4sided cube
Community Member
Hello all. Havent been on R2R since 2015. Long story briefly explained on my original post in the cube forum group. Anyway, mine is a 450g 5ft four-sided cube. thanks for looking
Big cube anyone?
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fishguy242
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wow,nice tank,would love to see more 
4sided cube
Community Member
Happy to provide any details you want to know. As it stands, after reboot, ver2.0 is underneath sump, center overflow, four 3000gph return pumps, two 10000gph gyres, old reef oct xp2000 skimmer, brand new Seachem Aquavitro 500 skimmer, dual 7" filter socks, Avast reactor with ROX carbon, jebao 55W UV, Tunze 3181 Cheato farm, lights are Amazon 48" fixtures (x3) (4bulbs each) ATI T5's of various colors, 2x Reefbrite 48" Actinic Blue Lumi Lite Strip LEDs, have but not yet installed 2x Reefbrite 36" Actinic Blue Lumi Lite Strip LEDs.
Main aspect of 2.0 is my increased maintenance regimen. Ver1.0 failed partially due to this lacking, dont intend to repeat. My memory isnt all that great so I document everything on a calendar, when things are done, when things are added (equipment). I'm in the decal business so I made labels to mark all my plugs (numbered) which corresponds to a chart showing which number for what equipment. Dont know about ya'll, but ive had multiple occasions of a short and needed to know which plug needs pulling quickly. Also have charts showing weekly and bi-weekly maintenance, one with quarterly and yearly. Skimmers get cleaned twice a week, tank walls get cleaned the same. Filter socks get changed out every other day. This really makes my water clear. Do a 20% WC bi-weekly. I vac the sandbed with the WC. I vac my sump out monthly, clean my gyres monthly, and my return pumps get serviced quarterly. I try to keep a few impellers on stand by. They are a little pricey but just a third of the full pump replacement. I also label (see above decal biz) every piece of equipment with a date so I can keep track of exactly how long its been running. Weeks turn into months very quickly and its tough for me to keep track. That has turned out to be really handy. I'm no longer worrying about "how long have those bulbs been in there?" Speaking of that I plan to change out bulbs every 13-15 months. I am basing this on testing done by BRS which showed the ATI's PAR holding up a little longer than that. Believe that depends somewhat on the ballast driving it but time will tell. My fixtures are cheap and not high-output so will be watching the corals.
My decision to go back to T5s may be a little controversial, but I had black-box LEDs for 8 years and dont have a favorable opinion of them. Had several failures within the first two-three years. I looked at all kinds of LEDs but the cost to cover my tank with ones I would trust would be very high. But the main reason is the same as why most favor LEDs over bulbs. The yearly replacement of bulbs. This is not a detriment to me. I would rather have the peace of mind knowing that a $250 yearly replacement cost will give me fresh light for corals than wondering if the LEDs have diminished over time and not really knowing. The lights were part of the gradual failure of ver1.0. I have no interest in investing in a PAR meter or even borrowing one and going down that rabbit hole. And it is true that the flexibility and control of LED with timing and intensity and color is a major plus, I'm really not into tinkering too much. I find that aspect of the hobby to become overwhelming if messed with too much. I like stability and think that tanks do too. Im trying to keep it as simple as possible. With the recent development of smart-power strips and app phone control, I can do some of the same things with planning and T5s, just not dimming.
Ver1.0 also had a custom aluminum frame made for the lights. This was awesome and rewarding and looked amazing, but it was nearly impossible to change out a single light if it failed, which some did. In ver2.0 i simplified so changing out a light will be easy. Doesnt look as good but frankly, this was a mistake I wasnt going to repeat. Simple to work on first, having the best "look" is a distant second.
I dont have a fish room. Ive actually moved some things into the tank room for simplification. Again, doesnt look that great but simplicity of use is more important to me for long term success than worrying so much about looking just "so". Those of you who do that you have my respect, but it just bogs me down. I'll attach a pic below. Still dont think it looks that bad. Thought about mounting some magnetic covers to smooth out the clutter of the shelving but so far it doesnt bug me. The little dry sink is my link to my water making in the basement. 2.0 reboot included a new BRS 75gpd 4 stage RODI. I kept a secondary DI for that extra piece of mind, along with a better quality TDS monitor. I keep a 55g storage tank, and three 35g Brutes for top off and water changes. This will change to three 55g's soon which I already have but not changed out. I have a single Dolphin pump to send water up to the dry sink in the tank room. Refill from change takes about 45mins. Considering updating this pump as its a tough little SOB but getting old and I dont have a backup yet in case of failure. And since my WC will be increasing to 35% with the bigger barrels I would like to see the refill time be a little better. I also have but not installed yet, three 23g black slimline cans I will be adding next to the dry sink. This will be my ATO resevoir for a TUNZE osmolator. This will eliminate my daily manual top-offs which are easy but get old after 10 years. The bins will be connected low with uniseals so when filling I just have to fill one and all will fill, as well as one pump in one bin drawing from the combined volume. I have some black pvc I'm going to cut in half for a "cover" for the cords to the float valve and fill tube from the bins to the sump. Should look okay but thought it was the best solution considering the tank is in the middle of the room. I didnt want the complexity of having my basement pump be part of the ATO as I know its possible to do so. With the same pump utilized for water changes this seemed the best way.
