag them before they even get near my tank. Also, things grow VERY fast in a small tank. This has been leaving me with a surplus of coral that I have nowhere to put, especially since my "big" tank is 25 gallons. So Here is my solution....









Same as last time, starting with the Standstand.









this goes under the stand and holds the water reservoir for the ATO









Got a 150w Coralife pendant off zenafish (thanks btw, I'm still thinking about your seahorse tank, so awesome)









Mounted two 12" T5 under cabinet fixtures inside the stand (Exo terra reptile tank stand again) I got the sump from azotemia, though I modified it quite a bit to make it work. However after all that hard work, I realized I needed a bigger sump, so I ordered some glass and I'm going to build a tank to fit perfectly inside the cabinet. Never built a tank before, but how hard could it be right?

The tank is an Exo terra turtle terrarium, 18x18x12









Figured out where I wanted the drains and return and marked it with masking tape on the inside.









Made a reservoir to hold water out of plumbers putty and then drilled all my holes









The plumbing: Got the all the unions, bulkheads, ball joint fittings and threaded elbows at Mops and then everything else at crappy tire and Home Depot. I had to get a little creative since I wanted the return line in the center. (I'll show you why in a second)









Back of the tank painted and bulkheads on.









Inside plumbing with a Maxijet 1100 for return. I'll show you the new sump once I make it.









Bought a black piece of plexi from P and A plastics in the hammer and bent it using a heat gun, some clamps and a scrap piece of wood.









Presto, One Overflow.









I wanted the return line in the center right, so here is what I came with.









Threaded ball joint with an extension piece (on the right)









The bulk head on the overflow is supposed to slide over the ball joint extension piece....but nothing is ever that easy.









The bulkhead was too long









So I cut it shorter, but now the inside wasn't the same shape and I couldn't slide the ball joint extension piece into the bulkhead anymore....









...so I dremalled it out. Take that bulkhead!









Little bit of black silicone on the joint and BAM, installed.


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

Return line with a split 2 way ball joint and flare nozzle attachment. Thank you Mops!









Plumbing all painted black









Next was the frag rack.
I wanted to build 3 separate steps that I could remove individually if i needed to. So for that I needed them to be sturdy with attached legs. Here was my idea...
1/2" PVC tubing









Dremal one end square..









Tada! feet.









You can even put frag plugs in them still so you don't lose any space 









Step 1









All 3 steps assembled, legs painted Krylon black and everything superglued together!

I leak tested everything today and so far so good! I'll post more pics as I get the sump built and installed and the ATO system designed and built. 
I'll try and get pics posted of the cubearium soon too, cause whoah nelly is it looking good


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

That is hot Kyle!


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

you did an awsome job on that tank


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

Wow Kyle you are doing an aweson job, very clean looking set up!!!


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Show off!


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

Will said:


> That is hot Kyle!





caker_chris said:


> you did an awsome job on that tank





explor3r said:


> Wow Kyle you are doing an aweson job, very clean looking set up!!!


Thanks!!  I think it's kinda funny how this was initially going to be a very simple, cheap setup.....so much for that idea


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

carmenh said:


> Show off!


hahahaha Sorry, I had to brag about this one


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

LOL, I'm only messing with you, you earned bragging rights. So when you making mine? 



kylel said:


> hahahaha Sorry, I had to brag about this one


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

carmenh said:


> LOL, I'm only messing with you, you earned bragging rights. So when you making mine?


Trade ya for your neo nano and a case of beer?


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Not a chance  I need the space


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

carmenh said:


> Not a chance  I need the space


lol, I tried


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

I really enjoyed following your Cubearium thread, Kyle - glad to read that you're still keeping it going.

This one's started every bit as promising too. Looking forward to following your progress updates.


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

Windowlicka said:


> I really enjoyed following your Cubearium thread, Kyle - glad to read that you're still keeping it going.
> 
> This one's started every bit as promising too. Looking forward to following your progress updates.


Thanks, and you're welcome  As soon as I get free day I'll update the Cubearium thread, it's come a long way since the contest.


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

Got some more done before I had to come in to work today, since it's slow here I'll get some pics up









After a couple snags, like buying white silicone by accident and having to get a sheet of glass re-cut, I was finally ready to build the new sump! Here's the base ready to go.









Sorry about the 20 000k pictures, my phone doesn't have a white balance setting 









All done! Now i just have to wait a week to leak test it. It's going to be a very long week.

