Seventy-four gallon cube build (slow build)

IWuzADuck · Jan 8, 2020

OK, where to start?
I've been reefing since the 90s, off and on. I've been out of this for maybe 6 years? Not sure.
I do know that building and maintaining my last reef tank (150 gallon, mixed) was incredible therapy for me.
Among other things I deal with Adult ADHD - Inattentive, OCD, and PTSD.
So I found a great deal on a Deep Blue Pro Rimless tower cube. 30x24x24. $100
We lived in a 3500 sq ft house with the last reef.
Now we live in an 800 sq ft industrial loft.

I'm a very much an "I need my Oompa Loompa now!" type person. So this will be a challenge to me in taking time and getting things as perfect as can be. All the while working FT and getting a second degree and no money.

The victim:

Now evidently things have changed a bit while I was gone. So while documenting the build, I'm going to be asking a lot of questions to give me a direction to go.

Question: Are canopies a thing for rimless tanks? Kinda defeats the purpose of being rimless?
Question: I once saw in a house, a rimless tank but the water flowed out over the top of the glass and down the outside into a channel. Anyone ever see something like this? Custom job maybe?

My plans so far:

Stand: 30" high and probably 36" wide to accommodate all the fun stuff. The stand will be constructed out of black, extruded aluminum sourced directly from the factory in China. The stand will be open on two or maybe three sides to allow you to see the inner workings and LED lit with an Alexa control. The open stand is my wife's demand.
Lighting: Planning on a single LED source that can penetrate 30"
Filtration: Trigger systems sump with built in fuge.
Return pump: I know it will be a DC pump. Looking for a recommendation.
Question: If I want 1500 GPH flow would it cost less to use a 3000 GPH pump at 50% as compared to a 1500 GPH pump at 100%. Recommendation?
Skimmer: Yes, a large one please.
Reactors: Undecided
Dosing: Prior I did two dosing elements. What's a good doser?
Automation: Thinking of an Apex Neptune. Other good options? Should I stay in the Neptune eco system for pumps, wave generation, ATO, flow metering, dosing? Or do other suppliers equipment mesh well?
ATO: Maybe Neptune
Waves: Tunze or Neptune
Aquascape: Thinking about starting off with some clean dead rock, flat pieces. Question: What happened to live rock?

That's all for now

Flippers4pups · Jan 8, 2020

Nice cube size! Should be a lot of fun to build.

Xr15 or Hydra 26 may work for lighting due to the dimensions of the tank.

Canopies are nice. They can contain light spill, keep fish from carpet surfing.

Otherwise, a screen top maybe.

Welcome back to the hobby!

IWuzADuck · Jan 8, 2020

Flippers4pups said:
Nice cube size! Should be a lot of fun to build.

Xr15 or Hydra 26 may work for lighting due to the dimensions of the tank.

Canopies are nice. They can contain light spill, keep fish from carpet surfing.

Otherwise, a screen top maybe.

Welcome back to the hobby!

Screen top for sure. I've had a few jumpers, including an ell. Long ago, kinda hazy)

GodZillaReef · Jan 8, 2020

Question: I once saw in a house, a rimless tank but the water flowed out over the top of the glass and down the outside into a channel. Anyone ever see something like this? Custom job maybe?
Zero edge aquarium is the water overflows sides of tank. Pretty awesome looking.

IWuzADuck · Jan 9, 2020

GodZillaReef said:
Question: I once saw in a house, a rimless tank but the water flowed out over the top of the glass and down the outside into a channel. Anyone ever see something like this? Custom job maybe?
Zero edge aquarium is the water overflows sides of tank. Pretty awesome looking.

Thanks. You've kept me from over filling my rimless tank trying this. Tank was cool. The snails were on the outside.

IWuzADuck · Jan 15, 2020

This is a very rough modeling of the stand so far, and I'm super glad I did this first. I normally would have drawn it on paper and went to work. I think I need to go wider and maybe even a bit taller. The stand here is 36" wide. On the right side are dosing tanks and above that will be boxed for electronics. The sump is a Trigger Systems 20. I realize now that I have to put a second backing for the electronics as I don't want the cords just coming out and being seen. The stand will be mostly naked. I also want to place reactors between the right side of the sump and back of the electronics box. I also want to fit in an ATO reservoir and UV.

The tank is 30" tall as is the stand. The space between the right side two front beams will be faced and where I plan to mount the display. I should probably do the same on the left side for symmetry. But what to mount there? Thoughts?