CBG's first SW tank - Fluval Edge 6G now with 10G sump

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Some of you may have seen this on other forums I am on. I Figured it was about time to put this up as a journal here on CanReef since I am getting some great information from all of you and will definitely be looking for more advice as things progress. Much appreciated! Here it is:

So I decided to pick up a used Fluval Edge tank some time ago with the intent of making a small SW tank as a test run to see if I enjoy marine/reef keeping setups. I have seen some nice examples on the net and figured I would give it a shot so I started researching a bit.. I knew that small water volumes in SW are generally hard to start/keep especially when you are a SW newb like I am so I decided to make a sump and over flow system. After a month or so I found a few examples and came across a really nice set up by a fellow member (Thanks for your input Cale262!) and decided to follow his innovation and maybe work in a couple of my own minor improvements.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20101201 - First thing after doing some research was to go out and find some acrylic sheet in order for me to fabricate my own custom overflow box. Finally located some black acrylic and also got my hands on some black silicon so that the overflow would not be so noticeable when seen from the display side of the tank.

20101205 - After doing lots of measuring I proceeded to make a cardboard mock up of what my over flow box would look like and the dimensions of the box I would need. After doing this I proceeded to cut the inner panel of the Fluval Edge rear tower which normally houses the filtration. Here is a quick pic after doing a couple table saw cuts to the dimensions needed for my custom over flow.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_2985.jpg

20101209 After getting that done I did a quick layout of where on the back of the Edge tank that the overflow box would sit and also constructed the overflow box. This required using some methylene chloride to acrylic weld the parts together. The resulting box was made and then used to dry fit onto the back of the tank. Now knowing the limits of where the box was going to be situated I proceeded to use a 1/4" drill bit to drill holes into the acrylic rim of the Fluval edge and dry fit the overflow box onto the back.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0699.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0700.jpg

Side shot of overflow box - notice the slight jog of about 1/8" on the sides of the overflow box where it goes from glass to the plastic rim... fun cutting that on the table saw....
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0702.jpg

Here it is after applying the silicon. Instead of drawing on the tank with marker I used scotch tape on inside of the tank to mark where the silicon lines were going to be.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0703.jpg

close up of inner edge between Fluval edge and the over flow. 1/4" drilled holes for the overflow and black silicon application between the overflow holes and inside lip of the overflow box.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0704.jpg

20101213 - A quick pic of my sump build. This was made in a 5G tank. Total water volume increase over the display tank would be approximately 4 Gallons. In case of power outage the amount of siphoned water from the display tank would not over flow my sump.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0706.jpg

20101214 - To make sure my acrylic weld would hold I reattached the bulkheads and did a quick test of the sump.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0709.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0710.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20101224 - One of the biggest complaints I have with the Fluval Edge in Calgary (being such a dry city for most of the year) is that water evaporation occurs at a very high rate. So I decided that I needed a solution to prevent such heavy evaporation from this SW tank. The solution I came up with protects my MR16 LED light bulbs from the salt water while also reducing the amount of evaporation that would occur from the tank. This is constructed from acrylic and a chunk of glass cut on a wet tile saw to fit inside the open mouth of the Fluval Edge tank.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0715.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0716.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0717.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0718.jpg

This is attached to the existing arm in the tank and utilizes screws which go into nylon center nuts epoxied into the arm so that I can detach and reattach the lid at will.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0733.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20101224 Here it is after adding salt and live sand. Both salt and live sand caused the water to look extremely cloudy but cleared up quite quickly. In this pic you can also see (sorta) that the glass on my custom cover hovers about 2mm above the water level as it goes into the overflow.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0722.jpg

20101226 - Went out on boxing day and picked up 8 lbs of live rock on sale.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0724.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0725.jpg

Wasnt really sure how to arrange these chunks so I just left them where I dropped them. I am open to suggestions.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0726.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0727.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0728.jpg

20101228 - Another quick look at the overflow box. I had made a small cover in order to reduce the amount of evaporation from the overflow.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0734.jpg

20101228 - set up complete with a "herbie" setup to reduce the noise coming from the overflow box. At this point I still needed to go out and find a 2" hole saw bit so that I could cut out a hole for the skimmer cup to poke out of the sump lid. I still need to get to organizing the wiring. Pump is a Maxijet 900 rated at 230 GPH.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0739.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20110106 - added some critters
Spiny Astrea snail
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3158.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3144.jpg

Blue legged hermit crab - about .5 cm long and bit out of focus due to shooting at an angle through the glass
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3149.jpg

Trochus Snails
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3157.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3175.jpg

Nassarius Snails - Periscope up! - what I usually see of the Nassarius Snails
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3186.jpg

rare view of one of them zooming to a new location
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3181.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3182.jpg

20110107 some sort of macro algae growing
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3153.jpg

and a view of the chiton I found on the rock
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3180.jpg

