Dvgy's 65Cube - Rise of the Reef

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Morning All,

So decided to start my build thread for my 650mm reef cube. At the end of last year i was wafting around looking for something to take up as hobby but also add some 'life' to my home. Stumbled across couple reef vlogs on youtube & was hooked.

Researched for the next couple of months, lurking mostly on this forum & reef2reef.

I ended up finding a pre-owned 650mm cube, it came with a stand & a 400mm cube tank. With start-up costs bit high, i was willing to go the pre-owned route on some of the required items for the build. But in my opinion some parts would need to be new.

My goal for the tank is a mix reef, so ill be setting tank up off bat to hold everything. Think its called future proofing? haha

Lets move onto the build..
Display:
650mm x 650mm x 600mm (h), 12mm Opti-clear glass Rimless + bottom bracing (+-250ltrs).
When i purchased the tank i was aware of the dodgy silicone job & was planning on having it redone, really glad i did. The previous owner used some black acrylic to 'frame' the tank & i think hide the silicone job haha. The tank had 20mm return hole drilled, but needed overflow drilled. I got into contact with local tank builder to have everything sorted.
I purchased 2 x 40mm overflows, the 2nd would be the emergency overflow. I'm not sure what style they are called, but will show pics below. I liked the fact they came stop valve so i can control the overflow speed & sound. I was also able to get 25mm hi-flow return nozzle. The back of the tanks backing was some kind of black spray paint, it was peeling & after the rebuild it had flaked off at the bottom. Decided to strip it off & respray with matte black with Plasti-dip.

Sump:
600mm x 300mm x 300mm (h), 8mm glass (+-55ltrs).
I was able to come to solid deal with tank builder, with reseal he also built my sump. With all my research the answer was the simpler the better. It made up of 3 main compartments, overflow > refugium > return. The sump was sized according to my stand, so i would have enough space for other bits to be added at later time. I wanted everything enclosed in the stand.

QT:
400mm x 400mm x 400mm (h), 6mm glass (+- 45ltrs)
With the purchase i received a second tank, think he wanted to use it as sump. With my research one thing that stood out to me was the need for a quarantine tank.
So will set this up as one. Want to clean it up as well.

Stand:
The stand had some surface rust but didn't look to bad. Decided to strip off paint & cleaned up the surface rust. Gave it 3 coats of primer & 3 coats of black acrylic paint. I was planning on painting it with waterproofing once everything was assembled. I had some 18mm shutter-board laying around, with bit of effort on finishing the board can look nice. Proceeded to cut it up to size, with it being lock down i didnt have all the supplies & want to finish what i could. Cut the top & bottom, as well as the 'fascia edging' for the top. Wish i had skill saw haha straight edge + jig saw not the best.
So here's the first hiccup, the top was screwed in place, move to the bottom. As i got to the 3rd last screw, it pulled straight through the metal tubing hahaha it was nearly paper thin from corrosion. Before i got the tank the owner filled tank up for me for a leak test. the stand looked fine supporting it. But with the screw story i decided to bin it cause I'm not sure of its integrity.
Will have to wait until after lock down to see what my route will be.

Mechanical filtration:
BM Curve 5 skimmer - Picked up pre-owned unit for a steal. Already ordered upgraded bubble plate from fellow reefer.
Deciding on filter socks or filter mat, any recommendations?

Biological filtration:
Cheato in the fuge
Bio-blox / brick, any recommendations?
Will be looking at adding live rock.

Pumps / Flow: (still to get)
Return pump - Jebao Dcp-3000 Water Pump or the Dcp-4000. The norm seems to be 10x tank turnover, but i might run it slower. Giving food better chance of staying in the DT water column.
Flow - Undecided about this, either get multiple small wave makers or get 1 or 2 Gyre type wave makers.

Lighting: (still to get)
This is my biggest sticking point hahah I am so undecided about which route to go.
I have access to purchasing a ATI T5 6x24w dimmable fixture, with me wanting a mix reef, lighting it would need to be able to maintain SPS. T5 sure does the job both with PAR & coverage. With that said the color pop of the corals would better with LED supplementation. But then its buying another 2 fixtures i.e LED bars.
To get the coverage i want with LED lights i would have to go for proper lighting, 2 x hydra26's or something similar. But i have time to decide on this. Or the diy route.
Id appreciate some input on this.

Others: (still to get)
UV sterilizer - when i plumb up the tank allowance will be made for this.
STC1000 temp controller
2 x Cooling Fans - will linked up to controller.
2 x 150w heaters - will linked up to controller

That's it for now, unfortunately nothing i can do or get for the build until lock downs done. As my title read - Rise of the Reef, im bitv of geek & will be adding something to tank as my 'geekout' piece haha also have couple ideas for my aquascape.

Thank you for reading, i know its long one hahaha Appreciate any comments as I'm here to learn.
Please see pics below...

When i picked it up...
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The overflows & return nozzle...
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BM Curve 5, took it apart to be cleaned...
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Stand sprayed... lol waste some time but oh well.. o lil tip for anyone using rattle cans. Before spraying leave the cans in bucket of warm water. Helps mix molecules in the can for even spray.
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Afternoon All,

Been bit quiet this side with the build with lock-down still happening.

With us at level 3 i was able to get majority of my plumbing bits sorted, piping & fittings. Sams Irrigation in Bergvliet had great selection of fittings, service & pricing was good. Also ordered majority of my hardware, should all be here by next week.
Decided to go with wooden stand, I have a guy that's been doing my carpentry work for years so he'll be building it.

Highlight from last week was winning a competition on Instagram. Cape Town reefer @Renannchen (ig- @rbl_reef) hosted it & Viking Aquatics / Poseidons Lair sponsored it, I won 10kg Poseidons Lair ProReef salt. Big shout out to Renaldo for hosting it, great initiative & cool way of keeping motivation up in the times we live in. Will be collecting my prize this weekend. Super stoked :m16: I'm always up for supporting our local guys.

