DyrtyByrd's 40 gal. Cube

[DyrtyByrd]

Hello all, lets get started on my very first build thread!
Follow along as I share my experiences and how I went about putting together my office display.

A little back story first, this will be my second reef tank. The first was a 7 gallon nano about 12 years ago, I learned and had a lot of fun with this tank. Unfortunately life happened and I had to step away from the hobby.

Fast forward to present day. I just happened to be browsing a local LFS with my fiancé when i saw (what I thought) a great deal. An Aquatop Recife Eco 40! Stand was pre built. Included a "reef spec" light, skimmer, and all required filtration media. A few hundo's later and we were loading it in the truck. The LFS even threw in enough pre mixed salt water to fill it up!

Once I got my new toy home, I noticed the stand was a little more wobbly than I liked. I knew this had to be fixed before we got wet. The next day I was off to the hardware store to pick up some corner braces.


Six on the underside of the bottom and top panels stiffened and secured the stand to my liking.

Got the tank up on the stand, by myself because my fiancé wasn't home and I'm impatient!

(Please excuse the chubby guy reflection)

Next post, we add sand, build the aquascape and get er wet!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Nice.

Maybe take a look for the "Minimalist Reefer" thread here at R2R. It's just getting started and it some reefers who don't use all the crazy new high tech equipment... we just try to keep it simple.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hello all, lets get started on my very first build thread!
Follow along as I share my experiences and how I went about putting together my office display.

A little back story first, this will be my second reef tank. The first was a 7 gallon nano about 12 years ago, I learned and had a lot of fun with this tank. Unfortunately life happened and I had to step away from the hobby.

Fast forward to present day. I just happened to be browsing a local LFS with my fiancé when i saw (what I thought) a great deal. An Aquatop Recife Eco 40! Stand was pre built. Included a "reef spec" light, skimmer, and all required filtration media. A few hundo's later and we were loading it in the truck. The LFS even threw in enough pre mixed salt water to fill it up!

Once I got my new toy home, I noticed the stand was a little more wobbly than I liked. I knew this had to be fixed before we got wet. The next day I was off to the hardware store to pick up some corner braces.


Six on the underside of the bottom and top panels stiffened and secured the stand to my liking.

Got the tank up on the stand, by myself because my fiancé wasn't home and I'm impatient!

(Please excuse the chubby guy reflection)

Next post, we add sand, build the aquascape and get er wet!

Best of luck to the aquascape!

 

[DyrtyByrd]

Nice.

Maybe take a look for the "Minimalist Reefer" thread here at R2R. It's just getting started and it some reefers who don't use all the crazy new high tech equipment... we just try to keep it simple.

For sure, thanks for the heads up. I think we are all gadget junkies to some extent, but my wallet doesn't allow for too many gadgets lol. Ill take a look at that thread

 

[DyrtyByrd]

Best of luck to the aquascape!

thanks, this build thread is a little retrospect. I certainly could have used the luck!

 

[Ron Reefman]

For sure, thanks for the heads up. I think we are all gadget junkies to some extent, but my wallet doesn't allow for too many gadgets lol. Ill take a look at that thread

That's the cycle I went through. My tanks got bigger and bigger and they got more and more complicated with more high tech gadgets. Then I started downsizing and it got easier and easier. Now I have two 40g aio tanks with good quality lights and using filter socks and a strip of filter media to keep the tanks clean... no refugium, no sump, no computer control, no skimmer... and my sps & lps tank is doing just fine.

 

[DyrtyByrd]

Next step will be creating the aquascape, adding sand and then salt water.

I'm no professional aquascaper by any stretch of the word. My 7 gallon was literally 3 boulders laid on top of each other. Quite a bit of looking and studying only made me less sure of what I was doing and what I wanted. I decided the best way to attack this, was to just do it and figure it out as I go.

