That would have been stupid....but it's BRS pukani dry rock.
Modern Integrated 50gal Cube...Build Thread!
- Thread starter joshbryer
- Start date
That would have been stupid....but it's BRS pukani dry rock.
shaggss
Active member
Hi Josh
I have no experience with the Apex, but I can say that the Profilux is a really great unit. You pay for what you get and it is worth it. The amount of functionality is unbelievable. Does take a while to start thinking German and knowing how to program it though........
Good info here.
Cheers :beer:
Hi Shaggs-
Thanks for the info and link. I had actually looked into the profilux extensively and really like what I saw, just not the cost :>
Just a quick update....I'll have pics tomorrow.
Over the past week I've been working on the aquascape and finally got it done tonight. Ran out of epoxy halfway through so I had to order more, but I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.
Rinsed the sand 3 times in ro/di water and got it in the tank. I ended up using a 2:1 mix of the reef-flakes:mini-flakes, got the ratio from glassbox as I liked the look of their sand a lot.
Siphoned out the last of the water from overflow that was left over from the water test, did the same for the sump and emptied the standing water in the media reactors.
Tomorrow, I need to plumb the hydor in-line heaters with the mj1200 I got, re-tape a leaky threaded fitting, put the rock in the tank, finish my ghetto skimmer stand, and mix salt water. I'm making ro/di water now and it should be ready by the afternoon. Hopefully things will go well and I can get water in the this thing by tomorrow night!
Over the past week I've been working on the aquascape and finally got it done tonight. Ran out of epoxy halfway through so I had to order more, but I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.
Rinsed the sand 3 times in ro/di water and got it in the tank. I ended up using a 2:1 mix of the reef-flakes:mini-flakes, got the ratio from glassbox as I liked the look of their sand a lot.
Siphoned out the last of the water from overflow that was left over from the water test, did the same for the sump and emptied the standing water in the media reactors.
Tomorrow, I need to plumb the hydor in-line heaters with the mj1200 I got, re-tape a leaky threaded fitting, put the rock in the tank, finish my ghetto skimmer stand, and mix salt water. I'm making ro/di water now and it should be ready by the afternoon. Hopefully things will go well and I can get water in the this thing by tomorrow night!
It's Alive!!!! Well, there's water in it anyway....now comes the long wait until it is alive. I'll focus on taking these next months to learn the tank and get my husbandry routine down. And now, the pics.
2x 200w Hydor ETH plumbed off a mj1200. Lots of wiring cleanup left to do:
Dry Scaped:
Filling:
Filled!:
SG is 1.025, I'll run the rest of my baseline tests tomorrow. All systems are running as planned. Need to do a ton of wiring organization and start to program the apex. Skimmer is producing foam but still breaking in. I'm going to start dosing MB7 tonight.
Very stoked it's finally running!
2x 200w Hydor ETH plumbed off a mj1200. Lots of wiring cleanup left to do:
Dry Scaped:
Filling:
Filled!:
SG is 1.025, I'll run the rest of my baseline tests tomorrow. All systems are running as planned. Need to do a ton of wiring organization and start to program the apex. Skimmer is producing foam but still breaking in. I'm going to start dosing MB7 tonight.
Very stoked it's finally running!
afernandez
Never Quit!!
weird ? . why did you choose the 8bulb PM vs the 6 pm? isn it a little over kill? i thinking of changing my light lights thats y i am asking the annoying ? lol . also do you have a par meter? or have you checked your par?. sorry about all the questions btw tank looks amazing! love the mods that you made the the orginal #2.
shaggss
Active member
Josh your scape is really awesome man.....VERY well done :thumbsup: Now I have to redo mine LOL 
I have the 8 tube PM too. Yes it is overkill, but I have it connected to a Profilux so I can limit the output. Makes for an easy upgrade of tank! I'm sure that Josh can do the same with the Apex.......
Josh, here is what I used to clean up the wires, worked really well:
Here is the catalogue as well.
Again, looks fantastic mate!
I have the 8 tube PM too. Yes it is overkill, but I have it connected to a Profilux so I can limit the output. Makes for an easy upgrade of tank! I'm sure that Josh can do the same with the Apex.......
Josh, here is what I used to clean up the wires, worked really well:
Here is the catalogue as well.
Again, looks fantastic mate!
afernandez
Never Quit!!
Oh ok makes sence Ty . What size tank do you have shaggs?
