Nano make-over

[OodleyBoodely]

Before you say Yuck!, this is how my 15g former refugium/former Q-tank looks right now, right down to the algae on the glass and the cyano on the sand. It has run for about 2 1/2 years with just the powerhead, a smear of livesand and (usually) no lr, just calurapa. It was hooked to the 55g next to it via siphon overflows, but I decided it was just too risky as a potential flood disaster. So, I unhooked it and kept it running as a quarantine tank. It is lit by a 22w no circline flourescent. The sponge on the ph was originally stuffed behind a plastic rock ornament as the sole biofiltration but I attached it to the ph just recently when I added the lr from my 55 to help increase filtration and prevent a cycle. Inhabitants include an assortment of softcorals, 5 large snails, 12+ baby turbos and limpets, and 3 small hermits. It also has a huge pod population.

I would really like to turn this into an sps/lps tank. I think an upgrade to 250w HQI would do for the lighting-nothing else will fit. There is no room for a sump, and I will not drill the tank, so I would really appreciate some help to work out the best way to go about setting this up. Here's my limitations:

1. Tank measures 13"x13"x18"
2. No sump/no drilled overflows
3. equiptment and livestock listed and shown in photo need not be in the finished tank.
4. I have a good HOB skimmer.
5. Budget-there is no budget- I'm looking for the most inexpensive, DIY solutions possible. For pricy items such as the lighting-I'm hoping to swing a trade with some of my artwork which I will post later for anyone with a spare halide setup to trade. For DIY projects- please follow the KISSAC method (Keep It Simple Stupid And Cheap-I'm stupid at DIY so make it easy and cheap!)

Any ideas out there?

[OodleyBoodely]

Too ugly to deal with?

How about a pvc grid on the bottom and back in a closed loop to provide alternating currants? I know it can be done, I'm just not sure how to go about it. Can a cls work with an external pump (perhaps a Magdrive) piped over the top of the tank, or would it have to be inside the tank to work?

Anyone care to discuss the possible merits/flaws of this idea?

[yardboy]

You might want to check this out:
http://marinedepot.com/aquarium_plumbing_parts_fittings
_pentair_aquatics_customflo.asp#tube
it's a system for running a cls without drilling. It's pretty cheap and follows KISS principle, or just brazenly copy the idea using PVC fittings.
No reason why this setup wouldn't work. I've got a couple of 20L that I've set up as refugium/sps frag /full blown reef tanks. I did drill them though. That really simplifies everything. Used a Dremel tool with diamond bits. Quite fun and exciting. I also tend to use sumps as they simplify everything, IMHO.
You're ahead of me with a hob skimmer. I used one made from juice bottles and a Maxijet 1200. Worked fine.

[OodleyBoodely]

Thanks for the link and ideas, will check it out!

[jeepjon]

I just got an overflow with a sump...and the return is my circulation, I have a 15 (the 24" *12*12 size, not the tall one like you have). Anyway...my reef has 166watts of PC lighting, and I am growing some SPS and tridacnids in there...my Porites is doing great, my montipora digitata and capricornis are growing great, my clams are open and happy, and I have some acro's that I'm eyeing in my LFS...so a 250 watt metal halide would be more than enough for SPS/LPS. Anyway, for cheapness, a powerhead is good, for reliability, go with a closed loop or sump setup...a nice little sump wouldn't be bad for your system to add more water capacity. I have a 20 gallon sump that doubled my water capacity! So it can be good to do that....just some ideas to throw at you.

[OodleyBoodely]

I would love to add a sump to this tank and if I can find another stand for it I might just do that further down the line. I think the existing stand could even be modified easy enough for me to handle - it is a particle board box with an open back, but no opening in front. I could turn it back-to-front and drill openings for the plumbing and wiring in the (new) back and just add a door to the front. The only problem with using a sump with this stand is that it has such a small footprint, 13x13" on the outside edges - maybe 10x10" inside. Still, it could be done.

If I did this I think I would just forget the cls and just use a big return pump with the return water pumped through a pvc grid to allow flow to differant areas of the tank. Maybe divide the grid into two seperate grids for each side of the tank and then use a wave devise such as the SQWDS I've seen advertised to divert the return from one grid to the other for wave action. I'm probably making this more complicated than needed, but, I can almost visualize the setup, just have to figure out how to do it, and how to come up with the equiptment.

I want to actually plan this tank out and try to follow 'the plan' this time. My first two tanks were purely impulse driven affairs with need for instant gratification and as a result required a lot of re-doing. Even now my 55 is less than satisfactory and is about to get an overhaul which I have to finish first befor I start this 15g.