A Reef Keeping Cube

[bobssecrtsn]

Welcome Ladies and Gent's to a story of an unforgettable Cube Adventure!
​

Storyline
A year ago today, I upgraded my upgrade from a 42G Versa Tank, to a 70G Leemar tank. I felt the lengthy tanks was not my type. I wanted more of a cube tank like my 50G I had years ago. But much larger...


Another Mans Trash Is Ones Man Treasure
I figured this was my last upgrade So I wanted to make it special. I've waited and waited till someone decided it was their time to move on, and finally the stars aligned, I was speechless on the size of this tank. I Seen it in person with it still up and running and I wanted it. The next day it was sitting in my garage cleaned up and ready to roll.

History
I did some digging of my own on how this tank was handled/cared. This tank was whoring around, in storage, Never being filled for LOOONG time. It was once owned from a guy in San Diego, set it up and got rid of it a few months down the road, Bought from Another reefer locally, never set it up, And then purchased from someone in Long Beach. Who then stored it for a year and decided to set it up, After a few months He was moving. and now its back in SD.

Tank dimensions

The tank is from LEEMAR, 130G 36x36x24, 1/2" Starfire. Diamond edged, 4 predrilled holes for 2 returns, 1 overflow, and 1 emergency. This thing is Heavy, It took 4 people to get it in the room, on the stand, and where it sits.



Equipment

1. Full apex
   • Dos With Resivoirs
   • WXM
   • BOB
   • AFS
   • ALD
   • 3 EB8
2. Vertex Omega 130i (May upgrade to an ATB possibly?)
3. 2 Dlink Camera
4. 1 Amcrest 1080P camera
5. 2 Vortech MP40W
6. Vortech M1 return pump
7. ATI NANOBOX 6bulb hybrid
   • B+,C+,B+,LED,B+,P+,B+

What makes the reef
I wanted to try something new, I was always Redsea Blue bucket and Bionic 2 part system and fuge etc. But with this system I wanted to do the Aquaforest. For now this is what I will be trying. Hopefully in time after I use up all of my bionic 2 part and carbon/p04 remover I will go full AF.

1. Aquaforest ProbioticReef
2. AF BioS
3. AF NP Pro
4. AF Pro bio F
5. AF Pro bio S

Aquascape
I wanted some nice display rock, None of that base rock that looks like a slump of turd, but more of a bonsai looking. So I called up some local reefers to see what they had, and this is what I came up on.


Current

After I filled and added the salt. As you can see the equipment is right on the other side of the sump.


As of 9/12/16 The tank is filled. ammonia is popping, and cycling is running its course! 5 drops of Bio S daily and hopefully things will move faster as the rest of my livestock is in a brute 32G container!

1. Ammonia 4ppm
2. Nitrite 0
3. Nitrate NA

Thats it for now folks.. will update as soon as the misirable cycle is over!


Happy Reefing!:fish1::fish1::fish1::fish1::fish1::fish1:

 

[plyle02]

Looks like a ton of fun, nice job Enjoy the upgrade Bob!

 

[.equis]

Looking forward to this set up!


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[glaukos]

In love with the dimensions:thumbsup:
Can't wait to see it progress!
I think i like the aquascape too

 

[Rakie]

I read "1 Amcrest" as "1 Armchair" and I was like, damn, homeboy doin' it right.

I support 1 Armchair

 

[reefmutt]

Looking good!
Nice tank, very nice scape and nice gear.
Looking forward to your cubed adventure!

 

[Wrangy]

Nice beginnings mate! Can't wait to watch it grow

 

[Jamie1210]

That's practically my exact tank! Can't wait to see how this goes

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[MichaelW]

Fantastic looking set up. One thing with your AF dosing you mentioned, pro bio f should not be necessary, np pro and pro bio s should be sufficient.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Fantastic looking set up. One thing with your AF dosing you mentioned, pro bio f should not be necessary, np pro and pro bio s should be sufficient.

