Nor'easter Reefers Biocube LPS eviction build

[Nor'easter Reefer]

So let's start by saying. My 120g mixed reef is doing pretty decent. I could probably have gotten by just fine. I had every intention to do just that.

I saw a used 32g Biocube at the LFS on Friday. Sent a picture to my dad, as he had been talking about setting up a tank at his house. When I told him the price was good and it was a few hundred dollars, he was turned off. I think hes got $150 in his freshwater build and that seems too rich for his blood. I won't tell him what I got invested in my 120g build...

Left the LFS and went home to tweak flow on my tank. I just cant get a really good flow without some LPS getting whipped around. Not without a bunch more powerheads and I dont want that. Well... I know where theres a biocube...

I purchased the tank Sunday afternoon.

What follows will be my attempt at learning from past mistakes and making what promises to be a fairly ideal little LPS cube.

 

[Reefer Matt]

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

So I got the tank home and put on the stand. This was going to replace a pico i had in my bedroom. That thing overflowed so many times.. ruined the dresser it was on. (Part of a matching set... momma wasnt impressed.. still isnt truth be told) and being in the bedroom, everytime I want to do something to maintain it, the wife's sleeping, the babies taking a nap, the wife's trying to clean the bedroom, etc. So. Moving it to the living room. We will now have 2 tanks in our living room. Yes. We are those people now.

So I moved some furniture, and found a spot for it. Set it up and filled it with water. Plugged in the pump and ran it for an hour or so. Got to scrubbing and cleaning and noticed that the stand wiggles just enough that im not a fan. By myself, in a secluded spot, i wouldnt worry at all. With two 50lb dogs, a 2 year old boy, and the wife amost 4m pregnant with another boy, I dont want another thing to worry about. So today's episode is attaching it to the wall.

Also. When i moved the couch i realized that i missed a peice of trim when i redid the floors a few years back hahaha. Just gotes to show we dont reaarange very often..

 

[Sickness69]

My first saltwater tank was/is a biocube 32. Cool Lil tanks! I just got the AI Axis pump for it because the stock one is so loud. Good luck with this build!

 

[Reefer Matt]

Here’s some inspiration. This was my 29 gallon biocube from a few years ago.

 

[Sickness69]

Here’s some inspiration. This was my 29 gallon biocube from a few years ago.

Very cool! Did you have the upgraded lights on it? I see a lot of folk remove the lid or go with Steve's lights.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

My first saltwater tank was/is a biocube 32. Cool Lil tanks! I just got the AI Axis pump for it because the stock one is so loud. Good luck with this build!

I have a sicce 1.5 pump that i'll be powering thos with. It came with some cheap aquatop I think? Its rated for like 250gph. The one im gonna put on it is like 358 or so. I think i'm gonna try out a dual random flow generator return nozzle for it.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Very cool! Did you have the upgraded lights on it? I see a lot of folk remove the lid or go with Steve's lights.

I removed the old light, cut a hole in the lid, and put a Current Orbit R24 light on top.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Here’s some inspiration. This was my 29 gallon biocube from a few years ago.

Thats the goal buddy! I got a lot of lps to move over.. 1 torch, 2 hammers, a candy cane, a duncan, 4 or 5 acan lords, 1 acan echinata, 1 lobo, a blasto, one or 2 favia. Then i'll probably throw the Pocillpora in there that I want out of my display tank. Should fill up fast.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I removed the old light, cut a hole in the lid, and put a Current Orbit R24 light on top.

I was wondering about what to do. I followed @kevgib67 advice and ordered 2 12" actinic led strips to supplement. 21led had a video one their website or how to easily add them and they supposedly add about 40par and gives you a much nicer evening blues

 

[Sickness69]

Very cool! Did you have the upgraded lights on it? I see a lot of folk remove the lid or go with Steve's lights.

I removed the old light, cut a hole in the lid, and put a Current Orbit R24 light on top.

Interesting, I bet that helps with the high temps these things are notorious for.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Interesting, I bet that helps with the high temps these things are notorious for.

I didnt know that was a thing! Good to know!

 

[kevgib67]

I was wondering about what to do. I followed @kevgib67 advice and ordered 2 12" actinic led strips to supplement. 21led had a video one their website or how to easily add them and they supposedly add about 40par and gives you a much nicer evening blues

Never, I mean never follow @kevgib67 advice!!!!!!!! I’ve been burned so many times, I can’t believe Rev hasn’t removed him from the forum, he’s a lunatic!

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Ok so heres how I attached it. As you can see i have pine v match for the wall. So I opted for making a bracket and lagging it to the wall. It doesnt need to be terrible rugged, just enough to stabilize it. Like it said, it wasnt rickety by any means, I just prefer overbuilt for the inevitable moment my toddler runs headfirst into this thing chasing after a dog.

Im an electrician by trade. So I have all sorts of misc parts kicking around that are taking up space, and could be used. So ordering all sorts of expensive materials to make this obviously used stand look super professional and pretty was really off the table. That said I think it came out nice. I might build a nice stand for it eventually. Been a hot minute since I practiced with fine woodworking and I do miss it sometimes... some day maybe.

Here's my unistrut inspired securing bracket system.

Step 1: Gather hardware.

Step 2: Paint said hardware

Step 3: Get impatient and put brackets together today instead of tomorrow.

Step 4: touch up paint the brackets because paint wasnt fully cured.

Step 5: Drill holes in stand, secure strut inside stand

Step 6: Cut notches into back of cabinet, and secure brackets to unistrut.

Step 7: Attach to wall

Thing is solid now, and I build my strut down low enough, what I could put braces from the top surface to the strut in the future if I get paranoid. I think this should serve its purpose just fine though.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Never, I mean never follow @kevgib67 advice!!!!!!!! I’ve been burned so many times, I can’t believe Rev hasn’t removed him from the forum, he’s a lunatic!

I usually dont, but I was creeping his build thread and obviously he stole someone's setup idea, because it seems to be working!

 

[Calmwaters]

So excited to watch this come together!

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

So far I have ordered:
20lbs of Gulf live base rock.
2-12" actinic led strip lights plus power supply
Foam filter sponges for back
Some polyfilter
1-chemipure elite
A 2L dosing container
A hydros single dosing pump(finally used my saltwater aquarium points so that cost $10)
20lb fiji pink sand as no LFS near me have anything besides sugarsand

I think i have everything else is will need. Probably got a good 10-15# of live rock in my main display that will be going into this tank. Hopefully I can make it all fit nice and I dont have to try and cut corals off rocks come transfer time...m but I mnkw better than to assume that lol

 

[tbrown]

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Ok, ok, I'm a stalker. I've been stalking this thread and waiting for an update. I can't stand it anymore.

What's going on with this tank?

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Ok, ok, I'm a stalker. I've been stalking this thread and waiting for an update. I can't stand it anymore.

What's going on with this tank?

Sorry, this got buried in junk notifications, but long story short, I currently have a aurora goby, a tailspot blenny, a royal gramma, a couple snails and a fire and cleaner shrimp! I have a couple hardy corals in but have noticed some flat worms that came in on my live rock i believe so I havent moved anything else over... gotta research flat worms a bit better and figure out how to get rid of them!