My 60g "cube" tank build

Jflip2002 · 12-26-2006, 12:51 PM

Repost:

Alright, so me and Rachel went to the LFS yesterday, and we bought a new tank. Its 24"x24"x24" (A cube obviously). Its glass, with an overflow, but NOT drilled. I didnt want it drilled, because I dont want to run a sump. I have some things Im going to be using from my 20g, and some other things I obviously have to upgrade.

Equipment (current)
-24" Current Nova Extreme T5 4x24 (I think). Which I Will use in partner with a real white, 6700k halide at about 250w. Im not a fan of how blue the T5s are right now
-CPR Backpack rated up to 60g.
-Larger Maxi-Jet Power heads (will probably upgrade)
-Cheap tetra filter, and a Biowheel filter. (Dont plan on using)
-About 50 lbs of live sand, and about 30 lbs of live rock (Im not sure about using)

Equipment (Planned to purchase)

-Undecided brand of 250w Halide, preferably 6700k or something real white for better growth.
-All "New" live rock and live sand
- A Couple larger powerheads for obviously better flow.

Live stock (Current)
I have 2 perc clowns, a LM blenny, and some little purple/yellow damsel.
I also have 85 small blue and red hermits, and about 10 scarlet hermits, and one banded coral shrimp, along with only about 5 snails.
As far as corals, I have about 3 not so healthy looking heads left of my torch, Xenia for days is available, a leather, a leather frag, one green fuzzy mushroom that split, and some brown button looking polyps.

Live stock (Planned)
As for fish, I plan on getting some sort of tang. Probably which ever one rachel likes, so shes somewhat interested lol. Im not a big fan of the actual fish, so that'll more than likely do it. Probably a couple to a few emerald crabs, a serpent star, and a few more snails. Though they say fighting conchs are recommended 1 per every 30 gals, so maybe some of those too. And as for corals, whatever stands out, usually stuff thats flowy looking though, so LPS and softies.

Now heres a question. I recently had just about everything in my tank die, coral wise. my long pretty pulsing xenias died, I killed my fuzzy mushrooms (Along with one perc clown) when I put the algae killer in my tank. And I had a red slime problem, along with hair algae. IF I REUSE MY LIVE ROCK AND LIVE SAND, WILL THIS PROBLEM CARRY OVER TO MY NEW TANK? Thats the LAST thing I want.

If you have any recommendations, or if anything Im planning sounds bad, Id appreciate it. I plan on taking this very slowly, and curing some base rock, along with some live rock in a big roughneck trash can. I dont want algae, so any tips on that would be great.

Thanks, Joe

Jflip2002 · 12-26-2006, 01:01 PM

Ok, so here is a pic of my tank, all empty... (And no thats not a crack, thats a speaker wire)

Jflip2002 · 12-26-2006, 01:04 PM

Here are the rocks I Got a killer deal on yesterday. I paid $2 a lb. I got these 2 big guys, a smaller football sized rock, and a flat slab the size of a note book all for $76. I think it actually came out to around 42lbs.

Jflip2002 · 12-26-2006, 01:06 PM

And as for the "cooking" of the rock. Im going the cheap way, and filling my 60g halfway, putting a heater and a power head in there, and I put a black trash bag over it, then an Eagles blanket, then I made it a little table for the cats food for the next couple months so the dogs dont steal it lol. I figure that should work, theres no light getting in.

Next, before I set it up anymore, we are moving. Then I'll go about the MH's

Jflip2002 · 12-27-2006, 03:08 PM

OK, scratch that, I enptied the tank and just bought a couple totes.

Loverotties · 12-27-2006, 03:15 PM

Looks good!

tims · 12-27-2006, 03:39 PM

since your in the begining of the build...
i will make a few suggestions.
no need for "live"sand regualr sand and a cup from any reefer around will do.
since you are not using a sump. i would suggest a larger HOB filter that can maybe be a refuge also. you can also look at lifting your LR off the bottom so you dont have detrious build up. Any thought on going Bare bottom? or usng the cutting board material instead of sand?

BTW the new bi weekly discussion just started.. never guess what it is on!..yup substrates...
thoses rocks lok pretty big! the coraline on it will fade soon if they dont get warmth and light

Jflip2002 · 12-27-2006, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tims

since your in the begining of the build...
i will make a few suggestions.
no need for "live"sand regualr sand and a cup from any reefer around will do.
since you are not using a sump. i would suggest a larger HOB filter that can maybe be a refuge also. you can also look at lifting your LR off the bottom so you dont have detrious build up. Any thought on going Bare bottom? or usng the cutting board material instead of sand?