Thanks for pointing that out! What else would you recommend from their line up? Coral A + E would be a nice addition. in the near future!

That's practically my exact tank! Can't wait to see how this goes

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Hey Jamie, how do you like your setup so far? What light are you using? it seems my 8 bulb unit fixture is a bit narrow on this tank !

Nice beginnings mate! Can't wait to watch it grow

Thanks Wrangy! So far everything else is coming along nicely

Looking good!
Nice tank, very nice scape and nice gear.
Looking forward to your cubed adventure!

Thanks Reefmutt! I hope this will be the last setup I ever have to do for a few years!

I read "1 Amcrest" as "1 Armchair" and I was like, damn, homeboy doin' it right.

I support 1 Armchair

:lmao: I wish I had a massaging chair facing the tank! I take it back, That might be in the works :thumbsup:

In love with the dimensions:thumbsup:
Can't wait to see it progress!
I think i like the aquascape too

I was going for more rockwork and arches this time around, My poor blue tang wasn't having it !

Looking forward to this set up!


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Thanks ! I cant wait till the cycle is over so the algae bloom can take over the tank and I can start fiddle with removing them!

Looks like a ton of fun, nice job Enjoy the upgrade Bob!

Thanks! My Wife loves it too!:lol2:

 

[Jamie1210]

Really? Even your 8 bulb fixture seems narrow?? Been thinking of upgrading my 6 bulb ATIs to the 8 bulb...I know now I really regret not getting the 8 bulb. Other than that, love the depth on this tank

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[Rakie]

:lmao: I wish I had a massaging chair facing the tank! I take it back, That might be in the works :thumbsup:

Sounds like the best seat in the house lol. Definitely the start of a nice build, love big cubes.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Update 10/4/16

Front seat :bounce3:



diatom bloom is under way!

My cycle finished on last weekend and I have been real busy. livestock is in the tank and so far everything is going smoothly.

Before adding clams and inverts, I took 3 days of scrubbing, and removing all the vermetid snails I could possibly find. These things are INVASIVE. its was such an eyesore to see.

QT Tank
Whatever else I buy will be put in QT. No more adding anything without inspecting. Nowadays its way to easy for a pest to hitchhike on a frag and not be noticed!

Corals





These are what I have in QT. I hope they will make it through the 4 weeks in a 10G.
The husbandry is as followed

1. 1-5G WC from main everyday
2. Dose NP Pro and Pro Bio S
3. weekly dips in Bayer
4. Pray that they will survive !!

So far I ordered a Par38 on amazon, Hopefully that will do the trick as for as lighting goes. and Daily waterchanges may keep up the CA/ALK demand?...

If you guys have any other opinions that will help with their survival please let me know!

EQUIPMENT


They say California is due for an earthquake/Power outtage. So i made myself a Battery Back up for my mp40 and a 6amp Battery charger. Little did i know the vectra needed a "battery booster backup" that converts 12V to 36V. So that will be on order.

Its a mess. so many wire's!!




This Vertex Omega 130I is pure inconsistant. To me its trash. Quality is there, but performance hands down the worst.

I used a stick of epoxy. turned the skimmer off for 48 hours. Did 40% WC. Fresh carbon. and the thing still overflows. its been like this for 2 weeks now, Maybe 3. Sump level is 7"

Funds are a bit low right now, So Hopefully I can get this sucker to skim again. So funds can go else where..


HaPPy Reefing!

