Cloakerpoked's 60 gallon cube

[cloakerpoked]

My wife bought me a 60 cube to replace my 72 bowfront. It was an old all glass aquarium and the top brace was starting to split. I was super excited to see that she had decided to buy it for me. Figured I'd put my build and documentation thread on here as well...

2x4 stand

I skinned the stand with thin oak plywood.

The door is held on by magnets. I really liked this method. I got a very large opening in the stand this way.

Trim work done on the door

And the rest of the stand as well.

 

[Dylan]

Wow, very clean looking stand!

 

[cloakerpoked]

Painted the back of the tank beside the overflow, and stained it with a black lacquer. Then coated it with 2 coats of polyeurothane.

The cloudy tank shot

I had the luxury of keeping my old tank running, while I cycled the new one. I put a frag rack into my 72, put all my coral colonies in it, then moved half of my life rock into the new tank. It filled it up to where I wanted it to be.

The canopy is suspended above the tank by pipe straps with 1/2" conduit spray painted black. It is a brand new spider reflector. I would've prefered a luminarc, but they're all too big to accomplish the pyramid look that I'm going for with the tank.

 

[cloakerpoked]

The sump is actually 2 20 gallon tanks that are plumbed in series. The back one is where the water comes from the tank into the first sump. This is a refugium/species tank. I now have 40 lbs of live rock in there, a Lamark Angel, a Cinnamon Clownfish, and an RBTA. It is a PC fixture with 2x65w lamps. The plan all along was to use this tank as an RBTA tank, and when my supposedly reef-safe Lamark started nipping on my Acans, he too was banished.

The skimmer is something or other...I don't actually know what it is. It does ok, but I do want to upgrade the skimmer in the future. It's probably first on my list. I keep my test kits, carbon, 2 part concentrate and powder from bulk reef supply in the canopy.

There is a DJ powerstrip mounted to the top of the canopy that serves as the power center for the entire tank.

The return pump is a QuietOne 180 (I think) that moves about 150-200 gph at my head height. This is all I need it to do for my tank, since my flow is accomplished by using in tank powerheads. The refugium/RBTA tank has a maxijet 900, and the display tank has 2xK3 powerheads, and a K1 powerhead.

 

[cloakerpoked]

Eventually I'll be adding a chiller. I have it in the basement, and I think that's where I'll want it. This will keep the heat discharge away from the tank, and will keep the noise down there too. I'll more than likely use flex tubing for that.

11/20/09

 

[cloakerpoked]

12/25/09 (new 20k bulb, instead of a cheap ebay 14k bulb) So much better.

Pink and green war coral

 

[cloakerpoked]

 

[cloakerpoked]

And the tank all decorated for Christmas.

 

[killingseed2000]

very nice tank.

 

[cloakerpoked]

very nice tank.

Thanks. It's come a long way, and I'm really excited to start letting everything grow into the tank.

Nemo Niblits-thanks. Now that I look back on it, I wish I would have gone with a more natural looking stain.

 

[ReeferRob]

Awesome Tank!! Love the Cube

 

[Reef 5etup]

That is a sweet tank!

 

[Dylan]

I think the black stand looks fantastic with the black trim of the tank.

 

[cloakerpoked]

I think the black stand looks fantastic with the black trim of the tank.

:surrender:

That's why I did it! Totally forgot about that. :)

 

[dcook]

Sweeeeeeet

 

[cloakerpoked]

Thanks. I'm really digging the 20k lighting. Probably going to be getting a lot more LPS (Acans and eventually some high end chalices) I think for the sand bed. I'll have to thin out the SPS at the top as it grows in too, since I want larger colonies.

 

[tangdiver]

Holy built stand.....but the way to do it. Do it right, or not at all. Could park a car on it.


Following along.


Grant

 

[stylaster]

nice job i think that stand can hold a 200g tank on it ;)

 

[cloakerpoked]

Holy built stand.....but the way to do it. Do it right, or not at all. Could park a car on it.


Following along.


Grant

Well, at a price of $2.50 for an 8 foot 2x4, there really isn't any reason not to build it this way. Takes two people to lift/move, but as you said, if you're going to do it yourself, make sure that the stand isn't the reason why your tank crashes :)

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

Nemo Niblits-thanks. Now that I look back on it, I wish I would have gone with a more natural looking stain.

I love the black. When you keep it all clean and nice it gives it sort of a "captive feel". It frames all the things inside, and for me I feel like it makes it look more like a work of art rather than just a piece of the reef dropped in. I guess its hard to explain what Im trying to say, but I like the black.

What are your plans for the sailfin when he gets a little larger?