Deja vu - Wazzel's 60 cube build

[Anonymous]

Well here it goes again. I am doing another SPS only 60 Cube. It have been a few years since I had a tank and eight or so since the first 60 cube. Going to be looking for new tech and simple methods.

So for starters the tank. A marineland reef ready rimless 60 cube (24" x 24" x 24" just incase) with the marine land stand. I like to wood work, but the black stand will work and for time issues I decided to skip the wood work this time. It is on order and should be here this week at the LFS.

Every thing else is up in the air.

I think I am going to try LED for the light. The AI Hydra 52 on the tank mount looks sexy on the rimless tank in the picture so that is where I am leaning and Matt recommended the brand.

Return pump propably a PanWorld 40PX

Skimmer I am thinking Octopus NW150

In tank circulation I am thinking either 2 Ecotec Vortec 10's or 2 tunze nano stream 6055's

Top off one of the Smart top off by coral vue. It is optical and a dosing pump.

The sump will probably be a standard 20, but need to see how that will work in the stand.

And one of the JBJ digital heaters.

 

[Anonymous]

Reef Builders liked that Hydra 52 in their reviews -I love my LEDs, there werent many prebuilts at the time and I went with RapidLED's kits - they now make their own units, which I may switch to soon, but thats another story and reasoning there.
Even if its just pure aesthetics, I went with the dimmable route, I like the slow sunrise/noon day/sunset effect.

I have the Reef Octopus NWB-150 and it cranks - took almost no time getting it dialed in at all and is just a pure dynamo

a pair of MP-10s on synch'd Reef Crest mode should be pretty good- I went with a single MP-40 running full blast on my 65 gallon, and my SPS seem to be liking it well enough
my sump is an E-Shopps RS-200, but thats too long for your stand, FWIW, it wasnt too bad price wise, and is well built - return pump is a MAG 7 iirc...

also- my Controller is a ReefAngel - I kinda liked the open source programming side to it, and its very well built.
Top off is done via Blueline AT-1 and an Aqualifter pump

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info JP. Not sure if I am going to do a controler. The AI lighting system has a controler unit I can get and the Ecotecs or Tunze's are controlable. Maybe later if I want to monitor stuff.

Checked out the sumps, I think a standard 20 with a baffle or two should be fine. I will have to run it front to back and it will probably peak out an inch or so in the back. Not a big deal since I have to leave some room for the light bracket and the dry side of the Ecotec, if I go that route.

 

[Anonymous]

oh and btw, I had ordered my live rock from the Drs website(formerly known as FFExpress way way back in the day) and wasnt too pleased with it - not sure if I just got the bottom dregs, or if it was becoming the standard(as you can read on my tank thread, it was all base rock, and some crappy base rock at that).

That said, in addition to some rubble to seed my tank properly, I got a couple pieces of "Real Reef Rock" from my LFS and kinda wished I had gone that route to begin with...granted it didnt have any hitchhikers or critters(neither did my "Premium Fiji" from Drs Smith.com for that matter) I like its shapes, and simulated coloring/coraline coating ( it was mostly coloring, but it did have some coraline algae to seed with) - it looked much like the live rock I was familiar with when I first got into the hobby...although Chris will tell you he hates the stuff I think...

 

[Anonymous]

Was not sure where I was going to get my rock yet. I will go bare bottom again. I do not want the pile of rocks look like my last 60. Hopefully I get some good shapes.

How much rock do you have? I was thinking between 60 and 90 pounds.

 

[Anonymous]

Was not sure where I was going to get my rock yet. I will go bare bottom again. I do not want the pile of rocks look like my last 60. Hopefully I get some good shapes.

How much rock do you have? I was thinking between 60 and 90 pounds.

about 45 pounds(remember its mostly heavy base rock though)

lately I've like the island with overhang style, and if/when I do another tank(like when we move to New Mexico in 5 or so years) I'll be drilling holes to slide PVCor acryllic rod through them to get the overhand/islands without fear of rockslide/collapse - that "Real Reef Rock" supposedly is easy enough to drill that way

 

[Anonymous]

I have drilled some reef rock and my issues were holding it steady and brakeage. The stuff I was trying to drill would break if I pressed to hard. Once I was able to hold it steady and learned not to press to hard drilling was easy.

