Spec V lighting

shinosuke · 11/19/2014, 03:04 PM

Hello everyone!

I recently picked up a brand new Spec V from a pet store for wicked cheap ($50

). The light didn't work quite right but a quick ticket to Fluval's A+ support team scored me a perfect replacement with free shipping. I'm thinking that a few mods could make this an awesome nano reef. I do have some lighting questions though, and hope someone here can help me out.

The stock light is impressive, but I doubt it's enough to support corals. I'd like to keep some of the less demanding soft corals like mushrooms, zoas, and maybe some xenia. Can anyone make some recommendations on what type of supplemental LED lighting would allow me to successfully grow those types of corals in this little 5 gallon tank?

One other thing - how are the nano skimmers these days? I've been out of reefing for about 5 or 6 years and last I heard none of them really worked.

Thanks in advance!

TL1000RSquid · 11/19/2014, 07:27 PM

I was going to get the Current Marine Orbit 18" strip for my SpecV but it got put on hold while I set up a larger tank I was given.

I wouldn't bother with a skimmer on such a small tank just stay on top of the water changes, consider investing in an ATO rather then a skimmer more useful in such a small nano.

Chuckd76 · 11/19/2014, 07:36 PM

I've got a Spec V that I "inherited" way back in May. Currently I've got it stocked with ricordea, discosoma and St Thomas mushrooms, chalice, astreopora, meteor shower cyphastrea, leptoseris, leptastrea, acans, monti cap and digitata, favia, kenya tree, xenia, birds nest and a strawberry shortcake acro.
Also, even though I know now it was a dumb addition, I've got a long tentacle anemone in there, too.
From the first I've had a Current USA Orbit Marine LED that I picked up on sale and have been totally (mostly) pleased. With my job being swing shifts and my house being in the country I love the timer and battery backup for power outtages.
Right now I have the whites turned down to 65% and the blues at 100% and am still having to shade my low light corals.
About three weeks ago I added an Ecoxotic 403nm stunner just to experiment with filling out the spectrum since most of the high end fixtures I've looked at include some sort of LED in the low 400nm range. It conveniently plugs right in and is dimmable/controllable.
So far no complaints but no drastic changes either.
As a bonus the Orbit light fits perfectly length wise with the legs in the notch on the lid.
Lastly, the only skimmer I've tried on the tank is the Reef Octopus NS-80. It pulled nice dark skimmate but is pretty large and ridiculous looking in such a small tank. Also, mine never stopped spitting out microbubbles.

shinosuke · 11/20/2014, 08:41 AM

Thank you both, this is just the kind of info I was looking for. These aren't the first good reviews I've heard about the marine orbit LED lines, so I'll most likely go that route. Chuckd, I'd really like to see pics of your setup with just this marine light on!

That octopus skimmer does look pretty crazy sticking out the back of the tiny tanks I saw on google, and this tank will be on prominent display in a window between my kitchen and living room, so I'll skip on that. Any recommendations for an ATO on a tiny tank like this?

Here are the rest of my plans for this tank, in case anyone has any feedback. I am going to cover up all the extra holes in the filter wall to direct flow better. I'm also going to cover up the bottom part of the overflow so the water level will sit higher, and to increase the effectiveness of the overflow itself. I also want to cut out the bottom part of the filter material and add a minijet 404 in its place, and pump that into a new hole I'll cut on that side to give the tank more flow. I'm considering covering up the hole in the lid with plastic wrap or something similar, too, to reduce evaporation.

Oh, and I'm looking at getting a cobalt heater to throw in the return chamber in the back. Any comments on this heater? http://shop.mediabaskets.com/Cobalt-...ay-CA31002.htm

TL1000RSquid · 11/20/2014, 10:33 AM

I have a 150w colbolt heater so far no complaints, also have the intank mediabasket for the specV they sell on the page too.

Chuckd76 · 11/20/2014, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinosuke

Thank you both, this is just the kind of info I was looking for. These aren't the first good reviews I've heard about the marine orbit LED lines, so I'll most likely go that route. Chuckd, I'd really like to see pics of your setup with just this marine light on!