20110113 - added another 7 lbs of live rock to the sump so I am up to about 15 lbs of LR in water volume of about 9G. Dont know why I bought so much as my sump is totally filled and there is really no room. I ended up breaking up the one big hunk I bought into about 4 smaller chunks so it would fit in the different compartments. Is there such a thing as too much? This pic also shows the installation of the skimmer cup for the Tunze Nano 9002 skimmer through the acrylic lid.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3216.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20110118 - added a peppermint shrimp to start work on the apistasia but have yet to see any noticeable dent in the population and might add another soon.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3192.jpg

20110123 - Found this hairy little crab grazing on the purple stuff on the top of my live rock after turning on the lights. Would estimate his body is about half a cm wide at most.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3212.jpg

20110123 - Bubble Algae?
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3214.jpg

20110124 - Most recent FTS with the change to a black spray bar that is split and shoots some jets down towards the sand and some along the top glass. The small hole I made to break siphon in case of power outage (just below where the green tubing connects to the spray bar) gently agitates the water at the opening making the light shining through shimmer a bit and also doesnt allow the water level to get below the glass top.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3219.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

So now I am at the point where I am starting to think of stocking my 2-3 small fishies... will be picking up a red fire shrimp along with some more snails this evening I think. I would love to find a red mandarin goby that eats anything and wouldnt mind the small quarters but I hear there are quite some challenges with this fish though.

Any other fish suggestions out there?

[Magma]

the red mandarin wont do well in tank IMO they eat pods and there is no way you will have enough pods in there ever for him, sure you can buy live pops for him but that gets expensive.

Even if they are eating frozen food they still eat pods all day long..

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Thanks for the input. Yes I realize the tank is probably too small for a mandarin. Its on my wish list of fish but I know its not practical to put one in the Edge.

[FishyFishy!]

Nice and creative build! Looking forward to seeing what you stock it with.

[cwatkins]

It's hard enough to keep a Mandarin happy in a 90 due to the pod issue. I would cross it off your list.

[fishytime]

I love the way these "Edge" tanks look but they sure are a pain in the butt to work in....very cool that you sumped one out!....heres a couple stocking suggestions.....what about a Yasha/pistol combo??.....or maybe a trimma type goby and some small critters like sexy shrimp and pom-pom crabs?? clown gobies would probably work too:biggrin:

[bignose]

I think small gobies would look good in there. A fire shrimp would look big in a tank that small when full grown.

[pscott99]

Nice neet and clean. Like it. Your rock may be to close to the sides if you want to keep the glass clean depending on what you are using. Too early for fish has your tank cycled yet ?

[Cranky When Wet]

Great job on the build and that sump is terrific!

Must say there's never enough live rock filtration for Fluvals :-) I've been running one for about fourteen months and it's critical to watch and test it like a hawk/mad scientist... and yes, it's best to keep rock away from sides as these tanks are murder to clean (do use gloves each time as 6gals can crash from small amounts of pollutants). Oh yes, try to arrange rock so you can remove your powerhead frequently and easily.

I ended up tossing the original light bulbs when saltcreep killed them so your evap' solution will really help with that! I do use two CurrentUSA LED strips and a daylight lamp to light mine. It's a difficult thing to meter as the light must travel thru glass but my little tank is now thriving and has only had a couple nasty crashes (worst one from poor quality salt at bottom of container).

Temperature control is very tricky with these tanks so keep track of changes carefully... and open lid if your PH becomes too low.

Otherwise my own stock is: couple snails; sand sifter starfish (who can grow out in a larger tank later); couple hermits; couple zoa's; Yellow Aussie Torch; couple mushrooms; Red Aussie Chalice; Gr Aussie Acan; Corkey Finger Gorg'; Blue Ridge coral; and not much else... If I do add a fish, it'll be a small Goby... rather like those little Japanese Yellow Goby's. Anything tiny and peaceful will work just don't get talked into a Catalina Goby as they are cold water only.

Possible good news too re what looks like aiptasia in the photo with snail... it just might be a plain jane, and really harmless, tunicate! If so, you can just let them be and enjoy! (check out tunicates on WetwebMedia.com).

Again, congrats on a great job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like a serious contender should a nano contest come up!!!!!!!!!!!!
:laluot_01:Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:laluot_02:


Bunny >:-)

[phi delt reefer]

yasha or flaming prawn goby paired with a pistol shrimp.


nothing more than that though.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Hope no one minds more pictures?

