240g CUBE 48x48x24 3/4" Acrylic 300g+ Build in the Desert

kmu

kmu

New member
Well I just got my dream tank in my office (wife didnt let me have it in the house :dance: )

Its a used 48"x48"x24" 3/4" Acrylic Cube made by *******, has several holes on the bottom for a closed loop (for 2 Refflo Dart pumps) which Im gonna seal because Im gonna run low wattage pumps like Vortechs or Tunzes for my main water movement.

My goal is a mixed reef tank set up with large tangs, a pair of clowns, a school of Anthias and dominated with LPS and Softies and some large RBTAs and GBTAs , I will have some SPS but I will not run a calcium reactor just top off with kalkwasser.

I WILL TRY MY BEST TO BUILD THE TANK THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT POSSIBLE.

LIGHTING

1. Need some help over here, I got an ATI sunpower 48" 6 bulb fixture on my current home reef tank that I could use and just add an extra T5 lighting fixture to cover more area.

2. Another idea was to get 2 ATI 36" 6 bulb sunpower fixtures for a total of 12 T5 39 watt bulbs... 468 watts for lighting on a 240g tank sounds very nice.

3. Get a single solatube and supplement with some 6 or 8 T5 tubes on a retro kit.


FILTRATION (Sump)
Refugium with DSB and Chaeto...
Reef Octopus extreme 200 (I already have it in my home reef tank)
Might get in the future a Super reef Octopus Cone XP3000 (rated to 300g) or XP 5000 (rated to 400g)

ROCK AND SAND
Will use a 1.5" layer of sugar size aragonite sand.
Now on the rock structure Im gonna keep it minimalistic with around 100lbs of dry rock on an Island type structure.

RETURN PUMP
The reef tank came with a Refflo Barracuda, two Reeflo Dart and a small Genx external pump. I might just sell all those large pumps and get maybe 2 Quiet One 4000 pumps rated at 1017 gph each and 50watts.

HEATER & CHILLER
When the time comes I will get maybe dual 300 or 400 watt heaters and for a chiller a TECO 1/3 HP or maybe even a 1/2 HP (over budget)

CONTROLLER
Reef Keeper Elite

Any ideas or suggestions please let me know

ETA to fill it up with water and start the cycle around 3 to 4 weeks because I need to do alot of acrylic polishing and plug up the close loop holes in the bottom.
 
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Some shots...

My truck where the whole set up was transported

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Outside of office where glass window was removed to get the monster tank and stand in

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y did u have to remove the window? The stand wouldnt fit through the door? Nice dimensions on the tank.
 
tozzi said:
y did u have to remove the window? The stand wouldnt fit through the door? Nice dimensions on the tank.
Click to expand...

Yes, the stand is 48x48x36 tall and the doors are 31" wide so I didnt want to cut the stand in 2 pieces just bring it inside, it took about 2 hours for the help to remove the 2 glass panels of the windows and installed them back on again...
 
How did you attach the cabinetry to the frame? I have a similar tank (4x3x2) and I am getting ready to attach cabinet faces to the steel stand. Thanks and the reason I ask is because it looks really good.
 
gp2 said:
How did you attach the cabinetry to the frame? I have a similar tank (4x3x2) and I am getting ready to attach cabinet faces to the steel stand. Thanks and the reason I ask is because it looks really good.
Click to expand...

Right now the cabinetry just hugs the steel frame, its not bolted to it, I can just slide it out in less than a minute, still figuring out if the previous owner had it bolted...
 
After some elbow grease, still need some more to apply Novus #2 and #3

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nice cover for the stand!! man thats a nice tank .i saw one made out of glass on the sale forum local to me almost bought it but.. i would had been living in my tank :D
 
kmu said:
Right now the cabinetry just hugs the steel frame, its not bolted to it, I can just slide it out in less than a minute, still figuring out if the previous owner had it bolted...
Click to expand...