That octopus skimmer does look pretty crazy sticking out the back of the tiny tanks I saw on google, and this tank will be on prominent display in a window between my kitchen and living room, so I'll skip on that. Any recommendations for an ATO on a tiny tank like this?

Here are the rest of my plans for this tank, in case anyone has any feedback. I am going to cover up all the extra holes in the filter wall to direct flow better. I'm also going to cover up the bottom part of the overflow so the water level will sit higher, and to increase the effectiveness of the overflow itself. I also want to cut out the bottom part of the filter material and add a minijet 404 in its place, and pump that into a new hole I'll cut on that side to give the tank more flow. I'm considering covering up the hole in the lid with plastic wrap or something similar, too, to reduce evaporation.

Oh, and I'm looking at getting a cobalt heater to throw in the return chamber in the back. Any comments on this heater? http://shop.mediabaskets.com/Cobalt-...ay-CA31002.htm

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...&1416524947771

As I described it I was thinking how awesome the tank sounds but in reality it's full of $5 frags, hair algae and whatever else I could get at a discount from my LFS.

No experience with the Cobalt heater, I just use a small Tetra in the pump chamber.
For my return I picked up a MiniJet 606 (InTank has them and there is a writeup on how to get it to fit floating around the nets too) and a Spinstream flow defector. It's a PITA to get both the pump and the Spinstream hooked up but once they're in you're pretty much set. I've read how some people have added second pumps for increased flow but I didn't bother cause I'm a K.I.S.S. kinda guy.
For my media (floss, carbon, Purigen and a teeny bit of GFO) I have the InTank media basket with the surface skimmer but found that to get the water to flow I had to cut off most of the skimmer (it has lines on it and I just cut at an angle down and then across).
I also siliconed the lower slit in the intake closed.
The evaporation rate is pretty low with the lid in place and a small line on the outside of my tank lets me know how much top-off to add.
Sorry if this rambles, I'm new to SW and getting pretty old.

Chuckd76 · 11/20/2014, 05:36 PM

Also just an fyi, the picture isn't corrected for color or anything, it's all iPhone blue.
And for everyone with more expertise than me, please be kind on the terribly bleached astreopora. It's one of my Holy Grail corals (because of the paguritta crabs in it) and came like that from the LFS for $25.
Unfortunately, I have no excuse for the birdsnest just left of dead center though.

shinosuke · 11/21/2014, 03:29 PM

Thanks for the in-depth info!! I hadn't heard of those spinstream flow deflectors before, that thing looks awesome.

I'm seriously considering one of those media baskets you both have, they look nice and everyone seems to have one. But for $30? Not sure it's worth it.

Chuckd76 · 11/21/2014, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shinosuke

I'm seriously considering one of those media baskets you both have, they look nice and everyone seems to have one. But for $30? Not sure it's worth it.

I can understand. The price is kinda $$$ but 1) It works pretty good and 2) I 'm the type that will DIY to save money and spend three times as much as the pre-built.

With a little patience you can get essentially the same thing with eggcrate from the lighting section of the big orange hardware store or find some acrylic and make one up yourself.

Or try this: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3wbWRD9eVUk

shinosuke · 12/05/2014, 05:55 PM

I've had my tank set up for about a week now. It's heated by a cobalt 50w heater, which was too big to easily fit in the back so I usually have it suctioned to the overflow wall. It's a similar color and is very slim so it doesn't look bad, at least IMHO. I also drilled a new return on the bottom right of the overflow wall and hooked a hydor nano centrifugal pump rated @ 160 GPH to it. It doesn't seem to do MUCH, but it does at least keep water moving on the bottom of the tank. The final thing I did was create an eggcrate media basket, not much to that. The only stuff in the tank is a 1/2 inch or so of CaribSea "bimini pink live sand", 2-3 lbs of LR rubble, 1 tiny cerith snail, a couple nass snails, and a pair of tiny blue legged hermit crabs.