Went back to the LFS and picked up 20lbs of caribisea fiji pink and around the same amount of caribisea purple life rock. Got some grey epoxy as well as they didn't have purple.

Got it all home and went to work, in a "significate other approved" work space of course.

Grabbed an old piece of cardboard and cut it to the shape of my tank bottom, 21"L X 18"D. I layed out a grid with masking tape and started laying rock. I knew what the base would consist of since I picked up a pre made cave and a medium doughnut.


I worked on it, for what seemed like an eternity. After several adult beverages, for creativity sake, I finally came to a design that I liked!




I decided that was enough for one night. Since I didn't epoxy anything down, I marked where the pieces met and pulled it apart for the evening. Side Note: I have 4 demon cats that would have gladly kicked over my sand castle while I slept.

 

[DyrtyByrd]

The next morning I awoke, ready to glue some rocks together for the final scape!

One problem though, for the life of me I could not get anything to fit as it did the night before.

Back to square one

A few more hours fiddling and got something that resembled last night's master piece. Then disaster struck, I dropped my last nano arch. It happened in slow motion as I watched it break on the ground. This was the center piece of my scape so the only thing left to do was bust out the epoxy and thick cyano. Glued it all back together and let it sit for 24 hours.

After the epoxy cured I got back to work. Rebuilding the structure to what it was before.

Time to place the aquascape, add sand and water. I had to place the left and right bases individually and then epoxy the arch in the tank.



I added two small islands for interest and to have a place for invasive corals to grow.

Gotta love those fill lines!


Next up, Ill briefly go over my cycle and touch on a few upgrades.

 

[DyrtyByrd]

That's the cycle I went through. My tanks got bigger and bigger and they got more and more complicated with more high tech gadgets. Then I started downsizing and it got easier and easier. Now I have two 40g aio tanks with good quality lights and using filter socks and a strip of filter media to keep the tanks clean... no refugium, no sump, no computer control, no skimmer... and my sps & lps tank is doing just fine.

very nice! its easy to get caught up in the sea of aquarium equipment and every body seems to be a salesman when your researching youtube.

 

[kingranch2003]

How's this build going? I have the same aquarium setup and I made a lot of changes? How are you liking yours?

 

[DyrtyByrd]

How's this build going? I have the same aquarium setup and I made a lot of changes? How are you liking yours?

Got busy with other life aspects and kind of let the flame die on this thread. I have learned a lot and the tank is doing great. It always feels like stability of the tank is like balancing a spinning plate on a pencil. But as the tank matures it seems more hands off.

4 major things were changed to the hardware:
1. The stock skimmer, I could not get it to break in or work properly, even after several weeks of fiddling with it. I took a chance on an IOAOI Nano skimmer, only took a couple days to dial in and has been pulling great skimate ever since.

2. The stock filter sponge, this thing became a nitrate factory, requiring cleaning or replacement almost daily. I fashioned a filter floss tray from some 1/8" ABS sheet that hangs in the overflow compartment. Now I buy a huge roll of filter pad, cut to size, install and replace as needed.

3. The stock lighting, 30 watts and uncontrollable, I could have put it on a timer but figured I would treat myself and my animals to a Hydra 32.

4. Stock media baskets, there were 4 to begin with. Two with bio media, one with carbon and one with phosphate removal media. The main issue with these is they like to trap air, as these air bubbles would shift or pop it would cause wild swings in the water level of the pump chamber. This would make my ato add water when it wasn't necessary. I simply emptied the carbon and phosphate removal media, put the baskets back in and use a media bag on top with rox .8 carbon. Much more stable ato operation and I'm in direct control of nitrate and phosphate through feeding and filtration cleaning and replacement.

Long story short, I love the tank, it has spurred a lot of learning over the last 10 months. There were some trials and some errors but overall I think its on the right track. In the future I don't think I will choose a cube tank or AIO for my main display but I'm glad for the experience. Once I upgrade, this will most likely become a grow out or quarantine tank. Ill try to post some pics soon.