Good eye Smarkow, yes its 28" deep. I'm 6'4" with long arms, lol.
Main aspect of 2.0 is my increased maintenance regimen. Ver1.0 failed partially due to this lacking, dont intend to repeat. My memory isnt all that great so I document everything on a calendar, when things are done, when things are added (equipment). I'm in the decal business so I made labels to mark all my plugs (numbered) which corresponds to a chart showing which number for what equipment. Dont know about ya'll, but ive had multiple occasions of a short and needed to know which plug needs pulling quickly. Also have charts showing weekly and bi-weekly maintenance, one with quarterly and yearly. Skimmers get cleaned twice a week, tank walls get cleaned the same. Filter socks get changed out every other day. This really makes my water clear. Do a 20% WC bi-weekly. I vac the sandbed with the WC. I vac my sump out monthly, clean my gyres monthly, and my return pumps get serviced quarterly. I try to keep a few impellers on stand by. They are a little pricey but just a third of the full pump replacement. I also label (see above decal biz) every piece of equipment with a date so I can keep track of exactly how long its been running. Weeks turn into months very quickly and its tough for me to keep track. That has turned out to be really handy. I'm no longer worrying about "how long have those bulbs been in there?" Speaking of that I plan to change out bulbs every 13-15 months. I am basing this on testing done by BRS which showed the ATI's PAR holding up a little longer than that. Believe that depends somewhat on the ballast driving it but time will tell. My fixtures are cheap and not high-output so will be watching the corals.
My decision to go back to T5s may be a little controversial, but I had black-box LEDs for 8 years and dont have a favorable opinion of them. Had several failures within the first two-three years. I looked at all kinds of LEDs but the cost to cover my tank with ones I would trust would be very high. But the main reason is the same as why most favor LEDs over bulbs. The yearly replacement of bulbs. This is not a detriment to me. I would rather have the peace of mind knowing that a $250 yearly replacement cost will give me fresh light for corals than wondering if the LEDs have diminished over time and not really knowing. The lights were part of the gradual failure of ver1.0. I have no interest in investing in a PAR meter or even borrowing one and going down that rabbit hole. And it is true that the flexibility and control of LED with timing and intensity and color is a major plus, I'm really not into tinkering too much. I find that aspect of the hobby to become overwhelming if messed with too much. I like stability and think that tanks do too. Im trying to keep it as simple as possible. With the recent development of smart-power strips and app phone control, I can do some of the same things with planning and T5s, just not dimming.
Ver1.0 also had a custom aluminum frame made for the lights. This was awesome and rewarding and looked amazing, but it was nearly impossible to change out a single light if it failed, which some did. In ver2.0 i simplified so changing out a light will be easy. Doesnt look as good but frankly, this was a mistake I wasnt going to repeat. Simple to work on first, having the best "look" is a distant second.
I dont have a fish room. Ive actually moved some things into the tank room for simplification. Again, doesnt look that great but simplicity of use is more important to me for long term success than worrying so much about looking just "so". Those of you who do that you have my respect, but it just bogs me down. I'll attach a pic below. Still dont think it looks that bad. Thought about mounting some magnetic covers to smooth out the clutter of the shelving but so far it doesnt bug me. The little dry sink is my link to my water making in the basement. 2.0 reboot included a new BRS 75gpd 4 stage RODI. I kept a secondary DI for that extra piece of mind, along with a better quality TDS monitor. I keep a 55g storage tank, and three 35g Brutes for top off and water changes. This will change to three 55g's soon which I already have but not changed out. I have a single Dolphin pump to send water up to the dry sink in the tank room. Refill from change takes about 45mins. Considering updating this pump as its a tough little SOB but getting old and I dont have a backup yet in case of failure. And since my WC will be increasing to 35% with the bigger barrels I would like to see the refill time be a little better. I also have but not installed yet, three 23g black slimline cans I will be adding next to the dry sink. This will be my ATO resevoir for a TUNZE osmolator. This will eliminate my daily manual top-offs which are easy but get old after 10 years. The bins will be connected low with uniseals so when filling I just have to fill one and all will fill, as well as one pump in one bin drawing from the combined volume. I have some black pvc I'm going to cut in half for a "cover" for the cords to the float valve and fill tube from the bins to the sump. Should look okay but thought it was the best solution considering the tank is in the middle of the room. I didnt want the complexity of having my basement pump be part of the ATO as I know its possible to do so. With the same pump utilized for water changes this seemed the best way.