I ordered a tunze nano ATO, inTank overflow skimmer (I'm surprised at how simple & flimsy this thing is), and a marine orbit LED system which all came in today. Looks like I'm going to have plenty of stuff to play with over the weekend!

I have another question, and hope someone here can help me out. As I was beginning to mess with stuff I noticed that the nozzle on the return line doesn't really fit into the hole cut for it on the wall of the overflow area. There is a LOT of water that leaks in there! I've given the nozzle as much a$$ as I'm comfortable giving it before I think it'll break the tank trying to fit it in that hole. Any trick to fitting that guy in there?

What does everyone love? Pics! So, here are some pics. The first is water leaking in through that hole so you can tell what I'm talking about, the other is the 2nd return I drilled into the bottom of the tank. Watch out for water spots.

Devi · 12/07/2014, 09:40 PM

I have this same tank. Intank media basket (perfect for this tank comes with surface skimmer which works EXACTLY as advertised), marineland 606 pump (modified), Hydor koralias Nano, Theo 50watt, and one full spectrum 38 par with 90 degree optics. I silicone shut the hole in the bottom to allow more flow. The tunze ato looked ugly and ruined the whole look of the tank so I sold it to a friend. Water top off was from then on carried on with a lizard waterer with a length of silicone knotted to precisely drip exactly one cup a day which is what I lost, I measured it over the course of a month to come to this. I didn't have any issues with the return nozzle. I did not get a skimmer because again all of them were to big and ruined the looks of the tank. I was going for completely clean. I used live sand and about 2 pounds live rock and 5 dry. I do one gallon water changes every other day unless I leave town. First chamber is floss, which catches the gunk the surface skimmer pulls off the top, and purigen and chemi pure in the next chamber, the live rock rubble on the bottom. Troubles I had was temp, I finally got it down to an art, but at first there were fluctuations. ATO at first was a challenge, but once I employed my litte ATO system it's been a non-issue. I can even leave for a few days without worry. The back chambers design leaves a dead spot that is a nitrate factory. I got some cheato and some sponges (pineapple looking kind) from a buddy and shoved them in there and use a book light led to shine on to it from outside. After a week nitrates dropped to zero.

It was my first tank and a learning experience for sure. It is now my coral QT.

shinosuke · 12/07/2014, 10:24 PM

Thanks for the info! Do you have any pictures of your tank?

I'd like to pick your brain on the issues you mentioned. What problems did you have with the temp? I thought the Theo 50 watt would be more than enough to keep this sized tank warm, and want to stay ahead of the game for any issues. What do you use to do your water changes? What's a "lizard waterer"? And where is the "nitrate factory" located in your tank? I'm hoping that the addition of my 2nd return will clear up any dead zones.

Looks like my picture links didn't work, I'll try hosting them somewhere else. This return nozzle thing is really irritating me!

Devi · 12/07/2014, 10:56 PM

Heck yeah I have photos. I need to upload them to my profile anyway. I'll do that first thing when I get home from work. The dead zone is below the media basket. They, so hard to explain and show, they um, build like a shelf that has a mm space so water is in there and of course my marineland is sitting on the bottom of that other chamber, so water is moving but incredibly slow. Fish poop, and debris were getting trapped in there and I would have to siphon it out, but the siphon won't go all the way down. I got some of that chaeto and shoved it in there. I didn't think it would work, but now the sponges and chaeto are thick in there and my nitrates are finally 0.

The lizard waterer is this thing, Big Dripper kind of like a kalk dripper, well exactly like that. It's utter crap too. No amount of tinkering would get the drips right, so I began measuring EXACTLY how much water I was adding each day on a pad of paper. Then I tied knots into a length of airline tubing until I got that amount. Success!

At first I used a 25 watt heater but it could not keep the tank warm enough in a home with AC, so I upgraded to the 50watt then it was too warm, then I would turn it down and it would be too cold, mostly at night. I found a sweet spot on the heater that keeps it right around 80, but I get a degree here and there difference. It took a lot of tinkering.

