My name is Michael and this is my first NANO setup tank, i've been out of the game for 10 years now and i've finally given into the temptation and purchased my self a new 96lt Ocean free nano tank. Why return to a nano setup? well after a fair bit of research and living in a rental property (the reason it took so long to get back in the game was "ill wait till i buy a house" phase) i decided that a nano tank was the smartest way to go. The appeal of a full self contained and operational tank setup was to good not to pass up on, the tank offer's every thing i need all built into one unit (aside from the heater).
So after further research i was leaning towards the 64lt or a 32Lt, however i then found a larger version which was the 96lt. In my mind larger is always better for maintaining a healthy and more efficient tank with a little less ease. Once i set my eyes on the tank i was sold, and ordered my first tank in 10 years right there and then.
In the mean time i decided to build my self a costume timber stand in preparation for my new tanks arrival, i sourced all the dimensions from the net and built my stand to suit. I thought i would be a little bit fancy and ad a lime wash stain to the pine, how ever it ended up being to white for my liking so i started again. This time i used a light walnut oak colour which i was very happy with. I then applied a few coat's of clear to water proof the stand.
A week had past and i was patiently waiting the arrival of my tank, after receiving the phone call my tank had finally arrived i rushed down to my local store to pick it up. Walking in the door and seeing it sitting on the bench waiting for me i couldn't get the smile off my face.. Naturally i opened the box to inspect my good's, only to find to my horror a dirty big crack write through the back of it..
Words can not describe how devastated i was lol.. Thankfully the owner was present and happily ordered me a new tank no questions asked. 3 day's later the new tank arrived and everything was intact! Now the joy was back and i could not wait to get my tank setup and start the cycling process.
Now i may have jumped the gun a little but while at the shop i purchased 100lts of saltwater, a bag of sand and 11kgs of live rock, so i was under pressure to get the tank up and running quick smart to place the live rock in the tank. And here is where the beauty of the NANO tank setup comes into its own.
After placing the tank on its new timber stand (which by the way was a perfect size) it was pretty much literally plug and play..
first using my pre purchased salt water i filled the tank to its correct level, i then added the sand and began to ad the live rock. I then literally just plugged the pump cord into the wall and it was away. I now set my attention to setting up the skimmer which was basically just connecting the air hose tube from the blower to the base of the skimmer and then placing in the allocated section of the tank. Once again all i did was plug in the cord and it was up and running, i didn't worry about adjusting the air volume just yet i waited for the tank to cycle for a few days first. I then added my heater to the compartment at the rear of the tank that holds the return pump, it was like it was made for it. Then i set the LED light bar on top of the tank and just like that in 15 mins i had a fully up and running NANO tank.
The following day i began to arrange my live rock to resemble a reef as much as possible, add a few ledges, small cave and nice flat top for future corals. I must admit i'm quit impressed with how it turned out. Once again i left the tank alone and let it continue with its cycling process.
The tank had been running for a few days now and i started to fins some small issue regarding excessive noise, the pump for was making a very loud vibration noise. first step was to remove the pump and check fan for any obstruction, as i thought it may have sucked up a bit of grit during installation. However that came back all clear. I then turned my attention to the pump hose its self, the NANO tanks return hose runs through the glass backing plate into a pvc male iron fitting(screw fit) which connects to directional nozzle SEE PHOTOS BELOW.
I was sure this was the culprit, so i pulled it apart re tightened and re installed. This did not work at all.. I was getting quit frustrated as i know it had something to do with the fitting as the pump when not connected was not making a sound! Being a plumber i pulled out as many rubber rings as i could to try and place around fitting because i was know certain it was a vibration issue through the fittings onto the glass backing plate.
Once again this did not fix the issue... i had actually given up at this time and was ready to look at alternative options, when by chance i was moving a rock and i hit the direction cone off the pump outlet and BANG the noise was gone. So basically after all that it was the stupid direction cone SEE PHOTOS below, i suspect because the cone funnels down it was creating a back pressure down the return line making the pump work harder..
PROBLEM SOLVED..
One other slight issue i found with this tank setup was the air supply tube to the skimmer was very short SEE PHOTO, lucky i had some old tube and was able to extend it. The air pump is also quit noisy however i can live with that.
Aside from that the tank is fantastic, and looks and runs fantastics..
The tank has now been cycling for 5 days now, and i tell you what i'm very impressed with the efficiency. It almost looks to good to be true, i did my first Ammonia and Nitrite test with the following results
Nh4 was between 0 <0.25
NO2 was between 0- 0.25
Im going to re test in a few days as it seems odd the levels are so low so early on into cycle ?
Here are my tank details:
OCEAN FREE 96LT NANO TANK
System Type: Mixed Reef
Display System: Ocean Free Nano 63L
Strike up Date: 1 OCTOBER 2015
Display Tank: 96L 600x400x40cm
Display Lighting: 36.6w (3w x 6 + 1.5w x 4 + 1.5 x 6) LED (14000K + 12000K ) + (0.24w x 15) ACTINIC BLUE
Stand: CUSTOM BUILT timber stand
Hood: No hood
Sump: rear compartment
Support systems:
System Water: Natural salt water
Display Water circulation: 1300l/h return pump and probably a small wireless wave maker
Skimmer: air driven Ocean Free skimmer
Evaporation Top Up: manual RO top up
