93g cube new build thread need advice PLEASE...

[buddah001]

I am purchasing a new 93g (30x30x24)cube for a new build. The display will be on the main level and fish room will be in the basement. I plan on keeping a mixed reef. Mainly LPS Zoas and maybe some easy SPS. I currently have a 28g nano cube and have had a 180g in the past that was taken apart due to a divorce. I have a spot in my house that will fit a 93cube perfect and be able to enjoy it in my living room.
What I need help with is skimmer recommendations. I don't want to skimp on this as I found out in the past you need to get a good one from the beginning.
I currently have a Aqua Illumination Hydra 26 and contacted them to see what they recommend for this new tank and they stated 1x additional Hydra 26 would suffice. Does everyone agree with this?
I plan on having a 75g sump that I will make from a used tank. I will purchase the glass for the baffles. The main return pump is another area that I need help with. There will be a total of 8ft vertical run 14-16ft horizontal run then an additional 6ft vertical run through the floor into the tank.
I also plan on building a 75g fuge that will be above the sump. I would like to size the main return pump to supply the tank, fuge, media reactors. I don't want to run several pumps.
I will also be building a stand for this tank as the stock stand is way to short in my opinion. I do not want to bend over to look at my tank. I would rather need a ladder to work in the tank versus kneeling to look inside.
Any help would be great. Thank you in advance

 

[swiftvision]

careful, those ML 93g cubes leak.....

I ended up returning mine for a one-off custom 100g cube.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Of course the best Skimmer is Bubble King but Aquamaxx makes a great line.
Rocket Engineer has a thread here on building a stand, just do a search.
Unless you plan on spending mucho you can forget a DC pump.
Iwaki's are great but not cheap to run, Pan world is a close second but I'm not sure of their current draw. I believe there is a chart on the home page for head pressure.
Make sure there is enough room in the sump for a power outage with that extra 16 ft.
Have the fuge run off the drain & let it return to the sump via a bulkhead near the top & let gravity do the work there. You will need a valve to control the flow.

 

[buddah001]

l::angryfire:

 

[buddah001]

careful, those ML 93g cubes leak.....

.

Is there documented cases of them leaking? I know of bubbles in the silicone

 

[buddah001]

I ended up returning mine for a one-off custom 100g cube.

Where did you get the 100g cube? What was the price?

 

[GimpyFin]

I had one of the 93 rimless cubes and it had bubbles in the seams near the top of the tank. It sorta made me nervous, but in a little over 2 years it never leaked. (Ended up selling after moving to a different tank.) I noticed them shortly after I set the tank up, but they didn't really appear to get worse over time. If they just used a little thicker glass on the 93, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

 

[kaxt]

I've had a 93g rimless cube running for just shy of 2 years. Same story as GimpyFin, I have bubbles in the seams, but no leaks (knock on wood).

I also have a 75g as a basement sump. I run a Blue Line 40 HD, which is the same pump as the Pan World 100PX. I only have about 8 feet of vertical head, but I find it's plenty of pump for my setup. I run a calcium reactor and occasionally a second reactor for carbon or GFO off a manifold T'ed off my return line.

My skimmer is a Reef Octopus SRO-2000INT. I am not that happy with the skimmer because it is not consistent. It can have a very low water level one day and the next day it's overflowing.

 

[DSmithZ28]

I am planning on purchasing a 93 marineland cube and have concerns. I called marineland multiple times and can't get straight answers. I did talk to the silicone manufacturer and they are confident that it's not the silicone and that it's strength is very good.