Modern Integrated 50gal Cube...Build Thread!
- Thread starter joshbryer
- Start date
Great looking build so far! I like your style.
And nice woodworking skills.
Where do you live? I ask because it looks like your equipment room is essentially outside.
Hi D2-
Thanks much. I can't lay claim to constructing the built-ins...I think I could have done it but it would have taken 2 months and a lot of cursing! So for that I just designed and am sticking to building the smaller pieces like the stands, electrical cabinet etc.
I'm located in Los Angeles, so the equipment room is safe from extreme cold....as for heat, the sump, reactors etc will all be located inside under the tank. I'm going to see if I can get away without a chiller, if not then I'm going to have to figure out a way to vent the equipment closet for it.
Your home and tank are beatiful btw! Really like how you mounted the light fixture in relation to the tank, nice design detail.
Best,
Josh
Goodie Box #3 came today...SRO Skimmer, Vertex reactors, Tropic-Eden sand, Jager heaters, Water Blaster pump, refractometer.
Here's things in their new resting places:
I'm gonna have to figure something out for the reactor plumbing with 90 deg. elbows so that the inputs and outputs will be facing the sump rather than the back wall and door of the stand. Otherwise, I'm gonna have space problems.
This weekend I plan to get some plumbing done, run drain lines for the ro/di and water change system, paint the stand, and glue and paint the electrical box. I expect some plumbing bits to arrive tomorrow and the water storage tanks hopefully on tuesday.
Here's things in their new resting places:
I'm gonna have to figure something out for the reactor plumbing with 90 deg. elbows so that the inputs and outputs will be facing the sump rather than the back wall and door of the stand. Otherwise, I'm gonna have space problems.
This weekend I plan to get some plumbing done, run drain lines for the ro/di and water change system, paint the stand, and glue and paint the electrical box. I expect some plumbing bits to arrive tomorrow and the water storage tanks hopefully on tuesday.
afernandez
Never Quit!!
Nice skimmer!! What model? I've been looking at SRO skimmers..
Hi Mike-
After several years of reading, research and waiting for the right time, this is my first reef tank! So, I haven't used it before, but from what I've read from people who have, a mix of the Reef Flakes and MiniFlakes handles high flow quite well.
Best,
Josh
It's the xp1000sss cone...
afernandez
Never Quit!!
How many gallon's in total ?
Cool, I'll be interested to see how it does. You'll be up and running long before me at your pace!
The tank is ~50 and the sump is 29 with ~15 gallons of water volume when running, so about ~65 total.
Best,
Josh
Hi Tran-
Thanks a lot. Yea, of everything I've seen, the TropicEden seemed to be the ticket. Really good texture and color, and I've heard it's really clean (though I'm going to rinse and soak to be sure).
Best,
Josh
Mid Day progress update....
Between the Savko package that came yesterday and the trip I took to home depot last night, I think that I'm covered for plumbing supplies:
Today I'm digging out trenches in between the driveway pavers for a drain line as well as an ro/di source line.
Ro/Di line will run from the hose to the cabinet:
Drain line will run from the cabinet to a gravel pit in the bed next to the bamboo:
This drain will be for ro/di waste and water change waste only, so not a huge volume by any means. And I'm not worried about the salt and bamboo, as seriously I don't think anything can kill that stuff. We recently had to take a small stand of it out (maybe 2'x6') and it took ~14 hours, axes, picks crowbars, two chainsaws....eventually they just tied a chain to the root ball and pulled it out with a V8 pickup. Still took 4 shots to get it out :eek1:
Here's the trenches dug. Not a super fun morning....but still fun :hmm4:
And now.....Lunch!
Between the Savko package that came yesterday and the trip I took to home depot last night, I think that I'm covered for plumbing supplies:
Today I'm digging out trenches in between the driveway pavers for a drain line as well as an ro/di source line.
