MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube

melnguy · 06-26-2007, 03:32 PM

I'm new at posting here but have been reading for awhile. My son got me interested in the hobby when he decided he wanted to be a marine biologist. Needless to say, I'm now hooked!

This is a great place to post so I thought that I'd share my newest adventure in reef keeping.

It is a 2'X2'x2' approx 60 gallon cube that I purchased used out of the newspaper. The stand and canopy were built by the previous owner but I've redone the plumbing. It has a 18 gallon high sump with a small refugium. Right now I have a 175 watt MH with a 10k bulb. The return is a mag 9.5 but I've got a problem with microbubbles returning to the tank.. need to rethink that one.

Enough of that.. Here are the pictures. Water and rocks were added to the tank on Sunday afternoon.
Full tank shot

Side Shot

Plumbing

Sump

No skimmer yet. Looking at a hangon for the sump.
Any suggestions or comments?

kyle1284 · 06-26-2007, 03:41 PM

good start up... im thinkin about getting a cube myself! what are the dementions of the slump and ill shoot a couple ideas past ya

vdituri · 06-26-2007, 03:54 PM

I like it. Funny how your son wants to be the marine biologist and you're doing all the learning. lol

Great educational tool for everyone.

melnguy · 06-26-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyle1284

good start up... im thinkin about getting a cube myself! what are the dementions of the slump and ill shoot a couple ideas past ya

Thanks Kyle! I could use some advice. The tank is 20" X 10.5" and is 20" high.

My son just turned 17 and has really helped out with the 240 in the living room. He also has a 90 in his bedroom. You could say that we are both really addicted. I'll get him to post his tank here soon.

framerguy · 06-26-2007, 04:18 PM

Looks very nice. I like the way you can get a lot of water in a smaller footprint with a cube. Just a note and speaking from painful experience, you need to get the power strip off horizontal and secured to the side of the cabinet. Inadvertant water in a powerstip makes pretty sparks!!.LOL although it wasn't funny at the time. Any way, cool tank!

kyle1284 · 06-26-2007, 04:31 PM

ok... do u have enough room for a in slump skimmer because you always wanna get a skimmer that is rated for more than your aquarium... and I have a Aqua C remora pro and i think the pro would be an inch to long for ur slump... or at least i think so... right now im at work but ill measure things out when i get home... other than that if u have room in your slump u can get a REALLY good skimmer for the same price as a average HOB skimmer

melnguy · 06-26-2007, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by framerguy

Looks very nice. I like the way you can get a lot of water in a smaller footprint with a cube. Just a note and speaking from painful experience, you need to get the power strip off horizontal and secured to the side of the cabinet. Inadvertant water in a powerstip makes pretty sparks!!.LOL although it wasn't funny at the time. Any way, cool tank!

Opps, I forgot about that. I "stole" that strip from my home office and meant to get another one.

Kyle.. I really don't have room for an in sump skimmer but I did go out to my stash of leftover items and found my son's old acqu c remora pro. Fits just right! Now to search for a powerhead to feed it.

kyle1284 · 06-26-2007, 05:09 PM

u wont regret that skimmer...mag 5 will make it run like a champ...

cheeks69 · 06-26-2007, 06:53 PM

Ah a cube my favorite, congrats MelNGuy !
I love the rockwork, is it Tonga ? How much flow do you have going thru the sump ? Since I have about a thousand gph going thru my sump and not enough baffles micro-bubbles is a serious problem and the only way I could correct this was to use a filter sock on the drain.

blue_eyes53813 · 06-26-2007, 08:11 PM

Hello, Welcome to RS.. Nice start on the tank... You think you are hooked on this hobby now, lol waite a few more months... We always seem to be upgrading to a bigger tank...

lcstorc · 06-26-2007, 08:43 PM

Great looking tank. Love the scape. What are you using to cycle the tank? Hopefully not damsels. You can accomplish the same thing by adding a piece of grocery store shrimp to the tank for a week or two. All you need to start the cycle is something to produce amonia and the shrimp does that way better and you are not subjecting a fish to the hight levels of amonia and then try to cathc them to remove them when you want other fish.

kathywithbirds · 06-26-2007, 08:46 PM

I look forward to following this thread... I've got a 37g "cube" going (24 high, 20 deep and wide) and am trying to decide on some things, lighting, possible sump later, etc. Good luck!!!

melnguy · 07-02-2007, 06:27 AM

Hi all, Whew. This weekend has been very busy so I haven't gotten a chance to sit at the computer.

