[jdepp]

tell you how i turned my maxijet 1200 into an external pump for my nano reef(2.5g) there are a couple pics of the tank in the photo area of the site. i simply connected a piece of 5/8 id tubing to the intake on the pump. useing the attachments provided with the pump i added the vented or mesh peice to the end of the tube that i have going to the tank that way snails and whatever else does'nt get sucked into the pump,i then used tubing going into my refuge to make the arch over the wall of the refuge i connected 1/2 inch pvc in the shape of an upside down U and let the water pump up and over as my refuge outlet is higher then the tank. the water then just flows back to the tank via gravity through a 1 1/2 inch pvc bulkhead w/elbow attached. though you may be thinking that this project does'nt really do much and in some systems it is extra work to build for no reason but in my system where it is only two and a half gallons there is not much room for a pump in the tank and being that the tank is small the ref is small also so putting it in there would also take away valuable space from live rock and sand as well as be problematic with macro getting stuck in it.also not to many people can run a maxijet 1200 in 2.5g's of water without having a sand storm and tople rocks over but since the water has farther to go it is slowed down a bit and the rest being pushed through such a big out in the 1 1/2in. pvc that it is a strong WIDE flow not just a sharpstream that corals would be injured by.one of the most important things in a tank this small is heat. the pump being out of the tank dispurses most of the heat into the cool air its in rather then in the tank h2o and as many of you know lights generate enough heat to keep you on ur toes especially in nano tanks. so really this project is ideal for nano tanks but i'm sure there may be people out there that dont want the power head sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of the tank as apposed to just the hose or if no sump 2 hoses. anyway i know that this isnt the most glamorius diy projet out there but it is something for people to read and give them something to think about. i mean lets be honest how many of us come on here to read and learn about the hobby that we love and wind up buying and selling stuff instead of information. really i've seen the same diy 2 posts on here for a week now with no input on them and no new additions, surely we havent run out of things to create? i've always known reefers to be up for challenges that most people say were crazy for ie: 150w mh over 2.5g tank. i was told i could'nt be done so for the past year my clam and corals have loved it and in one year of trial and error and error and error i still don't give up. and neither have many of you so even if you diy and it works mabey some timely updates on the equipment would be nice to read after a while. i know some of you have built skimmers and i read about it when it is being built and then you read "well the skimmer is done and it works great taking out scum" how about 2 months from the time you built it does it still work great? i like to read info and remember it and i always seem to find myself wondering if someones project held up or if it is something i think i could do. how bout you?

[House of Laughter]

Kewl on the maxijet - haven't seen that one before.

Will update you on the alk.calcium I re-porsted from RC.

House

[jdepp]

thats a good start lets keep em coming