25 Gallon Cube Build!

[Kyle T.]

As anyone who has moved knows, things don't always go exactly to plan. I was putting together a 40 Breeder and planned to have it ready to fill after moving next month, however, the place I ended up signing a lease at has a restriction to 20 gallon tanks (larger than most from my experience). I'd keep with the 40 gallon, but the leasing manager has freshwater aquariums and I figured it'd be best to adhere to the restriction. I ended up switching the plan over to a Mr. Aqua 25 Gallon Cube (18x18x18). I'm going to use the same stand I had made for the 40 by a local club member and use the same sump/filtration plan.

I started building a stand several years ago at my parents, but never finished that system before leaving for college. Given that it was something I started with my dad, and I had no tools or space for woodworking I enlisted the help of a local reefer. I like the modern and simple look of the Red Sea stands, so he used the frame of the stand I had built and skinned it to make it look similar. I love the look of it.


With the stand built I assembled the sump using baffles from Jax Racks and a 20 gallon long from the $1 per gallon sale. Years ago I did a DIY sump with acrylic cut from a local glass cutting business and had my dad help with the siliconing, and by help I mean I watched. Over the past couple days I got to learn on my own how much I paid attention. The first set of baffles I siliconed in were the pieces for the filter socks. The seams beaded nicely and using a popsicle stick helped give a professional finish to the job. However, the silicone got messier with each new baffle as I had less and less room to work with for the caulking gun. It's the sump at least, so it won't be publicly visible or staring at me all the time if I look at the tank at least. The plan is to use two filter socks for mechanical filtration, a Skimz SN127 Mini DC Skimmer, and a refugium lit with either a Kessil H160 or AI Fuge Light. Return pump will be a Sicce Syncra 2.0 or 3.0 depending on head height (seems like approximately 3 feet). I had originally gotten two 125W heaters for the 40B, but with repositioning baffles I will have to get smaller heaters since they don't fit the new lay out which is fine considering that the display is only 25 gallons.


Looking forward to the next steps, I have a modular marine overflow on the way. I chose this particular box because of the weir box being easily removable without undoing bulkheads for cleaning. I'm enlisting the help of a LFS for drilling and plumbing the system after things the "Stay Home Order" is lifted. I'm going to be painting the back of the aquarium after drilling is finished. I have rock set aside to do the aquascape and hopefully I'll be ready to start cycling the system by early May. I'm going to do my best to follow a 4 month no light cycling method laid out by BRS and see if that helps minimize the ugly stage. With following this method I'm going to be taking some time to see how the new Radion XR15 Blues perform for people with the idea that I can carry this light forward to future builds (with additional XR15's to fit the future aquarium for adequate lighting). My goal is to go SPS dominate with a couple LPS mixed in (namely a couple "acans" and a lobo).

For fish I'm not 100% decided quite yet. Tentatively it looks like the following:

-Tailspot blenny (algae control)
-Blackcap Basslet (bright purple color, and less common than a royal gramma)
-Venusta Angelfish (Slightly small tank for one and risk with LPS, but an upgrade will happen in time and I would rather have the fish)
-Small Halicheores wrasse (again the tank is going to be small, but I'm not sure what else to use for coral pests that's peaceful)

If you have suggestions for alternatives that I may have overlooked I'd love to hear them! Especially for the pest control area since I'm hesitant about a six line wrasse and have a smaller tank.

 

[iGotJokess]

As anyone who has moved knows, things don't always go exactly to plan. I was putting together a 40 Breeder and planned to have it ready to fill after moving next month, however, the place I ended up signing a lease at has a restriction to 20 gallon tanks (larger than most from my experience). I'd keep with the 40 gallon, but the leasing manager has freshwater aquariums and I figured it'd be best to adhere to the restriction. I ended up switching the plan over to a Mr. Aqua 25 Gallon Cube (18x18x18). I'm going to use the same stand I had made for the 40 by a local club member and use the same sump/filtration plan.

