Shaun's 25g Rimless Cube

[ragnas]

It all started about a month ago when the skimmer (red sea prizm) on my 10g nano reef died (since resurrected). That was enough to push me over the edge and look for a new setup. I have been looking on and off for a few years now, and after spending a silly amount of time researching different cube options I settled on a Solana 34g. It had to be a cube because space is limited. Well, long story short (see my posts in the Solana owners thread), after receiving two broken Solanas from UPS and getting the run around from all of the local fish stores in the area I started searching the forums here for more options. I was inspired by Sammy113, davidchmaus, TRITON1, and Aegeon to do a 25g cube with a sump.

I would do a DIY stand, but with a 10 month old time is very limited, and I think I've already bitten off too much. Instead, I'll be using a Solana stand, which arrived in tact after the second try. Here's how it's shaping up so far:


Mr. Aqua 25g 18x18x18 rimless cube aquarium
Solana stand
Eshopps RS-75 Sump
Vortech MP-10
Return pump - TBD
Modded skimmer from Solana
DIY LED fixture
Overflow and return setup from glass holes


So far, I have everything on hand and ready to go, but I need some input on the overflow and return lines. I ordered the super nano overflow and two return bulkheads from glass holes. I had the template aligned and ready to drill, but then thought about drilling the bottom. It would allow me to keep the tank closer to the wall and would conceal all of the plumbing. I checked with manufacturer and the bottom glass is not tempered, so it's good to go. I picked up a piece of black acrylic from a local glass shop cheap. Tonight I mocked up the overflow using cardboard to get a better handle on the footprint. I *think* I'm okay with the space it would take up (dimensions would be 3.5"x5.5"x17.75"). My wife is voting for the glass holes overflow, but I keep coming back to the bottom drilling option. Any thoughts on which way to go?

[Enyo]

Gla$$holes, got the "grandpa teeth" one on my 17g Mr Aqua and it's slick. No use in trying to save space behind tank as you would still have to plumb the return (if you are going the conventional route), my two cents.

[hk855]

You may want to check again on the bottom, I set up a Mr. aqua a few months back and though they were all tempered on the bottom sheet.

[ragnas]

You may want to check again on the bottom, I set up a Mr. aqua a few months back and though they were all tempered on the bottom sheet.

What size Mr. Aqua did you set up? The bottom of the 18" cube is not tempered. I confirmed this with the manufacturer and by using a polarized lens and sunglasses.

Enyo, if I go the bottom drilled route, the return would come up in the same corner column. Thus, no plumbing behind the tank.

I guess I'm looking for advice on whether a bottom drilled tank is somehow more problematic that a rear drilled tank. I've never had a setup with a sump before, so this is new territory for me. I think I'm leaning toward the bottom drill route, but I don't want to do anything that is going to be a problem down the road.

[ragnas]

I decided to drill the bottom. I'll take some pictures of the process and post them when it's done.

[ragnas]

I just finished drilling the bottom of the tank. I drilled the hole for the drain first. It took a little bit of work to get the bit to grind straight, but once the groove was formed it was super easy. I drilled from inside the tank with a layer of water to keep the bit cool. I got a little bit of chip out on each hole, but nothing major and certainly in the expected range. So, for anyone thinking about doing an Elos style setup, the Mr. Aqua 25g (18x18x18) is a great candidate.

Next up, drilling holes in the top of my stand to accommodate the plumbing.

[Hognoxious]

The fact you were able to drill the bottom panel of your Mr Aqua Tank really surprises me.

I bought the same 25-gallon tank several months ago thinking it was completely non tempered glass based on reading posts on another forum (however nobody had actually drilled on that forum). Just to double check I asked "Marine Depot' customer service about the bottom panel of the cube and they said it was tempered and that I should only drill the side panels ... this kinda killed my plans so I put my cube on the back burner - heck, I'm going to pull it it now and get my plans back on track.

[ragnas]

The fact you were able to drill the bottom panel of your Mr Aqua Tank really surprises me.