Water changes are a breeze. I have a five gallon painters bucket of heated salt water running full time with a pump. So almost like having two tanks. I always make sure my bucket has water to go. Since I am doing every other day water changes this was the most logical way to do it. I just blast my corals and rocks with a baster then use a measuring cut to take water out. Then I get new water from bucket. I use a 2 liter bucket to easily remove and add water. I use a razor blade on salt etch. The lid is crap, but I use it anyway. Going topless was allowing for more evaporation than I could handle.

Knowing what I know now I would never recommend someone like me, an utter noob, to go so small. It was and is a great tank for more advanced aquatics hobbyists. So I have since upgraded to a larger Nano and use this tank as a coral QT. It's bare bottom with a shaded area for sun corals, two layers for other corals, and I left the chaeto in the back with the rubble and sponges. It's a great QT! Hahahaha!

I blame Tr1gger. I saw his photo by accident on a google search on goldfish of all things, I fell in love with his Spec V and tried to copy it. Well, ha, no such luck, but I got the bug and I plan to keep on reefing!

I'll get those photos up for you, I have some older ones in my profile.

11/19/2014, 03:04 PM	#1
shinosuke Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 337	Spec V lighting Hello everyone! I recently picked up a brand new Spec V from a pet store for wicked cheap ($50 ). The light didn't work quite right but a quick ticket to Fluval's A+ support team scored me a perfect replacement with free shipping. I'm thinking that a few mods could make this an awesome nano reef. I do have some lighting questions though, and hope someone here can help me out. The stock light is impressive, but I doubt it's enough to support corals. I'd like to keep some of the less demanding soft corals like mushrooms, zoas, and maybe some xenia. Can anyone make some recommendations on what type of supplemental LED lighting would allow me to successfully grow those types of corals in this little 5 gallon tank? One other thing - how are the nano skimmers these days? I've been out of reefing for about 5 or 6 years and last I heard none of them really worked. Thanks in advance! __________________ Boundless joy and lots of hard work, because you can not have one without the other. Current Tank Info: Nanoreef Spec V http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2462509

11/20/2014, 08:41 AM	#4
shinosuke Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 337	Thank you both, this is just the kind of info I was looking for. These aren't the first good reviews I've heard about the marine orbit LED lines, so I'll most likely go that route. Chuckd, I'd really like to see pics of your setup with just this marine light on! That octopus skimmer does look pretty crazy sticking out the back of the tiny tanks I saw on google, and this tank will be on prominent display in a window between my kitchen and living room, so I'll skip on that. Any recommendations for an ATO on a tiny tank like this? Here are the rest of my plans for this tank, in case anyone has any feedback. I am going to cover up all the extra holes in the filter wall to direct flow better. I'm also going to cover up the bottom part of the overflow so the water level will sit higher, and to increase the effectiveness of the overflow itself. I also want to cut out the bottom part of the filter material and add a minijet 404 in its place, and pump that into a new hole I'll cut on that side to give the tank more flow. I'm considering covering up the hole in the lid with plastic wrap or something similar, too, to reduce evaporation. Oh, and I'm looking at getting a cobalt heater to throw in the return chamber in the back. Any comments on this heater? http://shop.mediabaskets.com/Cobalt-...ay-CA31002.htm __________________ Boundless joy and lots of hard work, because you can not have one without the other. Current Tank Info: Nanoreef Spec V http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2462509

11/21/2014, 03:29 PM	#8
shinosuke Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 337	Thanks for the in-depth info!! I hadn't heard of those spinstream flow deflectors before, that thing looks awesome. I'm seriously considering one of those media baskets you both have, they look nice and everyone seems to have one. But for $30? Not sure it's worth it. __________________ Boundless joy and lots of hard work, because you can not have one without the other. Current Tank Info: Nanoreef Spec V http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2462509

