20 gallon all-in-one diy

[Velocity]

maybe look around your house for other plastic that you could cut up - I mean we have a dollar tree that has all kinds of plastic pans etc - if your looking for a budget

The Styrofoam is a very creative ideal and am not one for shooting down peoples thoughts - heck I still argue if you fill your tank up with rock then you actually don't have a 200g tank any longer lol - so don't mind me

 

[dan987]

maybe look around your house for other plastic that you could cut up - I mean we have a dollar tree that has all kinds of plastic pans etc - if your looking for a budget

The Styrofoam is a very creative ideal and am not one for shooting down peoples thoughts - heck I still argue if you fill your tank up with rock then you actually don't have a [20g] tank any longer lol - so don't mind me

I've already scoured my apartment for things I can cannibalize. No luck beyond this styrofoam. The dollar store is actually a good idea though. I will go there tomorrow.

Part of the reason I'm doing a 20g like this is because I want a pico reef. Unfortunately tiny volumes of water are very difficult (I would say impossible) to keep stable. So I decided to do a 10g pico with a 10g sump. But then, once I considered plumbing, I decided to try this.

Looking story short: I'm doing all of this mostly for the extra water volume.

 

[dan987]

OK! Good time for some "good news / bad news.

Bad news:
I accidentally spent $75 on this project somehow...
I'm in trouble.

Good news:
It's done! The 20 gallon all-in-one is up and running with saltwater.





10g display area 15"x12"x12"
10g sump (probably 8)
Sump has water level viewer (hard to see here)
Currently circulating at ~300gph.
Built-in (and removable) algae scrubber shelf
And a tank stand too

So, tank stand and all-in-one tank for $75.

I will post more updates as they come.

What do you think?

 

[Shep]

looks real nice!!!

 

[dmort]

This looks great! Par38 bulbs are a cheap way to light a tank...

 

[Velocity]

OK! Good time for some "good news / bad news.

Bad news:
I accidentally spent $75 on this project somehow...
I'm in trouble.

Good news:
It's done! The 20 gallon all-in-one is up and running with saltwater.





10g display area 15"x12"x12"
10g sump (probably 8)
Sump has water level viewer (hard to see here)
Currently circulating at ~300gph.
Built-in (and removable) algae scrubber shelf
And a tank stand too

So, tank stand and all-in-one tank for $75.

I will post more updates as they come.

What do you think?

I stay in trouble when it comes to my tank lol

I like it man, really nice little Nano so to speak with built on sump - really cool ideal and came out great

Now load it up with some LR and fish

Keep the progress going

 

[dan987]

Update!:
I put sand and base rock in a couple weeks ago. Been slowly cycling since.

And I found a killer deal on some t5 lights. Same brand (I think) as the 36" on the 55g in my living room.
It's a cheap brand, but I know it works reliably. My lfs had these on a dozen or more tanks.

I'm 110% sure this is an error in pricing. But, I'm ok with that.

I went with t5 because it's the cheapest, most trusted lighting that is both aesthetically pleasing and capable of growing coral and algae. (For the algae scrubber)
My second choice was LEDs, but I just don't trust them. So cheap LEDs were out of the question.

No livestock of any kind. I'm moving the tank in a couple days. Waiting on my lights. And I'm waiting on my replacement heater from Hydor. Great customer service from drsfostersmith and Hydor, BTW.

So let's do a cost breakdown so far:
15 Arag-Alive black sand
10 pukani dry rock
21 Aqueon 20L tank
17 6 (12x8x16) cinderblocks
6 plywood
2 foam paint brushes
20 plexiglass 0.220"
4 pvc moulding
5 silicone
15 Hydor 25W heater
40 dual t5 30" fixture
5 digital thermometer
20 maxijet 1200
?? old spray & can paint
----------------------
182+ total

142, If you don't include what I already had on hand. I think that's pretty good.

Please provide constructive criticism/feedback. I'm excited to know what a more experienced hobbyist thinks.

