Truvu Nano Cube

[Samw]

I'm setting up a desktop nano cube for my office. Here it is so far. I plan to replace the existing Actinic bulb with another 10000K bulb.

http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7926_std.jpg

http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7934_std.jpg

http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7932_std.jpg

Tank: TruVu 3.5G

Lighting: 18W Coralife Mini Aqualights 10000K + Actinic

Filtration: Aquaclear 20 (Mini)

Aeration: Rena Air pump w/ airstone

Temperature Monitor: Coralife Digital Thermometer

Inverts:
3 Sexy shrimps
Pistol shrimp
Porcelain crab
5 Ringged cowries
3 Red Band Trochus snails
2 Cerith snails
Bumble Bee snail
Electric Blue Hermit crab
2 Scarlet Hermit crabs
Feather Duster
Christmas Tree rock
Cluster Duster rock
Frogspawn
Xenia
Green Clove Polyps
Montipora Digitata
Zoanthids
Green Trumpet coral

Future Plans:
Swap out Actinic bulb and replace with 10000K
Add 3/4W Moonlight
Add Purple Sea Plume
Clownfish will be moved once it outgrows the tank or when nitrates are detected.
Add Penn Plax battery backed-up air pump

[OCDP]

Wow! that's quite the nano you have... looks REALLY nice.

Inspires me to setup a tiny nano like that.

Good job.

[christyf5]

Terrific tank Sam!! :cool:

Where did you get the tank from??

Christy :)

[Samw]

Thanks guys. Hey Christy, the tank is from King Ed. I bought the tank last year but didn't do anything with it until now. The tank price has dropped $10-$20 since I bought mine. I think they don't sell well because it isn't a complete system like the Eclipse 6. However, I find this tank much nicer looking than the Eclipse 6 which I also have. I'll post another pic later with more ambient light.

[Bob I]

Out of curiosity do you feed the inverts with anything :question:

[Samw]

Bob, I feed the tank cyclopeeze, mysis shrimp, frozen rotifers, Liquidlife Bioplankton, and Liquidlife Marineplankton. When I get more Liquidlife Coralplankton, I'll use that too. I feed accordingly so as to not pollute the tank. I'll be testing ammonia and nitrate regularly to check on bioload. Personally, I think they'll all be 0.

[muck]

Looking really sweet there Sam!!

[Samw]

Thanks Muck.

Here are a few more shots:

Day Shot

http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7943_std.jpg

Pistol Shrimp beside a Ringed Cowry. Shrimp is tiny.

http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7919_crop_std.jpg

Eviota pellucida goby

http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7937_crop_std.jpg

[aquariumgirl]

wow, really like your nano, awesome job!

[Veng68]

Hey Sam,

Do they still sell those tanks at King Ed? Also, if you don't mind me asking..... how much are they?

Cheers,
Vic [veng68]

[OCDP]

ooh, neat Goby

where'd ya get him? what are they like?

[Samw]

Thanks Aquariumgirl. Hi Veng68, the last time I was at King Ed's last week, they still had a few of these tanks. I don't think they were interested to bring any more in because they aren't selling. I paid about $60 and they are now about $20 less than what I paid for it.

And OCDP, the Trimma goby was from Ocean Aquatics. It is eating. I haven't gotten the Clown goby to eat yet though. My concern with the small goby is that the Aquaclear might suck it up.

Oh hey, look back at the Pistol shrimp pic up there. You can see a frozen mysis shrimp in front of the cowry. The Pistol shrimp is the same size as the piece of frozen mysis shrimp. haha. The Pistol has molted once already.

EDIT: Oops. I just ID'ed the goby. It isn't a Trimma. Its actually Eviota pellucida. However, OA did have Trimma striata as well which I didn't get.

http://www.korallenriff.de/zwerge2003.html

[Samw]

Here's an example of another TruVu 3.5 tank. This one is pretty nice and well stocked.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=47484&perpage=20&highlight=eclipse&pagenumber=1

[Samw]

Replaced the useless 9W Actinic bulb with a 9W 10000K bulb to add more PAR to the tank. Added a 3/4 W Moonlight as an Actinic replacement. Works well. The moonlight does make the Blue Sponge look bluer.

Everything is doing well. Feather duster dropped its crown but a new one is growing. Currently, the clown goby only eats live baby brine shrimp. I'm hoping to wean it to freeze dried cyclopeeze. Looking to add a Yellow Leather frag in there next.