12/05/2014, 05:55 PM	#10
shinosuke Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 337	I've had my tank set up for about a week now. It's heated by a cobalt 50w heater, which was too big to easily fit in the back so I usually have it suctioned to the overflow wall. It's a similar color and is very slim so it doesn't look bad, at least IMHO. I also drilled a new return on the bottom right of the overflow wall and hooked a hydor nano centrifugal pump rated @ 160 GPH to it. It doesn't seem to do MUCH, but it does at least keep water moving on the bottom of the tank. The final thing I did was create an eggcrate media basket, not much to that. The only stuff in the tank is a 1/2 inch or so of CaribSea "bimini pink live sand", 2-3 lbs of LR rubble, 1 tiny cerith snail, a couple nass snails, and a pair of tiny blue legged hermit crabs. I ordered a tunze nano ATO, inTank overflow skimmer (I'm surprised at how simple & flimsy this thing is), and a marine orbit LED system which all came in today. Looks like I'm going to have plenty of stuff to play with over the weekend! I have another question, and hope someone here can help me out. As I was beginning to mess with stuff I noticed that the nozzle on the return line doesn't really fit into the hole cut for it on the wall of the overflow area. There is a LOT of water that leaks in there! I've given the nozzle as much a$$ as I'm comfortable giving it before I think it'll break the tank trying to fit it in that hole. Any trick to fitting that guy in there? What does everyone love? Pics! So, here are some pics. The first is water leaking in through that hole so you can tell what I'm talking about, the other is the 2nd return I drilled into the bottom of the tank. Watch out for water spots. __________________ Boundless joy and lots of hard work, because you can not have one without the other. Current Tank Info: Nanoreef Spec V http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2462509

12/07/2014, 10:24 PM	#12
shinosuke Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 337	Thanks for the info! Do you have any pictures of your tank? I'd like to pick your brain on the issues you mentioned. What problems did you have with the temp? I thought the Theo 50 watt would be more than enough to keep this sized tank warm, and want to stay ahead of the game for any issues. What do you use to do your water changes? What's a "lizard waterer"? And where is the "nitrate factory" located in your tank? I'm hoping that the addition of my 2nd return will clear up any dead zones. Looks like my picture links didn't work, I'll try hosting them somewhere else. This return nozzle thing is really irritating me! __________________ Boundless joy and lots of hard work, because you can not have one without the other. Current Tank Info: Nanoreef Spec V http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2462509

11/19/2014, 07:27 PM	#2
TL1000RSquid Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NY Posts: 423	I was going to get the Current Marine Orbit 18" strip for my SpecV but it got put on hold while I set up a larger tank I was given. I wouldn't bother with a skimmer on such a small tank just stay on top of the water changes, consider investing in an ATO rather then a skimmer more useful in such a small nano.

11/19/2014, 07:36 PM	#3
Chuckd76 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 166	I've got a Spec V that I "inherited" way back in May. Currently I've got it stocked with ricordea, discosoma and St Thomas mushrooms, chalice, astreopora, meteor shower cyphastrea, leptoseris, leptastrea, acans, monti cap and digitata, favia, kenya tree, xenia, birds nest and a strawberry shortcake acro. Also, even though I know now it was a dumb addition, I've got a long tentacle anemone in there, too. From the first I've had a Current USA Orbit Marine LED that I picked up on sale and have been totally (mostly) pleased. With my job being swing shifts and my house being in the country I love the timer and battery backup for power outtages. Right now I have the whites turned down to 65% and the blues at 100% and am still having to shade my low light corals. About three weeks ago I added an Ecoxotic 403nm stunner just to experiment with filling out the spectrum since most of the high end fixtures I've looked at include some sort of LED in the low 400nm range. It conveniently plugs right in and is dimmable/controllable. So far no complaints but no drastic changes either. As a bonus the Orbit light fits perfectly length wise with the legs in the notch on the lid. Lastly, the only skimmer I've tried on the tank is the Reef Octopus NS-80. It pulled nice dark skimmate but is pretty large and ridiculous looking in such a small tank. Also, mine never stopped spitting out microbubbles.

11/20/2014, 10:33 AM	#5
TL1000RSquid Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NY Posts: 423	I have a 150w colbolt heater so far no complaints, also have the intank mediabasket for the specV they sell on the page too.

