Sphinx's 60g Cube

[HairyGary]

Looks good!

 

[sphinx15]

Thanks all!

I like it. I really considered getting a cube when I was purchasing my tank.
Instead of doors some guys are using magnets for removable panels.
Food for thought, that water level looks really high if you were to have much wave action in the tank.

Magnet door are exactly what I was planning

And yeah, water level is pretty high but with my current flow/wave action it looks alright.

 

[sphinx15]

Just a quick update, specifically on the Radion light. Overall, I'd say I'm reasonably satisfied with the light but not without some significant disappointments.

The light itself is beautifully made and built. As far as form factor goes I'd say it's easily one of the best looking lights out there and looks great either alone or as part of a hybrid fixture. It puts out a decent amount of light and is definitely well known and documented to be a great light when it comes to coral health.

Unfortunately, when it comes to setup I had a heck of a time of it. When buying a little like this it's pretty much a given that you're going to use a custom lighting profile. I used the USB connection and web app (didn't want to spend another $100 on the reeflink) and it was without question one of the most frustrating interfaces I've ever used. The app doesn't seem well scaled or optimized for either desktop or mobile views and buttons and sliders were constantly off screen. I had frequent disconnects and freezes that would require starting over and an issue with the clock where it wouldn't set to the correct time of day.

Eventually the stars aligned and I was able to get everything saved and synced. Now that the light has been running for a bit I'm noticing pretty significant color banding/disco ball on the sand bed.

Perhaps I'm being picky and perhaps I had some bad luck but I do feel that a top shelf piece of equipment, something that costs well over $400, should have these kinds of issues fairly well sorted out. I will continue to stick with it and see how it goes long run, I know many people are running these with great success so that gives me hope.

Sorry for the long winded post, I just felt like I should put my opinion out there. I know when I was looking around and researching I was grateful for every opinion I found.

 

[sphinx15]

Here's a shot of the color banding on the sand bed. It does seem to be less pronounced on the upper portions of the rock so maybe with a tank that isn't quite as deep it wouldn't be as noticeable. I will try the diffuser they offer which should help, it's just a bummer to have to spend another $50 on an already very expensive light.

 

[sphinx15]

18 days into my cycle I'm finally seeing algae

 

[sphinx15]

Updates are good right?

Finally got the doors on!

They're just held on with magnets so I can remove the whole door for easier access underneath.

And, as expected, as soon as the doors went on the humidity in the stand went through the roof so I installed some fans in the back of the stand.

Just some 12v fans off Amazon. They're usb powered which is nice, I just used an old phone adapter.

The fans both pull air in and force it up through some vents behind the tank and through the gaps around the doors. So far they seem to work well and I haven't seen any more condensation in the stand.

 

[Rjukan]

So sleek. Looks great man.

Are you going to put a top on it? I went with the Red Sea kit and I'm really happy with it. But you might want to go with one that has a silver frame so it doesn't draw the eye to its much. I have black silicon so it works well together. Or you could go with a glass top and clear clips on the sides.

Nice work with the fans, they are on 24/7 I guess?

 

[sphinx15]

So sleek. Looks great man.

Are you going to put a top on it? I went with the Red Sea kit and I'm really happy with it. But you might want to go with one that has a silver frame so it doesn't draw the eye to its much. I have black silicon so it works well together. Or you could go with a glass top and clear clips on the sides.

Nice work with the fans, they are on 24/7 I guess?

Thanks!

I feel I should do a screen of some kind even though I love the open top look. I'd like to avoid fish jerky... The tank came with a glass top and clear clips but with the way the return is plumbed it doesn't quite fit so still looking at options.

And yeah, fans are always on. Evaporation has gone up but it's just so wet in there when they're off

 

[sphinx15]

Corals!

 

[shaggydoo]

Good start and nice stand especially. Got some life in the tank and am excited to see this one develop

 

[OceanDiver]

I have that same setup!!! Love it...

 

[OceanDiver]

Love my 60cube

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Time to hang the lights! I love the idea of hanging the lights from the ceiling but lofted ceilings kinda throws that out the window... Instead I went with some cantilevered hangers that I think turned out really nice.

I used some heavy duty, toggle style wall anchors and despite my worries the supports seem quite sturdy. Otherwise it was fairly simple, just some 1.5" x 1.5" oak that I stained and sealed to match the trim in the rest of the room. The hanging kit is just the one that came with the Aquatic Life fixture.

Love how you hung the lights. Just noticed your running the same lights as me except I have a AI prime instead of radion.

 

[sphinx15]

I have that same setup!!! Love it...

Love how you hung the lights. Just noticed your running the same lights as me except I have a AI prime instead of radion.

Thanks! Super excited to have life in it finally.

Love my 60cube

Looks awesome

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

What T5 bulbs did you go with?

 

[sphinx15]

What T5 bulbs did you go with?

Right now there's 2x coral plus and 2x aquablue special

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

Right now there's 2x coral plus and 2x aquablue special

Okay cool, I went for a mixture, 2 blue plus 1 aqua blue special 1 coral plus, haven't changed them up since I've had the tank and honestly everything tends to color up nicely, just wish it was more blue but if I ever swapped from my Prime to a hydra I could possibly fix that. Is your cube 2x2x2 as well? Sorry if you mentioned that earlier.

 

[sphinx15]

Okay cool, I went for a mixture, 2 blue plus 1 aqua blue special 1 coral plus, haven't changed them up since I've had the tank and honestly everything tends to color up nicely, just wish it was more blue but if I ever swapped from my Prime to a hydra I could possibly fix that. Is your cube 2x2x2 as well? Sorry if you mentioned that earlier.

Yep, 2' cube. I might go more blue in the future but for now I like seeing the tank in fairly natural light during the day

 

[Karam Aldarwich]

Tank looks great I am as well trying to get a cube tank running. I love the look and everything about them and just nano tanks are cool in general. Keep us updated [emoji106]

 

[bigdeeezyyyy]

very nice build and progress!