Thanks for the kind words everyone! Most of the rock is Tonga that has been sitting in a barrel since Katrina. I did think ahead and put 3 large pieces in the sump of my 240 for 3 months to make it "live" again. Once that was dropped with the white Katrina rock, I got 100 lbs of live sand from my LFS's system then filled the tank with water from the 240. I think that I might have stressed out my rose because it now looks like it will split.

If it does, I'll have the first resident of the cube.

This morning I am finding that I have a wonder algea bloom going. The nitrites are coming down so I hope to be able to start stocking with a few things in a couple of weeks. I have a work trip scheduled for the week of 7/9 so that will keep me from rushing into putting something in there!

Kathy: I just read your thread. I know that you will love the tank even more as time passes by. Have you checked into T5's? My son just switched to them on his 90 and they are beautiful! I might have to consider them as suppliments on this tank.

lcstorc: I made the mistake of the damsel cycle in my first tank. It was very hard to catch the once the cycle is over!!

Blueeyes: Be on the watch.. I'm going to try to start another thread with one of my weekend projects... I'm really sick and need to see a doctor!! You would think that 3 feet of saltwater running through the house during Katrina would make me never want to see the possibility of water again!

cheeks69: I'm using a Mag 9.5 as the return. Thank goodness, I put a ball valve when plumbing.. I slowed down the return but still have bubbles. Hunting through the house I found some quilting fabric so I cut up a few pieces an put it in the sump. Worked wonders!

Kyle... I guess I'm going to have to find a mag 5 or figure out if I can split the return to feed the skimmer... That would probably make the bubbles go down.. What do you think?

Hope everyone has a wonder 4th!!

tihopilik · 07-09-2007, 07:34 AM

Hi

I can't be bothered with anything these days, but shrug. I just don't have anything to say recently.

Bye

kathywithbirds · 07-09-2007, 09:19 AM

I meant to ask, did you use reef glue on the rocks? I have a pyramid in mine with a "parking garage" : ) under, there are a few rocks that are just a little wobbly. Not the biggest pieces but some of the ones on the sides.
Nice rocks, BTW.

06-26-2007, 03:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
melnguy Tunicate Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Laplace, LA Posts: 14 View Gallery Karma Komment	MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube I'm new at posting here but have been reading for awhile. My son got me interested in the hobby when he decided he wanted to be a marine biologist. Needless to say, I'm now hooked! This is a great place to post so I thought that I'd share my newest adventure in reef keeping. It is a 2'X2'x2' approx 60 gallon cube that I purchased used out of the newspaper. The stand and canopy were built by the previous owner but I've redone the plumbing. It has a 18 gallon high sump with a small refugium. Right now I have a 175 watt MH with a 10k bulb. The return is a mag 9.5 but I've got a problem with microbubbles returning to the tank.. need to rethink that one. Enough of that.. Here are the pictures. Water and rocks were added to the tank on Sunday afternoon. Full tank shot Side Shot Plumbing Sump No skimmer yet. Looking at a hangon for the sump. Any suggestions or comments?

06-26-2007, 03:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
kyle1284 Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Huntsville, TX Posts: 919 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube good start up... im thinkin about getting a cube myself! what are the dementions of the slump and ill shoot a couple ideas past ya __________________ KYLE 75 Gal 110 Lbs Live Rock 40 Lbs of live sand Equiptment:48 Inch 4x54 T-5 true blue and 10000k lights, 2 fuvual 305 Canister Filters Mis. Mushrooms, Fan Worms, hammer coral, frog spawn, candy cane, A TON OF TRUMPET CORAL!! orange plating monti, some kind of branching monti, pom pom xeina, all kinds of zoos BRIGHT GREEN star polyps, xeina, neon green toadstool, 3 damn damsles, a foxface and a blue tang. November 1...The begining! http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2.../random045.jpg November 8,2008 http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ristina034.jpg My 75 GALLON BAR TOP REEF TANK! http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...n-bar-top.html