 

[DyrtyByrd]

 

[DyrtyByrd]

Excuse the mess, today is water change day

 

[kingranch2003]

Got busy with other life aspects and kind of let the flame die on this thread. I have learned a lot and the tank is doing great. It always feels like stability of the tank is like balancing a spinning plate on a pencil. But as the tank matures it seems more hands off.

4 major things were changed to the hardware:
1. The stock skimmer, I could not get it to break in or work properly, even after several weeks of fiddling with it. I took a chance on an IOAOI Nano skimmer, only took a couple days to dial in and has been pulling great skimate ever since.

2. The stock filter sponge, this thing became a nitrate factory, requiring cleaning or replacement almost daily. I fashioned a filter floss tray from some 1/8" ABS sheet that hangs in the overflow compartment. Now I buy a huge roll of filter pad, cut to size, install and replace as needed.

3. The stock lighting, 30 watts and uncontrollable, I could have put it on a timer but figured I would treat myself and my animals to a Hydra 32.

4. Stock media baskets, there were 4 to begin with. Two with bio media, one with carbon and one with phosphate removal media. The main issue with these is they like to trap air, as these air bubbles would shift or pop it would cause wild swings in the water level of the pump chamber. This would make my ato add water when it wasn't necessary. I simply emptied the carbon and phosphate removal media, put the baskets back in and use a media bag on top with rox .8 carbon. Much more stable ato operation and I'm in direct control of nitrate and phosphate through feeding and filtration cleaning and replacement.

Long story short, I love the tank, it has spurred a lot of learning over the last 10 months. There were some trials and some errors but overall I think its on the right track. In the future I don't think I will choose a cube tank or AIO for my main display but I'm glad for the experience. Once I upgrade, this will most likely become a grow out or quarantine tank. Ill try to post some pics soon.

This sounds almost exactly like my experience with this tank. While id call my tank successfull, never again will I purchase an aio, or a cube. Flow has been tricky for my and I'm always fighting surface scum. I bought vivid creative aquatics rfg nozzle, and while I do love the flow it adds and the fact that it has solved my surface scum issues, the water in my ato chamber does fluctuate with it installed. Hopefully an adjustable pump will help.

I definitely have trouble over all keeping th ato chamber at a consistent level. Like you, I removed, emptied and replaced one basket, but then I added live rock on top of it because I had some extra that wouldn't fit in the tank. I added a bag of GAC, a filter floss tray that I cut pura pad for and replace every 2 or 3 days.

I appreciate your response very much. Do you know about what your par readings are on the sandbed, and what percentage you run the light at? I have an xr15 that I run on 45%. Here are a couple of pics of the setup

 

[DyrtyByrd]

Same issue here with flow, and this is why I wont do a cube in the future. Flow is not impossible to nail, just easier in a long tank. Just today I changed my flow setup and now have two jebao slw 5's on either side of the tank, one high up in front of the rock and one down low behind the rock. There are set to alternate on and off opposite of each other. I also have a vca random flow nozzle. Basically have this pointed toward the opposite corner of the tank and at the surface. Gonna test this combo for a few weeks and see if this helps with export. I have my lights set to around 40-50% overall power. Par readings are around 80 on the sand, 120 mid tank, 200+ in the upper tank. I have my light mounted 14 inches above the water line and this really helps reduce hot spots and gives a more balance light spread.

Also thats a really nice scolly!

 

[kingranch2003]

Thank you! My lfs had it for 30% off, and I couldn't resist. Watching that thing eat is very entertaining to say the least. I like your idea with the alternating jebaos. Your corals look great. It did my heart good to see that nice healthy euphyllia colony in your tank. I have a combo of about 6 torches hammers and octospawn. Those par readings are EXACTLY what I'm shooting for, and I run the same percentage. Keep the cube going, my friend!

 

[DyrtyByrd]

Thanks and you as well!