Moonlight Only:
http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7983_std.jpg

18W 10000K plus 3/4W Moonlight:
http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7985_std.jpg

Under the hood:
http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_7979_std.jpg

[Fish]

Your tank looks great - nice job!
What are the dimensions?

- Chad

[Samw]

Thanks Chad.

The tank with lid and stand is 10x8.5x17.5 (LxWxH)

The tank itself is 9x8x11

http://www.innovativelights.com/tru-35c.html

These guys have customized them with built-in filters as well

http://www.innovativelights.com/tru-nano.html

Livestock are still doing well. Yellow clown goby still only eats BBS and spits back out flake and cyclopeeze. Haven't done any water changes yet.

[Samw]

Looks like CPR makes a 6G cube now. Quote pricey though.

http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotuners/product_info.php?products_id=172

[Fish]

Sam,
Good find - that is a sweet looking tank!
And yes... quite pricey...

- Chad

[Samw]

Update:

Tank: TruVu 3.5G

Lighting: 18W Coralife Mini Aqualights 10000K + 6700K

Filtration: AquaC Remora w/ Minijet 404 pump (Added Dec 17, 2005)

Backup Aerator: Penn Plax battery backed-up air pump

Temperature Monitor: Coralife Digital Thermometer

Daytime/Nighttime Oxygen Saturation: 90%

Nitrite: 0


Inverts/Corals:
3 Sexy shrimps
Pistol shrimp
Porcelain crab
4 Ringged cowries
2 Cerith snails
7 Bumble Bee snail
Electric Blue Hermit crab
2 Scarlet Hermit crabs
Feather Duster
Christmas Tree rock
Cluster Duster rock
Frogspawn
Xenia
Green Clove Polyps

Fish: Several various gobies, Clownfish

Added:
Purple Gorgonian
Pink Featherdusters
Blue sponge
3 Boxer crabs
1 Emerald crab

Still Coming:
Yellow Fiji Leather
Ricordia
Alveopora

http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/Nano/img_8150_std.jpg

[deacon hemp]

WOW 3 fish in a 3.5 your really pushing the limits with that tank.Looks nice though.

[Samw]

WOW 3 fish in a 3.5 your really pushing the limits with that tank.Looks nice though.

I'm not saying how many fish I have. But interestingly, they don't put out much of a load. Nitrite is 0. Oxygen is at 90% throughout day time and night time.

[deacon hemp]

HOLY more than 3! LOL I dont think its that bad because clown gobys,trimma's,and other similar sized fish dont really produce much of a bioload.....But you are pushing the nano limits on this little guy,pretty impressive acually.

[nanoreefer]

nice tank man!

dos kinged or any other store still have one of thsese?

[Funky_Fish14]

Hes skimming with a remora on a tank that small, however, LOL so it makes sense that he can have several fish on it.

This is looking awesome Sam!

Chris

[Samw]

Hes skimming with a remora on a tank that small, however, LOL so it makes sense that he can have several fish on it.

This is looking awesome Sam!

Chris

Haha. Yeah. Actually, I installed the Remora on about Dec 15th. The fishes had all been doing well previous to that though (with the exception of 1 yellow clown goby which wouldn't take prepared foods after a month of trying to wean it off baby brine shrimp). However, I wanted to add more water volume and remove my air pump. The Remora w/ smaller pump was the perfect answer. The corals have been much happier since.

Nanoreefer, I don't know if these tanks are still available at King Ed. I know they had a very hard time moving (selling) these tanks so I don't think they will be reordering them.

[nanoreefer]

hey samW do you still have this tank setup? i found one almost the same made out of glass(its 8X8X12H) and iam seting it up right now:biggrin: , was wondering if you ever had problems with all the fish you had in it and just how many you realy had?(i counted 4 when the pics were up)

[Samw]

The tank's not doing too bad considering I've been neglecting it (No water changes in a few months) The mini-jet didn't work out with the skimmer so I've taken the skimmer out and put the aquaclear back on. The boxing crabs, porcelain crab, hermit crabs, sexy shrimps, fireshrimp, pistol shrimp, cowries, and various snails are all still there. Still have gobies and a clownfish in there. I did move out 1 of the Eviota gobies to my main tank though. I haven't been turning on the lights because of the heat problem so I kept only a few corals. The original plan was to take the tank to the office but I never did. I'm considering taking down the tank now as I don't want to spend any more time on it.