So, didn't wake up to any floods this morning, that's a big bonus. Skimmer was overflowing though, so I readjusted and will check it out when I get home to see if it's correct. There was a nice head of foam this morning, but I'm guessing it will take a few more days to break in because it wasn't super stable yet. Dosed some mb7 last night, will continue to do so for the next 2 weeks. Planning on ordering up a bunch of seeding materials this week.....
Thanks!
Shaggss is pretty much right on all counts re: 8 bulb vs 6 bulb. I wanted more coverage front to back (still have some slighly dimmer areas in the corners next to the overflow), it's dimmable so I can control it with the apex, and the price difference was minimal. Basically I wanted to be able to keep any coral/clam anywhere in the tank. Don't have a par meter and don't really plan to get one, but I'm pretty confident light levels won't be an issue except for too much of it and in that case I'll shorten my daylight bulbs' photoperiod. Thanks!
Thanks, and thanks for the tip on the wire channels!!
Thanks!
Shaggss is pretty much right on all counts re: 8 bulb vs 6 bulb. I wanted more coverage front to back (still have some slighly dimmer areas in the corners next to the overflow), it's dimmable so I can control it with the apex, and the price difference was minimal. Basically I wanted to be able to keep any coral/clam anywhere in the tank. Don't have a par meter and don't really plan to get one, but I'm pretty confident light levels won't be an issue except for too much of it and in that case I'll shorten my daylight bulbs' photoperiod. Thanks!
Josh your scape is really awesome man.....VERY well done :thumbsup:
Josh, here is what I used to clean up the wires, worked really well:
Here is the catalogue as well.
Again, looks fantastic mate!
Thanks, and thanks for the tip on the wire channels!!
JasonBJones
New member
Just finished reading through this thread. You have a really great build and I applaud your meticulous attention to detail.
I really like your aquascaping. If your first build is any indication of your husbandry skills, I certainly look forward to watching this tank progress.
I really like your aquascaping. If your first build is any indication of your husbandry skills, I certainly look forward to watching this tank progress.
BennyFrank
New member
The aquascape looks awesome Josh! Looking forward to watching it come alive.
What specifically are you going to seed it with? My tank just finished the initial cycle and it was pretty quick (2 weeks). I put about 30lbs of established liverock in my refugium and 4 scoops of livesand in the display. I think that helped a bunch in shortening the cycle. Are you planning on having a refugium? I don't recall one being mentioned.
What specifically are you going to seed it with? My tank just finished the initial cycle and it was pretty quick (2 weeks). I put about 30lbs of established liverock in my refugium and 4 scoops of livesand in the display. I think that helped a bunch in shortening the cycle. Are you planning on having a refugium? I don't recall one being mentioned.
Jason, thanks much. Hopefully my husbandry skills will live up to my 'type A' build ;>
Hey Benny, thanks man. I'm going to put some established marshall live rock in the sump, gonna try to go pick it up this week. In addition I'm planning on seeding with bristle and spaghetti worms, amphipods and copepods, mini stars, live sand activator and coralline algae cultures from IPSF.
No room for or inclination to put in a refugium. I'm hopeful to manage my nutrients with skimming and gfo....though I'm open to some type of carbon dosing scheme down the road if necessary.
Thanks for the compliments... To be fair, I was scaping out of water and it took me more than a week and 7 packs of DD epoxy...and some beginners luck.
Thanks!
So, last night I got the vortechs slaved to the wxm module and controllable by the apex. It was pretty frustrating for a bit but it's done and is some pretty cool functionality. Got a little wave going and then switched them back to reefCrest antiSync running only at about 50% for now.
Tonight hopefully I'll get the temp and ph probes up and running and get some of the water chem tests done.
BennyFrank
New member
I told you so. :lmao: The result is definitely worth the time and effort you put into it.
Thanks, I'm digging too. May make one small change the more I look at it....
Hahahaha, you got me. I'm a big enough man to admit when someone was 100% completely right, and you were :lmao: I would have not been happy any other way.
Got the temp probe put in and connected and also calibrated the pH probe and set that up as well.
Also, I put about 14 pounds of very mature Marshall Island live rock into the sump to start seeding the tank. I felt really bad because they were huge show pieces and I had to break them up to get them in the sump, but I swung my hammer and chisel with abandon and:
Going to try to get my order in with IPSF today.
mudskipper1
Trust Me I'm an Engineer
looking good! keep up the level of attention to detail and quality of planning and your tank will be stunning in no time.
Similar threads
