Matt's Neptunian Cube S150 Build Thread

[DiamondHands]

In March 2021, after some significant frustrations with a 60 Gallon cube that I had started in Nov '20, I was on the hunt for a larger tank. I came across this Neptunian Cube S150 for a good price on Craigslist (about 35% retail + lights, skimmer, return pump, and all the rock you see here)

The system is quite similar in size to a Red Sea Reefer 525. It came with some items that I still use today.

• Aquamaxx ConeS Q-3 Protein Skimmer
• Hanna Salinity Checker
• Simplicity 1600 DC Return Pump
• 3 Dosing containers (Acrylic)
• 1 Media Reactor (Acrylic, in first picture)

What else did I get in this that I didn't use?

• A Jebao circulation pump (works fine, not using in this system)
• Two AI Prime 16 HD lights, one remains in good shape and will be put to use elsewhere, the other was broken (cobalt blue not working, then it just stopped working)
• Polyp Labs Medic, and old API test kit, some GFO, some sea veggies

What about livestock? Yes, the previous owner did have two things, one LPS that I was unable to save, but one elegance which is almost a centerpiece in the system as it sits today.

Dose it work, yes, but I was gutted the day I purchased it. I hired some movers that said they knew how to move aquariums and they chipped the glass. It is so fortunate the kind of hit it took such that there was no crack, it was a cleaving, and plenty of meat is left. The chip came out of the bottom of the left panel, near the back, but not at the joint. I epoxied the area for a little strength to avoid stresses, and it is and has been fine for half a year. So, yes, heart attack, but seems averted. Anyway, you will find I have some level of backup for just about everything - including where to put the livestock and rock should something terrible occur (in this case a 60 gallon horse trough is among several options).

Here's the picture as it sat the day I found it. (March 2021)

Skipping a few steps, here's the room in my place as it sat when I added some seating to the room (August 2021)

And skipping ahead to today, here's the system as it sits now (November 2021)

 

[DiamondHands]

That first post wasn't very fair. A lot has gone into this. Most of my early learning happened in the 2006-2008 timeframe where I started like this...

And ended like this... (before a hurricane took out power for 17 days and I lost everything)

 

[DiamondHands]

I restarted after Ike, running a nice 30G cube followed by a more ambitious 180G build with a serious batter backup capability. I honestly cannot tell you which tank got it, but one time while travelling for work, I asked my wife to turn the wrong valve, and a small flooding event killed a Vortech MP10, my Osmolator and a SpectraPure litermeter 3. That was all my first and best digital gear. (boo - this hobby is hard!)

 

[DiamondHands]

So that brings us back to this system.

Current fish/inverts.

• Blue Hippo Tang
• Powder Blue Tang
• Yellow Tang (Biota, 6 mos. old)
• 11 Green Reef Chromis
• 4 Banggai Cardinalfish
• Too many blue legged hermits, astrea snails, bumblebee snails to count
• Green Carpet Anemone (lives in the fuge in the sump until I build my 'nem system)
• Coral Banded Shrimp

Corals. (Don't kill me, I just don't buy based on name)

• Four colorful varieties of montipora (Seasons Greeting, Rainbow, Neon green Digitata, and Sunset seem to be the trade names)
• Blue stylophora
• Six acropora varieties - have no idea about names, don't really care - I buy cheap frags hoping to make them beautiful - some are coming through already, as they color up and grow, I'll try to post more pics. I need a better lens. There's one smooth skin "deepwater" acro that is doing well in there.
• A few LPS frags, some Acan, War Coral, Dragon's Soul Favia, Scarlet Favia, A blue tipped gold tentacle torch and a green tipped torch, a large elegance coral

 

[DiamondHands]

What went wrong.

• Before I got this display, I lost a bunch of fish to a very aggressive GCA. I have since learned the "trick" is ... more clowns than you would think is reasonable. I will try again; I have always liked them.
• As mentioned, the chip off the glass on the left panel was a nightmare.
• I added a small bag of Purigen to my very small frag tank, and it destroyed much of my QT livestock overnight, including a magnificent high grade maxima clam (this one hurt)
• We lost a yellow coris wrasse due to it hating the bare bottom; it was constantly jumping and spraying water everywhere. I think it ended up knocking itself out. I thought it had calmed down just a few days before.
• An RBTA decided to attach its foot to a heater in QT (ugh), it died
• I was sent a 500W transformer for an 8x80W 220V T5 fixture, it almost burned down the house - use a 3000W transformer now.
• Still fighting nutrients, but getting a handle on them now.
• Dinos - holy crap did I have dinos. That said, I fought them differently than others have mentioned. I was able to get rid of them in about two weeks. My nutrients were very high (~80 nitrates, ~1.8 phosphates) due to the rock not being properly cured. Anyway, the way I won was to blow it all over the tank and to blow down the rocks with a turkey baster and power heads while running and frequently changing filter socks. I also did three days of lights out with no imact to the coral since it's all new anyway.

 

[DiamondHands]

Upcoming projects and ongoing projects.

