60 Gallon Cube Aquarium Build!

[KSReefing]

Well the time has finally come. I got the green light from the wife to add a reef tank to one of our living rooms in the house. This is going to be my first cube aquarium I have ever done. I purchased a brand new 60 gallon frameless/rimless cube on Black Friday from a LFS.

I have been keeping all in one systems pretty much my entire time I have had saltwater tanks. I have grown to hate them. I torn down an IM Nuvo 30 Long about two months ago to sell it off. I have been keeping my corals and frags in a 20 gallon long tank with a 10 gallon sump.

I started building an oversized stand for my 60 cube because I knew I wanted a 20 gallon long for a sump and also more room for equipment.

Right now my equipment list.

60 Gallon Marineland Frameless/Rimless Tank
Custom build 2x4s and Pallet wood stand.
2 Jebao RW-8s
Jebao DC6000
2 AI Primes
BRS Dual Reactor
Bubble Magus A5 Skimmer
Eheim 200 watt heater
Reef Keeper Plus
Reef Keeper ATO
Jebao DP 4 Dosing Pump. Want one more to dose Red Sea Color Program.


40 lbs of Ocean Direct Live Sand
80 lbs of Marco Rock

Cube aquariums are a new world to me so I'll be in a learning curve with trying to dial in flow.

I'm also currently building a 7 foot 150 gallon tank as well which will be my new home for some of the fish I will start out in this cube. So don't be surprised when you see baby tangs in the 60 cube. It's my motivation to get that big build done!

I'm really wanting to add some more light to my tank. I want that popping blue. I may add another prime or find a hydra 26 to go in the middle of the two Primes .

And now pictures

Frags being held

 

[DSmithZ28]

Those corals! Must stop drooling on my keyboard! I really like the stand....THOSE CORALS! drool... LOL

 

[Greybeard]

Thanks for the neck ache

Nice stand, love the old wood look.

I did a 60 cube a while back, with an oversized stand. Flow is a challenge. I ended up with a gyre running vertical giving me a mostly laminar, circular flow. Worked, but not what I really wanted. I ended up selling it off when I built my current system last summer.

Enjoy

 

[DSmithZ28]

Thanks for the neck ache

Nice stand, love the old wood look.

I did a 60 cube a while back, with an oversized stand. Flow is a challenge. I ended up with a gyre running vertical giving me a mostly laminar, circular flow. Worked, but not what I really wanted. I ended up selling it off when I built my current system last summer.

Enjoy

I have the Icecap Gyre 3K in my 93 gallon cube now and not that happy with it. I am thinking of getting a couple of the new WavePucks by them. Way more affordable than Ecotech MP40s:

http://www.coralvue.com/waveline-wavepuck

 

[Greybeard]

I have the Icecap Gyre 3K in my 93 gallon cube now and not that happy with it. I am thinking of getting a couple of the new WavePucks by them. Way more affordable than Ecotech MP40s:

http://www.coralvue.com/waveline-wavepuck

My Gyre was the original smaller model Maxspect. Pricey, but that was before Icecap started making them. Never looked at the wavepuck before. I'm using Rossmont Movers in my new setup. Easy, reliable, quiet, and cheap

 

[KSReefing]

Those corals! Must stop drooling on my keyboard! I really like the stand....THOSE CORALS! drool... LOL

About 75% of those came from Aqua SD

 

[KSReefing]

And just like that we are full! The cycling process begins.

Still needing to get a filter sock and holder.
I plan on ordering my 2nd dosing pump tomorrow.

 

[KSReefing]

And just like that we are full! The cycling process begins.

Still needing to get a filter sock and holder.
I plan on ordering my 2nd dosing pump tomorrow.

I will start taking pictures the right way from here on out ha

 

[Thegoodson]

How's the reef keeper treating you. I'm going to get that or apex having decide yet

 

[Scubafrog]

Great looking aquarium, stand and corals. Any of those frags from local shops? Check out The Reef Rack if you haven't already.

 

[KSReefing]

How's the reef keeper treating you. I'm going to get that or apex having decide yet

The reefkeeper is awesome. It does everything I need it too!

 

[KSReefing]

Great looking aquarium, stand and corals. Any of those frags from local shops? Check out The Reef Rack if you haven't already.

Yes I go to the reef rack pretty frequently. It's about 5 minutes from my house ha.

 

[KSReefing]

You guys think 2 AI Primes will be enough to light my tank? I'm going to try and keep SPS colonies up top then lps and zoas down low.

 

[Thegoodson]

I think so I use a hydra 26 and I have another that I want to mount at a angle to help stop shadowing

 

[KSReefing]

I think so I use a hydra 26 and I have another that I want to mount at a angle to help stop shadowing

I may end up getting another one down the road. I will see how everything does when I move them in to the tank.

 

[KSReefing]

Just an update.

I have gotten my diatom bloom. I used Dr. Tim's One and Only. I also used their ammonia as well.

My Ammonia is near 0 now and my nitrites and nitrates are through the roof.

I am close to adding a little more ammonia to see how my tank processes it.

When do you guys do water changes in your cycling process?

 

[KSReefing]

Came home this morning from my shift and found my Frag tank with super cloudy water and my temp reading 90 degrees. my heater got stuck in the on position and just cooked the majority of my frags. The 60 is now absorbing the frags that were salvageable .

I lost pretty much all of my sps and lps.

My zoas seem okay and may be able to make the recovery.

Super frustrating since I pulled my reef keeper off the Frag tank for the 60 cube. Had it of been on the Frag tank still this could of been completely avoided. Let the be a lesson to any of you that don't have a controller. Think about investing in one !

 

[Thegoodson]

Man that sucks. Sorry to hear. I've been on the fence for a few weeks about buying a controler think I'm going to go ahead and take the Plunge

 

[wally311]

Hey KSReefer, following along as I am about to set up a 60 cube just like this! Still trying to decide on lighting, but I have the tank, stand a BM Curve 5 skimmer. Will be moving some of the stock from my 46 bowfront, but mostly starting new. BTW, I'm in Shawnee, work in Lenexa. Sorry about your heater fiasco!

 

[Greybeard]

I pulled my reef keeper off the Frag tank for the 60 cube. Had it of been on the Frag tank still this could of been completely avoided.

Sux. Amazon has the Inkbird heater controllers on Prime for $30. It's not a reefkeeper, but they work pretty well.