 

[bobssecrtsn]

10/27/16


Heres a corner shot of the tank. The corals are settled and acclimating to the lights. Only casualty was the red dragon was STNing from the base.

suppliments

I've been dosing AF 1-2-3 and started dosing the following:

1. Coral V
2. AF Build
3. AF Energy
4. AF Amino Mix
5. NP PRO
6. Pro Bio S

I'm not sure if its the supplements but the tank has a hint of cloudiness. Not sure if it's bacteria bloom OR if i been dosing NP pro+ pro bio S at the same time, But I cut back and dosed the supplements 30 minutes apart.

corals
I've added SPS last week and they are regaining color, Still pale and brown. but encrusting fast. I say everything is moving along smoothly!

pink lemonade


tri color valida


blue stag


strawberry shortcake


unkown


garf bonsai


red planet

 

[Jah2707]

One of my favorite local tanks was the same size as yours. He broke it down not to long ago and I miss checking it out. He had a nice valley with mature sps colonies through out.

This looks like it would be a rocking tank. Will be tagging along.

 

[Magem]

Before this reef starts to grow, if i were you i would move the tank to the left in order to be a 3 side view tank. Maybe that is not possible but it is my advice. Anycase, sure it will be a great tank. I love dimensions too.


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[Wrangy]

Tank, sump and goodies are all looking good matey Can't wait to watch your tank mature

 

[bobssecrtsn]

10/15/16

Coral Update
I need to fill my bottom sand area with some softies. So I purchased some Zoa's ( no name ) waiting in QT atm. Also RAP is this weekend so ill be purchasing a ton more corals to fill the tank in.

As far as the SPS go, they are encrusting fast. especially my Garf Bonsai. From what I can tell, The bigger colonies/ frags takes longer to heal/encrust then the 1-2" peices!



I bought this nice little bowl with a strainer that comes with it, from Daiso, Its great when you need to dip your coral!

Livestock
After treating my lyretails anthias I added them to the tank last week. I am happy to say they are eating flakes/frozen. I should have bought 6 instead of 3, they are very active and open swimmers, so more fish choices to choose from later down the road!

Equipment
Socal has alot of reefing activity, Especially when a company goes on sale. A few things I purchased.

1. Vortech mp60 QD
2. Jeabo Rw4
3. Frag rack
4. Ecotech coral propagation kit
5. rodi sediment/ di resin filters

Pictures will be posted soon!

 

[sahin]

Nice! Love the equipment choice bar the Vertex Skimmer (yours and the 150 version are known for being finicky).

Got a few questions:
1. What are you using to charge the backup battery? Photo/specs of the charge would be very helpful.

2. What percentage (or watts) are you running the Vectra M1? I have the same pump on my new tank.

3. Any idea how long the Vectra M1 would run on the battery in the event of an outage?

Thanks.

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Nice! Love the equipment choice bar the Vertex Skimmer (yours and the 150 version are known for being finicky).

Got a few questions:
1. What are you using to charge the backup battery? Photo/specs of the charge would be very helpful.

2. What percentage (or watts) are you running the Vectra M1? I have the same pump on my new tank.

3. Any idea how long the Vectra M1 would run on the battery in the event of an outage?

Thanks.

Thanks Sahin!, I just got rid of the Omega 130I and got myself a Aquamax c02, I noticed my tank has been cloudy, Possibly because overpopulation of bacteria bloom, and maybe the skimmer was to little for the tank.

For the battery charger I am using a Guest 6AMP automatic battery charger, It kicks on when Volts gets below 12.1 V and shuts off when its at 14V .


I also have a Volt meter, It shows me what voltage the battery is at, Its not needed but I have a piece of mind what the % it is at.



I love the Vectra, Its so quiet I have to look at the nozzle to tell if its on or not, I'm running the Vectra at 40%. With the battery back up for the vectra you need a battery booster that ecotech sales.

That being said. My battery is a group 31. Which holds 100AH. normally with all batteries you dont want to use more then 50% or the battery will start to not hold its charge.

With that being said, I tested the Amps that was pulling from the battery to the M1 and it was drawing 2amps.

Calculations say the battery will last me 20 hours. IF the battery is fully charged ( 50AH/2A)

I may install another 2 batteries with an inverter so It will run the heaters if the power outage is out for a long time.