240 Gallon Cube Tank Photo Diary

[keefsama2003]

i have 2 2" drains for my closed loop where did you get the strainers from i need 2 of them myself they look real safe im going to just cut a hole in my overflows and bed them in there under the waterline so that shouldnt be a problem but i would love them

 

[IsThisNameTaken?]

I hope you slapped some sort of sealer on the inside of the stand before assemble. I would break out in tears to see a stand of that caliber ruined. Absolutely beautiful. My favorite stand.

 

[sonofgaladriel]

Scott from 'Aquariums Systems Designs' here in town, provided all the bulkheads and drains. I'm not sure where he got them, but it may have been customaquatics.com.
Inside and out was spray sealed. This thing should stand the test of time....I hope.
Thanks for the compliments everyone!

 

[Skipper]

Here's where they got the strainers, I think:

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/8566/cid/2098

 

[sonofgaladriel]

Thanks for that link Skipper. That looks just like the ones I have.
I think I may actually have to invest in a chiller for this tank. The temp is rising to 84 degrees with all four halides on. I was able to keep my 180 at 79 to 80 degrees with the 3 mogul 250s, but these 4 DE 250's really put out the heat.
I'm wondering if a 1/4 HP chiller will bring down the temp 3 to 4 degrees on this size tank?
I've got to get some 14K bulbs too. I really don't like these 10K's at all. They're just too yellow looking and make the rock and bottom look 'dirty'.

 

[invincible569]

Thanks Invicible569! Its been fun posting and getting all the positive responses.
Any chance I can get some frags from you to help me rebuild my stony reef? I'll pay for them of course, but funds are low after the equipment expenses.
Don't know if you read, but I lost all of my SPS last week during this move, which is why this tank is empty. I think my 10" teardrop died off late Sunday night and when I came home Monday evening, the stock tank holding all the livestock had crashed and I lost all my fish and SPS.
So, I'm starting over from scratch.

You bet. Im actually going to tear down my 100g and also jump into a 400-500g very soon. Im sure I can send some frags over your way. Get your tank stable and running well and find me when you're ready. Dont worry about funds. Just enjoy the hobby! Give me about 2-3 months until my new tank is up and running.

 

[Skipper]

Hey there. I wouldn't fret with a temp of 84 degrees. My tank hits that mark regularly.

 

[TheCoralReef731]

Skippers right, just dont let the tank fluctuate more than 2 or 3 degrees daily

 

[invincible569]

Im sure things may be ok... but knowing my luck.. if there was that one hot day or your AC unit went out on you for some odd reason, then you better kiss your tank goodbye. Keeping your tank a little cooler will also help with algae. Algae likes to be in warmer water. I could run with a tank for a yr, but once its filled with a ton of livestock, I would look into a chiller. Its insurance.

 

[sonofgaladriel]

I'm looking for a good deal on a chiller as we speak. But, I think that a fan or two will help bring the temp down from 84 to 80 without much problem. I am lucky that this is in the basement with no direct sunlight comming in.
Now that the old tank has been moved out and the place cleaned up, I can start focusing on finishing up this set up. I've yet to hook up my calcium reactor (really been no need without any livestock), PH monitor, and tidy up the inside of the stand.
invicible569- any time you'd like to work out a frag package for me, let me know and what I'd owe you.
Thanks again.

 

[reefwonders]

Sweet looking setup Really love the stand. I think I'm going to make my stand for my 300 in the same fashion.

 

[sonofgaladriel]

Thank you! Good luck with your stand. Make sure we get to see pics.

 

[reefwonders]

I saved enough money on the tank to make a really nice stand and canopy. I'll post pics when I get started.

 

[nbd13]

reefwonders- could you PM me over at MR and give me some details on your tank like demensions.

thanks

Nick

 

[taketz]

I'm gonna go ahead and suggest some Phoenix 14k's for your next bulb, just by what you've been complaining about with your current bulbs. Its a very white bulb, no yellow, and has a very minimal amount of blue in it. Also, from what I understand, it puts out some nice par for a higher kelvin bulb.

~

 

[sonofgaladriel]

Yep, those are the bulbs I'm going to be switching to. These 10K AB bulbs are supposed to burn closer to 13K, but at this point they look pretty yellow to me. I'll give them a few more weeks before I switch out.

 

[xtrstangx]

Haha, not sure if you caught my other post on your stand thread or not, figure you probably did.

Guess I subscribed to the wrong thread. Excellent looking tank. Are you going to build anything to cover up the back of the tank with all the PVC? I did something similar on my 40g to cover up the HOB junk.

Looks very good.

 

[swannking]

open top?

open top?

How thick is your acrylic? I notice your tank doesn't have the top piece of acrylic. How bad is the bulging from the water pressure?

 

[sonofgaladriel]

Hi Max- Yes, I'm working on the cover for the sides this weekend. I will be wrapping the exposed sides and along the top back with wood, matching the stand. This will also act as a shelf for me to put a fan, some Bonzai trees, and maybe some orhids. They'll love the humidity and the full spectrum light.
Swanking- The acrylic is 1" thick. There is only 1/16 of an inch deflection (bowing) at the top center of each pane. Not bad. This thing is solid.

 

[swannking]

100g cube

100g cube

Do you think a 1/2" acrylic be OK with a top piece. 30"X30"X30"