BTW the new bi weekly discussion just started.. never guess what it is on!..yup substrates...
thoses rocks lok pretty big! the coraline on it will fade soon if they dont get warmth and light

Live sand, a few people told me thats unnecessary. I have 2 tanks up and running, so I Guess I could take a little from my FO tank, since its the "cleanest"

As for a larger HOB filter, what would you suggest? So far I plan on using my CPR that I have on my 29g, thats rated up to 60g., and maybe steeling my biowheel off of my 20 (I think its only rated up to 30g, but thats a total of 90g combined with the 2). Or maybe just get a larger HOB skimmer and keep my CPR on my 29g? I kinda want a skimmer with only one inlet, like my CPR, not like that CPR with the two inlets. I had the overflow put onto my tank so I can hide the inlet. I Think it'd be self defeating if I had one hanging out. I dont know anything about brands of skimmers, so that would be appreciated. I saw one of the coralife HOB superskimmers for pretty cheap at a local LFS. I think it was only rated up to 60g also though. Id probbaly be cheaper, and just as effective if I just replaced the crappy rio pump thats on my current CPR with a better pump. Any info is appreciated though.

And as for the rocks, I like em big like that. I plan on putting the rounder one on the bottm, the wider one with the wing looking formations in the middle (hoping they'll hang off on each side so I can use them as a shelf for some coral), then getting another larger one to put on top of that. But for right now, theyre in the tote with the heater and powerhead "cooking".

I dont like the look of the bare bottom. But I may think about flyguys LR lift. It seems like a nice idea to keep everything cleaner. I'll check on the substrate discussion...

For now, I think all is going well so far.

tims · 12-27-2006, 06:30 PM

I was just thinking that the large HOB filter would give yo a nice place for carbon and an area that you could make in to a refuge if needed.

once your done cooking the LR, try stacking them how you want. if you drill a hole in to each piece and use either a PVC tube or acrylic tube you ca nbasically stack them and they will stay put. no need to cement or worry about falling.. you can do the same wiht the corals if they come on frag plugs.

YEs use the sand from your own tank to seed.

Jflip2002 · 12-27-2006, 07:55 PM

Very good idea with the drilling and PVC for the LR. I was wondering how the heck I was going to get them to stay without the risk of tipping. I was going to use that red coral stick used for the placement of corals.

I think using the LS from my old 20g reef wont be so bad either, since all the red slime is gone. Which Im assuming was just from a lack of Live stock and WC.

But we shall see. Next up I will be buying a 250w MH retro (Or a pendant or clip on if its not much more), and we will be moving. During the moving process I'll probably try to progress in this by making some sort of housing for the retro. Since I'll be moving back to the Valley where its over 100 every day in the summer, I dont think a canopy is a viable option. I'm thinking of just taking two of those cheap light housings (like shown in the pic), cutting one of the sides off of both, and sticking em together with either some sheet metal, or see if some sort of soldering will hold.

Im not quite sure what else I can do til we move and get situated.

tims · 12-27-2006, 08:03 PM

hmmm, since the temp is goingot be so hot, you may have to look at ways to cool your tank too!
sounds like the pendant MH or a large case of T5's would be in order.

if your getting the reef rack from flyguy , see if he has extra rods too or check the local hardware store

Jflip2002 · 12-27-2006, 09:16 PM

I didnt know flyguy sold em. I was going to try to make my own copying his and probably butcher it. I'll have to check into that lol. I already have the 4x24w T5 Nova extreme. IT hink theyre 24w each at least. I was going to add another real white MH. Probably 10k? Im not sure about aquarium lighting, but 10k BMW Xenon bulbs are nice crisp white lol. That being the reason fir the 10k.... Though IVe seen 14k are nice too with that little bit of blue.

But yeah, I'll check on on those lifts. Though those arent a for sure thing yet. I dont want to see much plastic. Which is why I bought that wider rock, so I can hide my powerheads on the side of the overflow, behind the rocks, angling them to create a nice little current.

Jflip2002 · 12-31-2006, 05:07 PM

Since you said I could use a larger skimmer tim, what about this

http://cgi.ebay.com/CPR-AquaFuge-PS-...QQcmdZViewItem

I know buying items off of ebay is a qhole different topic on its own. So no matter where I Would get it, Ebay, LFS, Online, etc, would that work well do you think? It looks basically like the skimmer I have right now on my 29g. And it has the little refuge built in there, where Id imagine I could put carbon as well. And is that rated high enough for my 60g?

Boat Racer · 12-31-2006, 05:18 PM

What brand tank is that?I want the exact same thing.Thanx

Jflip2002 · 12-31-2006, 06:44 PM

Its a custom built tank fro Wet Pets & Lilly Pads here in Arroyo Grande, CA. Its made by Fujimoto aquariums, located in Gardena, CA. Im sure if you go to a LFS, they will have some acess to a 24x24x24 custom tank. Mine happens to be not drilled, but if you want a sump, obviously you probably want it drilled. I think it was only about $5 a hole to drill, and youd need 2..... Glad you like it. Some people dont like how its a cube shape. Other like either tall or long, not cubical.