Dodgehimramher
New Member
Welcome to my official build log! My name is Jeff. I’m a 36-year-old active duty Navy Seabee, a dad of two, and completely new to the reef-keeping world.
I recently scored an awesome deal on OfferUp for a custom 60-gallon acrylic cube setup. It came with the tank, stand, matching sump, ATO reservoir, and a ton of extra equipment and random spare parts. This thread is where I’m going to track everything as I go. My plan is to update this weekly with tank updates, testing parameters, new livestock milestones, and any equipment modifications so I can look back at the journey.
Where the Build Sits Right Now:Good news—the plumbing passed the freshwater leak test with flying colors! I’ve since drained the tank completely, and right now the cube is sitting dry. The current project is building up the rockscape inside the tank and getting the sand bed laid down.
Meanwhile, the old coral trees that came with the tank have been scrubbed down and are sitting outside in the sun getting UV bleached to ensure they are 100% sterile before they ever see saltwater.
Next Steps:Once the rockscape and sand are locked in, the goal is heading down to my LFS (Santee Corals) this weekend to buy the actual saltwater and pick up some bio-bricks for the sump. I already have a bottle of Dr. Tim’s One & Only and the ammonium chloride ready at the house so I can kick off the fishless cycle as soon as it's filled.
Future Stocking Ideas:Nothing is set in stone, but the rough roadmap for livestock is:
• Clean-Up Crew: Soft-bodied, agile snails (to protect the acrylic!), hermits, and shrimp.
• Fish: A classic pair of clownfish and a Watchman Goby / Pistol Shrimp pairing for the sandbed.
• Corals: Keeping my choices open, but I'm leaning heavily toward a nice LPS-dominant reef later on.
I’ve spent endless hours watching reefing videos and reels, and I'm really excited to dive into a hobby where I can watch something grow, see the fruits of my labor, and enjoy a bit of peace and zen at the end of the day.
I'll keep a running equipment list and a weekly parameter breakdown in this first post as things change. Drop a comment, pull up a chair, and let me know your thoughts!
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Current Equipment Setup==================================================
Tank & System Specs• Display Tank: Custom Acrylic Cube (24" x 24" x 24") 1/4" thickness
• Sump: Acrylic multi-chamber sump (18" x 17" x 16") with a custom filter/carbon tower
• ATO Reservoir: External acrylic top-off tank (16" x 5" x 12")
Flow & Controllers• Main Return Pump: Rio 1700
• Wavemakers: 1x Sicce Nano & 1x Hydor Nano
• Wave Controller: Hydor Koralia Smartwave Controller
• System Controller: Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper Lite with PB4 power bar
• Probes: Digital Aquatics iTemp probe
Lighting & Filtration• Lighting: Reef Breeders Photon V1 Series LED programmable fixture
• Protein Skimmer: Bubble Magus Curve 5 (sump-mounted)
• Media Reactor: Single reactor running GFO media, fed by a Tunze Silence pump
• Auto Top-Off: Tunze Osmolator 3 ATO
Test Kits & Gear• Hanna Instruments Checkers: Alkalinity (dKH), Ultra Low Range Phosphate, Calcium
• Red Sea Kits: Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate
• Aquaforest Kit: Magnesium
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Weekly Parameter Log==================================================
• Date / System Age: Week 0 (Staging Rock & Sand)
• Salinity: --- sg
• Temperature: --- °F
• Ammonia: --- ppm
• Nitrite: --- ppm
• Nitrate: --- ppm
• Alkalinity: --- dKH
• Phosphate: --- ppm
• Calcium: --- ppm
• Magnesium: --- ppm
• Weekly Update: Drained after a successful freshwater leak test. Currently dry aquascaping and adding the sand bed. Getting everything ready for the weekend LFS run to grab saltwater, bio-bricks, and officially start the cycle!
