Deep Blue 60g Cube build

cressman90 · Apr 6, 2021

Good evening everyone,

I have been lurking on this page for awhile after I bought my first second hand 60G cube. So far I am loving the size and how it fits my space. Currently I have a non-sumped 40g breeder that is running. But come tomorrow I will be slowly moving everything over and getting the cube running. I will be using 2 125w eheim jagers with an Inkbird wifi controller, a reef octopus VarioS 4 for my return pump, and a Bashsea Smart series sump and for lighting I will be using an XR15 gen 5 blue and reusing my Sicce Xstream sdc wave maker. Originally I was going to run the sump long ways in my stand but didn't like the lack of working space. So with me being unhappy with the first stand, I ended up building a new one that fits everything better with a lot of working room. The stand without the sheathing is 36x33. I was going to run the stand as a full 36" cubed but decided I like the look of a wider stand that wouldn't stick too far into my living space. I am currently awaiting a few things from 80/20 for my light mount and also a cover for my aquarium from Clearview. Everything went together really well thanks to a friend loaning me his miter saw.

The current stocking is quiet limited due to my work schedule and knowledge into reef keeping. So far I have frags of Frogspawn, Hammer, Acan Echinata, 3 random Zoas, 2 toadstool mushrooms, and a 3 head Duncan. As for fish and inverts I have 2 Percula Clownfish, and a scarlet cleaner shrimp. I do plan on getting more fish but with leaving for deployment in a few months I don't want to make my wife keep up with QT. I have my eyes on a longfin Fairy Wrasse or a pair of Pajama cardinal as my next fish and from there maybe one more fish but unsure what to get after that.

cressman90 · Apr 6, 2021

I have to give credit to GnarleyMarley that designed his stand this way as I used it as an inspiration for my stand.

Rp8 · Apr 6, 2021

Very nice start! Following along

cressman90 · Apr 7, 2021

Started to add water to the tank, have to make more rodi water so that I can mix my salt. I had roughly 40 gallons made but due to time constraints had to use most of it for my sump as a temp holding tank. All my corals minus my Zoas will be in the sump. But during the take down of my 40g breeder I noticed something that I hope isn't aiptasia. I have white tubes coming off 2 of my Zoas and one of my toadstools. If it is I will be looking for a natural way to get rid of them. The last 3 picture are what I am thinking are aiptasia.

KingTideCorals · Apr 7, 2021

Looking forward to watching the progress of this build! Thanks for making a build thread, going to be an awesome place to follow along with and see your updates!

cressman90 · Apr 7, 2021

So finally got enough water made and mixed. I am using Fritz RPM (blue box) for my salt mix and it mixes very well and quickly. After getting it to this point I quickly ran the system and found I am a few gallons short in my return section.. so back to making some rodi water and then adding it to my system so that the overflow properly works and return section has enough water in it.

cressman90 · Apr 9, 2021

Today I did some coral moving. I moved my Frogspawn and hammer to their new spots. The Frogspawn seems really happy where it's at but, my hammer not so much. I do have good polyp extension on the hammer but, they are not what it used to be in the previous tank. I'm attributing it to being moved and a 100% water change. I do want to move my duncan to a new place but unsure where. The next corals that were moved were my 3 frags of zoa. The previous rock they where glued to would not fit the aquascape so I removed them and re glued them to a new smaller rock that fits with the aquascape. With the big rock that was sitting in the front right was moved to the sump and will be there until I can figure a way to incorporate it to the scape. More than likely it won't fit in. I am really happy with how it is at the moment. I still have to skin the stand to complete the build but am having a hard time deciding if I want to stain or just paint it. I will be making a cover for the overflow and pipes so that they are hidden from view.

cressman90 · Apr 16, 2021

Update on the cube, made my first purchase of sps. I ordered a frag of birds nest and birds of paradise. With that order I got another acan echinata (clear water)and two zoa frags (eagle eye, and pandora). I bought them through tidal gardens and I have to say I am happy with the purchase. A few days later I ordered my protein skimmer. I got the bubble magus curve 5 an I am currently breaking it in. Also upgraded my heater so that I can run two 150w instead of two 125w heaters. With the two 125w heaters I was having a hard time getting the tank to the temp I programmed my ink birds controller to.

cressman90 · Apr 23, 2021

Just a quick update on the tank, I got the stand skinned with 3/4" plywood awaiting time off to paint it and waiting for my 80/20 parts to come in to truly finish my lighting setup. So far all the coral are doing really good and surprisingly the 2 frags of sps are doing great. There is a lot of poly extension and have yet to notice any bleaching or signs of stress with them. I did remove a few sections of locline to clear up the tank. My eagle eyes zoa still have really small polyps but it's only been a week since adding them to the tank. Also since upgrading to the larger heaters I have yet to have my inkbird alarm go off and my Temps are more stable throughout the day. Before the upgrade I would have almost a 5 degree swing in temp and now it's maybe a degree. I am comfortable with the smaller swing than I was with the larger swing. I do know that it does help that the weather in Virginia Beach is warming up and the house is staying a little bit more normal. I have noticed that smy frogspawn is loving the area that I have it (almost 3" of polyp extension or more). I have ask my local FB group about the white tubes that I have coming from a few frags and have confirmed I have a few feather dusters in the tank. I have also found that my new phone (Note 20 ultra) takes really good pictures and the camera is easier to use than the one on my previous phone (pixel 3xl). With the stand I do have to do a little bit of trimming for the door as it is almost to long for the cutout. I could easily adjust the door to have it fit perfectly and will have to either route out a finger hold or install a handle to assist opening the door.

cressman90 · Apr 23, 2021

Also another thing I've noticed is I have even less diatoms on the substrate. I know that over time they can go away on their own and I also think that adding the protein skimmer it also help.