C
Camps23
Guest
Hey All,
After selling my complete 140g custom miracles tank at the end of last year I had planned on taking some time off of reefing. With two young kids and a very demanding job it just seemed like time was becoming very limited. My original plan was to take a year or so off, for the last 3yrs I have had a tank..first it was a 75g...then a 90g...then I had my 140g setup for alittle over a year and a half. You can see my build thread for that tank here : http://www.thefragtank.ca/forum/index.php?topic=1322.0
Well obviously if Im creating a new thread things have changed ! Within the first two weeks I was already missing it..and not only was I missing my wife and children as well. So I decided to start researching tanks to figure out what I would get when I got back into the hobby. After viewing countless build threads all over the net I fell in love with rimless cubes...I love the look of a a perfect square piece of the ocean ! So then the wheels started spinning and the plan was around June I would start looking for a tank. That all ended coming to a halt when I decided to go look at a 34G AIO Solana that someone had for sale online. After viewing the tank and not being able to swallow the look of the black silicon I decided to pass on that tank and wait for the exact tank I wanted come June. The fellow reefer who was selling the Solana was a very nice guy and when I didn't purchase his tank asked me what tank exactly I was looking for as he had alot of contacts in the reeking hobby. After explaining the "perfect tank" to him I was on my way and never thought much of it. 2 weeks later I get a call from this gentleman and he explains that he saw the exact tank I was looking for. He said aquatic kingdom had one made for a store display but were moving and it was for sale now. The following week I was in Missisauga so I decided to stop in and have a look. Sure enough the exact tank I was looking for was there. 24x24x20 (I know its not a true cube) 4 sided starphire. Tank has an internal overflow box and is drilled with a 1 1/2 drain and 3/4 return. After talking with Daniel from aquatic kingdom he made me a deal I couldnt refuse as long as I was willing to take it off his hands before he had to move it to the new store. So in a nutshell thats how I ended up with the new setup and I couldn't be happier with it.
After buying my last three setups off people I was really excited to start this system from scratch on my own. I wanted a very simple modern looking stand that would put the cube up at a good viewing height and high enough my daughters wouldn't get there fingerprints all over it. I constructed the stand out of 2x4's and 3/4" plywood for the frame. The frame is 24x24x40. I covered the frame with cabinet panels from ikea. They are having a huge kitchen sale and have some items 50% off this month so timing was right for that as well. On this build I also wanted to go full LED. I love the look, style, and energy usage of LED. I just really hope my coral will share this love...I guess time will tell. So far my equipment list is as follows:
24x24x20 4 sided starphire glass aquarium
20g long DIY sump
Maxspect Razor 20.5" 120w 16,000k LED's
Vortech Mp10es
Bubble Magus NAC7 skimmer
Marineland 1800 return pump
Water General RD106 RODI unit
10lb Vida rock sculpture (ceramic reef safe sculpture)
20lb Marco Rock
Hoping to add a RKL controller with temp/ph/ATO, and possibly a different return pump.
Here are a few pics. Just finished the aquascape this morning and staring to fill with fresh RODI water now to verify no leaks in the plumbing. Now this will be the first time I will
need to do a full cycle on a tank so Im going to need to spend sometime online reading to make sure I don't miss anything. I'm using all dryrock and a Vida rock sculpture in the display but will be adding some live rock to the sump. I will be plumbing the tank through the wall in my basement to the storage room like I have on my previous builds.
Base Frame
Primed and sealed
Staring to cover
Stand and tank as it is now. Still may be adding trim on stand but like the simple modern look.
DIY sump. Skimmer/Fuge/Bubble trap/Return...nothing fancy but has worked for me in the past
After selling my complete 140g custom miracles tank at the end of last year I had planned on taking some time off of reefing. With two young kids and a very demanding job it just seemed like time was becoming very limited. My original plan was to take a year or so off, for the last 3yrs I have had a tank..first it was a 75g...then a 90g...then I had my 140g setup for alittle over a year and a half. You can see my build thread for that tank here : http://www.thefragtank.ca/forum/index.php?topic=1322.0
Well obviously if Im creating a new thread things have changed ! Within the first two weeks I was already missing it..and not only was I missing my wife and children as well. So I decided to start researching tanks to figure out what I would get when I got back into the hobby. After viewing countless build threads all over the net I fell in love with rimless cubes...I love the look of a a perfect square piece of the ocean ! So then the wheels started spinning and the plan was around June I would start looking for a tank. That all ended coming to a halt when I decided to go look at a 34G AIO Solana that someone had for sale online. After viewing the tank and not being able to swallow the look of the black silicon I decided to pass on that tank and wait for the exact tank I wanted come June. The fellow reefer who was selling the Solana was a very nice guy and when I didn't purchase his tank asked me what tank exactly I was looking for as he had alot of contacts in the reeking hobby. After explaining the "perfect tank" to him I was on my way and never thought much of it. 2 weeks later I get a call from this gentleman and he explains that he saw the exact tank I was looking for. He said aquatic kingdom had one made for a store display but were moving and it was for sale now. The following week I was in Missisauga so I decided to stop in and have a look. Sure enough the exact tank I was looking for was there. 24x24x20 (I know its not a true cube) 4 sided starphire. Tank has an internal overflow box and is drilled with a 1 1/2 drain and 3/4 return. After talking with Daniel from aquatic kingdom he made me a deal I couldnt refuse as long as I was willing to take it off his hands before he had to move it to the new store. So in a nutshell thats how I ended up with the new setup and I couldn't be happier with it.
After buying my last three setups off people I was really excited to start this system from scratch on my own. I wanted a very simple modern looking stand that would put the cube up at a good viewing height and high enough my daughters wouldn't get there fingerprints all over it. I constructed the stand out of 2x4's and 3/4" plywood for the frame. The frame is 24x24x40. I covered the frame with cabinet panels from ikea. They are having a huge kitchen sale and have some items 50% off this month so timing was right for that as well. On this build I also wanted to go full LED. I love the look, style, and energy usage of LED. I just really hope my coral will share this love...I guess time will tell. So far my equipment list is as follows:
24x24x20 4 sided starphire glass aquarium
20g long DIY sump
Maxspect Razor 20.5" 120w 16,000k LED's
Vortech Mp10es
Bubble Magus NAC7 skimmer
Marineland 1800 return pump
Water General RD106 RODI unit
10lb Vida rock sculpture (ceramic reef safe sculpture)
20lb Marco Rock
Hoping to add a RKL controller with temp/ph/ATO, and possibly a different return pump.
Here are a few pics. Just finished the aquascape this morning and staring to fill with fresh RODI water now to verify no leaks in the plumbing. Now this will be the first time I will
need to do a full cycle on a tank so Im going to need to spend sometime online reading to make sure I don't miss anything. I'm using all dryrock and a Vida rock sculpture in the display but will be adding some live rock to the sump. I will be plumbing the tank through the wall in my basement to the storage room like I have on my previous builds.
Base Frame
Primed and sealed
Staring to cover
Stand and tank as it is now. Still may be adding trim on stand but like the simple modern look.
DIY sump. Skimmer/Fuge/Bubble trap/Return...nothing fancy but has worked for me in the past
Glad you're back into it.