Ro/Di line will run from the hose to the cabinet:
Drain line will run from the cabinet to a gravel pit in the bed next to the bamboo:
This drain will be for ro/di waste and water change waste only, so not a huge volume by any means. And I'm not worried about the salt and bamboo, as seriously I don't think anything can kill that stuff. We recently had to take a small stand of it out (maybe 2'x6') and it took ~14 hours, axes, picks crowbars, two chainsaws....eventually they just tied a chain to the root ball and pulled it out with a V8 pickup. Still took 4 shots to get it out :eek1:
Here's the trenches dug. Not a super fun morning....but still fun :hmm4:
And now.....Lunch!
Done for the day, pretty happy with my progress.
For the ro/di source line I ran 2 lines of 1/4" poly tubing inside black irrigation tubing that is rated for below grade applications. One of the lines is just a backup in case something happens to the other so I don't have to dig. One end of the line is connected to a hose adapter and hooked up to the spigot when I need to make ro/di. The other end runs into the cabinet and will be input into the filter.
I had to notch out the cement where the lines enter the cabinet, so that they'd clear the door. Not the prettiest job, but it works and there's room for the 3/4" pvc that will be my waste line as well.
I also got all the rigid pvc cut and dry fit in place. It runs to a ~2' deep pit that will be filled with pea size gravel. I'm a bit nervous about this, but I think given the volumes of water I'm dealing with, I'll hopefully be ok. It should be easy enough to reroute the waste line output if there's an issue.
That's it for today, tomorrow I'll glue the pipes in and rebury. Hopefully I'll have time to get some pipes through the wall as well. I'd like to start some plumbing under the stand, but that's wishful thinking, methinks.
For the ro/di source line I ran 2 lines of 1/4" poly tubing inside black irrigation tubing that is rated for below grade applications. One of the lines is just a backup in case something happens to the other so I don't have to dig. One end of the line is connected to a hose adapter and hooked up to the spigot when I need to make ro/di. The other end runs into the cabinet and will be input into the filter.
I had to notch out the cement where the lines enter the cabinet, so that they'd clear the door. Not the prettiest job, but it works and there's room for the 3/4" pvc that will be my waste line as well.
I also got all the rigid pvc cut and dry fit in place. It runs to a ~2' deep pit that will be filled with pea size gravel. I'm a bit nervous about this, but I think given the volumes of water I'm dealing with, I'll hopefully be ok. It should be easy enough to reroute the waste line output if there's an issue.
That's it for today, tomorrow I'll glue the pipes in and rebury. Hopefully I'll have time to get some pipes through the wall as well. I'd like to start some plumbing under the stand, but that's wishful thinking, methinks.
Is that a 3-series coupe I see? 335i by chance? 
regardless, nice choice.
I really like the pavers, and that's a good idea on the ro wastewater. It should provide plenty of drainage assuming the ground around it doesn't get too saturated.
If anything, use it to feed that bamboo there! (like that stuff needs any motivation to grow, haha)
regardless, nice choice.I really like the pavers, and that's a good idea on the ro wastewater. It should provide plenty of drainage assuming the ground around it doesn't get too saturated.
If anything, use it to feed that bamboo there! (like that stuff needs any motivation to grow, haha)
Is that a 3-series coupe I see? 335i by chance?
I really like the pavers, and that's a good idea on the ro wastewater. It should provide plenty of drainage assuming the ground around it doesn't get too saturated.
If anything, use it to feed that bamboo there! (like that stuff needs any motivation to grow, haha)
Thanks Mike, I'm hopeful about the drainage setup, I think it's gonna work. The people who built the house must have been reading my mind when they poured the driveway with those pavers! If it was solid I'd be SOL!
As for the car.....that's the wife's 328i. My alpine white beast lives in the garage when not being driven
Thanks Mike, I'm hopeful about the drainage setup, I think it's gonna work. The people who built the house must have been reading my mind when they poured the driveway with those pavers! If it was solid I'd be SOL!
As for the car.....that's the wife's 328i. My alpine white beast lives in the garage when not being driven
alpine white eh? haha. Nice
ir0n_ma1den
New member
This whole thing is an engineered work of art. I'm impressed. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living? I am in the process of choosing a career path that will allow me to maintain my lifestyle ( aka reefz), and whatever you do definitely hits the mark.
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