The Enchanted Tikitank! 40 gallon long AIO Project!
- AIO Build
- Thread starter bambootikigirl
- Start date
- Tagged users None
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
Thank you so much.
Very nice start, following.
Thanks for the follow! More to come soon!
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
So after we placed all the "bamboo" slats onto the canopy, time came to start fitting the lights in the inside of it. Measuring the best places that would give the most room for hanging them and also having me be able to adjust them if need be. We drilled the holes and strung the wire through, unfortunately, when we closed the canopy, the lights shifted. The wires were being moved by the inside brace of the canopy doors. So my dad came up with the idea of making a small cutout so when the canopy closes, it doesn't move the wires.
Since the lights were gonna be in an enclosed area and the tank itself would get rather warm, I ordered two small computer fans to attach to the sides of the canopy. This should help with the LEDs getting too warm and cooling them off.
July 19th 2018
So after we got the canopy up I started to plug plug the lights and fans in. The fans were extremely quiet as long as you didn't put them on full power. I bought a speed controller that connected both fans together. This way if I want to turn them off or slow them down, I could do that at the same time.
Once we put the lights up and had them hanging, it was time to test them!
July 22nd 2018
So as you can see, the lights looked wonderful cept for that HUGE black spot in the dead center of the scape. I was already worried that the center brace was going to give us issues but this wasn't the case. Having the lights evenly apart being so close to the waterline, this caused the lights to not be able to extend where it needed to be.
We decided to turn one light around and have them practically touching eachother in the center of the canopy. This involved re-drilling new holes and making new hanging wires to a new spot on the canopy brace. Once in place we tested the lights again, and success!
The HUGE black spot in the center disappeared and the scape looked 100% better! I tested a few different heights of the lights to see what was the best place to have them. I finally chose on having the higher distance and it worked out pretty well.
Since the lights were gonna be in an enclosed area and the tank itself would get rather warm, I ordered two small computer fans to attach to the sides of the canopy. This should help with the LEDs getting too warm and cooling them off.
July 19th 2018
So after we got the canopy up I started to plug plug the lights and fans in. The fans were extremely quiet as long as you didn't put them on full power. I bought a speed controller that connected both fans together. This way if I want to turn them off or slow them down, I could do that at the same time.
Once we put the lights up and had them hanging, it was time to test them!
July 22nd 2018
So as you can see, the lights looked wonderful cept for that HUGE black spot in the dead center of the scape. I was already worried that the center brace was going to give us issues but this wasn't the case. Having the lights evenly apart being so close to the waterline, this caused the lights to not be able to extend where it needed to be.
We decided to turn one light around and have them practically touching eachother in the center of the canopy. This involved re-drilling new holes and making new hanging wires to a new spot on the canopy brace. Once in place we tested the lights again, and success!
The HUGE black spot in the center disappeared and the scape looked 100% better! I tested a few different heights of the lights to see what was the best place to have them. I finally chose on having the higher distance and it worked out pretty well.
Last edited:
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
Thanks tech9 <3
Skiptumylu
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2016
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 5
- Location
- South Fla rida
- What state or country do you live in
- Florida
Great write up can’t wait to see the progress. I love macro-algae included in the system. It’s nice you’ll have it in your main display.
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
It's on the first page under flora and fauna.
Thank you.
I want to create small "gardens" so to speak.
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
Nice work, love the scape.
Thanks! I tried to make it as real as possible (to make the creatures comfortable) while still having a bit of an artistic touch (to make me be able to enjoy it visually).
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
So I ordered some covers for the fans on the side of the canopy. It looked so unfinished and just a huge hole in the side. I'm not all about that nonsense and wanted it to blend in with the rest of my tank. Sitting in the room watching the tank empty, it just looks so serine, I know once I add some life into the tank, that's when the hard yet fun stuff will happen.
Originally, I had my two powerheads with frag covers over them on each end of the tank. Almost everyone does this and I understand the reasoning behind this. It gives the most even flow throughout the tank and helps everything be happy. Unfortunately, the one powerhead and frag cover was stuck to my AIO. Both items were magnetic and I had both bulky magnets down my 2nd chamber of the AIO. My 2nd chamber also had my nano skimmer which was already squished in there pretty tight. Plain and simple, I was not happy with this. Maintenance was going to be a pain, it was all clustered together and it was making my AIO tilt slightly.