I started building a stand several years ago at my parents, but never finished that system before leaving for college. Given that it was something I started with my dad, and I had no tools or space for woodworking I enlisted the help of a local reefer. I like the modern and simple look of the Red Sea stands, so he used the frame of the stand I had built and skinned it to make it look similar. I love the look of it.


With the stand built I assembled the sump using baffles from Jax Racks and a 20 gallon long from the $1 per gallon sale. Years ago I did a DIY sump with acrylic cut from a local glass cutting business and had my dad help with the siliconing, and by help I mean I watched. Over the past couple days I got to learn on my own how much I paid attention. The first set of baffles I siliconed in were the pieces for the filter socks. The seams beaded nicely and using a popsicle stick helped give a professional finish to the job. However, the silicone got messier with each new baffle as I had less and less room to work with for the caulking gun. It's the sump at least, so it won't be publicly visible or staring at me all the time if I look at the tank at least. The plan is to use two filter socks for mechanical filtration, a Skimz SN127 Mini DC Skimmer, and a refugium lit with either a Kessil H160 or AI Fuge Light. Return pump will be a Sicce Syncra 2.0 or 3.0 depending on head height (seems like approximately 3 feet). I had originally gotten two 125W heaters for the 40B, but with repositioning baffles I will have to get smaller heaters since they don't fit the new lay out which is fine considering that the display is only 25 gallons.


Looking forward to the next steps, I have a modular marine overflow on the way. I chose this particular box because of the weir box being easily removable without undoing bulkheads for cleaning. I'm enlisting the help of a LFS for drilling and plumbing the system after things the "Stay Home Order" is lifted. I'm going to be painting the back of the aquarium after drilling is finished. I have rock set aside to do the aquascape and hopefully I'll be ready to start cycling the system by early May. I'm going to do my best to follow a 4 month no light cycling method laid out by BRS and see if that helps minimize the ugly stage. With following this method I'm going to be taking some time to see how the new Radion XR15 Blues perform for people with the idea that I can carry this light forward to future builds (with additional XR15's to fit the future aquarium for adequate lighting). My goal is to go SPS dominate with a couple LPS mixed in (namely a couple "acans" and a lobo).

For fish I'm not 100% decided quite yet. Tentatively it looks like the following:

-Tailspot blenny (algae control)
-Blackcap Basslet (bright purple color, and less common than a royal gramma)
-Venusta Angelfish (Slightly small tank for one and risk with LPS, but an upgrade will happen in time and I would rather have the fish)
-Small Halicheores wrasse (again the tank is going to be small, but I'm not sure what else to use for coral pests that's peaceful)

If you have suggestions for alternatives that I may have overlooked I'd love to hear them! Especially for the pest control area since I'm hesitant about a six line wrasse and have a smaller tank.

Question for you. I have the same kit for a 40 gal breeder doing the install now, for the bubble trap section did you install that catch plate? I don’t know what to do in this section it doesn’t really make sense

 

[Kyle T.]

Question for you. I have the same kit for a 40 gal breeder doing the install now, for the bubble trap section did you install that catch plate? I don’t know what to do in this section it doesn’t really make sense

I didn't see the notification for the post, but when I installed I did not install the catch plate, I found it hard enough to silicone in the last baffles with the limited room for the silicone tube and gun. I don't foresee any issues with out it there.

 

[Kyle T.]

I was finally able to get some more done on this project over the past couple days now that I finally have the big move out of the way (parking in the neighborhood was limited and I ended up walking 11 miles carrying stuff into the new apartment). Took a week to muster the motivation to get everything else done and coordinate some help with plumbing and drilling the tank.

I was able to drill and plumb the tank. I then painted the back of the cube black. I do just need to get a piece of 3/4" PVC to connect the return bulkhead to an elbow, which I will do tomorrow when the hardware store opens up. I went with blue and grey for the drains and opted to a simple silicone tubing return line to help reduce vibration. One problem I ran into with this was not realizing the modular marine overflow required two holes on its own, and with wanting to avoid the return going up and over the edge of a rimless aquarium I switched to an Eshopps Eclipse Overflow. I was not confident in the integrity of the glass had I drilled 3 holes on the back of the tank.