Encouraging for me as I just ordered cabinetry parts from Lowes and that was my general plan. I am also considering using 40 pound magnets to attach the pieces. Your cabinet just looks awesome. Definitely a dream tank, congratulations!!!!
:bounce3:
 
goat585 said:
I have a tank the same dimensions. I am lighting it with a single 400 watt halide. I use a dart for my return. It feeds my fuge, frag tank, reactors and a 30 cube. A quiet one 4000 is used to feed my surges. You can check out my build thread here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1749890

My electric bill is around $160 a month
Click to expand...

THX for the advice, Im already subscribed to your thread and your tank is awesome, I would love to go with a 400watt Radium and supplement it with T5 ATI Blue Plus bulbs but the ceiling is very close to the top of the canopy and Im afraid I will melt the panels or add a lot of heat to the tank. I got 20" from the top of the reef tank to the ceiling.

Im gonna go with 2 ATI 36" 6x39 watt fixtures for a total of 12 bulbs, my tank has an eurobraced top with a 36"x36" access hole so I think a 36" fixture would work great.

I might use a single dart also for my return pump and add a pair of vortech MP40s for flow inside the tank.

Any recommendations since you have a very similar tank?
 
Just did a Novus # 3 on the whole tank (3 viewable sides) with a drill bit that has a 3m sponge on it designed to polish the headlights of cars.

The Novus # 3 did an OK job, but I still need to work some more with extra pressure to remove the deep scratches.

After I remove the deep scratches I will do a Novus # 2 on the whole tank also.

IMG_0021.jpg


IMG_0022.jpg


IMG_0023.jpg
 
I really like my dart for the return. It has plenty of flow, and is pretty energy efficient. They can always be throttled back to reduced their output and slighly lower their energy consumption. I have about 1500 gph going into the main display.

I was going to go with the same lighting configuration as you are planning but I did not want to deal with replacing 12 bulbs. Since my halide is not in the canopy heat is not an issue like it could be in your case. My light also hangs 18" over the water surface to get enough light spread. I have been thinking about trying a lumanarc reflector at some point to see how that would look. Eventually I would like to add a canopy to the tank but it is difficult with the light being so high.

As for flow in the tank I think you will be okay with the MP40's but depending on the rock placement you may need to supplement the flow slightly. Since the footprint of the tank is square and you are using it as a pennisula like mine getting flow everywhere in the tank is challenging. I have 2 returns, 2 surges and 2 6100 tunzes and I think I still need a little bit more. I am seriously considing getting another 6100 or a 6055 to add a touch more flow. I would love to add a MP40 but since my back pane of acylic is 1" thick I can not use vortech unless I go with a MP60 but I am not going to spend $600 for one.

I used the novus product on my tank and it worked very nicely

I hope this helps
 
For those asking about attaching the panels to the stand....

Use rare earth magnets. You can get some smaller ones and they will hold a LOT of mass.

There are several on-line venders like rare-earth magnets.com for one.

I attached all of my base boards and trim in this way even though I don't have a metal stand. I did it for disassembly reasons. Works well and you have to PULL them off.
 
First build I'm gonna follow. I love the dimensions and placement in the office. I have a room divider tank and would like to move to a cube of these epic proportions. Along for the ride.
 
Got a question regarding the drain holes in the overflow.

The overflow has Two 1.875" holes for 1" return pipes, one 2.625" for return on a 1.5" closed loop return (which Im not going to use) and one 3.25" hole for a 2" drain to sump...

Now my question, the 3.25" hole for the 2" drain pipe was designed to be used with a Reeflo Barracuda for return pump which Im not going to use, I want a smaller less energy consuming pump with a lot less flow.

Now should I cap/seal the 2.625" hole or the 3.25" hole, I got the bulkheads for both and just afraid that If I use a small pump with a large drain pipe it will make gurgling noises...
 
great looking cube setup, liking the flare on the overflow, it adds a softness to the look :)

i have a pretty similar build going as well, was wondering if you have a center horizontal brace in the stand directly under the tank?
 
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