I'm a beginner saltwater aquatics person but I would also call myself unorthodox. I decided to move both powerheads and frag covers to the back wall of my tank and have them pointed towards the walls so they bounce towards the middle of the tank. I also decided since this might make less flow for the tank because a lot of it will be hitting the scape, I bought a IceCap 1k gyre. Hopefully this will help with adding some extra flow where the two small powerheads can't reach. If anything, I can always change it back if it's not working out.
July 26th 2018
This is my current light setup. At night it shows off the blues and purples then it gradually ramps up to show off the whites and teals during the day. If my math is correct, I have everything dark for about 8hrs during the night and nothing ever reaches full 100% lit.
So a bit more about my lights though, I bought 2 16" LedZeal Zeus model "Chinese black box" lights. I was recommended these by a friend that I speak to on discord. These came all the way from China and I was able to customize the layout of the LEDs. I'll include the lighting schedule when I have it more tuned to my liking.
I opted for removing the stock red and green LEDs for white 2,700-3,500k white 6,000k white 10,000k, cyan 490-505nm, violet 420-430nm. This changed the spectrum to make the corals more happy and also I can have a "daytime" that isn't all blue.
With all my custom things I have done with the tank, I also wanted to have an automatic feeder that dissolved frozen foods. Online there was one but it was like $25! There was no way that it was like the only one that someone has made. So I scoured the internet and found a DIY version of this. The total cost of supplies was $2 vs the $25 dollar one. Both do the same thing but mine's so much cheaper!
No this is not me showing off drinking, it's me showing off my next DIY project. I plan on breaking the bottle, sanding the edges, then adding coral to encrust on it. Personally I think it will make the tank look like an actual ocean, where you find pirate treasure, sea shells, and old notes in a bottle kinda thing.
Originally, I had my two powerheads with frag covers over them on each end of the tank. Almost everyone does this and I understand the reasoning behind this. It gives the most even flow throughout the tank and helps everything be happy. Unfortunately, the one powerhead and frag cover was stuck to my AIO. Both items were magnetic and I had both bulky magnets down my 2nd chamber of the AIO. My 2nd chamber also had my nano skimmer which was already squished in there pretty tight. Plain and simple, I was not happy with this. Maintenance was going to be a pain, it was all clustered together and it was making my AIO tilt slightly.
I'm a beginner saltwater aquatics person but I would also call myself unorthodox. I decided to move both powerheads and frag covers to the back wall of my tank and have them pointed towards the walls so they bounce towards the middle of the tank. I also decided since this might make less flow for the tank because a lot of it will be hitting the scape, I bought a IceCap 1k gyre. Hopefully this will help with adding some extra flow where the two small powerheads can't reach. If anything, I can always change it back if it's not working out.
July 26th 2018
This is my current light setup. At night it shows off the blues and purples then it gradually ramps up to show off the whites and teals during the day. If my math is correct, I have everything dark for about 8hrs during the night and nothing ever reaches full 100% lit.
So a bit more about my lights though, I bought 2 16" LedZeal Zeus model "Chinese black box" lights. I was recommended these by a friend that I speak to on discord. These came all the way from China and I was able to customize the layout of the LEDs. I'll include the lighting schedule when I have it more tuned to my liking.
I opted for removing the stock red and green LEDs for white 2,700-3,500k white 6,000k white 10,000k, cyan 490-505nm, violet 420-430nm. This changed the spectrum to make the corals more happy and also I can have a "daytime" that isn't all blue.
With all my custom things I have done with the tank, I also wanted to have an automatic feeder that dissolved frozen foods. Online there was one but it was like $25! There was no way that it was like the only one that someone has made. So I scoured the internet and found a DIY version of this. The total cost of supplies was $2 vs the $25 dollar one. Both do the same thing but mine's so much cheaper!
