# 20g nano build



## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Hi all,

New member here 

I decided to build a small reef setup, and for the past couple of weeks it has been all research. I do however have a 20 gal tank and a 5 gal that I want to make into a sump. My plan is to drill the DT and plumb it with ABS? PVC?, build the plumbing, get a skimmer, then LR, some live sand and wait out the cycle. I am very patient and plan on taking my time to do this right.
The first stumbling block I am having is where to buy a hole cutter and bulkhead fittings... I have looked in H-Depot, Lowes, C-Tire, BA's . . . I want to buy local (GTA) but have had no luck so far. 
Your reward for help and suggestions will be lots of step by step pics posted as I progress.  

Thanks


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

i'm guessing by hole cutter you mean hole saw, and by that I'm guessing you're going to drill the glass tank right? you won't find those bits in any regular big box store, ask around to borrow one, or order from mops.ca or ebay...another option is to get a store to do it for you, north american fish breeders do it for something like $25 a hole regardless of size...which isn't too bad...

as for what to plumb it with..that's open to argument...some ppl will use just PVC, some will throw in abs fittings, some will use conduit.... I personally have used all three on my tank  I'm a freak though


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Welcome to the forum!

For hole cutters, as Hojimoe said, you have to go to a specialty place or order one online. You can also take your tank to a shop to have it drilled, which costs usually $20 - $25. I believe you can have it done at Oakville reef gallery (since you're in the West end).

You may be able to have it done at Reef raft (Mississauga) or Dragon aquarium (I think that's the name, also in the sauga).

In terms of plumbing parts, I did all PVC and flexible (spa flex) PVC. 

Looking forward to your build thread!


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks for the input . . . I was looking at the MOPS site, they have alot of goodies there and the prices seem reasonable. I think I'll put in an order tonight and wait for the mail. I'll have to make a small list and order a few things.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Welcome Sand dollar 

I am looking forward to seeing how your set up goes!


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

20 gl with a 5 gl sump?
wouldnt it be rorth the HOB refugm check out tabithas its cool.
I cant picture a sump with my 20 gl reef , will be interesting to watch you stress out lol
D


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> will be interesting to watch you stress out lol
> D


Stress? hahahaha . . . no no, this will be a _relaxing_ project. If it works out well, it will be a pilot project for a larger setup. I'm even thinking of a DIY micro-skimmer... but first I will assemble the tanks and plumbing, get that functioning well. MOPS has already mailed some goodies to get me started. I plan to drill the DT this weekend. Will post a couple of pics of how that goes (good or bad).


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

lol, my DT is a 20g tank also. But it's a 16 x 16 x 21 "cube" also with a 10g sump.

It's a really great process, and I've learned a lot and I think like you, I hope to apply it to a big system one day 

Looking forward to your build thread!


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I found it very interesting with the 90 gl and everything was smooth..........
but i sold it because i couldnt reach the bottom lol
cant wait to see pictures .
I noticed my stand for the 20 gl has a hole in the back im assuming its for a sump but i like it the way it is for now .
but after xmass im changing all my tanks and no way im building lol


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Sand-Dollar said:


> I'm even thinking of a DIY micro-skimmer...


Check this thread out..."best" DIY skimmer ever. Or I should say, "eva" 
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=176884


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> Check this thread out..."best" DIY skimmer ever. Or I should say, "eva"
> http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=176884


Nice work. Skimming is a simple concept and it should not have to cost an arm and a leg...


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

If you wanna borrow a hole saw let me know.  It's really not that hard to DIY.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

UnderTheSea said:


> If you wanna borrow a hole saw let me know.  It's really not that hard to DIY.


he's not kidding, I used his to drill my tank, quite easy, either of us can walk you through it


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Hey thanks for the offer of help, I do have a hole saw on the way though. I figured it would be a good thing to have. I watched a few videos on drilling and it seems that the tecnique is light pressure and a circle of putty filled with water works pretty good. I will use a small wood angle to keep the drill centered at the beginning of the hole cutting. 
Should be fun. I was explaining the process to a friend (former salty) and he cringed at the idea and made a loud cracking noise...  LOL!


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## sawman88 (Sep 29, 2008)

just to be a jerk... heh is 20g really a nano? i keep hearing about nano tank but I allways though a nano was 5 g or smaller. nano being small and a 20 not really a small tank


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Nano is anything smaller than 40g in the SW hobby. It's not uncommon for people to have 150+ gallon tanks in SW. 

Pico is anything below 5.5 g usually.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

This raises a question I always had. If 40+ are *normal* size tanks and anything smaller is nano, and 5G or smaller being pico, where are micro and milli tanks?  

Or do we consider any home reef aquarium systems *micro reef* tanks regardless of its size?


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Well, as promised here is a progress report... tonight I drilled the tank, all went well and it was pretty easy. I also picked up some egg crate for the bottom (probably didn't need it) and made a piece to fit the bottom of the tank.
Lotsa fun!


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

Looking good. It took me a while to drill my first hole, then I realized how easy it is. Over the past year, I've drilled about 25 holes and loaned out my bits about 5 times now. I encourage others to give it a try themselves as the DIY aspect is very rewarding.

Chris


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

nice job at drilling, I wasn't too worried when I drilled mine because I got the tank on the cheap, and could have gotten another if I FUBAR


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## BWI (Nov 13, 2008)

drilling tanks is very all you have to do is just TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!

looks good so far!


