SCA 50gal Cube Build - SPS & mixed. Is it my turn 4 Success now???

[ps2cho]

Disclaimer: Wont be picking up the tank until September. I'll be driving to California and plan to bring it home with me

I have a big scratch on the face of the Biocube 29 (don't use the flipper on curved glass!!), and the wife wants something "nicer looking" for the living room it is in.

Plan:
Tank: SCA 50g Cube (24 x 24 x 20)
Stand: DIY 3/4" oak ply - currently has the biocube on it
Sump: Eshopps Cube Refugium Sump (PURCHASED - Great sale for $170 @ DR F&S right now!)
Lighting: EcoTech Radion XR15w G4 Pro
Flow: Vortech MP10 + whatever old Jebao pumps that still work in my parts box!

Return: Sicce 3.0
Skimmer: TBD - suggestions that will fit in 7.5" x 9"?

7/21/17: The Beginning

I found a decent quantity of older Pukani rock that has been in a bucket. It still has the dead matter of Bryopsis all over it. I've thrown it in a tub yesterday and it already stinks of algae! I'm hoping that if I let this sit there with the pump and heater for the next 2 months (with a few water changes from my frag tanks water) the bacteria will fully clean up the rocks and cycle them.

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Current (old) Setup:

Biocube 29 Display (tank to be broken down - fighting cyano constantly...)
Pics of the current stand (DIY 3/4" oak ply) I oversized it to 24 x 24, so this new build will work great for it! I believe it should be sturdy enough.

40 Breeder Frag tank:
Been up for 6 months now. The cyano is from the eggcrate I am pretty confident. Hoping it'll subside soon as I am siphoning it out each week.

 

[Zero Nitrates]

50 cube is a great size tank.
Have you tried red slime treatment?

 

[Cherub]

Nice plan, adding a sump will help a lot! Cyano is usually a flow issue. Having a sump adds lots of flow with a nice return pump.

 

[ps2cho]

Whats one of the most reliable return pumps on the market in ~500gph?

 

[woodguy]

sicce

 

[ps2cho]

So yesterday Ecotech announced the Vectra S1...very tempting. It's a little more money but I wonder if it'll save money on electricity and last longer than a sicce pump?

Also Aquamaxx came out with a new skimmer I will probably get - FC-80.

This hobby is so expensive!!

 

[Jimbo662]

Check out the reef octopus varios pumps. I put one on my recent tank and the thing is dead silent.

 

[ps2cho]

Check out the reef octopus varios pumps. I put one on my recent tank and the thing is dead silent.

So the Vario 6 is approx the same price as the S1 but has a slight greater GPH. I wonder which is a better choice?

 

[ps2cho]

Finally picked the tank up today from SCA from my trip to Southern California. Can't wait to finally get started here!

Plan is to begin figuring out how I want to plumb the tank and getting my old pink fiji sand cleaned well in prep. I am aiming to swap the tanks over this coming weekend.

 

[ps2cho]

Well took me a total of 14hrs from start to finish including breaking down the old tank, but finished up this morning and seems to be running great so far! Still cloudy from the sand.

Took a long time to plumb, multiple trips to home depot after mistakes and running out of PVC...and then to move the livestock back.

Draw on the mat for cutting out holes.

And completed!

I may move the Vortech battery backup from its original spot to prevent issues in case of a leak since its right under the overflow pipes.

 

[ps2cho]

Making a fresh batch of food! This mini ice cube holder works fantastic. Defrost everything together with a little tank water overnight, then pour it into the mini icecube tray. Done! One cube is plenty of food for 2-4 fish. One of these regular size cubes is far too much food to drop in the tank. Not really a brine shrimp fan, but its old stock and I am just trying to use it up. Going forward I won't buy anymore...

And more important info:

FTS aquascape now the water has cleared:

I ran my Par Meter over the tank with the XR15w G4 Pro at 100% using the SPS AB+ schedule and I am getting 340 par at the peak of the rock, and approx 150-200 par pretty much everywhere! I believe that will be perfect. I set it on acclimate for the next week while it ramps up, just to be safe.

 

[ps2cho]

Disaster today...

Was about to head to the LFS to pick up some LPS/SPS as everything seems to be going great....Then I heard dripping. I thought oh crap I have a leak. Nope...copper plumbing leak in the wall

Tank had to be drained and carefully moved over.
On the plus side, learned how to work with copper plumbing now...
Going to be a few weeks before I can make sure the wall is fully dry, drywall replaced and painted so I can move the tank back to its home spot.

I also hope the drywall and small amount of mold in the air won't cause any issues. I turned the skimmer up to skim really wet just in case.

 

[ps2cho]

Well quick update...

Ready to add a Peppermint Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp and Midas Blenny to the tank and see whether that bioload will keep my NO3 and PO4 above undetectable. No water changes in 5 months now and I turned the skimmer off...no movement in Alk at all, so corals are not growing. Likely because there are no nutrients...

Almost finished fixing the wall plumbing damage and then can move the tank back to its proper location and I'll get an updated FTS in the next week.

Happy with the Radeon XR15 Diffuser and going to upgrade the return pump to a Sicce 3.0 as well.

 

[ps2cho]

Red Sea finally released the net cover at a US Retailer...been waiting for this since October when I heard about them!. I grabbed the 24x24 cover because I believe its much better looking than a fully DIY one.
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/2...0-red-sea?mc_cid=2a7d7e2392&mc_eid=3d5c401867

Will post some pics soon!

 

[ludnix]

Great setup! You did a ton of work moving the tank and fixing your copper plumbing leak. I hope you've met your disaster quota for the year and its smooth sailing from now on! That net cover looks great, I am looking forward to seeing how you configure it so I can copy your design!

 

[ps2cho]

Here's an updated FTS. The Red Sea cover says it should arrive Tues/Wed...can't wait.

Arriving tomorrow is a Juvenile Bristletooth Tang so I am hoping that the Bristletooth and the Midas Blenny will keep the NO3 and PO4 above undetectable and corals will begin to color up and not STN...!

Loving the Midas Blenny though! He's super cool to watch. This one is from the Maldives and has a pinkish/orange color. I read online they like to perch a lot, but mine seems to moves all around the tank constantly making its eel-like motions. He seems to have become the alpha fish and I see him bodyblocking the clowns!!

 

[scotturban54]

Nice.

 

[ps2cho]

The Red Sea screen top is fantastic! I cannot believe how flush and invisible it is on a rimless tank. HIGHLY worth the money!!

 

[ps2cho]

Update after another month and a half. Had not checked NO3 since beginning of January, and was HAPPY to FINALLY see NO3!! 25ppm!! Looks like the extra feeding and Midas Blenny has done the trick.

I also found a medium sized Tomini Tang that is in QT for the next 4 weeks to be safe. The wife cleared me to get a 120-gal, so in about 18-months I am going to work towards it and then the Tang will be ready to move into a bigger tank.

This weekend I plan to move some corals into the DT since its no longer showing undetectable nutrients.

 

[Cherub]

great job so far. nice cube you have