Bleigh's 60 gallon cube

[Bleigh]

I've been talking about this periodically on my biocube build (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-salty-29g-biocube.541137/), and thought I should just start a thread to track stuff for this tank.

I found this 60 gallon cube on facebook. I thought it would be fun to play with and figure out all the components of keeping a more complex tank before I can start on the showcase tank (https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/thoughts-in-progress-my-big-tank.592093/#post-5999086 ). The kiddo decided that this was his tank, and the biocube can be mine. It was originally purchased as a gift for his second birthday and he's always corrected me when I call the biocube, my tank. So I guess I should be "honored" that he'd be willing to give it to me as a handy-me-down. It is really awesome having my kid just as excited about tanks as I am.

The bottom appears to be non-tempered. I've verified that by looking at it through polarized film and the phone under the glass while wearing polarized glasses trick. So I'll be drilling it in the next couple of days. I also found nice cabinets that will be turned into the stand. I hope to move the biocube and place those tonight. I ordered a sump that can handle up to 125 gallons from acrylic habitats that they started on today (cheers)!

So hopefully I'll be able to start making more progress soon.

The cabinet is going to be about twice as wide as the tank. My original thought was to just have extra counter space.... BUT I keep buying coral frags. I am toying with the idea of getting a custom frag tank set up next to the cube and plumbing it into the same sump. This way all the water parameters are the same for easy moving and potentially growing some pieces out. I'm not sure how this would work pragmatically. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions with that?

Stock List:

• WWC Snow Leopard Leptastrea from WWC
• Hulk lepto from WW
• Hollywood stunner chalice from WWC
• WWC Bicolor Platygyra from WWC
• WWC Lich King Zoanthids from WWC
• Jason Fox High Voltage Platygyra from WWC
• Flower Petal Montipora from WWC
• WWC Demon Eye Favia from WWC
• WWC Awesome Rainbow Platygyra from WWC
• WWC Graffiti War Coral from WWC
• WWC Incredible Hulk Leptoseris from WWC

 

[Zoa Owl]

Interested to see how this goes!

 

[Leadfooted]

Exciting! Having a frag tank is the way to go because they allow you to play with the corals much more and nothing beats a top down view. See if you can find any used Deep Blue 30G rimless. This new tank looks to be about 24X24 exactly what the Deep blue 30 is. These would look awesome side by side. There's plenty more options. Also consider light set up if your adding a frag tank, you might just go with one big ballast to cover both.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

IT HAS BEGUN!!!!! Following along on this one.

 

[Bleigh]

Exciting! Having a frag tank is the way to go because they allow you to play with the corals much more and nothing beats a top down view. See if you can find any used Deep Blue 30G rimless. This new tank looks to be about 24X24 exactly what the Deep blue 30 is. These would look awesome side by side. There's plenty more options. Also consider light set up if your adding a frag tank, you might just go with one big ballast to cover both.

It is 24 x 24. That's a great suggestion! Will def be on the lookout!

 

[Bleigh]

Interested to see how this goes!

IT HAS BEGUN!!!!! Following along on this one.

Thank you! Super excited!

 

[Mike.P]

I am toying with the idea of getting a custom frag tank set up next to the cube and plumbing it into the same sump. This way all the water parameters are the same for easy moving and potentially growing some pieces out. I'm not sure how this would work pragmatically. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions with that?

You could tee off the return, run a line to each tank, and put a gate valve on the line going to the frag tank, to control the flow. Or you could put in a second, smaller return pump to run the frag tank individually, which may be the easier solution.

 

[Bleigh]

You could tee off the return, and run a line to each tank, and put a gate valve on the line going to the frag tank, to control the flow. Or you could put in a second, smaller return pump to run the frag tank individually, which may be the easier solution.

That's my current thought. combine the returns and do two pumps.

 

[Mike.P]

That's my current thought. combine the returns and do two pumps.

I wouldn't combine the returns from both tanks, keep them as separate lines... Otherwise you may have a hard time balancing the the drain and return flow rates, since you'll be affecting both tanks when adjusting the drain, but one tank at a time, when adjusting a pump.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Following..... how did I miss this on IG?

 

[Bleigh]

I wouldn't combine the returns from both tanks, keep them as separate lines... Otherwise you may have a hard time balancing the the drain and return flow rates, since you'll be affecting both tanks when adjusting the drain, but one tank at a time, when adjusting a pump.

This is why I need to do this setup before I do a big one.... Is a return not what I think it is? It is where the water overflows the baffle in the dt and a tube takes it to the sump? I'm thinking about returning to the sump, but it may be from the perspective of returning to the DT.

My thought was to have both coming down and combine at the same height into a larger pvc pipe. Wouldn't the volume returning to the sump be dependent on the speed of the two pumps?

 

[Bleigh]

Following..... how did I miss this on IG?

Lol... I posted a full picture of the tank on IG, but not the whole build story.

 

[Mike.P]

This is why I need to do this setup before I do a big one.... Is a return not what I think it is? It is where the water overflows the baffle in the dt and a tube takes it to the sump? I'm thinking about returning to the sump, but it may be from the perspective of returning to the DT.