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks people . . . the next phase I will be doing a little glass work on the sump and tank. I'll be cutting some dividers and siliconing them into place, then some plumbing. This really is fun and engaging so far.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

nice work!! I look forward to the updates


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

So here is my latest update...

I bought some glass and partitioned the 5G sump, painted the back of the main tank black (looks cool). I also picked up some hose and finished the plumbing. The only thing I'm stuck on is the in-tank drain box. I first tried to make one out of glass but it was a dismal failure. Then I made one out of plexi and that looked bad too. Now I am thinking of using an upturned elbow with a screen on the end that is just threaded into the bulkhead. I saw this in use at AA Aquariums in Burlington. The guy there (Doug) was going to try and order one for me.
Hopefully I will be mixing up some saltwater and picking up sand and LR soon.


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

So tonight i water tested the whole setup. All went pretty well . . . there was some driping at the bulkhead so I hand tightened itas much as I could _carefully_, as the tank was full, but I could not completeley stop the drip. It is now drained and I will check out my connections . . . perhaps a little more tape on the fitting. 
The other issue turned out to be the sump pump, way under powered I feel. I am running a MJ606 rated at 84-160 gph max . . . I dont think it is quite up to the task. By the time the water gets to the tank inflow it is very slow. I need a more powerfull pump yet at the same time I don't really want a monster flow happening.
Any suggestions on a suitable pump? I have 1/2 inch tubing on the input and about 40" of elevation...

Thanks,
Emil


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Preface: A year ago I went from a BC8 FW to an Osaka 90g FW heavily planted to a BC8 SW, 20g SW and now 40g & 22g SW (all reef)... there's no turning back though I do have a soft spot in my heart for fw fish and plants. Prior to last year, both my husband and I had experience with fw in the 80's and 90's... ug...

A quick word of warning re: drilling tanks -- how do you know the glass isn't tempered We contacted Miracles about a custom tank and the bottom would be tempered glass which would shatter if drilled... 

Also, look into 2-part dosing, our corals have never looked better!!!


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

For tempered glass, put on a pair of polarized glasses (fishing glass or other sunglasses) and have the light hit the glass on the right angle and you will see the glass look a little funny.


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Update!

Yeah, I'm still into this whole thing  . So over the holidays I reworked the plumbing so there are no leaks. The cool news is that I built a skimmer! And, it works great! I followed the plans and directions for Wetworx nano skimmer, as discussed in this very long, but fantastic thread at Nano-Reef.com. 
Here's a link... http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58540&st=140.

What I made is pretty much exactly what is shown in post #157, a little ways down the thread. It's a recirculating in-sump skimmer that is easily adjustable for flow and air intake. As I just mixed up my saltwater today, I gave it a saltwater test and it produces a beautiful milky column of water. Tomorrow I will be getting my liverock and substrate, so once I have the cycle started I should be able to see it produce some dirty skimate (hopefully).

So I'll take some pics tomorrow or the next day after I put in the rubble .

Lotsa-fun!


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Tank is too cloudy for a pic but this shows my skimmer with a bubbling head of yuck.


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Added Tonga rock today . . . water clouded up a bit. If you look closely, you'll see the first tank inhabitant . . . a tiny (2mm) snail sliding along the glass . . . upper right small black dot. LOL hitch-hiker I guess.


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Cleared up nice! . . . Well . . . I guess thats it for about 4 weeks or so.


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

*Update*

Well after a little more than 2 weeks the cycle was done, pretty quick I thought. So I added 4 small blue leg hermits, an astrea snail and 3 corals. I have attached the some pics.
After 2 more weeks, the water tested good 0,0,.1 so I added one more coral, 3 fish and another Astera snail. I took a few video clips (quality not so great)and you-tubed them for you to see.
Today I watched one of the hermits try out a new home, very entertaining! This would have been his second upgrade, but he switched back to the first shell. Also I have noticed the live rock starting to take on some nice purple and red coraline growth.
There are the clips http://ca.youtube.com/profile?user=ekitka&view=videos
Videos are from today and the pics are from 2 weeks ago.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Looks good so far, but I'd be worried about the scooter dragonet. They can decimate your pod population pretty quickly. Does it eat prepared/frozen foods?

Also, where'd you get that frogspawn? I love how the tips are so tiny.


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

The Frogspawn is from BA's on Dundas, they had 3 or 4 of them. I went to 4 of the fish stores on that strip and the stock at all of them was very low. Reefraft had the best looking corals but most of their stock was already marked "sold". The guy at BA who helped me said the same thing about the scooter... but as my tank seemed to be infested with pods I thought it be okay. He suggested brine shrimp as a supplement to the pellets I picked up.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Do you have an attached refugium? I thought I had lots of pods too, but as soon as I introduced my six line wrasse, the pod population seemed to disappear in a few days. Now I hardly ever see any pods in the DT, but I run a refugium (about 5g) full of pods and chaeto.

I'd watch him to make sure he's not going hungry


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## Sand-Dollar (Nov 30, 2008)

Yes I have a 5 g sump with live rubble... I have been looking for some chaeto but I have not seen it for sale so far. 
Thanks for the tips, I need to get a sump light.

E


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