GLASSBOX60

[isaiahwittingslow]

Hello everyone

First time posting here on Reef2Reef! My name is Isaiah and I am based in Melbourne, Australia. It has been some time (around 5 years) since I have been in the hobby, many various reason to take a break, moving, studying, work etc. But now is the time to revisit it and once again enjoy keeping the ocean in a glass box.

When I first stated it was about how fast can I set it up and how soon can I have fish. I learnt the hard way setting up a system like this. This time however I have taken my time to plan every detail of the system and do my best to ensure a successful tank that will be around for years to come.

As most would agree bigger is better, however with this system I have decided to keep it small and manageable due to work commitments and space restrictions.

Now, let's talk the setup!

System:

Tank: 60 x 45 x 45 cm Optiwhite - with an Eshopps Eclipse Overflow Box L
Sump: 45 x 27 x 30cm Optiwhite
Stand: DIY Birch Plywood - 60 x 45 x 100 cm

Equipment:

Lighting: Ecotech Radion Gen 5 Pro
Flow: 2x Ecotech Marine Vortech MP10w QD
Return Pump: Ecotech Marine Vectra S1
Skimmer: RE Bubble King 130 w Red Dragon X
Zeovit Reactor: FSZ Magnet Floating Reactor
Cooling: Teco TK500 R290
Doser: eKoral 4 Channel
Controller: eKoral Lite
ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155

The system will be run using Zeovit. I have wanted to try this for sometime and see the results on a smaller system. I hope to start sharing some pictures soon!

Kind regards,

Isaiah

 

[Ron Reefman]

Welcome to Reef2Reef Isaiah.

#WelcometoR2R

The common philosophy is that bigger is better. But like you, I decided to go smaller. I went from a 180g to a 120g to a 90g. I like the smaller tank MUCH better. But then it's way easier to maintain and also less expensive to fill with coral.

Good luck, have fun and keep us up with your progress. Always good to have reefers from down under here at R2R!

 

[Tahoe61]

Welcome R2R.

Sounds like a great system.

 

[najer]

Welcome to R2R, sounds like a nice set up.

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Welcome to Reef2Reef Isaiah.

#WelcometoR2R

The common philosophy is that bigger is better. But like you, I decided to go smaller. I went from a 180g to a 120g to a 90g. I like the smaller tank MUCH better. But then it's way easier to maintain and also less expensive to fill with coral.

Good luck, have fun and keep us up with your progress. Always good to have reefers from down under here at R2R!

Thanks for the welcome! I agree! And with a smaller tank you can focus on and enjoy key species rather than just trying to fill it...

Welcome R2R.

Sounds like a great system.

Thank you!

Welcome to R2R, sounds like a nice set up.

Thanks!

 

[Sleeping Giant]

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 17.06.20

Everything is currently moving slowly, however this isn't the worst thing as it's giving me some time to plan a few things more throughly. Below is a render of the overall concept. I'm planning to run a bare bottom tank for ease of maintenance and to allow additional flow for SPS.

The cabinet has been primed and will be painted throughout the week.

I found a great deal on the BK 160 used and it arrived yesterday however it was broken in transit :mad: Hopefully my shipping insurance will cover the repairs.

Well that's all I have for now. I'll do my best to keep the thread updated as new progress is made!

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 1.07.20

I'm slowly making progress on the build and putting all the pieces together. Most of the equipment has arrived and now I'm just waiting to organise the tank and few other things.

Stand: After applying the first coat of paint on the stand I soon realised that it was not adhering properly to the 'Form Ply' I had used. Even after a light sanding of the outer layer the paint would not adhere. As you can see below, it easily came off due to the plastic layer on top of the plywood. Lesson learned and I will be rebuilding the stand from Structural Birch Plywood. I'm currently waiting to the plywood to be delivered to begin construction.

Skimmer: After speaking with a few people and Royal Exclusiv I decided to cut my losses and sold the skimmer broken at a significant loss. On further inspection the impeller had a crack in the magnet and was rusting... with the cost of a pump replacement not far off purchasing an entire new skimmer I did just that. I placed an order for the RE Bubble King 130 with the new Red Dragon X pump. It will be interesting to see how this Asia made pump compares to their German made ones.

