Tom's Custom Biocube

[tcwoodrn]

I've been out of the hobby for a year and a half and have been plotting my return for a while now. I was originally planning to do a large system but with my wife delivering our first baby in June I decided to go with a nano to keep the workload lower. My brother in law Shawn and I chose to heavily modify a biocubes like we have always talked about doing. Here's an equipment list:


Tank: 29g Coralife biocube drilled in chamber 3 for overflow
Stand: Stock biocube stand
Sump: Custom built sump that fits perfectly in the stand
Lights: RapidLed dimmable, solderless nano kit
Skimmer: Reef Octopus NW-110-6520B
In tank flow: Vortech MP-10w ES
Controller: Full Apex Neptune with add-on WXM to control Vortech which will also fully control the LEDs.
ATO: DIY system run by Apex

Hood with the RapidLed kit installed:

Lights on:

Shawn drilling the tank, this guy is skilled:

Here's the back of the tank's plumbing:

An overhead view of the return:

Mount the Apex and put the sump together:

Fill it up:

I added sand last night and began programming the Apex. I have the rock cycling but I still need to aquascape the tank and then it will be fine tuning until I can eventually add livestock.

 

[Clearwater]

Nice setup.

 

[AsphaltPays]

Great Job!!


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[sprinklerdudes]

looks like a good build,

 

[LukeG]

Looks nice and clean.


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[tcwoodrn]

The tank is currently cycling. I've seen a small (.25) rise in ammonia so there should be a big spike right around the corner. Picked up a breakout box to setup an ATO, just waiting for the brackets that will hold the switches and it'll be good to go.

Here is my initial aquascape design. I tried to leave lots of room up top for sps colonies to grow tall and the cave in the middle should be a nice spot for an anemone to host some designer clowns.

 

[BattlesReef]

Looking good bud. I see the beginning of our second biocube war.... Have you decided on what kind of nem and clowns you are going to get yet.

 

[bairdimusprime]

looks really good! cant wait to watch the tank grow

 

[revsgirl]

Lookin' good!

 

[revhtree]

Looks good bro! One thing I would consider is adding a fan in the back of that stand. Condensation may build up on your apex and other electronics under there and ruin them. I have a big issue with this myself since I also have my apex mounted in my stand.

 

[Emoney]

Looks good bro! One thing I would consider is adding a fan in the back of that stand. Condensation may build up on your apex and other electronics under there and ruin them. I have a big issue with this myself since I also have my apex mounted in my stand.

was just getting ready to say the same thing..or mount it on the back or side

 

[tcwoodrn]

Looks good bro! One thing I would consider is adding a fan in the back of that stand. Condensation may build up on your apex and other electronics under there and ruin them. I have a big issue with this myself since I also have my apex mounted in my stand.

I've been keeping an eye on it, so far so good but it may need modification.

A similar lesson I learned with the new hinge top biocubes is to not mount electrical on back because when you lift the top a good amount of water drips down the back of the tank. I had to remove my power strip and I am concerned about the drivers. For now I hold a towel over the drivers until the water is done dripping.

A brief update:
I have ammonia and nitrites in the tank. I continue to ghost feed intermittently to drive bacteria population up.
I've also been writing a lot of programming for the Apex. Tonight I wrote a feed cycle based off the one in the "unofficial" manual for Apex. It's pretty sweet. I'll post all my codes and what not in a later thread.

 

[tcwoodrn]

I had a major cycle with nitrite spike of >5 which is starting to wind down so I've just been sitting back and being patient. In the mean time I decided to build an ATO that runs off my Apex via the Breakout Box.

Supplies:
Neptune B.O.B
3 float switches from BRS
Aqua lifter pump from BRS
Mounting brackets with extension from autotopoff.com
5g bucket with lid

Design:
3 switch system with one for maintaining water line, one mounted 1.5" above the water line as a too high kill switch, and one mounted upside down at the top of my return for a too low kill switch.... Safety first with ATOs!

Step one figure out the water lines and the height each float needs to be and mount them:

Step two, wire them to the B.O.B.:

Mount and zip tie as best you can. A complaint about Apex stuff is that they are hard to mount as it is really hard to fit a drill next to the unit without being at an angle. After several failed attempts I used velcro to mount and zip tied wires to the power strip as a safety net. If the Velcro lets loose the module won't fall in the water. :

For those Apex users here is my ATO pump code in the dashboard:
Fallback Off
Set Off
If Switch1 Closed then On
If Switch2 Open then Off
If Switch3 Open then Off
Defer 001:00 then On
Min Time 010:00 then Off

This code tells the Apex to run the pump when the water line switch (Switch1) is closed and to shut it off if the too high switch (Switch2) is open or if the too low switch (Switch3) is open. The defer tells the Apex to not turn on the ATO unless Switch1 has been closed for 1 minute, that way water movement in the sump doesn't trigger it. The min time tells the Apex to not let the ATO pump run until a minimum of 10 minutes has passed since the last time it ran.

The too low switch (Switch3) is also programmed in the code for the return, skimmer, and email/text alarm. It shuts off the return and skimmer by code "If Switch3 open then off" and sends me a text by code "If Switch3 open then on". Each written in the control for the individual device.

Hope that helps anyone using an Apex!

 

[BattlesReef]

I really should have got an apex. I'm trying to write a program for the dosing pumps and it is a PIA with my Reefkeeper. Do you have it set up to your cell phone yet?

 

[tcwoodrn]

Yessir, with remote port forwarding access I can control from anywhere I get cell or wifi service.

 

[ajensen23]

im looking for a DIY ATO for my biocube29 but I dont have a sump, so im going to put it in the last return chamber in the back. How much did this setup cost you?

 

[tcwoodrn]

im looking for a DIY ATO for my biocube29 but I dont have a sump, so im going to put it in the last return chamber in the back. How much did this setup cost you?

The actual ATO components cost me about $50, the Apex that runs it was several hundred dollars.

You could put an ATO in a stock Biocube. You would put the water level switch in chamber 3 where the return is and I would put the RO line in chamber 1. I would put a too high kill switch an inch above the waterline switch in chamber 3.

 

[rajkovich207]

Very similar to my build (though I'm still working on the tech side of mine). Awesome job so far can't wait to see the rest!

 

[tcwoodrn]

Very similar to my build (though I'm still working on the tech side of mine). Awesome job so far can't wait to see the rest!

I subscribe to 3 threads on here: yours, mine, and Battlesreef lol

 

[tcwoodrn]

Got the tank cycled and it held steady 24 and 48 hours after a ghost feeding. Went to the LFS yesterday and picked up some hermits, snails, and a yellow flanked fairy wrasse. Like all wrasse he's very fast and hard to get a pic of. Good news is he's eating great including 2 meals today.