Unfortunately when I ordered the glass I wasn't thinking and ordered 1/8" thickness instead of 1/4". Since it's going to be braced on 3 sides in the cabinet (assuming I did my math right) I decided to use it anyway rather than waste it. It's not a large tank (about 10 gallons running) and it's not going to see much action in the cabinet so I'm gonna try it out.

Also decided to skip the bubble trap since the drain line is running full siphon and I'm not using a skimmer. Really didn't need one on the last build and less work is always nice


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

Mad sklillz and creativity Kyle . I'm very interested in how your sump turns out. Can you post the dimensions, material cost and where you purchased the cut glass from?


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

fury165 said:


> Mad sklillz and creativity Kyle . I'm very interested in how your sump turns out. Can you post the dimensions, material cost and where you purchased the cut glass from?


Thanks  neccesity is the mother of invention right? I am also very interested in how my sump turns turns out 

The sump is 14 3/4" x 13 1/4" x 15 1/2", just over 13 gallons if I did that right.
Panel sizes were:
Base-14 3/4" x 13 1/4"
Front and back- 14 3/4" x 15 1/2" 
Sides- 13 x 15 1/2" 
Baffle- 13 x 11 1/2

If I built it out of 1/4" glass like I should have, the sides and baffle woulda been 12 3/4" instead of 13" but ya know

I got the glass cut at Clegg glass in Burlington on Fairview. The guy working accidentally cut one panel 1/8" short on one end so I had to go back. He was however, very apologetic and ended up sanding the sharp edges off for free. Very nice guy and I've dealt with that company before and never had any problems.

Cost for the glass was about 60 bux tax in and then 5 bux for some GE silicone 1 C L E A R...And 5 bux for the GE silicone 1 White that I accidentally bought and opened because I was having a seniors moment.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

A true DIY.

Speechless


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

Kyle, what is the reason for so low drain lines?

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## Flexin5 (Nov 12, 2011)

wow, nice work man.


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

Fish_Man said:


> A true DIY.
> 
> Speechless


haha thanks


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

QUOTE=sig;242432]Kyle, what is the reason for so low drain lines?[/QUOTE]

Hey Greg, I'm not sure if you mean the one main drain line or all the lines, so I decided to do this incase anyone else is wondering about the design...









The back of the tank is higher than the front, so the red line explains where the water level is going to sit. This is dependent on the height of the overflow box
A) Is the main drain line. This is going to be fully submerged at all times creating a full siphon line. The flow rate of the siphon line is controlled with a gate valve so you can match the flow of the return pump.
B) Is the return line which sits just below the water level
C) Is my insurance policy. If the main drain line ever gets blocked or the flow rate isn't set right, this second drain line will ensure that water makes its way back to the sump instead of over the edges of the tank and onto my floor.

I realized that on my last build that the greater the distance between A and C the more play you have with where the water level sits inside the overflow box and the less adjustments you need to make with the gate valve. If water is only running down the full siphon line you get NO noise, and I mean none. If some of the water is running down the second drain line as well, you get a little bit of a trickle sound. Keeping the water level away from the second drain line is easier with a greater distance between the second drain line and the main drain line.









Here's it is with the overflow box









Here's the back

Hope that helps


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

Flexin5 said:


> wow, nice work man.


Thanks duder


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

very clean work. I can't wait to see the finished product.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

Thanks for explanations and taken time to draw Kyle. Very nice work. I am asking next question, in case I do not know something and can learn from it with my future tanks 
Isn't main drain is to low and half of the tank will go to the sump in case of pump stoppage?

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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

sig said:


> Thanks for explanations and taken time to draw Kyle. Very nice work. I am asking next question, in case I do not know something and can learn from it with my future tanks
> Isn't main drain is to low and half of the tank will go to the sump in case of pump stoppage?


No problem. What can I say, I'm a sucker for visual aids.
For your next question, you might think so, but the overflow box prevents that from happening. As long as the overflow box is siliconed in and is 100% water tight the water will only drain as low as the lowest "hole" which in this case, is the flare nozzle from the return line. This way there's no way for water to get to the lower main drain line (except for the water already in the overflow box which is not a lot.)

The only amount of water I have to account for when the pump stops is the amount of water from the top of the water level to the bottom of the flare nozzle return line. Which is about (1 3/4" x 17 1/2" x 17 1/2") divided by 231 = 2.26 gallons


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

Thanks. got it. i should not ask questions before 10AM. 
Picture without overflow box got me confused

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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

ameekplec. said:


> very clean work. I can't wait to see the finished product.