06-26-2007, 03:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
vdituri Excellent Guesser :D Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Sacramento California Posts: 5,722 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube I like it. Funny how your son wants to be the marine biologist and you're doing all the learning. lol Great educational tool for everyone. __________________ Victor ----- People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

06-26-2007, 04:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
framerguy Manta Ray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mount Airy, Ga Posts: 3,326 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube Looks very nice. I like the way you can get a lot of water in a smaller footprint with a cube. Just a note and speaking from painful experience, you need to get the power strip off horizontal and secured to the side of the cabinet. Inadvertant water in a powerstip makes pretty sparks!!.LOL although it wasn't funny at the time. Any way, cool tank! __________________ ___________________________________ Greg All time fav quote: "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."-Guillaume Apollinaire "Being happy can be as easy as deciding to be!"-Greg Kimsey (framerguy) Still Workin' on it! 390gDT built in wall, Gargantuan DIY Beckett Skimmer, 150g sump, Sequence Hammerhead closed loop, 75 gallon seagrass/mineral mud refugium, 55 gallon crushed coral/live rock refugium, 30 gallon DSB/ cheatomorpha refugium, algae turf scrubber, DIY calcium reactor, DIY kalkwasser mixer, DIY light system w/4x 250MH & 4x54w T5, etc, etc, etc... chronicles-akwareum (\___/) This is Bunny. (=O.o=) Copy and paste him into your signature (")__(") to help him gain world domination

06-26-2007, 04:31 PM	#6 (permalink)
kyle1284 Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Huntsville, TX Posts: 919 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube ok... do u have enough room for a in slump skimmer because you always wanna get a skimmer that is rated for more than your aquarium... and I have a Aqua C remora pro and i think the pro would be an inch to long for ur slump... or at least i think so... right now im at work but ill measure things out when i get home... other than that if u have room in your slump u can get a REALLY good skimmer for the same price as a average HOB skimmer __________________ KYLE 75 Gal 110 Lbs Live Rock 40 Lbs of live sand Equiptment:48 Inch 4x54 T-5 true blue and 10000k lights, 2 fuvual 305 Canister Filters Mis. Mushrooms, Fan Worms, hammer coral, frog spawn, candy cane, A TON OF TRUMPET CORAL!! orange plating monti, some kind of branching monti, pom pom xeina, all kinds of zoos BRIGHT GREEN star polyps, xeina, neon green toadstool, 3 damn damsles, a foxface and a blue tang. November 1...The begining! http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2.../random045.jpg November 8,2008 http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ristina034.jpg My 75 GALLON BAR TOP REEF TANK! http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...n-bar-top.html

06-26-2007, 05:09 PM	#8 (permalink)
kyle1284 Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Huntsville, TX Posts: 919 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube u wont regret that skimmer...mag 5 will make it run like a champ... __________________ KYLE 75 Gal 110 Lbs Live Rock 40 Lbs of live sand Equiptment:48 Inch 4x54 T-5 true blue and 10000k lights, 2 fuvual 305 Canister Filters Mis. Mushrooms, Fan Worms, hammer coral, frog spawn, candy cane, A TON OF TRUMPET CORAL!! orange plating monti, some kind of branching monti, pom pom xeina, all kinds of zoos BRIGHT GREEN star polyps, xeina, neon green toadstool, 3 damn damsles, a foxface and a blue tang. November 1...The begining! http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2.../random045.jpg November 8,2008 http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ristina034.jpg My 75 GALLON BAR TOP REEF TANK! http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...n-bar-top.html

06-26-2007, 06:53 PM	#9 (permalink)
cheeks69 Wannabe Guru Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northeast Posts: 6,619 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube Ah a cube my favorite, congrats MelNGuy ! I love the rockwork, is it Tonga ? How much flow do you have going thru the sump ? Since I have about a thousand gph going thru my sump and not enough baffles micro-bubbles is a serious problem and the only way I could correct this was to use a filter sock on the drain. __________________ Robert My Cube “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe—a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.” Albert Einstein

