# Equipment thoughts for an "elegant" nano?



## LancsRick (22 Dec 2012)

Some of you will have seen that I'm looking to sell off my Fluval Edge (23l) due to the access restrictions that come with the tank structure. That said, it has at least made me appreciate the importance of the tank aesthetics as well as the aquascaping part of things - my Rio 180 and Trigon 190 are anything but subtle in their deisgn (although they're good looking tanks), and I'd quite like to make a truly elegant nano setup.

Criteria I've set myself:

- Circa 30litres - I found my 14l P@H nano really quite small, but equally I don't want a massive tank upstairs since I have real paranoia about tanks of water upstairs!
- Lid is required - Due to the resident furball, I can't have an open top tank
- Custom built stand - I've got plenty of woodworking facilities, so I'll make a custom cabinet from the usual pine framework and MDF cladding
- Primarily Cherry Red habitat
- Transparent colourless pipework


So considering the above, I'm going to put the cabinet to one side for the time being, since I can design and make that myself from raw materials, once I know what the rest of the setup will be.

Money IS an object here, so I'm not going to splash out daft cash on an ADA offering or similar, I honestly don't see the point.

Initial thoughts of a shopping list:

- Fluval Ebi tank
- Acrylic pipework in line with the bending tutorials on UKAPS forums
- External filter

I'm not entirely sure on what external to go for at this end of the scale, all of my filter knowledge is really around bigger tanks than this.The other consideration is that I don't want a heater in the tank, so I'm probably going to need to pick something that I could fit an ETH200 to the pipework.

So, a long opening post, what do people think?


----------



## OllieNZ (22 Dec 2012)

The ebi is quite a nice little tank (I have one), an eheim 2213 will take the heater and will provide good flow without turning it into a whirl pool. If the tank is just for cherries then I would not bother with a heater.


----------



## LancsRick (22 Dec 2012)

My house often gets quite cold (12C), so I prefer to keep heaters in place to ensure that none of the livestock suffers as a result.


----------



## Antipofish (22 Dec 2012)

Is 30L your max or would you consider 60 L ? (Thats only 24" x 12" basically)


----------



## LancsRick (22 Dec 2012)

I'd probably consider that, I'll just try not to think about it too much .


----------



## Palm Tree (23 Dec 2012)

Lol I have a 240l tank upstairs in my room as well as a 80l tank and a 90l tank with 20l of water in it. A 24x12x12 would equate to 54l so 54kg I think, so about 8 and a half stone if filled to the brim. I think your floor will hold it


----------



## Palm Tree (23 Dec 2012)

I should add I know someone with a 6x2x2 ft tank in their room as well.


----------



## jack-rythm (23 Dec 2012)

Palm Tree said:


> Lol I have a 240l tank upstairs in my room as well as a 80l tank and a 90l tank with 20l of water in it. A 24x12x12 would equate to 54l so 54kg I think, so about 8 and a half stone if filled to the brim. I think your floor will hold it


I must point out Mate, the volume of the water maybe 54kg but that's not taking into account the glass tanks and their scape and the cabinet in sits on. I think this absolutely depends on the stability of the house to. I knew someone from a forum that had a similar size tank not fall through the floor but after time caused it to bow as it was positioned near a standard stud wall and not near a partitioning wall. Absolute nightmare! Lol I think it's right to be concerned if there is reasoning   if it's an older house I would go for it, if it's a new house I wouldn't. I'm an architect so have seen how some new dwellings are put together and some brand new builds honestly shock me on build quality. But that's my own opinion, I cannot tell you what is and isn't safe from reading a comment on a forum so don't take this as solid advice ! Ha.   

On the external heater front, am I right in thinking those external hydors are discontinued? The best advice I can give is getting a very small 6" internal... I know it's not what u want but they are very small.. I had a discussion of this on my nano triptych link I think.. Sounds great your doing it all diy. For the record I just bought 3 sets of glass 13mm lily pipes off Ebay from Malaysia or somewhere for 18 quid a complete set, worried they were crap for 3 weeks and when they arrived I trailed them and they are absolutely amazing. Less than half the price of some in the UK..

Looking forward to seeing your acrylic work !  

