gmac_reef's 52Cube Build

[gmac_reef]

So I finally gathered a bunch of pics and got myself organized to show my tank, as I know a few people who have been asking me to see it.

This is my 3rd Reef tank and I have been keeping them since 2006.

I started building this tank about 2.5 years ago in April 2008. The project has been quite slow going as I am very busy with my job and only get time here and there to build things like this. I like to do a fair bit of planning and sketches before I go into the shop and do the actual work, and everything was built on the weekends for the most part.

Right now the tank has been set up for 6 months. It is a mixed reef and I am getting started with SPS.

The tank currently:

Full tank shot

Front View

Left View

Right View

System Info:

- Aquarium: 52gal Custom Eurobraced 24" X 24" X 21" tall
Glass tank with external overflow, acrylic covering the back wall and Herbie drain system
- Sump: Custom 24" X 18" X 24" tall - 2 chambers, no baffles (holds 20 Gal of water)
- Custom (1/4" White Starboard) Barebottom
- Lighting: 6x24" Current USA Retrofit T5HO's
- Moonlight: R2 Solutions Extreme LED
- Dosing: 2 x BRS dosers for Calcium and Alkalinity
- Powerheads: 2x Koralia 3's
- Auto Top-off: JBJ ATO with custom 13gal reservoir tank
- Return Pump - Mag 3
- Skimmer: modded ASM G1-X
- Heaters: 250W Jager, 150w Jager backup
- Controller: Reefkeeper Lite L3

Fish:

- 1 Clownfish
- 3 Yellow tail Damsels
- 4 Chromis
- a couple misc snails

I have a couple corals (less than 10 in total, Softies, LPS and now a few SPS). I plan on getting more in the future. I am finally getting to the point where I can get them to grow and do well in the tank!

 

[gmac_reef]

Since I had envisioned this as a build thread I will get to the actual construction part. I enjoy building things and this hobby gives me a chance to work on projects that differ from the average desk or table. Throwing water and electricity into the mix makes it interesting, and there is always something new to learn, or a mistake to learn from!

Building the stand cabinet:

What I set out to do was build a stand that can hold all of the necessary equipment, and also be as quiet as possible. There is kind of a cabinet within a cabinet, which contains the sump, humidity, and some of the noise. This lower area is almost completely sealed off.
Above the sump area is a removable shelf separating the area where all the electronic stuff goes, and a lot of the wiring/ballasts are tucked underneath just below the tank. To accomplish this I had to make it a bit taller than I wanted (its 44" tall), but the tank is in my kitchen so it's usually viewed while standing.

Here is a 3d render I made just to check dimensions and see what it would look like.

Initial frame of 2 X 4's.

Reinforcements being added.

Here is the stand (upside down) with the shelf rests and plywood on

Here is the initial test fit with the tank. You don't want to get too far before you check your measurements!

Painting the inside before the face frame is installed

Face frame glueup

Top rim glueup

Cutting holes for the rear supports

Rear supports on - connected with 6" bolts through the stand. In the rear of the cabinet there is a door which can open to remove the sump and reservoir tank. It is a pretty snug fit with everything inside, with only about ¼" of clearance around the perimeter.

 

[gmac_reef]

First coat of paint and sanding

Stand is done and tank is finished. I had the light from a previous tank ( a 20 tall) so I just used it.

This pic shows the ballasts and how I mounted them to the ceiling of the cabinet. That wire grate is originally for putting hot pans on a countertop ( I don't know what the name is ). The ballasts are mounted to that, and then the grate attaches to the top with screw hooks. This makes it secure but also removeable if need be. I have since attached the ballasts to it with wire and got rid of the zip-ties.

This pic shows the upper area with the shelves installed. All the wires etc. are notched out with a tight fit so it doesn't allow a lot of salty air from the sump to get up there and rust things.

Tank and light hood on

A New Tank

As you have probably noticed, this series of pictures show how I originally had a different tank on the stand (a 24" X 18"w X 24" tall with internal overflow) and got the system all wired and plumbed with that tank. At this point I was living in a smallish apartment and didn't really have room for it, so I moved it to storage after it was done. This time gave me some time to think about the tank and what I wanted to change the next time I set it up.

When the tank was in storage I decided that it was a bit too tall & narrow for my liking. After some thought, I ordered a new one. In the grand scheme of time and money a new tank didn't really cost too much and I am glad I upgraded to something not as tall and more "œcube like". I also really like having an external overflow for a lot of reasons.

 

[cman_pogey]

Wow man, looks really great! The stand is awesome, and I will definately be tagging along for this one

 

[gmac_reef]

cman_pogey - thanks man

The back of the tank - kind of an old pic, I am only using one of the return lines right now.

