Bleigh's 60 gallon cube

Hemmdog · Aug 16, 2019

What’s new with the 60?

crusso1993 · Aug 16, 2019

Hemmdog said:
What’s new with the 60?

*STALKER ALERT!*

Hemmdog · Aug 16, 2019

crusso1993 said:
*STALKER ALERT!*

She drilled this thing mid live sale! Who knows how far it could have come in 2 days! It could be fully stocked by now!

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

Guess I probably need to edit my first post with an equipment list.

I think I’m going to do a Radion light. I got a Varios 6 pump like @Hemmdog recommended. I got a heater from brs that would fit in the sump. It’s a finnex titanium digital control heater hmo200. I’m thinking about getting a smaller one to put in the display as redundancy in case it’s ever needed.

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

And of course, I’m getting a cover from @cromag27 ! (There! Tagged ya!)

Hemmdog · Aug 16, 2019

Bleigh said:
Guess I probably need to edit my first post with an equipment list.

I think I’m going to do a Radion light. I got a Varios 6 pump like @Hemmdog recommended. I got a heater from brs that would fit in the sump. It’s a finnex titanium digital control heater hmo200. I’m thinking about getting a smaller one to put in the display as redundancy in case it’s ever needed.

Did you already order the digital finnex? If so that’s fine, they are good. I just have a suggestion if you didn’t though.

siggy · Aug 16, 2019

crusso1993 said:
*STALKER ALERT!*

Hemmdog said:
She drilled this thing mid live sale! Who knows how far it could have come in 2 days! It could be fully stocked by now!

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

Hemmdog said:
Did you already order the digital finnex? If so that’s fine, they are good. I just have a suggestion if you didn’t though.

I did. I ordered it with the pvc. What was your suggestion? It was pretty cheap. I had a hard time finding something small enough that would fit in the sump. And the things that would were way more money than I wanted to spend at the moment.

Hemmdog · Aug 16, 2019

Bleigh said:
I did. I ordered it with the pvc. What was your suggestion? It was pretty cheap. I had a hard time finding something small enough that would fit in the sump. And the things that would were way more money than I wanted to spend at the moment.

How long of a space do you have in your sump? How cold do you keep your house?

siggy · Aug 16, 2019

J/k hemmdog.......hmm Now i get it ;Shamefullyembarrased

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

Hemmdog said:
How long of a space do you have in your sump? How cold do you keep your house?

Colder in winter than the summer. Probably around 75 summer and 65 winter. Diagonally, a 10 inch thermometer fits. That’s not even at the minimum fill line though. That’s just having the pump barely running so that water isn’t sitting stagnant and so that I’d have space to move stuff over.

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

GoVols said:
It's defiantly good for seeding a new reef.

I used to change out my entire sand bed (every Spring), slowly over a three week period, (and put in new) because whether sand is hardened or not it will absorb phosphates, and they could leach back out (Randy has back me up on that too)

Think that was what @siggy is eluding to.

Never meant to go BB, but one year I never got around to replacing the sand bed.

Been BB for many years now, but it's not for all.

Rakie (Tim) went BB and his phos and nitrates plummeted, because he has so few fish. He went back to a sand bed and his phos and nitrates climbed back up, and stabled back out.

If I ever went back, it's those Tropic Eden / Reef Flakes that Premium Aquatics sells...

I def like the look of sand. Plus my goby is the most sand siftiest thing that I ever did see. He’d for sure boycott life if he didn’t have sand. I’ll have to look up those reef flakes.

Right now, I’m thinking either oolite or pink Fiji. Perhaps a mixture?

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

CDavmd said:
Phenomenal build! Clean and well executed....appeals to my OCD Following!
Re- will the Chaeto grow- definitely yes. My Frag system refugium section has an acrylic lid and the lighting intensity is no issue. It actually grows to well and bottoms out my Nitrate and phosphates.

Also I would not use sand in the refugium- just personal opinion- I've done it in the past and it eventually becomes quite the mess. I prefer using a layer of pond matrix on the bottom and leave lots of room for the chaeto to grow and tumble.

cheers on an awesome build!

Thank you! It’s fun! Can’t wait to do the really big one I have planned. But figured this would be good to work out all the kinks and decide what I like and don’t like.

What is the purpose of having sand in the refugium. I honestly didn’t question it when I saw it on algae barn. But now I’m wondering why they say to add it to the fuge.

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

crusso1993 said:
Home Depot sells white and faux chrome plated egg crate. However, it's never in the lighting section. You can usually find it on the back wall near the doors and windows. I have no idea why they keep it there but that's where they have it.

I need to go get some tonight. I’m planning on getting an Octo aquatics lid made. I love his work! But in the mean time, I’d like to start moving things over and don’t want to lose something because I was too impatient for a lid.