My thought was to have both coming down and combine at the same height into a larger pvc pipe. Wouldn't the volume returning to the sump be dependent on the speed of the two pumps?

You're absolutely right, the rate of the draining water will of course correlate to the rate of water being pumped up to the tanks... But unless you're using identical pumps, and have identical lengths, turns, bends, etc., in your plumbing, there will be variation. When you're running a sump, the drain rate needs to be tweaked, or you will run into one of two issues: The first is obvious, if you're draining slower than you're filling, you get a flood. This can of course be avoided by leaving the drain wide open, but then you run into the second problem: If the water is draining too fast, you start sucking down air with it, which results in a lot of gurgling and sucking noise. This is why every drain setup has some kind of valve on it, so that one may achieve the proper equilibrium in flow.

So that's why I personally wouldn't want to combine the drains from two separate tanks, especially when they're running on two separate pumps... While it may simplify the initial plumbing, you'll potentially be getting a lot of headache in return, when you go to adjust your flow rates. ;Woot

 

[Bleigh]

You're absolutely right, the rate of the draining water will of course correlate to the rate of water being pumped up to the tanks... But unless you're using identical pumps, and have identical lengths, turns, bends, etc., in your plumbing, there will be variation. When you're running a sump, the drain rate needs to be tweaked, or you will run into one of two issues: The first is obvious, if you're draining slower than you're filling, you get a flood. This can of course be avoided by leaving the drain wide open, but then you run into the second problem: If the water is draining too fast, you start sucking down air with it, which results in a lot of gurgling and sucking noise. This is why every drain setup has some kind of valve on it, so that one may achieve the proper equilibrium in flow.

So that's why I personally wouldn't want to combine the drains from two separate tanks, especially when they're running on two separate pumps... While it may simplify the initial plumbing, you'll potentially be getting a lot of headache in return, when you go to adjust your flow rates. ;Woot

I didn't realize that the returns were anything other than open. I thought the system was just passive past the pump. Still so many things I don't know. I'll have to think about how to get water into the sump then. I wonder if plumbing the bigger tanks to the smaller tank then allowing that to go into the sump would be doable.... Then pumping back into the bigger tank.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

This is why I need to do this setup before I do a big one.... Is a return not what I think it is? It is where the water overflows the baffle in the dt and a tube takes it to the sump? I'm thinking about returning to the sump, but it may be from the perspective of returning to the DT.

My thought was to have both coming down and combine at the same height into a larger pvc pipe. Wouldn't the volume returning to the sump be dependent on the speed of the two pumps?

I think what you are referring to is the overflow box. That is where the water will enter your drain line which leads to your sump. The return line is the line from your return pump back to the DT

 

[Bleigh]

I think what you are referring to is the overflow box. That is where the water will enter your drain line which leads to your sump. The return line is the line from your return pump back to the DT

So the return line is where the pump is connected? If so, then I'm planning on having two separate pumps and two separate return lines. Hopefully I can connect the drain lines so they both drain into one pipe into the sump, because the sump has a hole for a pipe and an emergency overflow. I'd like to use it as such and not a drain pipe from the dt and a drain line from the frag tank, but if I have to do it that way, I will.

I'm watching youtube videos on how people connect their frag tanks... a lot of it seems way overly complicated. I'm assuming that's because all the ones I've come across did the frag tank as an after thought and the plumping got crazy.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

So the return line is where the pump is connected? If so, then I'm planning on having two separate pumps and two separate return lines. Hopefully I can connect the drain lines so they both drain into one pipe into the sump, because the sump has a hole for a pipe and an emergency overflow. I'd like to use it as such and not a drain pipe from the dt and a drain line from the frag tank, but if I have to do it that way, I will.

I'm watching youtube videos on how people connect their frag tanks... a lot of it seems way overly complicated. I'm assuming that's because all the ones I've come across did the frag tank as an after thought and the plumping got crazy.

I think connecting the drains could give you balancing issues but maybe I'm wrong. You could use the two holes for your two primary drains. Emergency drains can really dump anywhere into the sump. You also want to be sure that your sump is designed to handle the volume of both tanks.

I think Mike paletta drained his DT into his frag tank and then into the sump. I believe the idea behind that is the waste from the DT becomes food for the corals.

 

[Hemmdog]

Lol... I posted a full picture of the tank on IG, but not the whole build story.

Whoa whoa whoa, what’s your IG name ?

 

[Bleigh]

I think connecting the drains could give you balancing issues but maybe I'm wrong. You could use the two holes for your two primary drains. Emergency drains can really dump anywhere into the sump. You also want to be sure that your sump is designed to handle the volume of both tanks.

I think Mike paletta drained his DT into his frag tank and then into the sump. I believe the idea behind that is the waste from the DT becomes food for the corals.

Yeah. That makes a lot of sense to me. I'm trying to think about how that would work if the frag tank is at the same level as the dt. I may play around with some tupper ware bowls.

The sump can handle 125 gallons. The new cube is only 60 gallons.... and part of the reason I even got the idea to add a second tank. From water volume stand point, I think I'm good.

 

[Bleigh]

Whoa whoa whoa, what’s your IG name ?

It's in my signature line. Bthefountain