My first Salty!! 60cm Cube

drab808

drab808

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So after looking at saltwater tanks for quite some time I believe it is time to delve into this side of things.

My 2018 end goal is to have a 500mm x 500mm x 420mm cube up and running.

I want to start it off as a FOWLR but will hopefully move into corals quite quickly once setup and i am hoping to eventually have a decent SPS setup going. My plan is to build the setup so that I will be able to add what is needed later on as I need it without having to redo the whole setup or start over. Im a sucker when it comes to tech and fancy gadgets so Im keen to dabble in automation etc. Being a student however will make this tough...lol

Here are some pics of a solidworks design I did last night of the sump. Being a cube makes fitting everything in a bit difficult but i believe this design is pretty decent and allows for a decent amount of add ons and functionality.

it has 5 chambers:
1. inflow from display. planning on a herbie overflow that is why it is a deep chamber. being a deep chamber i may install the heater here as there is no risk of this portion draining dry so the heater cannot blow
2. from chamber 1 it flows into a filter sock then into this chamber where i can house a skimmer and reactor if needed. this section will be around 320mm x 180mm
3. this chamber is for biomedia (ceramics)
4. refugium ( could house extra live rock or chaeto etc)
5. pump chamber

the overall sump dimensions will be 440mm x 440mm and 6mm glass to fit in my stand(made from 25mm tube)

each drop from one chamber to the next is around 25mm
Inkedsump.jpg


please tell me what you think and any criticsm.

Assem1.JPG

for what its worth the overall setup..lol
 
with regards to lighting, i have 2 hydra 26's available to use with the controller which is currently over my discus tank, but i believe they are wasted being used as such so would one be enough or should i run both over the cube?? can always turn them down.

any recommendations as to what skimmer i should use would be great. was thinking a bm curve 3.5 would be good?

as to flow in the tank what is it that everyone is aiming for lph wise so i can get an idea of what wavemakers i should be looking at. is it neccessary to have the fancy wavemakers that simulate forward and backward motion or are constant speed wavemakers good??
 
Welcome to the forum.
drab808 said:
this chamber where i can house a skimmer and reactor if needed. this section will be around 320mm x 180mm
Click to expand...
That's going to be a tight fit for a skimmer, especially if you consider possibly upgrading the skimmer further down the line. If it was me I would probably keep it simple and combine chambers 2, 3, 4 into one big chamber, that way you have ample room for bigger skimmers, reactors etc. Just a thought.
drab808 said:
3. this chamber is for biomedia (ceramics)
Click to expand...
No need for ceramics, can use bio pellets or bio cubes instead.
drab808 said:
is it neccessary to have the fancy wavemakers that simulate forward and backward motion or are constant speed wavemakers good??
Click to expand...
All depends on your budget and love for gadgets, lol. The fancy ones are obviously nice and have many more functions and speed control, but single speed ones also work, you just need to work on ideal placement so that they don't blast corals or move substrate around.
 
drab808 said:
So am I correct in assuming that the LR in the tank and sump is enough to house BB for the nitrogen cycle??
Click to expand...

It should be, you can also consider using seachem matrix as well. It works quite well (maybe a little too well) in my tank and I have not that much live rock in the tank.
 
tekkengal said:
It should be, you can also consider using seachem matrix as well. It works quite well (maybe a little too well) in my tank and I have not that much live rock in the tank.
Click to expand...
Ok thanks! Was planning on putting in a decent amount of live rock so then I can remove the ceramics chamber and have an L shape chamber for reactors and skimmers :thumbup:
 
So I was bored and I did the sump. Can only get the tank done after the 8th as the place I'm going to is closed till then.

Used an old tank that burst and cut it up for this. Not the greatest silicone job, did a lot of cutting off of excess but I think it's not half bad.
IMG_20180103_152223.jpg
IMG_20180103_152245.jpg


So question:
Would a hydra 26 (non HD) be sufficient for most corals or would 2 be better??

What skimmer would you all recommend? Total system volume will be around 150 litres with sump. Was thinking a bubble Magus curve 5?

1 X Rw4 sufficient for flow in the tank?

Lemme know what you guys think

IMG_20180103_152223.jpg
 
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Tested the sump and it holds water so that's good.

Also managed to bag myself a free 60x60x41 tank with no scratches so I'm using that as my DT!! Got steel to build a frame so that's the next job.

Will hopefully be ordering all equipment soon
 
Started building the stand today.
IMG_20180108_191237.jpg


Going to be quite tall as the tank will sit next to our bar, but will give nice space underneath for all sorts which is a plus!

Can see the DT next to the sump.
IMG_20180108_191248.jpg
 
hey man.. looking good

whats the plan for the display.. skinny overflow? drill the bottom? drill the top? overflow box?
 
HOT SAUCE said:
hey man.. looking good

whats the plan for the display.. skinny overflow? drill the bottom? drill the top? overflow box?
Click to expand...
Wanted to drill the bottom and do a Weir in the middle of the back of the tank but this tank has bracing at the bottom. So I might drill near the bottom on the back pane instead but will have to see
 
IMG_20180111_200138.jpg


Finished getting the stand together and as straight as I could. It's welded solidly, but not finished yet. Decided I wanted to see the tank on the stand and must say I'm now very excited!!!

Ordered all my equipment last night which will arrive in the next few weeks or months...depends on SA customs I guess:banghead:

IMG_20180111_200138.jpg
 
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Hey man... what size square tubing is the stand made out of... I have tank of similar size standing on a 24mm and it wobbles terribly when I use the magnet to clean the glass... I didn't build the tank myself and got it with the stand but my new tank stand is build with 40mm square tubing and is solid like a rock... remember that it might look solid now but when you add 200 kilos on top things can change very fast
 
If you want to continue with the 24mm (if it is 24mm as it seems from the picture) I would weld corner supports all around...
 
HOT SAUCE said:
If you want to continue with the 24mm (if it is 24mm as it seems from the picture) I would weld corner supports all around...
Click to expand...
It is 25mm tubing so basically the same as yours yes. Was planning on adding bracing don't stress
 
So the stand is finished. I also made the frame that bolts on to hang my lights from and was lucky enough to be able to get fibreglass pieces cut for the top and base so I can rest my sump and DT nicely and evenly. Very happy with how it looks so far!! Have to wait for my equipment to arrive now before I add the last touches to the stand and then that will be off for powder coating.

And yes I'm am going to leave the stand like this without bracing. I've thought about it for a decent amount and believe it unnecessary and will make the whole thing look ugly.

Lemme know what you all think
IMG_20180115_164458(1).jpg
IMG_20180115_164513(1).jpg
 
Would you keep on using the clamp to hold the light pole... :tt2::m01:
 
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