Cooling: Summer in Australia can get VERY hot so a chiller is almost a must. I have previously run tanks without them and the stress and additional work to keep the temperature down is 100% worth the cost. I went with the new Teco TK500 R290. While one of the more expensive options, the efficiency, low noise and heating capabilities ticked all the boxes I was after. I am thinking of plumbing the return through the chiller and then to the tank. Would there be any cons in doing so?

 

[BighohoReef]

Welcome to R2R! Awsome start to your tank build! I can't wait to see your progress! and I look forward to seeing fish and corals in that setup!

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 20.07.20

Progress has been a bit slow due to COVID. Still waiting on the plywood for the stand to arrive so I can start work on it. Otherwise all the equipment has now now arrived.

I modded this Ikea Eket cabinet that will sit next to the main display. It will house the chiller as well as the ATO reservoir. I just added some metal bracket supports under the shelf and some additional nails in the back. The chiller only just fit, not even a mm to spare

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 09.08.20

I've been slowly making progress on the build, the new cabinet is finally coming along and almost ready for painting. All the equipment has arrived so now hopefully it won't be too much longer until I can get the tank up and running.

Here's the stand before finishing and paint. Made from 18mm Structural Birch Plywood. There will be a side push open door and the front door will be held by magnets for full access.

The Sump: A very simple 2 chamber design, just added the baffle to a pre-made tank. Everything just fits. The shelf above the sump will hold the dosing pumps and anything else that won't fit in the electrical compartment.

Electrical Compartment: The beginnings of it, some items will need to go on the shelf but just waiting for the cabinet to be painted and finished to work out the final layout. Everything will be plugged into either the ekoral power-board or the TPLink wifi boards so I can have remote access at all times.

 

[JR Bodyman]

Welcome to R2R. Looks like it’s coming along nicely!

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Welcome to R2R. Looks like it’s coming along nicely!

Thank you!

Update 23.08.20

Skimmer: I took the RE Double Cone 130 out of the box to take some photos. The built quality is excellent and I look forward to seeing how it performs. The new China made RDX pumps will be interesting to test, it doesn't physically feel like the same quality as the German made Red Dragons but this is understandable with the lower price point.

Stand: It's been cold and raining here so painting of the stand has been on hold but the stand has been primed and is ready to paint once the weather improves.

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 19.09.20

It's been a while... The build is slowly progressing. The cabinet is now completed. Pretty happy with how it came out, few not0-perfect aspects here and there but that's DIY. My apologies for the slightly out of focus images, not sure what happened there...

All the equipment has now arrived. I'm just waiting on finding a time to move back to my apartment to set it up and pick up the actual tank.

Isaiah

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 30.11.20

Well, it's been a while. But, the cabinet is now in place!

Hopefully I will have the tank either on the weekend or early next week, it's just getting drilled ready for the overflow at the moment. I'll try keep this build thread updated more often as more exciting aspects of the build come together.

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 05.12.20

I worked on the aquascape today. Found some perfect pieces of marco rock for what I had planned. I think the key with aquascaping is to draw and plan what you want (ie coral selection, fish etc) and work from that. Not going to lie, I’ve been drawing aquascapes for the past two months though...

Also, I've decided on my fish selection. While I'd love to have a dwarf angelfish realistically the tank is too small. I'm going to stick to three fish, all with different characteristics.

- Ecsenius tigris (Tiger Blenny)
- Pseudocheilinops ataenia (Pink Streaked Wrasse)
- Gramma loreto (Royal Gramma)

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 02.04.21

Well it's been a while since I updated this thread... Saltwater was added to GLASSBOX60 on the 9th of February and is now cycled and has been going through the typically new tank blooms and glooms. I had a large bacteria bloom a week ago that lasted 4-5 days but has now cleared.

Lighting has now been upgraded to a Radion Gen 5 Pro, the ATI Powermodule Hybrid proved to be too heavy for the light frame and I had great concern that it might end up in the tank...

All the corals that have gone in so far seem to be doing well, not thriving yet but that is mostly due to the immaturity of the tank and trying to get the element dosing in line. I did lose one blue tenuis frag unfortunately to RTN.

Time for some pictures! I can't wait for the rock to also loose it's whiteness haha...

Isaiah

 

[isaiahwittingslow]

Update 29.04.21

Just a small update today. I've added a few more SPS colonies and a Tiger Blenny. The Bubble King skimmer is making a-lot of noise unfortunately but everything else seems to be going smoothly. Touch wood...

Isaiah