Some pics..
Plumbing bits.. a bit more piping on the side :)
IMG_20200602_144901.jpg


The 3/4" return hole was odd size for finding a proper fitting bulkhead connection to hi-flow nozzle, but was able to mcgyver something. Was my fault as when i bought the hi-flow nozzle (1") didn't check the existing hole size.
IMG_20200602_160936.jpg


Finally pic of the reef salt i won.. :m41:
Screenshot_20200602_192107.jpg


Thanks for reading, comments always welcome. Hopefully next couple of weeks things move bit faster with the build & will definitely keep you guys updated!
Keep Safe all. :m12:
 
Welcome to this awesome hobby, just take your time and be patient. The only thing that happens quickly in this hobby is a tank crash. There are a lot of people on this site who have a HUGE amount of knowledge and experience and are very helpful with their advice.
 
Welcome to this awesome hobby, just take your time and be patient. The only thing that happens quickly in this hobby is a tank crash. There are a lot of people on this site who have a HUGE amount of knowledge and experience and are very helpful with their advice.
Shot bru, thanks for the words of advice! Think the patience part is 75% of the diet haha
 
Small update first batch of hardware arrived yesterday.
Shot to @Vleis Visagie for sorting out the contact.
IMG_20200604_120501.jpg


Carpenter will start the stand build this weekend.

Thank for reading, comments welcome:thumbup1:
 
The 3/4" return hole was odd size for finding a proper fitting bulkhead connection to hi-flow nozzle, but was able to mcgyver something. Was my fault as when i bought the hi-flow nozzle (1") didn't check the existing hole size.
IMG_20200602_160936.jpg

These works well in terms of extra flow, but I have had some unfortunate incedences with mine and snails. They create a "vacume" to suck in the additional water that traps animals in that gab between the bulk head and the nozel.
 
These works well in terms of extra flow, but I have had some unfortunate incedences with mine and snails. They create a "vacume" to suck in the additional water that traps animals in that gab between the bulk head and the nozel.
Thanks for the first comment & appreciate the heads up on the nozzle will keep eye on that.

Appreciate the comments @badboygp & @devesh.r :thumbup1:
 
Morning,

Small update...

Collected my prize from @Renannchen was cool meeting him & having chat.
Really enjoyed how open to sharing information peeps in the hobby generally are.

IMG_20200606_161255.jpg


Also picked up some base rock to start my aquascape. The main idea was minimalist look.
After scaping abit realized little bit more height & volume in the scape is needed, but this is initial idea. But will need more rock, once im happy ill glue / epoxy everything in place.
IMG_20200606_175919.jpg


Thanks for reading, comments welcome
 
Afternoon All,

So things have been coming together slowly. I was able to decide on light setup, @leslie hempel was able to assist. He had 2 x Hsbao 90w LED lights for sale, so grabbed those. Also picked up a Conch slim 7 wave maker as part of the deal. I already purchased the Jebao slw20 wavemaker & was only going to run the one, but the deal on lights was sweet enough to grab a second wavemaker.
Stoked with both wave makers as they well constructed & slim compared to others on the market, both rated to same tank turn over.
The lights where delivered, i went for the slightly cheaper route as to get enough coverage on the tank. The lights are programmable for sunrise / sunset simulation & has 4 controllable channels.

My was stand was delivered Monday past, was happy with finish but the carpenter got couple measurements incorrect. The stand is 1100mm tall lol i asked for 1050mm as height to match the height of my kitchen counter tops. He offered to redo it but decided to keep is as is. Thankfully i have high floor to ceiling height, so the tank is now at eye level. The cabinets top was also 20mm to short front to back hahaha wasn't impressed with this at all, as i had drawn it out on cad for him with dimensions. So his busy sorting correct size top. Cant seem to catch a break haha

Only HW im still waiting for is the STC-1000 temp controller, bitv off stuff up from supplier regarding this. But patience is part of the game.

Pic of the light..Tested one over the tank.. will running 2 side by side.
IMG_20200624_142734.jpg


The Cabinet..designed to house all the tanks components.. (the mat will be removed once everything is complete, dont want to scratch flooring).
I had the carpenter install adjustable feet to adjust level correctly. The side panels also open as doors in case i needed access.
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That's it for now, the top should arrive today n be swapped around. Will start plumbing in everything this weekend. I have some 3d printed bits on the way as well.
Thanks for reading comments welcome. :thumbup1:
 
Great progress, can be a frustrating process.
I am looking for a carpenter for my stand, but think I will give your’s a miss?
What is the tank size?
Thanks for the comment, besides being slight off in dimensions i am happy with cabinet. Id still recommend him, he quickly replaced the top & offered to make floating shelves with the incorrect top for me to make up for the mistake.
 
Afternoon All,

Update- Cabinet top was fixed to correct dimensions. Sorted out the plumbing over the weekend. Will be my first attempt at doing some like this so bare with me haha Open to advice lol
I do wanna update the system at later date to include a manifold, this would be to accommodate reactors etc.

Everything in place, i will glue everything some time this week.
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Will double check everything is straight prior to gluing..
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Everything will get washed clean, any recommendations what to use to clean the DT glass with? Also anyone know of auto top up unit for sale, please drop me a pm.

Thanks for reading, comments welcome :)
 
Thanks for the comment, besides being slight off in dimensions i am happy with cabinet. Id still recommend him, he quickly replaced the top & offered to make floating shelves with the incorrect top for me to make up for the mistake.

Pls PM his details to me.

Tank looking good. I think I will go with the soft pipe option as the "last mile" solution as well.
 
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