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Nathaniel Whiteside (23 Dec 2012)

Im with jack, being a joiner and all..
A lot of sensible people tend to take up their carpets in a newer house and nog out the floor to make it more robust to take a constant weight.

Ive had a 240 litre upstairs in an old town house. Looking back, I'm surprised it didn't come through the floor.


----------



## Matt Warner (23 Dec 2012)

When I first got my 125l rio, I was worried about it going through the floor as it is upstairs. It seems I have nothing to worry about! I think 180l would personally be my limit though!


----------



## LancsRick (23 Dec 2012)

Thanks for l the comments guys. I didn't realise that the Hydors are discontinued - if that's the case then I'll look to pick up a second hand one since they're such a neat solution. Partly my concern on volume is the weight, he other part is the amount of water to come through the ceiling if anything happens! 

Any other suggestions on either the tank or the filter choice?


----------



## LancsRick (23 Dec 2012)

My local LFS has offered me an Ebi for £60, plus £30 credit against my Edge if I turn it in, so £30 effectively for an Ebi - think it's a no brainer!

Just need to sort filter, heater and tubing now and this project could be getting off the ground!


----------



## Arana (23 Dec 2012)

Hydors are still available...

http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/hydor-eth-external-heater-200w-16mm-p-5791.html


----------



## jack-rythm (23 Dec 2012)

Arana said:


> Hydors are still available...
> 
> http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/hydor-eth-external-heater-200w-16mm-p-5791.html


If this is the case I apologise for being mis leading Mate.. It seems I was miss led too! Lol

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Palm Tree (23 Dec 2012)

I agree not everyone should have as much water as me upstairs, but whats most important is the placement. My 240l sits right on a external load bearing wall and is across 3 or 4 joists. My point was a 54l tank even with all the equipment should still come in at under 100kg which would be more than safe upstairs in any house.

I have a Fluval flora, though I wish I got the aquanano 40 tank for around £100. With the aquanano all the equipment is hidden is the back unlike the flora. Cost wise if you consider the fact that with the flora you will probably want an external heater and canister filter it ends up being more expensive. Either way the flora is still a very nice tank.


----------



## LancsRick (23 Dec 2012)

Going to go for the Ebi (effectively the same as the Flora), and look to source a ETH200 and Eheim 2213+ second hand. Once I've got those, so I'll be certain of pipe sizes, I'll order the acrylic bits from eBay.

Hopefully this might be my first journal that's actually worth reading!


----------



## Antipofish (23 Dec 2012)

LancsRick said:


> Thanks for l the comments guys. I didn't realise that the Hydors are discontinued - if that's the case then I'll look to pick up a second hand one since they're such a neat solution. Partly my concern on volume is the weight, he other part is the amount of water to come through the ceiling if anything happens!


 
I understand your concern.  The difference between 30L and 60L if it comes through the ceiling is not going to make much difference.  Double that to a Rio 125 or quadruple it to a 4' tank and you are talking a LOT of mess.  But I reckon 60L would not be a worry.


----------



## Mark Evans (23 Dec 2012)

If a tank is placed tight against an upstairs wall, the weight bearing down is minimized.

Place a flat sheet of wood to help distribute 'point' weight.

We all often forget that a bath, full of water is pretty darn heavy. I think in new build houses they add extra ceiling joists to the bathroom area.

Be very careful when putting an aquarium upstairs. A 60L, I wouldn't worry about at all.


----------



## LancsRick (23 Dec 2012)

Nah, I'm not worried for a small one, hence why I'm sticking with smaller ones. The Ebi seems perfect, so I've got my name down on that now. Just the tank and heater to sort!

Also considering the cunning application of transparent silcone to create some floating rocks, a la Avatar...


----------



## OllieNZ (24 Dec 2012)

LancsRick said:


> Going to go for the Ebi (effectively the same as the Flora), and look to source a ETH200 and Eheim 2213+ second hand. Once I've got those, so I'll be certain of pipe sizes, I'll order the acrylic bits from eBay.
> 
> Hopefully this might be my first journal that's actually worth reading!


 
The pipes for the 2213 are 12/16mm id/od


----------