Hemmdog · Aug 16, 2019

Bleigh said:
Colder in winter than the summer. Probably around 75 summer and 65 winter. Diagonally, a 10 inch thermometer fits. That’s not even at the minimum fill line though. That’s just having the pump barely running so that water isn’t sitting stagnant and so that I’d have space to move stuff over.

This is what you want for temp control, the link is out of stock but there is unwired options in stock, there’s YouTube videos on how to wire them.

Ranco Electronic Temperature Control - Wired | MoreBeer

A Ranco controller can precisely control the temperature of your fermentation, or a pump on your all-grain system. Ranco Temp Controllers are known throughout the industry, and this Ranco Electronic Temperature Control ships for free!

www.morebeer.com

Then for heaters with that the finnex non digital are the best imo. Having them non digital reduces more points of failure like the digital heaters internal thermometer.
Ranco’s are super reliable, you won’t need more failsafes than that. Industrial grade temp control.

Here’s the heaters, the 300watt, it is 10 inches and perfect wattage for that tank in those temps.

Finnex TH Deluxe Titanium Heating Element with Plastic Guard

Titanium heating tubes are virtually unbreakable, and corrosion resistant allowing the use in salt or freshwater aquariums. The titanium housing will resist damage a traditional heater would normally encounter while also providing another level of protection with the use of a plastic guard which...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

The thing you picked is good to.

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

Dom said:
Just getting caught up on this build. Impressive!

While not as aesthetically pleasing, personally, I have always been a fan of open tank stands. Ventilation makes it easier to prevent the tank from over-heating.

I love the idea of using a base cabinet as a stand. I had considered using one for my last build, but decided against it as I had some concerns.

Will the base cabinet hold the weight of the tank? I never imagined you would be able to use a base cabinet without first reinforcing it. The down side to cut outs for plumbing and sump access is that it also serves to weaken the cabinet.

I thought about using a 48 inch base cabinet for a stand in my last build (let the scolding commence for not updating my build thread). My idea was to build a basic stand, disassemble the cabinet and reassemble it around the stand to give it a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Will the cabinet stand up to the humidity? Over time, heat and humidity will build up and do what it does to wood and particle board. Another reason I'd want to reinforce the cabinet with a wood frame of some sort. To combat this, I planned on installing a modest fan that would run 24x7 to keep air flowing in and humidity flowing out.

I've always liked my plumbing within the footprint of the stand. And it is for this reason that I always drill through the bottom and count on rock work, Coraline algae and plumbing to match my background as a means of concealing the plumbing in the tank.

While I realize that plumbing coming out the back of the tank is protected as it is positioned between the tank and the wall, I've always felt uneasy about having plumbing exposed in any way.

Following along...

I may do open stand for the big one I’m planning to build in the front room. This is right in the living spaces though. Beyond the aesetics... I have a 5 year old boy. Considering he’s already managed to get a toy in this tank, giving him more access to open water seems like a bad idea.

(@Sarah24! nephews incident comes to mind also).

The humidity may be an issue. I’ll have to think about that. There’s space to add reinforcement if I need too. It’s actually two cabinets that the tank is on. A smaller one with a spice rack pull out for equipment and a bigger one with the sump. I read the rating information for weight and it seemed to be okay. I have no problem adding some reinforcement if it becomes a concern. Im
Trying to buy equipment that can handle a 120 gallon too. The cabinet is long enough to go up to a 4 x2 x2 tank. Should I decide I wanted to. I don’t think I will, but if I were to, I’d 100% add reinforcements without question.

I did consider drilling the bottom. It’s not tempered. But I liked the idea of keeping as much space useable in the tank as possible. And it doesn’t matter how far I have it away from the wall, so the plumbing is decently accessible.

Out of curiosity, why does the plumbing out the back make you uneasy?

Bleigh · Aug 16, 2019

Hemmdog said:
This is what you want for temp control, the link is out of stock but there is unwired options in stock, there’s YouTube videos on how to wire them.

Ranco Electronic Temperature Control - Wired | MoreBeer

A Ranco controller can precisely control the temperature of your fermentation, or a pump on your all-grain system. Ranco Temp Controllers are known throughout the industry, and this Ranco Electronic Temperature Control ships for free!

www.morebeer.com

Then for heaters with that the finnex non digital are the best imo. Having them non digital reduces more points of failure like the digital heaters internal thermometer.
Ranco’s are super reliable, you won’t need more failsafes than that. Industrial grade temp control.

Here’s the heaters, the 300watt, it is 10 inches and perfect wattage for that tank in those temps.

Finnex TH Deluxe Titanium Heating Element with Plastic Guard

Titanium heating tubes are virtually unbreakable, and corrosion resistant allowing the use in salt or freshwater aquariums. The titanium housing will resist damage a traditional heater would normally encounter while also providing another level of protection with the use of a plastic guard which...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

The thing you picked is good to.

I figured from brs, it couldn’t be too bad. And it was only about $30. I may trade out to that one once I’ve got everything set up.