my 29g biocube build

[Louy99]

hi all, im fairly new to this forum and thought i'd post some pictures of my cube. its a 29g biocube i found used on craigslist about 6 months ago. right away before starting it i i decided to upgrade it to LED's. I chose RapidLED's ;D using a hydor slim skim nano skimmer in chamber 2 above, ATO float switch in sump with aqualifter pump and Apex Jr controller running the show
8 whites, 12 blues, 2 UV violets, 2 cyano and 2 moonlights

my wife doesnt like the way the stock stand looks so i had to build a "prettier" stand lol

after reading Biocubes sump build, it inspired me to get a sump too!
i had a friend in town build a sump for me. it holds about 20g max. i wanted to use the intank media basket in the sump so this is how i did it.

i made a section in the back left corner for the basket, that way the sand doesnt touch it

i cut a hole in the first shelf of the basket to slide the overflow pipe in it. that way i dont hear any splashing noise going into the sump.

Sicce Syncra 2.0 return pump opened all the way

overflow is the Eshopps HOB overflow w/ stockman pipe mod to quiet down the water flow.

now a few tank shots with my new camera

well, thats bout it

 

[goettner]

That looks pretty nice and it looks like you have things under control.Just make shure that all your parameters are ok. Good luck, Pete

 

[4adam12]

That looks really good, it is exactly what I want to do to mine. Do you like the RapidLED kit? Does it fit as good as advertised?

 

[Louy99]

That looks really good, it is exactly what I want to do to mine. Do you like the RapidLED kit? Does it fit as good as advertised?

Couldn't be happier with rapids kit. A bit pricey but it works great and has good spread.

 

[4adam12]

Did you just leave the original return pump in and use it for flow? Guess I'll bite the bullet and order the kit from Rapid. Did you have to modify the hood much to use the HOB overflow and the return?

 

[SSLVRNBLK]

Hi how are you guys able to see his pictures? Need help

 

[hackney]

clean build

 

[Louy99]

Did you just leave the original return pump in and use it for flow? Guess I'll bite the bullet and order the kit from Rapid. Did you have to modify the hood much to use the HOB overflow and the return?

if you do get the rapid kit i recommend making a molex connection like this. that way you can easily disconnect the hood from the lighting system for any maintenance. it comes with the retrofit kit...most people dont know what it is and what its for.

just had to cut some off the back part. could have done a nicer job but oh well, cant see it anyways lol

i had the stock pump for a few week until i upgraded to the Sicce Syncra 2.0
the pump is awesome and quiet...cant hear it on at all. the Syncra pump connects straight up to the stock "L" shaped piece that directs the water into the display. i use the stock pump for mixing salt or backup pump

forgot to add the light i am using for the sump. its an led bulb i found at Home Depot for 25 bucks. very bright 65w 5000k bulb and doesnt get too hot.

here is a youtube vid of the sump
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qeeym0ooms&feature=plcp

 

[4adam12]

I ordered my kit yesterday afternoon, hopefully be here soon and I can get started. Good tip on the molex too. Now I need to find someone to make the sump. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Louy99]

I ordered my kit yesterday afternoon, hopefully be here soon and I can get started. Good tip on the molex too. Now I need to find someone to make the sump. Thanks for the pics.

If you go to Facebook.com/warneracrylics my buddy Zach can make you a sump. He made mine...I gave him specific measurements and he made it perfect. I'm sure he can ship it to you

Rapid has a few YouTube videos that helped me a bit with wiring, check them out if you haven't.

 

[wabooth555]

Looks awesome! Can't wait to upgrade my lights in a few months!

 

[premilove]

i wish i had a sump on my nano. is that overflow power outage proof?

 

[Louy99]

i wish i had a sump on my nano. is that overflow power outage proof?

Yes, it restarts on its own perfectly. The key is having enough room for extra water in the sump. When power goes out the return pump stops but Overflow keeps syphoning a bit more and extra water from return hose comes back. Some people have a check valve to help with that but I don't trust that to not get stuck open and sump overflows.

 

[racefan]

How do you like the Hydor skimmer and why did you put it in the rear chamber vs the sump? I have a Tunze 9002 and just hate it. I'm looking to sell it & get a different skimmer.

 

[Louy99]

How do you like the Hydor skimmer and why did you put it in the rear chamber vs the sump? I have a Tunze 9002 and just hate it. I'm looking to sell it & get a different skimmer.

I put it in my chamber up top because it fits well there and why not keep it there. I like the skimmer...it's really quiet but the only complaint is I have to take the pump out and clean it every month to keep it running well. It gets a lot of gunk stuck inside and restricts the bubble making.

 

[Louy99]

Decided to change up the LEDs a bit. I wanted full spectrum so I added some reds, greens, warm white and UV on a third dimmable driver.
1st driver has blue and royal blue
2nd driver has cool white, warm white and UV
3rd driver has red, green, cyan, blue and UV.
I'll post some tank shots soon


What do you think?

 

[Louy99]

tank Update:

ive changed a few things in the tank...i added 13lbs of LR to the system, added heater and moved skimmer for back chamber to sump. The new BRS dosers are doing awesome keeping my tank CA-440 ALK 10.1 and MAG-1440 everyday. The tank is pretty much fully automatic except i still have to feed the fish.



Here is the sump with the new Tunze 9002 skimmer

in the mediarack i have floss, fiter sock with GFO, purigen and chemipure Elite filtering out the mess

here are the newly arranged lights in the hood....

fragrack

Fishtank Shot

Snail surfing Crab?

 

[sponger0]

Looks good. But I dont think your pics are big enough lmao

 

[Louy99]

tank pic update

FTS

i live by the beach in FL and always finding cool shells...my Royal Gamma loves trying to fit in it a lot lol

some new Acros

and new palys

 

[Louy99]

sorry for the large pics, dont know how to make them smaller