I took some time to work on the aquascape as well since I had the rock already. I am a fan of a more minimalist approach to the rock and letting coral fill in the space over time and I am happy with how this turned out. Most of the rock I received was with a 40 breeder in mind so I took to smashing a fair amount of the rock to get smaller pieces to work with.



After a leak test when I finish the return line I plan on filling with saltwater and beginning the cycle process. I have everything I need in a couple boxes/buckets from the move. I'm still trying to figure out a stocking list, but with Covid-19 impacting imports I feel as though my additions may be slow to come. The only pieces of equipment I have yet to acquire are a Fuge light (leaning prime due to controllability), a mounting arm for the used Hydra 26, and a screen kit for the top.

 

[Kyle T.]

Quick little update with some good news and bad news.

The good news is that with some minor tightening of the bulkheads there are no leaks with plumbing. I assumed the bulkheads from the external box wouldn’t be an issue but they required additional 1/4 turns to keep them from leaking, and this was after finding I had installed the gaskets incorrectly for the bulkhead from the internal to external box.

The bad news is that I ruined the lenses for the Hydra 26 I just purchased. I thought it was all turned off after testing the light out, but the light went on to scheduled programming due to my lack of attention (I really should have unplugged it when I was done). I have melted plastic on my stand as a result since the light was lens side down after playing around with mounting options. I just ordered two new lenses from AI so I’m hoping a simple lens replacement will do it and no light were harmed due to my negligence.

 

[Kyle T.]

We are finally filled with saltwater and the cycling process has begun! I ended up moving the aquarium out of the dining area of the new place to the wall next to the entry door so it will be near the living area as well. The floor in the dining area was pretty uneven and after moving everything to the new spot, the stand was much more level (did add some shims in one corner, and everything worked out). After initially filling the aquarium I noticed a leak between the aquarium glass and the external box, but was able to give the bulkhead a quarter turn to resolve the issue.

New Location:


Where the leak was:


I used Caribsea Special Grade sand since I wanted something a bit coarser with higher flow in the tank, and one bag did just the trick. I dosed Brightwell Ammonia as an ammonia source to begin cycling and then did some baseline testing to start logging the cycle.

Initial Results are:
SG: 1.023 (going to raise to 1.025)
Temp: 79.5F
Ammonia: 1.2ppm
pH: 8.2

I dosed Microbacter Start XLM to kickstart the nitrogen cycle, so we could be ready for fish next week assuming I'm able to find the fish I'm looking for. Last week the new lenses arrived, but upon opening the box I received two fans. Monday I reached out to AI and have resolved the issue and should hopefully have lenses either today or tomorrow!

 

[Sebastiancrab]

Question for you. I have the same kit for a 40 gal breeder doing the install now, for the bubble trap section did you install that catch plate? I don’t know what to do in this section it doesn’t really make sense

So it sounds like you all are happy with the Jax Racks dividers. i am jumping to the 40 and 20 gal setup soon and this sounds perfect. Glass would cost about $40. What is the catch plate?

 

[Kyle T.]

So it sounds like you all are happy with the Jax Racks dividers. i am jumping to the 40 and 20 gal setup soon and this sounds perfect. Glass would cost about $40. What is the catch plate?

it’s a piece that would be placed between the last two baffles to place a sponge or other media bag after the skimmer and fuge sections.

 

[Kyle T.]

Quick little update for today!

The replacement lenses arrived today so I lan on getting those installed later today.

Water has cleared up and the cycle is progressing nicely. Here are this morning’s test results:

Salinity: 1.024
Temp: 79F
Ammonia: 1.0 (rough estimate based on color from Red Sea Test)
Nitrite: 0.5
pH: 8.2

 

[Kyle T.]