20110124 - Think I waited long enough and started stocking... Red Fire shrimp - really like the pop of red in the tank!
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3225.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3222.jpg

purple fire fish - couldnt resist this little guy... was all alone at Red Coral last week and was still there when I came by again
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3232.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3239.jpg

peppermint shrimp
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3236.jpg

:lol: pretty excited to have found this little circular shaped guy with the greenish specs in the center moving around the tank. The previous day it was on the glass and couldnt get a good shot. It is roughly 3-4mm across and doesnt seem to have any snail appendages or even a shell but was attached to the glass and looked flat and circular with no color (other than the pinkish body) and now I can see a bit of color on it.. The part touching the glass did look like a snail foot would on the glass. Any ideas as to what it is?
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3238.jpg

20110127 - New arrangement for the LR - brought a chunk out from the sump making a total of 4 large chunks with nice crevices in between them
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3245.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Thanks everyone for your input and compliments! The tank has been cycling since December 26th and didnt have any signs of ammonia or nitrite beyond the first day I put the live rock into the tank. I left the tank sitting for a couple weeks to be sure and then added in some snails and my first peppermint shrimp. A week later I added in the extra LR to the sump and there was no indications of a mini cycle either. I have been testing the water every few days to see if there are any problems.

@Fishytime I like the idea of having a goby pistol pairing as I am pretty sure I have a pistol shrimp that came in on my LR. I have heard the clicking coming from the tank once in a while. Those Yasha gobies are really neat looking and I wouldnt mind a red spotted goby either.

@bignose Yeah the fireshrimp does look pretty big in the tank but I got him for the big pop of color couldnt resist

@pscott99 yeah I wasnt liking the way the rock was resting up against the glass on the sides and rearranged it. Some of the rock is still a bit too close to the sides but should be ok. What do you think of the change as shown in my newest FTS?

@Cranky when wet - Do I need to remove the powerhead for cleaning once in a while? Never utilized one before so I figured I would ask. Temperature seems to be pretty stable through out the day even with the little glass lid covering the opening.
Neat stocking... no fish at all? I did see the catalina goby as a contender for the tank but I guess it wouldnt work out if its cold water.

@phi delt reefer wow that flaming prawn goby is definitely a contender for the next fish in the tank.

I am definitely looking into getting a goby with everyones suggestions as the goby and shrimp pairing is really intriguing me now. Anyone see any problems with me adding 2 more goby fish into the tank with my firefish? My water volume is sitting at just over 10G.

[MPevine11]

what are the dimensions of the sides and back and bottom of the overflow?


amazing tank i love it!!

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20110808 - Its been a very busy number of months for me and unfortunately maintenance on my tanks(especially this one) took a bit of a back seat. Now I have a renewed desire to get back at it since summer is pretty much going to end soon.

After months of removing clumps of the below growths I decided to leave it to grow and see what happens. I still dont know what to do about what this stuff is and still am not really sure what each of the growths is. If anyone can help me identify this stuff and tell me whether its good or bad that would be great. I guess its all bad and I think its about time to try and cure those live rock or replace them unless someone has a better idea.

http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4401.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4402.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4403.jpg

This stuff is growing out of the joint between the elbow and the spray bar and has spread to another chunk of live rock too.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4404.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4405.jpg

I had been fighting bubble algae for the first couple months... this is the only spot left in the tank
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4407.jpg

My fish havent seemed to mind too much.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4408.jpg

Also found this guy in my sump... can anyone identify the snail?
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4409b.jpg

Quite happy with the sump setup, I have very slow evaporation and the skimmer doesnt take out too much liquid each week.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

@MPevine11 sorry for the really late reply... general dimensions of the overflow box is 4.5" Wide x6.5" tall x3.25" deep

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Apparently the pictured stuff is macro algae? dont suppose someone can explain how this is different to chaeto? I assume there is some benefits to growing it out (usually the sump)?

Thx

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20110914
Now with 10 Gallon sump! :) http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4534.jpg

sumped out
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206%20Gallon%20Journal/IMG_4533.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206%20Gallon%20Journal/IMG_4537.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206%20Gallon%20Journal/IMG_4538.jpg

Close up. The plan now is to move the macro algae growths into the sump and start looking into putting in some corals. Time for more research.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4540.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

20110930

Quick update after moving the macro algae to the sump
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4568.jpg

using red and blue LED grow light panel to see how the macro algae will grow
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_4569.jpg

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Now to figure out what corals will survive in this tank. Might take me a while to research and see what might be suitable.

I wouldnt be opposed to a ROAK of corals/frag from someone that would be able to also tell me care instructions etc. for whatever is donated...:lol:

[phi delt reefer]

clown goby
trimma gobies
maybe a harlequin shrimp

you need an emerald crab for that bubble algae. Better take care of that sonner than later.


you cant put much in there cause its such a small tank but it has plenty of potential.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

actually ... I meant corals. Edited my previous post.

I currently have probably a bit too much livestock in here. Live and learn.
1 red Fire Shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
1 purple firefish
1 hi fin banded goby
2 red spotted gobies
2 barnacle blenny
1 blue leg hermit crab
bunch of nassarius, trochus snails and 1 spiny astrea snail
a couple of crabs that were hitch hikers from the LR

The bubble algae was removed and havent seen any more start to grow yet.