Sump

Here are a couple more pics of the build... I will start with the sump.

The sump is simple - no baffles or any extra chambers. The water comes down from the drain into the back left corner, passes through a hole in the divider glass, then goes into the right chamber and out the return. I used to have a valve in the middle to control the water level on the left side but got rid of it. The skimmer outlet also goes into that back corner so any bubbles are gone by the time they make it back to the display.

Here is my newest equipment addition - NP biopellet reactor - only had it for a week so I am waiting to see if it has much effect. So far the skimmer production went up quite a bit and I think I have a bit of a bacterial bloom due to the water being a bit cloudy. I am using Vertex pellets and only 100ml to start. Time will tell but right now everything is doing good.

 

[gmac_reef]

Light Hood Project

Now that I am more or less done with the stand, I started a new project - a light hood. The design is kind of unique in that I never have to remove the hood to reach inside the tank to all the corners for maintenance. This is made possible via 2 ways - a DIY light track I installed which is originally made for closet doors, and 3 hinged openings which are as large as possible. I don't like the look of very tall canopy towering above this style of tank - so I made it as shallow as possible while still having the lamps about 6" off the water. It only stands 7 1/4" inches off the top of the tank.

I tried to do some research in the planning process, but most other light tracks I have seen take up a lot more vertical space and usually use wheels and rails of some kind.

Here is the finished product - a 6 X 24" T5HO fixture with internal fans and light track.

A pic from the construction.

Painted then sealed with Varathane.

Final assembly - I used 3 separate retrofit kits so all of the wires had to be made the same length, soldered, heat shrink'd and bundled together. Yes, this took a LONG time.

Front door open - I can push the lights back to gain a bit more room in case I have to take out a piece of rock or something.

With the front door open I can push the lights forward and gain a lot of room to reach in from the sides.

There are two 3" fans on the back that blow air in and across the bulbs.

 

[gmac_reef]

Here is a close up of the tracks - they don't have the smoothest sliding action, but that doesn't really matter. The light unit seems pretty secure and won't move on its own.

Here is the hood with all doors closed. There is a 10" X 14" vent on top for all the heat to escape

 

[gmac_reef]

2011 Update

2011 Update

It's been a few months now so I thought I should update this thread.
Some new things have been the addition of a Vortech mp40, and I built out the rock structure with the rest of my BRS eco-rock. The rock has been in the tank for a few months so it is starting to look more natural. I also installed the tinted glass outer door on the front of the cabinet.

This pic was taken back in November when everything was doing good.<img src="http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh173/gmac_reef/52cube/gmacreef-52cube-front-nov.jpg" border="0" alt="Front View - November">

I had a bit of a disaster a few weeks ago where I lost a few corals because for some reason I had left the power switch that controls my ATO to "off" when I left for vacation over the holidays.

When I got back I found that my return pump was not working and there was a very low temp in the display (about 65) because the sump level got so low. Luckily the Vortech kept the oxygen levels up so I only lost a couple sps frags that were in there. Anyways, lesson learned. I was more worried about the auto feeder that was feeding the fish but it actually worked really well. The tank is getting back to being stable and everything is doing fine now.

Here are the more recent pics.
<img src="http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh173/gmac_reef/52cube/gmacreef-52cube-full-jan.jpg" border="0" alt="The cabinet and tank">

<img src="http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh173/gmac_reef/52cube/gmacreef-52cube-front-jan.jpg" border="0" alt="FTS">

<img src="http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh173/gmac_reef/52cube/gmacreef-52cube-up-jan.jpg" border="0" alt="Upwards FTS">

I have been looking for a new skimmer to replace my current ASM G1-X. It works okay, but I have seen a lot of the new skimmers that work a lot better. I was looking at getting either a Bubble Magus NAC-7 or maybe a SWC Xtreme 160 Cone. I am interested to hear anyone's opinions on these 2 models or anything similarly priced.

 

[gmac_reef]

Update after 1 year

Update after 1 year

Here are some new pics of the system:

Got some new equipment: A new bubble Magus NAC-7 Skimmer and an Avast Marine Swabbie. Got them around the same time, and they have been running for about a month. The Swabbie is pretty sweet and I only have to clean the skimmer about every 3 weeks or so. I built an in-sump container for the skimmer that is partly submerged, as there is no more room in the sump cabinet.

Here are the rest of the pics:

Zoas

Toadstool

Montis

 

[gmac_reef]

Mille of some sort - this is doing okay but is quite a bit more brown than when I first got it.

Kenya Tree

Fire Goby's

Favia

CandyCane - hasn't grown much in several months since I have had it

Birdsnest - doing good and growing fast

Rock with 4 acros I got for cheap - 2 of them seem pretty bleached out, waiting for them to recover