The cycle is still moving along, albeit slower than suggested based on instructions for Microbacter Start XLM. I'm not in a rush by any means since importing fish is still an issue with shipping prices and frequency. I've been doing daily testing for salinity, temp, ammonia, nitrite, and pH through the cycle to track it.

As of today the results are:

Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 78.8F
Ammonia: 0.2ppm
Nitrite: 1.0ppm or more (Red Sea Kit only goes to 1ppm)
pH: 8.2 (has been fluctuating between 8.2-8.4 since testing began)

I plan to continue testing through the cycle to track its progress before adding any fish. Speaking of fish, I have been going through many ideas on what I want to get and can't seem to nail anything down. Here are some of the fish I have been considering:

Utilitarian fish for algae: tailspot blenny, pictus blenny, or Molly miller blenny
Utilitarian fish for coral pests: Red lined wrasse, ornate leopard wrasse, or bipartitus wrasse (planning on an upgrade to something larger as they grow and become to much for this tank)
Show fish 1: Royal gramma (likely a pair if I go this route), chalk basslet, orchid dottyback
Show fish 2: Venusta angel, cherub angel, African flameback angel, starki damsel

Any thoughts or alternative suggestions to the above?

Other than cycling I do have to do some new cord management as the wifi power strip I have will not connect to the wifi signal in order to operate. It needs a 2.4gHz signal, however, my router puts out both 2.4 and 5.0gHz signals out under the same wifi name. I'd have no issue if the networks were separate so that I can make sure my phone is connected in the same signal for setting up. My solution is just going to regular power strips, just need to find the motivation to get that all worked out.

Here is a photo of the tank tonight after testing:

 

[Kyle T.]

Cycle has finally completed today! I did a 5 gallon water change (just shy of 25% of the total volume with sump) to finish off the cycle as per the instructions and siphoned the sand a bit to get the remaining dust out. Installed new power strips to replace the wifi strip I had since that was a bust, and turned on the skimmer to start the break in period. I have had the lights on this past week since I did have a normal work week for the first time since the stay at home order started just so I could see when I want the lights to come on and turn off during the day. I will be turning them off now for the next few months as the tank matures more and I am able to get some inhabitants. I am curious to try the BRS Quick Start Guide Cycle and do 4 months with no lights while dosing Vibrant or Microbacter Clean and see if this avoids the ugly stage.

On my list of upcoming purchases to make; Inkbird temperature controller for a fan (never had an issue with tank temps being too high until now), AI Prime Fuge Light (likely in a month after there is a bio load), and first inhabitants (I think I'm going to get a pair of Royal Gramma initially).


Anyways, here is a quick picture from after doing the water change and cleaning the glass and salt creep a bit!

 

[Kyle T.]

Short update:

I picked up two smaller royal grammas at the end of last week with the goal of forming a pair. These two were in separate tanks for the duration of quarantine, but seem to be getting along fine with the exception of some displays and chasing from the larger specimen. Both stay in their respective caves in the rock work with the smaller having found a hole on the lower left side and the larger towards the middle of the formation. LRS Reef Frenzy Nano is eaten with gusto, and I haven't tried pellets yet since I don't have my auto feeder picked out.

I purchased an AI Fuge Light and Mounting arm with the intention of adding a Fuge starter kit from Algaebarn in a couple weeks since testing is showing a stable 10ppm in nitrate between water changes. I'm still tweaking the skimmer to ensure it's skimming following the BRS Video suggestions on running lean for organics to pull.

Here's a short video of the new inhabitants during this afternoon's feeding:

Kyle Thomas has shared 1 video with you!

www.flickr.com

 

[Kyle T.]

Started back to work last weeks as gyms opened back up on June 15th and this means I've been a little more hands off with the tank since outside of feeding 2-3x per day. I was able to get the refugium set up with a Chaeto Fuge starting bundle from Algaebarn. I adjusted the AI Fuge light down to 20% on all channels so that the Chaeto doesn't burn from the intense lighting right from the start, I'm planning on upping the intensity slowly over time as more livestock gets added. Speaking of livestock, I ordered a Christmas wrasse from DD today (H. Claudia) because they are a species I hardly ever see and I've been looking at adding either this species or H. biocellatus for pest control should the issue arise.