Good eye Smarkow, yes its 28" deep. I'm 6'4" with long arms, lol.
Last edited:
X-37B
Fight The Good Fight
Now thats a cube!Hello all. Havent been on R2R since 2015. Long story briefly explained on my original post in the cube forum group. Anyway, mine is a 450g 5ft four-sided cube. thanks for looking
I love the center overflow!
4sided cube
Community Member
Will do. I dont have the smaller 36" Reefbrite Actinic LEDs mounted yet. Just came in Wed and will be added perpendicular to the rest, and have to alter the supplied brackets. The 48" ones are in between the T5 fixtures. Liked them so much wanted to add some more.
4sided cube
Community Member
4sided cube
Community Member
4sided cube
Community Member
4sided cube
Community Member
4sided cube
Community Member
4sided cube
Community Member
I'm pretty well set with fish. Some of my buds have been with me for 6yrs or more. My big Vlaminghi I've had for more than 12yrs. I dont have anything rare but some are uncommon. My Thompson tang thats probably 9" long comes to mind. My two 6" fusiliers arent common either. I also have a 7" dottyback I was able to get from the wholesaler. Anyone else have a 7" dottyback, lol? He's an ****** though.
As far as corals, I'm still in progress. Hope to fill space as I go. I'm going slow as v1.0 was very limited as far as what wouldnt die. I'm amazed at what I'm able to keep now. So far so good but time will tell. I'm realistic and am aware that things can change but I'm committed to the protocols I'm doing and although it hasnt been a long time since the reboot, it has been since June-July. Indicators are good. I think the black box LEDs even when new, were not able to give the corals enough light. The T5s seem to be doing an ok job. Honestly I think the biggest thing giving me a little success is being committed to the maintenance regimen. Especially beneficial is going from mesh socks to felt, and changing them every other day. I'm turning over 12000gal an hour. Mesh socks didnt clog fast but they didnt catch anything out. Frankly they werent doing ****. At the time it seemed unreasonable to change out socks so frequently but in retrospect it was probably a major reason for v1 failing. If you think about a sock like a coffee filter, if its full of crap, the water going through it will taste like crap, right? It sucks to keep so many socks on hand and change them so often, but its working for me. Clarity is way up too.
Anyone reading this, please chime in and tell me what you think. Opinions are welcome.
As far as corals, I'm still in progress. Hope to fill space as I go. I'm going slow as v1.0 was very limited as far as what wouldnt die. I'm amazed at what I'm able to keep now. So far so good but time will tell. I'm realistic and am aware that things can change but I'm committed to the protocols I'm doing and although it hasnt been a long time since the reboot, it has been since June-July. Indicators are good. I think the black box LEDs even when new, were not able to give the corals enough light. The T5s seem to be doing an ok job. Honestly I think the biggest thing giving me a little success is being committed to the maintenance regimen. Especially beneficial is going from mesh socks to felt, and changing them every other day. I'm turning over 12000gal an hour. Mesh socks didnt clog fast but they didnt catch anything out. Frankly they werent doing ****. At the time it seemed unreasonable to change out socks so frequently but in retrospect it was probably a major reason for v1 failing. If you think about a sock like a coffee filter, if its full of crap, the water going through it will taste like crap, right? It sucks to keep so many socks on hand and change them so often, but its working for me. Clarity is way up too.
Anyone reading this, please chime in and tell me what you think. Opinions are welcome.
Last edited:
Blue Tang Clan
Active Member
Epic! And thanks for the lighting pics!
finding the maintenance system that works for you is key. I realized that if I didn’t have my water testing equipment out and intentionally visible - I wouldn’t do it.
finding the maintenance system that works for you is key. I realized that if I didn’t have my water testing equipment out and intentionally visible - I wouldn’t do it.
WirelessMike
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That is an awesome setup! All I can say is WOW! Love the way you sectioned the coral in quads. Thanks for sharing and letting us all drool over that tank!
fishguy242
Cronies..... INSERT BUILD THREAD BADGE HERE !!
Partner Member 2024
Reef Tank 365
Photo of the Month
Hospitality Award
Midwest Reefer
Fish Medic
R2R Secret Santa 2023
FIREBUG
love it..what is siver longer fish w black in tail? big to say least 
fan of vlamingis
fan of vlamingis4sided cube
Community Member
Kuhlia mugil or Barred flagtail. Large tank only kind of fish. The 20000gal tank that's all over YouTube had a couple and I liked it. Found out what it was and just kept my eyes open. Bought it from a lfs that's now gone probably 5yrs ago. At that time it was about an inch.