No this is not me showing off drinking, it's me showing off my next DIY project. I plan on breaking the bottle, sanding the edges, then adding coral to encrust on it. Personally I think it will make the tank look like an actual ocean, where you find pirate treasure, sea shells, and old notes in a bottle kinda thing.
JRAD
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2018
- Messages
- 328
- Reaction score
- 473
- What state or country do you live in
- North Carolina
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
Very interesting build tikigirl! You should patent your aio filter design! I like the theme of your tank! If you ever need more bamboo I think the sushi rolling mats are bamboo and already strung together!
Thanks so much! The AIO was actually built by a friend of mine. I just told him I want this skimmer, this heater, this pump, and mech chamber. He designed all the rest, so he gets all the credit! Dang if I would of known about the sushi mats I would of prolly got those! Although, I think what we finally used worked out super well!
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
The last time I got my water tested was around mid-July so I decided to go up to my LFS and get it tested. We went in and I had one of the people test my water and she said I was good to get some creatures! I decided that I wanted to start off with inverts and corals because those can't use copper for treatments and my display tank would have the lighting needed for the corals vs. a small QT tank.
First on my list was to get some trochus and cerith snails. Both of these snails can right themselves if they fall and cerith snails will burrow to eat leftovers. I found this to be the perfect match for my tank. Last on my list of snails was to get a conch snail. The LFS had a bunch of them but the guy pulled one out that was super active and really pretty looking. I chose that one and named him Garry after Spongebobs pet snail. When we were at the LFS my mom asked to see the conch, so the girl lifted the bag and he jumped! It was crazy cuz I have never seen a snail jump like that and it made all three of us scream in the store. We all laughed though, it was a really fun time.
July 27th 2018
![IMG_4805[1].JPG](https://test9.reef2reef.com/attachments/img_4805-1-jpg.804185/ "IMG_4805[1].JPG")
So I'm sure everyones been waiting for the full tank shot, so without further adieu!
THE TANK!
August 2nd 2018
"Daytime"
"Nighttime" with room lights on.
"Nighttime" with room lights off.
The reason behind the lights being different colors is because I like the idea of actual "daytime" and "nighttime." So with my Ledzeals I was able to program the lights to start ramping up to a more white "daytime" for about 4hrs and then transition into more blue "nighttime" for about 4hrs while ramping down.
First on my list was to get some trochus and cerith snails. Both of these snails can right themselves if they fall and cerith snails will burrow to eat leftovers. I found this to be the perfect match for my tank. Last on my list of snails was to get a conch snail. The LFS had a bunch of them but the guy pulled one out that was super active and really pretty looking. I chose that one and named him Garry after Spongebobs pet snail. When we were at the LFS my mom asked to see the conch, so the girl lifted the bag and he jumped! It was crazy cuz I have never seen a snail jump like that and it made all three of us scream in the store. We all laughed though, it was a really fun time.
July 27th 2018
So I'm sure everyones been waiting for the full tank shot, so without further adieu!
THE TANK!
August 2nd 2018
"Daytime"
"Nighttime" with room lights on.
"Nighttime" with room lights off.
The reason behind the lights being different colors is because I like the idea of actual "daytime" and "nighttime." So with my Ledzeals I was able to program the lights to start ramping up to a more white "daytime" for about 4hrs and then transition into more blue "nighttime" for about 4hrs while ramping down.
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
I updated the first post with front of tank images and its light cycle. 
Thanks so much!
Thanks! <3Very nice.
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
Awe thank you so much, I appreciate it! I will prolly make more updates on what I do for maintenance and other stuff since now the tank is done and built.
bambootikigirl
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 97
- What state or country do you live in
- Ohio
So after adding the snails I was watching them and noticed some spots on the rocks. My lights were transitioning to "nighttime" blue so these spots looked scarlet red. My first thought was, OMG I HAVE CYANO! I started to panic because I really didn't want to start to have a hard to remove issue like this. I message a friend of mine on discord and they tell me to turn my whites on without blues. I do this and the spots ended up being brown diatoms! I was so relieved by this since this meant I was finally going through my algae bloom.