I wasn't a huge fan of the light spill in the sump and also didn't like the disco ball effect I was getting while testing out the AI 26 on the display. I ended up ordering a diffuser and shroud from 3Dreef in order to fix both problems. They are easy to install and from a short test I did with them, they are perfect for what I wanted to achieve!


[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jdcFsN]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jd8AzR]

Today was also maintenance day. I did parameter testing before doing a 5 gallon water change. The biggest fix is that I have been able to get temperature under control with installing a window A/C unit in the room where the aquarium is. I was getting worried with a heatwave shortly after the last update when the temps got up to 86F.

Results from testing are:
Salinity- 1.025
Temp- 79.1F
pH- 8.0
Nitrate- 10ppm (15ppm last week)
Phosphate- 0.018ppm (0.06ppm last week)

Here are some photos of the tank and royal gramma pair after the water change:
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Larger Royal Gramma
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[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jdcFpw]

Smaller one is poking it's head out of the rock it resides in, very hard to see though in the lower left hand side of the rock
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jdbo1K]

Blair the cat giving her approval on maintenance being completed:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jd8AEF]

 

[Kyle T.]

Short update just to stay active with the thread. I have been enjoying the new addition of the H. Claudia as it has become more acclimated to my light schedule and stays out later into the day. It eats like a pig and loves to be the center of attention when I'm just looking at the tank. The two royal grammas have been behaving with no bickering amongst themselves and have overcome their shyness around the new addition. I've noticed them being affectionate (for fish at least) towards each other towards the end of the day, but definitely not spawning since they are both still quite small.

Unfortunately, in an attempt to reduce light spill in the refugium I ended up melting my chaeto despite reducing the light intensity to 10% for only 3 hours in an attempt to acclimate with the light being closer to the water. I've since removed the macro algae and will be raising the light back up again for the next round. I think I may give it some more time before starting the fuge back up, likely around the beginning of September as the tank approaches 4 months.

I'm thinking my next fish purchase is going to be a blenny of some sort before rounding out the stock list with venusta angelfish (starting to reach out to vendors to see if they are available this time of year).

Today I took a job offer at BRS, which means I'll be getting a tank for my desk/cube in a few months. With a second tank at work I may end up keeping this current tank to softies and LPS and make the office tank SPS/Acros since I'll be with that tank 5 days a week (and who knows, it could be a bigger tank as well). Here's a couple quick photos from after tonight's water change!



[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jk7jRR]

 

[Kyle T.]

Long time no update... For the most part I've just been letting things settle in since the last update in July. I started adding some tester corals a couple weeks ago, and by tester I mean that I got a chunk of some sort of stag horn Acropora that broke off one of the tanks at BRS that was browned out. It's been coloring up to a purple base with green hues showing through. I also got some frags/chunks of coral from Gary and Sidgjr. Since I noticed these corals were doing well with solid polyp extension, coloration, and growth I pulled trigger on a 4 piece (received 6) Battlebox from Battlecorals and I'm very excited to see how these corals grow and fill in! I may get another select frag or two, but I don't want to get too crazy as I like fewer large pieces and want to leave room for growth.

In the box I got:
Miss Scarlet
Bonfire
Pig Champion
Shades of Fall
Revsky
Sunflower Milli

On the fish front, I was able to get a shepherd's angel and a brunneus wrasse from Eliot at Marine Collectors. The angel was the male of a pair that I purchased in early July, but the female perished during quarantine. The brunneus wrasse was a replacement fish and was great for a week, but I lost him as he jumped and the cat got him (talk about an expensive snack) before I could. Anyways, enough ranting, here are some pictures of the tank with an orange lens and without the lens.