 

[Amoo]

Dude this is one of the most ghetto things I think I have every seen somebody do. And it looks pretty darn good. Nice work man. Maybe you can splurge and get another can or two of spray paint and paint your gray stand to match your tank trim

 

[dan987]

Thank you... (I think)

I think it's worth mentioning at this point, that the cinderblocks will be covered up. Still deciding how exactly I'm gonna do that, but I know they look like butt right now.

 

[Amoo]

Try painting em, was serious

 

[Velocity]

Thank you... (I think)

I think it's worth mentioning at this point, that the cinderblocks will be covered up. Still deciding how exactly I'm gonna do that, but I know they look like butt right now.

I actually think if you paint them that it will work out nicely - looks like you will have a bunch of shelves to put all your supplies - I actually like the ideal

 

[dan987]

I had originally thought of putting painted siding on it. Im going for a clean look. I like the idea of painting the bricks, but I worry it will look too rustic. If I use lots of oil-based paint, it might look better. Im seriously considering it.

Also, trying to decide of livestock. I want a fish that is always doing something interesting. Not even considering firefish or damsels.
Perhaps a nice clownfish and anemone group. or maybe a small wrasse. I want something that isnt super common, but I feel like its all been done before.

 

[Velocity]

I had originally thought of putting painted siding on it. Im going for a clean look. I like the idea of painting the bricks, but I worry it will look too rustic. If I use lots of oil-based paint, it might look better. Im seriously considering it.

Also, trying to decide of livestock. I want a fish that is always doing something interesting. Not even considering firefish or damsels.
Perhaps a nice clownfish and anemone group. or maybe a small wrasse. I want something that isnt super common, but I feel like its all been done before.

My favorite fish to watch do cool stuff is the Mandarin but your tank needs to be up and running for at least 6mths or you needs PODS and I would stay away from that

Really a few anemones and no less then two clown ( Nemo's ) I would stay away from Clarkies, Tomatoes as they can be aggressive and don't mix

 

[dan987]

I'm not at all worried about the tank being small. I have a larger tank I can move fish to, if they get too big. I'm not confident that I can keep a mandarin fed in a tank this small. I will eventually get one for my larger tank though.

People can huff all they want. I would never torture an animal. If I make a mistake choosing a fish, I will move it or return it.

 

[dan987]

Update!

Stand is painted gloss black.
Added another full bag of sand
Added much more rock
Aquascaped like a boss!
And finally hooked up the lights!

These dang CurrentUSA lights were so hard to get running. They came without lamps and with a defective ballast. And the company changed ballast manufacturers.

Long story short, I spent many hours on these little buggers.

The whole kit looks pretty sleek though!

Please forgive my messy room. I JUST finished putting our all together.

 

[Harold Green]

Dan even though it goes contrary to popular opinion I like to use acrylic for baffles in a glass tank. If you us 1/4" it will not bow and a good bead of silicon on each side will hold it in place well. I'm using your idea for a frag tank. I put a baffle near one end of the tank with a pump down low pushing water into the display section and overflowing back into the sump section. The pump was a 250gph that was on an old skimmer I had. Ignore the egg crate it's there to hold frags. This is a 29g, probably the same footprint as your 20. You don't have to make the sump portion any larger than you need but even as small as I allowed it would hold filter media, heater, skimmer, macro algae, live rock. You'll notice the water level in the display area never drops, only in the pump portion which means most skimmers will need to be in the display area or you'll have to top up the tank several times a day to keep the skimmer working well.

 

[Harold Green]

Looks like you already did it. Your last night entry didn't post until after I replied. It's been running fine for me for several months now.

 

[Reefrookie220]

Just an FYI , most fish places will not honor a live guarantee on anything acclimated with Styrofoam.

 

[dan987]

Just an FYI , most fish places will not honor a live guarantee on anything acclimated with Styrofoam.

don't worry. I gave up on Styrofoam after some research. I found out that it would most likely be safe, but really not worth the effort.
This tank is all glass, acrylic, and silicone. lots of silicone...

 

[hectat2]

Look nice