Set up the new QT system for corals and fish. I honestly don't know what I'm going to prioritize. I just picked up two 40 breeders, was thinking of using one for fish and another for coral. That said, I really don't know I have some smaller tanks that may be better for fish QT if I choose to medicate. Either way, I do plan to medicate, but haven't studied the tank transfer method enough to understand what's next. I have given up on using the 30cm cube for that due to stability concerns. Coral and inverts are my current priority. Currently I plan to bring my 6'x2'x3.5' (l x w x h) steel stand from the 180 into the mix for this.

Set up a frag system. What, I have like 2 years to consider this right? I think I'll let it grow for a while!

Get Nutrients Under Control. About 8 weeks ago, I started vodka dosing at a very low rate, last week I switched to biopellets. I'm using an Aquavitro Element M reactor with Aquavitro Biogen pellets. I really don't have "brand loyalty" here, it's just that I like the reactor and biopellets are biopellets (PHA) as far as I'm concerned, and this is what was available at the LFS when I decided to make the switch. I am running a fuge under an extra Kessil A360W Tuna Blue. Yes, I know that's not the "ideal light", but I already have it and I can tell you for sure that it will grow algae based on the results from the last tank it was in.

Build the "Silly System". Well, I have a Neptune Cor 20 that I never put into use and an old Precision Marine beckett skimmer. So, obviously, that and the three 400w Metal halide ballasts I have sitting around should not go purely to waste? Maybe this will be part of my solution for the 60 cube "nem" tank. We'll see, but I think it would be fun to see a big old skimmer running off a "high tech" pump. It was always a good skimmer, just the pumps are too loud for my house.

 

[DiamondHands]

Nerding out here.

Tank/Stand/Sump - Neptunian Cube S150

Display - 150 cm x 55 cm x 55 cm, low iron, corner overflow, 32 mm main drain, 25mm auxiliary drain, 25mm return​

Stand - 150 cm x 55 cm x 80 cm, White PVC coated MDF​

Sump - 120cm x 43cm x 39 cm, Glass, 3x 100mm filter socks (not used normally), skimmer section, fuge section, return section​

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RO System - BRS 4-Stage 100GPD, Added a pre-filter, added a second DI cart. Booster pump and all "normal" booster accessories, (3 way TDS meter and Pressure gauge not yet installed) - stores in a 44g Brute trashcan. I have some grommets to use with this, and need a bit better pump for water delivery (I have some on hand that may work). This wasn't always the case, I needed a stop gap system for a while and was using one of the tiny aquatic life systems for my 60 cube. This was a pretty recent upgrade.

Salt - Instant Ocean Reef Crystals - will likely switch to Tropic Marin pro when I have the need for a calcium reactor, but I have what seems like 10 years worth of BRS 2-part on hand, so it'll be a while. I did just order my first box of TMPS though, but I also have new IORC on regular order.

Biological Filtration -

Media - I don't know how much rock I have in the display, it's definitely not a "ton", maybe 60 pounds, but it at least "was" real live rock at some point in its timeline. In the sump, I have a large section of live rock rubble along with at least a gallon of MarinePure ceramic 1.5" balls.​

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Flow - Some of the rock and rubble gets a lot of flow, some gets very little. This diversity allows for a diverse biome including aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.​

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Biome - I have at varying times run MicroBacter 7, MicroBacter Clean, Fritz Turbo Start 900 and Dr. Tim's Vibrant (for reefs) to help start up this system. I always dose in tiny amounts compared to the recommendations unless I'm just working with cycling rock. I plant to leave those alone for a while at this point.​

Flow - The main flow in the tank is handled with four pumps, the Simplicity 1600 DC return pump, a Vortech MP40WQD on the back wall in Reef Crest mode, and two Maxspect Gyre 330 pumps, one at each end. I supplement these with a variety of AC pumps including a Tunze 6065 used to keep one corner clean, a bigger older Koralia on the back left to give that end more variety of flow. In the sump, I have a few small Sicce pumps, one for the reactor which I rarely use for Carbon, and one for flow in a spot likely to catch detritus. I have a small Koralia in the sump as well blowing into the live rock rubble pile.

Skimmer - The skimmer is an Aquamaxx ConeS Q-3; I run a Precision Marine waste collector (acrylic) with the old overflow preventing ping pong ball and it's effective for that purpose. I run a 3/8" silicone air line from outside the cabinet and through a Two Little Fishies ball valve to adjust the air.

Battery Backup - The system has a Xantrex XC Pro 2000W Inverter/Charger powered by a 100 Ah LiFePO4 battery. Right now, I'm set up to use as an inverter, but will not do so in the future. I'll be hooking up the Vortech directly to the 12v battery and leaving the inverter function turned off. We also have two decent portable gas generators for bad times.

Lights - The fixture is a Giesemann Matrixx II DIMTEC 8x80w T5 supplemented by a Kessil A360 Tuna Blue for pop and shimmer. I run 6x ATI Aquablue+ and 2x ATI Actinic bulbs, but will probably swap one out for a Coral+.

Control - I control the tank, but I have a Neptune Apex EL at the heart of things.