I bought the same 25-gallon tank several months ago thinking it was completely non tempered glass based on reading posts on another forum (however nobody had actually drilled on that forum). Just to double check I asked "Marine Depot' customer service about the bottom panel of the cube and they said it was tempered and that I should only drill the side panels ... this kinda killed my plans so I put my cube on the back burner - heck, I'm going to pull it it now and get my plans back on track.

I searched forums all over the place to try and figure this out. In the end I came across the Mr. Aqua Facebook page, from there I got an email address for customer service. The U.S. distributor of Mr. Aqua is Sevenports. I sent an email asking about the glass and received a quick reply indicated that none of the glass panels on any of the Mr. Aqua cubes is tempered. That includes the mammoth 24" cube, 60g tank. I thought for a split second about going down the 24" cube route, but that would have required a new stand and would honestly be too big for the space I have available. However, if anyone is interested in the 24" you should send an email Sevenports and they'll get you a quote.

I just got back from HD to get some plumbing parts for the tank. I'm going to make a Hofer Gurgle Buster. It takes up less space than a Durso. Does anyone have any experience with an HGB?

[Hognoxious]

You just made my day ... I'll be following your build closely.

[ragnas]

I made some decent progress on Sunday. I got the top of the stand drilled, which was probably more difficult that drilling the holes in the tank. Maybe it was my POS hole saws, but the top of Solana stand is actually pretty thick and dense (pressed board with wood veneer).

I have the stand pipes installed and the tank leak tested. With that done I turned to building the overflow box. I picked up a large piece of scrap black plexi-glass from a local glass shop for $9. I cut the pieces for the box down to size using my table saw with a nice Freud blade. It produced some nice edges that needed no sanding. Next I used a table mounted router with a 1/4" bit to notch out the teeth. I'm not 100% happy with the way the teeth came out; if I were to do it again I would set a depth stop instead of free-handing to a marked line. There is one tooth that is a little wavy due to the operator (me) not tightening the fence all the way. Still, it looks pretty good, and I'm probably the only one that would notice the defects once there is water in the tank. I looked all over for a local source of weld-on 3, but came up with nothing. Instead I used cyanoacrylate (CA - medium). It seemed to work just fine and produced a nice strong bond. It did leave a white residue in a few spots, but I was able to polish that out with a dremel and a polishing bit.

I was also able to construct a Hofer Gurgle Buster drain. My drain standpipe is 1" PVC with a female threaded connection at the top. My HGB has a male threaded connection on the bottom, allowing for easy removal for cleaning and or replacement, if the need arises. Sanding out the bushing was a quick and easy task thanks to the dremel tool, which, by the way, was the best Christmas present ever from the in-laws. I still need to cut down the HGB pipe to the proper height for the tank.

Next up, when I find some time this week, is to cut and attach the HGB portion of the drain standpipe, and epoxy or silicone the overflow box in place. Regarding that task, any suggestions on what to use? I have a tube of RTV 103 and some loctite marine 2 part epoxy. I've read that silicone isn't the best for attaching acrylic to glass; also read that loctite marine is indeed aquarium safe if you let it cure completely first.

[mullinsd2]

this is going to be a sweet build

[ragnas]

The wavy cuts on the overflow box were driving me nuts, so I decided to make a new one. Everything was going great until I fed the piece a little too fast on the router for the last tooth and chipped it off. Oh well, it's against the glass and with water in the tank you don't really notice. v2 of the overflow box features some bracing on the inside corner to make it a bit stronger. I had no problem drilling the hole for the return line with a spade bit, just made sure to take it slow. I used the two part epoxy to attach the box to the glass. The bottom looks a bit messy (not that anyone will see it under the sand), but the sides came out nicely.

After letting the epoxy cure 24hrs, I filled the tank this morning with freshwater to test everything out. All I can say is, WOW! I'm excited to get everything transferred over to it. The overflow is very quiet. I got the water levels all set and measured in the sump. I also simulated a power outage and was pleased to find that I have 4" of head room in the sump after the water drains down from the return line in the tank.