06-26-2007, 08:11 PM	#10 (permalink)
blue_eyes53813 Hey!Its not my fault Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lancaster, Wisconsin Posts: 6,255 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube Hello, Welcome to RS.. Nice start on the tank... You think you are hooked on this hobby now, lol waite a few more months... We always seem to be upgrading to a bigger tank... __________________ 265 Gallon Reef built into basement wall. Lighting = 6x250 watts MH, 2x96 watt PC ,and 2x140 watt VHO for a total watt of 1,972 watts . New addition on 4-14-07 of 100 gallon sump and 100 gallon refugium. I think I have lost my mind. Gotta love this hobby Vicki Life is like a pathway of untrodden snow. Be careful how you step in it for every mark will show Definition of FRIENDSHIP: All lives touch other lives to create something new and alive My tank chronicles. http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...wall-reef.html

06-26-2007, 08:43 PM	#11 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 18,468 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube Great looking tank. Love the scape. What are you using to cycle the tank? Hopefully not damsels. You can accomplish the same thing by adding a piece of grocery store shrimp to the tank for a week or two. All you need to start the cycle is something to produce amonia and the shrimp does that way better and you are not subjecting a fish to the hight levels of amonia and then try to cathc them to remove them when you want other fish. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

06-26-2007, 08:46 PM	#12 (permalink)
kathywithbirds Social Darwinism victim Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Hood, NJ Posts: 5,711 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube I look forward to following this thread... I've got a 37g "cube" going (24 high, 20 deep and wide) and am trying to decide on some things, lighting, possible sump later, etc. Good luck!!! __________________ (\ /) This is Bunny crying. ( ; ; ) He thinks Brainy and Bunnina . ' ' ...are having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang Start: 163.5 Current: I'm not looking at the scale, I'm not looking at the scale, I'm not looking at the scale...

07-02-2007, 06:27 AM	#13 (permalink)
melnguy Tunicate Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Laplace, LA Posts: 14 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube Hi all, Whew. This weekend has been very busy so I haven't gotten a chance to sit at the computer. Thanks for the kind words everyone! Most of the rock is Tonga that has been sitting in a barrel since Katrina. I did think ahead and put 3 large pieces in the sump of my 240 for 3 months to make it "live" again. Once that was dropped with the white Katrina rock, I got 100 lbs of live sand from my LFS's system then filled the tank with water from the 240. I think that I might have stressed out my rose because it now looks like it will split. If it does, I'll have the first resident of the cube. This morning I am finding that I have a wonder algea bloom going. The nitrites are coming down so I hope to be able to start stocking with a few things in a couple of weeks. I have a work trip scheduled for the week of 7/9 so that will keep me from rushing into putting something in there! Kathy: I just read your thread. I know that you will love the tank even more as time passes by. Have you checked into T5's? My son just switched to them on his 90 and they are beautiful! I might have to consider them as suppliments on this tank. lcstorc: I made the mistake of the damsel cycle in my first tank. It was very hard to catch the once the cycle is over!! Blueeyes: Be on the watch.. I'm going to try to start another thread with one of my weekend projects... I'm really sick and need to see a doctor!! You would think that 3 feet of saltwater running through the house during Katrina would make me never want to see the possibility of water again! cheeks69: I'm using a Mag 9.5 as the return. Thank goodness, I put a ball valve when plumbing.. I slowed down the return but still have bubbles. Hunting through the house I found some quilting fabric so I cut up a few pieces an put it in the sump. Worked wonders! Kyle... I guess I'm going to have to find a mag 5 or figure out if I can split the return to feed the skimmer... That would probably make the bubbles go down.. What do you think? Hope everyone has a wonder 4th!!

07-09-2007, 07:34 AM	#14 (permalink)
tihopilik Tunicate Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1 View Gallery Karma Komment	I can'tluck Hi I can't be bothered with anything these days, but shrug. I just don't have anything to say recently. Bye

07-09-2007, 09:19 AM	#15 (permalink)
kathywithbirds Social Darwinism victim Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Hood, NJ Posts: 5,711 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: MelNGuy's 2X2X2 cube I meant to ask, did you use reef glue on the rocks? I have a pyramid in mine with a "parking garage" : ) under, there are a few rocks that are just a little wobbly. Not the biggest pieces but some of the ones on the sides. Nice rocks, BTW. __________________ (\ /) This is Bunny crying. ( ; ; ) He thinks Brainy and Bunnina . ' ' ...are having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang Start: 163.5 Current: I'm not looking at the scale, I'm not looking at the scale, I'm not looking at the scale...

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