Reef squared!! My journey into a 24 cube!!!

[Francoreef]

So a bit of background about myself and my previous experience.

• I started with a 14 gallon bio cube supper humble start. Obviously did everything wrong but luckily never killed a fish
• Then the 55 noticed it was way to thin to do anything nice
• Then 450 and noticed I was way to over my head

Which lead to giving the hobby up for a year and some change.
Recently moved back to my birthplace South Florida and immediately caught the bug.
After tons of research I decided you k ow what let's do a nano the right way.
And luckily I have a happy thriving nano reef with a total of about 10 gallon ( I could say pico) lol.

On to the important stuff I bought a 24 cube to upgrade from the nano and boy am I happy so this thread will highlight every step of the way my ups my downs and I am by no means a pro please please please criticize this build I want to to be done right. Specially since it will be sps dominant!!!!!!!!!!

Set up as of today

• 24x24x24 deep blue cube with corner overflow
• Home made stand
• Eshopps medium sump around 20 gallons
• Rio 1700 return pump i know i know i went cheap

Things I have yet to buy and would like some help on

• LIGHTING I'm thinking metal halides bimini sun 150 with a 14k bulb and maybe some led to supplement along the line
• Skimmer reef octopus 150space saver
• Rock: real reef rock with allot of playing pieces
• Sand ?? Maybe maybe not help me
• Display flow ( gyre/ mp's) or a combination or the Chinese gyre or the ice cap and some power head or mps if I find someone selling some on here
• Dosing I have no idea what I'm going to do hear I need to read up some more

Enough about that picture timeeeeee

My current nano

It's not the greatest but it's something

I will post pictures of the 60 in a bit.

View attachment 20170610_155402.jpg

 

[Francoreef]

Plumbing for the first time ever wish me luck ?????

 

[Tyler Caviness]

I just took down a 60g cube and put everything into an 80g. My biggest complaint with the cube was that it was hard to get good flow with my set up.
I got a single mp40 instead of two mp10s and that was a mistake- I had a lot of dead spots. I could have added more, smaller power heads, but I knew I was going to be taking down the aquarium sooner rather than later.
I think a gyre would have been good though, and I have seen other cube threads of people who have a gyre and seemed to be happy

 

[Tyler Caviness]

Also that's a nice looking stain on the stand

 

[Francoreef]

Also that's a nice looking stain on the stand

Thank you very much first time ever staining anything haha but yeah I'm probably going to run a gyre and maybe a small mp10 used for dead spots

 

[brett_schn]

What part of south Florida are u in. I’m in Pompano. What lfs do you use

 

[Francoreef]

Haha I live in pompano as Well I actually work for living color aquariums so what I don't buy through us I buy a barrier reef in Boca or elite marine in lighthouse point

 

[brett_schn]

Haha I live in pompano as Well I actually work for living color aquariums so what I don't buy through us I buy a barrier reef in Boca or elite marine in lighthouse point

I use elite marine too. Matt and lance are awesome. I’m going to shoot you a dm

 

[Francoreef]

So i am contemplating the move and am so confused as to how i should move the contents of my nano into my 60 gallon and what rock i should go with that wont leach phosphates or create an ammonia spike ( HEEEELLLLLPPPP)