July 29th 2018
Man I'm so behind on this journal thing. I really do like making entries but everyday is an adventure and I can't always remember everything that has happened. Well anyways, after I bought my snails, I started to run into some trouble with the AIO, ATO and return pump. Whenever I would remove the carbon bag and filter pads in the mechanical chamber, the water level in the return chamber would higher, this would then in turn make the ATO go off thinking the water level was too high. I noticed that the AIO was making noise, well that was from a hole we drilled to put a handle, the water level was higher than the hole so it was leaking into the chamber. I made it so it wasn't making loud dripping pouring into the chamber but it still trickles into the return chamber. I bought the snails and put a few seaweed flakes on rocks and put a frozen food cube into my frozen thawer cup. Next thing I know, the ATO starts turning on and filling the tank. I was like well maybe it evaporated alil, so I leave the room but I keep hearing the ATO go off. I'm like that's super weird, so I go back in like 5mins after hearing it do this every like 10 seconds and the tanks almost about to overflow! I watch the AIO and the water is fluctuating up and down in the last chamber which was triggering the ATO to go off. It was worrying me to I bought a backup return pump and another return pump that is different than what I currently have. I have a feeling the pump just isn't strong enough to keep the flow going. As of right now though, it has gone back to normal and if I have anymore problems, I have backup pumps.
With the pump disaster over, I decided to treat myself with another CUC. I went to my LFS and they had two skunk cleaner shrimp and a few scarlet shrimp. I asked the employee which would be productive in cleaning but also not be super shy. He told me that the skunks are great and super social so he would go with those. I took his advice and bought the last two skunk cleaners they had but unfortunately came across a problem when I got home. The one had a lump on its side, almost like a tumor of sorts. I wasn't too thrilled about that and decided I would call and ask if I could get an exchange. They were okay with the exchange as long as I brought it back up that day. So we jumped back into the car and drove all the way back up there to return it. The LFS didn't have anymore skunk cleaners so they gave me an IOU.
August 4th 2018
Bonus images! This is of Garry the Conch exploring the tank. He loves to climb up the rocks which apparently conchs don't do often. Very daring snail!
July 29th 2018
Man I'm so behind on this journal thing. I really do like making entries but everyday is an adventure and I can't always remember everything that has happened. Well anyways, after I bought my snails, I started to run into some trouble with the AIO, ATO and return pump. Whenever I would remove the carbon bag and filter pads in the mechanical chamber, the water level in the return chamber would higher, this would then in turn make the ATO go off thinking the water level was too high. I noticed that the AIO was making noise, well that was from a hole we drilled to put a handle, the water level was higher than the hole so it was leaking into the chamber. I made it so it wasn't making loud dripping pouring into the chamber but it still trickles into the return chamber. I bought the snails and put a few seaweed flakes on rocks and put a frozen food cube into my frozen thawer cup. Next thing I know, the ATO starts turning on and filling the tank. I was like well maybe it evaporated alil, so I leave the room but I keep hearing the ATO go off. I'm like that's super weird, so I go back in like 5mins after hearing it do this every like 10 seconds and the tanks almost about to overflow! I watch the AIO and the water is fluctuating up and down in the last chamber which was triggering the ATO to go off. It was worrying me to I bought a backup return pump and another return pump that is different than what I currently have. I have a feeling the pump just isn't strong enough to keep the flow going. As of right now though, it has gone back to normal and if I have anymore problems, I have backup pumps.
With the pump disaster over, I decided to treat myself with another CUC. I went to my LFS and they had two skunk cleaner shrimp and a few scarlet shrimp. I asked the employee which would be productive in cleaning but also not be super shy. He told me that the skunks are great and super social so he would go with those. I took his advice and bought the last two skunk cleaners they had but unfortunately came across a problem when I got home. The one had a lump on its side, almost like a tumor of sorts. I wasn't too thrilled about that and decided I would call and ask if I could get an exchange. They were okay with the exchange as long as I brought it back up that day. So we jumped back into the car and drove all the way back up there to return it. The LFS didn't have anymore skunk cleaners so they gave me an IOU.
August 4th 2018
Bonus images! This is of Garry the Conch exploring the tank. He loves to climb up the rocks which apparently conchs don't do often. Very daring snail!