 

[Anonymous]

Is anyone have a life rock supplier to suggest please do so.

 

[Anonymous]

I prefer to buy my live rock locally. It so much better when you can hand pick it and it's worth any premium you might pay. But I am luck to have an LFS that has a huge tub of fully cured rock that he sells for like $5 per pound. Love it.

I like idea of two MP-10's. That's what I have on my 38, but I have them dialed down quite a bit.

I added an Apex to my tank awhile back. I like it. It doesn't control my lights, because Acan lighting has a programmable feature that works perfectly. But the Apex can be programmed to have your Vortex's work in difference modes and different times automatically. It's a real nice feature. Plus, it can control anything. It's real handy. I bought a two little fishes Kalk reactor. It has a spinner at the bottom that spins when the water passes through it. But it doesn't stir it up enough if I just let it operate when the float sensors turn it on. So I programmed the apex to let it come on for 2 minute windows about 5 times a day. It is really sweet to be able to dial things in to work the way you want them to. I've only scratch the surface for what the Apex can do. It's one piece of equipment that will never need to be upgraded due to changing tanks, lights, etc.. If I decided to start a 300G tank with a 150G sump and 75g refugium, the Apex would be able to handle that and a whole bunch more. They are a little spendy, but well worth it IMHO.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with the local rock if avalable. I like to see what I'm getting.

Do any of y'all ever attach the rock together with pins or some sort of epoxy?

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with the local rock if avalable. I like to see what I'm getting.

Do any of y'all ever attach the rock together with pins or some sort of epoxy?

Yeah, I had a thread here years back where I drilled holes in the rock and connected them using acrylic rods and epoxy.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the ideas Randy. I think I will hold off on a controler until later.

Randy, JP do you guys have any heat issues with the LEDs? Info says they are cooler, but are they cooler enough to not have a chiller or a massive bank of fans? I never ran a chiller, but the last few tanks had several fans and combined they generated a bit of noise. IIRC the 60 had three and the 150 had six. In addition to simple I want as quiet as I can.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with the local rock if avalable. I like to see what I'm getting.

Do any of y'all ever attach the rock together with pins or some sort of epoxy?

There is one SW LFS and thier selection is not too great. I could go to New Orleans and check out the old store I used to get my stuff from. I think he is still in busness. I can check next time through since it is on the way to my in-laws.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the ideas Randy. I think I will hold off on a controler until later.

Randy, JP do you guys have any heat issues with the LEDs? Info says they are cooler, but are they cooler enough to not have a chiller or a massive bank of fans? I never ran a chiller, but the last few tanks had several fans and combined they generated a bit of noise. IIRC the 60 had three and the 150 had six. In addition to simple I want as quiet as I can.

no heat issues at all - I have small pc fans blowing across the LED heat sinks(most units have cooling fans) but thats it, my canopy isnt vented at all...I have 3 temp probes attached to my ReefAngel controller, one for tank water, one for heat sink temp and one for ambient canopy temp - tank runs at 78.5-80, and air inside the canopy is 89-90. In the summer, I've run a single 12 volt fan, aimed across the sump, and the display tank has never gotten above 80.5

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, JP. I am going to be running open top so heat should be less of an issues for me.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think you'll have any issues with heat.

I do have an iceprobe in mine, but it hardly ever has to run to maintain temps below 78. I could probably do without it.

Mine is an open top.

 

[Anonymous]

Got any current pics of your system Randy?

 

[Anonymous]

Got any current pics of your system Randy?

Let me say this like Jim Mora said "Playoffs"

Pictures, what pictures. Pictures. Pictures.

I guess I could treat my FB peeps some pics.

I'll take a shot this afternoon after the lights come on.

 

[Anonymous]

Okay, Waz. Here are some pics taken with my iPad, so no close ups

 

[Anonymous]

Looking good Randy - that elegance is quite something! What's that in the second pic, nearest the camera - the skimmer?

Mark - will be checking in on your build from time to time. Once I get back to the UK, this might be about the size I can negotiate with my wife, so will hope for inspiration here! 8)