LarrySpice
Community Member
Hey everyone! This is going to be my very first build thread here, and probably my only for the next 4+ years as I will be in university and the dorms only allow pretty small tanks. Anyways, let me explain this build. I went with the Mini Complete Tank as I thought it was super cool for such a small tank. The total water volume is around 1 gallon, so that is what I will be basing most of my info off. The coolest part is it has a little sump that also works as the stand for the tank. The sump is super simple, white cotton filter, 2x black bio filter media, a heater and a return pump. I will attach a picture of the assembled sump.
Once I got this tank in, I assembled it as the product instructions described. The sump had a little warp when I first received it. After a bit of research, I found that the sump is made out of ABS, a common 3d printing material. I also found out this material is super simple to unwarp. I filled it with some boiling water and let it sit for awhile with the tank on top in order to 'lock' it into place. That worked somewhat, but not perfectly. However, the baffles that separate the different filter media ended up doing the trick to keep the sump in a perfectly stretched position. Now with a little bit of force, the display tank fits onto the sump perfectly.
One other issue I didn't see was that the stock heater was not even close to hot enough for my needs. I live in northern Ontario, and nights get pretty chilly here. After running the tank for a day or two, I realized that overnight the tank was dropping from 79 all the way down to 69. This would obviously be super unhealthy for any coral and will not cut it. So I ordered in the aqueon 5W flat beta heater. That should come in the next few days, so hoping that it heats up my tank a little more consistently.
Final big thing that I've done is begin my cycle. I stole some 3 month old sand from my girlfriend's 55 gallon tank, so that should help speed along the cycle. Additionally, I seeded my tank with dr Tim's One and Only. Hoping that dr Tim's along with the pre established sand will seed my rock and cycle the tank nicely.
In terms of plans, I know I am relatively restricted because of the size. Once I see some significant algae growth, I plan on reaching out to my LFS and seeing about some sort of a baby snail, maybe relocating to my girlfriend's 55g once it has grown a bit. Along with that, I'd like to run a few nice zoa's, maybe an acan or two, possibly a mushroom and something to fill in space later down the road like a pulsing xenia or green star polyp. These are just ideas though, and really stocking will be based on what's available and what is in the budget at the time.
The biggest challenge is going to be transporting the entire tank to university and home once or twice every year. I have some plans in mind, using a large bucket, fresh saltwater, and good insulation, I am hoping to make some sort of a 'temporary' tank for the 5-6 hour drive. We will have to see how that goes when the time comes, anyways. If anyone has any experience with a similar situation, let me know!
Finally, here are some pictures of the sump, tank, and the stock light (which is really bright, I'm super impressed)
I will definitely keep this thread updated, hopefully for the next 4 years if all goes well! Can't wait to stock this up and hear from everyone. Let me know any stocking suggestions or tips with the whole transportation situation. Would appreciate any advice since I am only really 3 or 4 months into this awesome hobby.
Once I got this tank in, I assembled it as the product instructions described. The sump had a little warp when I first received it. After a bit of research, I found that the sump is made out of ABS, a common 3d printing material. I also found out this material is super simple to unwarp. I filled it with some boiling water and let it sit for awhile with the tank on top in order to 'lock' it into place. That worked somewhat, but not perfectly. However, the baffles that separate the different filter media ended up doing the trick to keep the sump in a perfectly stretched position. Now with a little bit of force, the display tank fits onto the sump perfectly.
One other issue I didn't see was that the stock heater was not even close to hot enough for my needs. I live in northern Ontario, and nights get pretty chilly here. After running the tank for a day or two, I realized that overnight the tank was dropping from 79 all the way down to 69. This would obviously be super unhealthy for any coral and will not cut it. So I ordered in the aqueon 5W flat beta heater. That should come in the next few days, so hoping that it heats up my tank a little more consistently.
Final big thing that I've done is begin my cycle. I stole some 3 month old sand from my girlfriend's 55 gallon tank, so that should help speed along the cycle. Additionally, I seeded my tank with dr Tim's One and Only. Hoping that dr Tim's along with the pre established sand will seed my rock and cycle the tank nicely.
In terms of plans, I know I am relatively restricted because of the size. Once I see some significant algae growth, I plan on reaching out to my LFS and seeing about some sort of a baby snail, maybe relocating to my girlfriend's 55g once it has grown a bit. Along with that, I'd like to run a few nice zoa's, maybe an acan or two, possibly a mushroom and something to fill in space later down the road like a pulsing xenia or green star polyp. These are just ideas though, and really stocking will be based on what's available and what is in the budget at the time.
The biggest challenge is going to be transporting the entire tank to university and home once or twice every year. I have some plans in mind, using a large bucket, fresh saltwater, and good insulation, I am hoping to make some sort of a 'temporary' tank for the 5-6 hour drive. We will have to see how that goes when the time comes, anyways. If anyone has any experience with a similar situation, let me know!
Finally, here are some pictures of the sump, tank, and the stock light (which is really bright, I'm super impressed)
I will definitely keep this thread updated, hopefully for the next 4 years if all goes well! Can't wait to stock this up and hear from everyone. Let me know any stocking suggestions or tips with the whole transportation situation. Would appreciate any advice since I am only really 3 or 4 months into this awesome hobby.