11/20/2014, 05:36 PM	#7
Chuckd76 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 166	Also just an fyi, the picture isn't corrected for color or anything, it's all iPhone blue. And for everyone with more expertise than me, please be kind on the terribly bleached astreopora. It's one of my Holy Grail corals (because of the paguritta crabs in it) and came like that from the LFS for $25. Unfortunately, I have no excuse for the birdsnest just left of dead center though.

12/07/2014, 09:40 PM	#11
Devi Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 114	I have this same tank. Intank media basket (perfect for this tank comes with surface skimmer which works EXACTLY as advertised), marineland 606 pump (modified), Hydor koralias Nano, Theo 50watt, and one full spectrum 38 par with 90 degree optics. I silicone shut the hole in the bottom to allow more flow. The tunze ato looked ugly and ruined the whole look of the tank so I sold it to a friend. Water top off was from then on carried on with a lizard waterer with a length of silicone knotted to precisely drip exactly one cup a day which is what I lost, I measured it over the course of a month to come to this. I didn't have any issues with the return nozzle. I did not get a skimmer because again all of them were to big and ruined the looks of the tank. I was going for completely clean. I used live sand and about 2 pounds live rock and 5 dry. I do one gallon water changes every other day unless I leave town. First chamber is floss, which catches the gunk the surface skimmer pulls off the top, and purigen and chemi pure in the next chamber, the live rock rubble on the bottom. Troubles I had was temp, I finally got it down to an art, but at first there were fluctuations. ATO at first was a challenge, but once I employed my litte ATO system it's been a non-issue. I can even leave for a few days without worry. The back chambers design leaves a dead spot that is a nitrate factory. I got some cheato and some sponges (pineapple looking kind) from a buddy and shoved them in there and use a book light led to shine on to it from outside. After a week nitrates dropped to zero. It was my first tank and a learning experience for sure. It is now my coral QT.

12/07/2014, 10:56 PM	#13
Devi Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 114	Heck yeah I have photos. I need to upload them to my profile anyway. I'll do that first thing when I get home from work. The dead zone is below the media basket. They, so hard to explain and show, they um, build like a shelf that has a mm space so water is in there and of course my marineland is sitting on the bottom of that other chamber, so water is moving but incredibly slow. Fish poop, and debris were getting trapped in there and I would have to siphon it out, but the siphon won't go all the way down. I got some of that chaeto and shoved it in there. I didn't think it would work, but now the sponges and chaeto are thick in there and my nitrates are finally 0. The lizard waterer is this thing, Big Dripper kind of like a kalk dripper, well exactly like that. It's utter crap too. No amount of tinkering would get the drips right, so I began measuring EXACTLY how much water I was adding each day on a pad of paper. Then I tied knots into a length of airline tubing until I got that amount. Success! At first I used a 25 watt heater but it could not keep the tank warm enough in a home with AC, so I upgraded to the 50watt then it was too warm, then I would turn it down and it would be too cold, mostly at night. I found a sweet spot on the heater that keeps it right around 80, but I get a degree here and there difference. It took a lot of tinkering. Water changes are a breeze. I have a five gallon painters bucket of heated salt water running full time with a pump. So almost like having two tanks. I always make sure my bucket has water to go. Since I am doing every other day water changes this was the most logical way to do it. I just blast my corals and rocks with a baster then use a measuring cut to take water out. Then I get new water from bucket. I use a 2 liter bucket to easily remove and add water. I use a razor blade on salt etch. The lid is crap, but I use it anyway. Going topless was allowing for more evaporation than I could handle. Knowing what I know now I would never recommend someone like me, an utter noob, to go so small. It was and is a great tank for more advanced aquatics hobbyists. So I have since upgraded to a larger Nano and use this tank as a coral QT. It's bare bottom with a shaded area for sun corals, two layers for other corals, and I left the chaeto in the back with the rubble and sponges. It's a great QT! Hahahaha! I blame Tr1gger. I saw his photo by accident on a google search on goldfish of all things, I fell in love with his Spec V and tried to copy it. Well, ha, no such luck, but I got the bug and I plan to keep on reefing! I'll get those photos up for you, I have some older ones in my profile.