Thanks Eric, I'm dying to get the sump leak tested and see the whole thing in action


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

Well, I tested out the sump. Didn't quite get it on the first try, but after a couple beads of silicone it is now officially an aquarium rather than a few sheets of glass sitting on my floor.









Woot









Next was the stand. It had a bit of play and could move back and forth since the back was only 1/8" masonite that just slid into some grooves on the sides. So I cut some 3/4" particle board (it was free and on hand) and Bob's your uncle.

Also that giant cirlce cutout is right where I wanted to put a fan in, but it was a little big sooo....









Got a computer fan









Took a dremal to the mounting brackets on one side









Wired it up to a no longer needed cell phone charger (yay for technological advancements)









Cut a piece of masonite, cut out the spot for the fan and popped it in









Attached the whole thing to the particle board and bam, installed.
It'll look a lot nicer once it's painted 

The smart thing to do would have been to replace the back piece with a sheet of 1/2" or so piece of plywood from the beginning, but this works too


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## kamal (Apr 21, 2009)

This is so impressive, especially as you make it sound so easy lol.....keep up the good work.


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

kamal said:


> This is so impressive, especially as you make it sound so easy lol.....keep up the good work.


lol thanks


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

I was probably more excited than one should be about an aquarium, but it was an epic moment when I saw the first tank I've ever built in action 










All that was left was the ATO and few finishing touches.









So for the ATO pump I modified a Maxi-Jet 400 with a few pieces of hose and some 1/2" PVC elbows









I found a tub the right size at Walmart. This is the plumbing that is going to be in the bottom compartment of the cabinet.









I wanted to keep the lid on it too so there wouldn't be a humidity issue in the cabinet, so I drilled out a spot for the output of the pump and the electrical cord (same hole)









So basically the pump stays stationary....









......the lid pops off, and you pull out the bin like a drawer 









You push the bin back in after you fill it up, drop the lid back on.....









....then close the door.
I also took the rim off the back of the lid so it won't get stuck on the tub as you slide it out.









Next I drilled out the ATO cabinet, ran the electrical cord out of it, and then ran an ATO plumbing line up to the sump.









Unfortunately, I misjudged where I was drilling into the cabinet by 1/16 of an inch and I nicked the top of the sump with a spade drill bit.....
There was a slight increase in blood pressure and a brief contemplation of my current past times, followed by many choice words. None of which are allowed on this forum I'm sure. 
Moving along....









On the plus side, I now know how to strip an aquarium and I still have lots of silicone 
Ordering a new panel of glass tomorrow.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Ah, that sucks! I can imagine the gut wrenching sound that bod boy must have made on contact....

Q? Would it be easier to leave the ATO container in place and just fill it by siphon?


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

ameekplec. said:


> Ah, that sucks! I can imagine the gut wrenching sound that bod boy must have made on contact....
> 
> Q? Would it be easier to leave the ATO container in place and just fill it by siphon?


Omg, it was brutal!!

I was actually thinking about that the other night, but on the other setup I built I have the same design as this (minus the hard lines, because I just used tubing). I really like just being able to pull out "the drawer" and dump in a jug of water. It makes topping up the top off really quick.


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## kylel (Feb 20, 2011)

All done!









Back all painted and the BlueLine Tsunami ATO sensor installed via some bent coat hanger painted black and a couple screws lol. I was getting a little impatient and just wanted it on there.









The inside sump plumbing: Left to Right:
ATO water line, Return Pump, ATO sensor, Main drain line, Backup drain line.









Sump, Installed! I decided not to drill into the back of it this time 
Put in a koralia 2 because I was a little worried about having enough flow with the rocks.


















It works!! Big day! Still working on hiding all the electrical.









Working on some moonlights.
I bought a Hagen blue LED light and Krylon blacked it. I love that stuff, it makes everything look so profesh.









getting one for the other side soon.

The only problem I ran into is that this thing turned out way nicer than I thought it was going to, and now I don't want to use it as a frag tank 
I've always wanted a bubble tip anemone so I might be setting up this tank around one and moving my clowns and whatever SPS I can in with it and then turning my plain, boring, old, low-tech 25 gallon into the frag tank


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Very nice indeed! I would be tempted to have a nice shallow lagoon set up too....


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