I still have a few more things to finish up before I'm ready to do the transfer. For starters, I've been struggling with finding plumbing fittings at my local HD. The place is always a mess and they never have what I need. We had a plumbing supply house around the corner that recently closed, so that's no help. I decided it wasn't worth my time any more and just ordered the rest of the plumbing fittings online. While I was at it, I ordered a Hydor 200watt inline heater. My ebo-jagger is 8 years old, and it's difficult to adjust the temp due to coraline build-up. I also want to cut a piece of glass down to use as a lid. I really like the open top look, but my cat will like it a little too much too. I have some acrylic hangers for the lid, so it should look pretty sleek.

[JasonBJones]

Looking really good. Seems like it will be a very clean set-up

[bobthehobo9]

setup looks pretty cool. cant wait to see it up and running!

[bigworm175]

Wow, I'm planning a 25 gallon Mr. Aqua drilled from the bottom too. I will definitely be following along.

[red19841984]

hows the tank coming?

[ragnas]

The tank passed the water test - no leaks. To test everything I used some makeshift plumbing in the sump. I'm currently waiting for an order to be delivered with some plumbing fittings and some other goodies.

I mentioned that I ordered an inline heater, but I also ordered an aqualifter to set up an auto top off system in the sump. I considered purchasing a float kit from autotopoff, but decided to do something a little cheaper. For $10 delivered, I ordered a float valve from bulkreefsupply. The plan is to use a digital timer to turn on and off the aqualifter several times per day. The aqualifter will draw water from a 1 or 2 gallon container in the sump (whatever I can find that will fit). The output line of the aqualifter will go to a t-fitting, with one end of the t going to the float valve and the other end going back to the container. Here's how it will work:

* Timer turns aqualifter on
* If the float valve is open, water flows into the sump
* If the float valve is closed or closes while the pump is on, water is diverted back to the reservoir.

I plan on setting the aqualifter to come on 4x per day for about 10 min to minimize any swings in salinity. Here's how the cost breaks down:

Option 1 - autotopoff switch

* single float sump mount - $49 shipped ($39 + $10 shipping)
* aqualifter - $11.99
* tubing - $1.29

Total - $62.28

Option 2 - DIY valve method

* float valve from BRS - $10.21
* aqualifter - $11.99
* tubing - $1.29
* t- fitting - $1.50
* timer - $8.85

Total - $33.84

So, I saved about $30 - That will offset the extra $ I've spent along the way so far. I'll post some pictures of the setup once I get all the pieces.

I'm also working on the LED light fixtures, or at least beginning to make concrete plans. I already have 10 Cree XP-G R5 whites and 14 Cree XR-E blues, two Meanwell ELN-60-48P drivers, heatsinks, wires, etc. I'm still toying with what to do for the enclosure. The other piece I'm pondering is the mount. I've seen a lot of aluminum tubing used in the various threads I've read. I suppose that's the easiest. Hanging anything from the ceiling has been emphatically shot down. More to come on the light fixture.

[Iwishihadgills]

hurry up and get this build finished so we can drool all over your thred lol

[ragnas]

The plumbing pieces I ordered were delivered yesterday afternoon. I started making the connections last night, but it's slow going on account of having an 11mo old baby. That said, I hope to get it running this weekend. I'll post an update soon.

[Chris3323]

I am planning the EXACT SAME THING! I am going to make my stand but this is perfect timing! SUBSCRIBED!

[ragnas]

I managed to get most everything setup. I used about 20lbs of new rock from BRS and about 15lbs of live rock from my old tank. I'm pretty happy with the rock work, but may make some tweaks along the way.

The Hoffer Gurgle Buster drain setup seems to be working well, every now and again I get a big gulp sound, but I think that may be due to the length of the drain tube going into the filter sock in the sump.

The return pump is working great. It's the stock pump from the Solana tank; not too loud and the flow seems to be appropriate.

The Hydor in-line ETH-200 heater is not working correctly. When I plug it in, the light comes on then goes off right away. No setting on the control dial can make it cycle back on again. I have a replacement on the way, but in the mean time I'm using my old ebo-jagger in the sump.

I still have to setup the MP10. I have the wires run and the controller mounted in the cabinet area, just need to attach the in tank portion and the motor. Also still to be done is the auto-top-off seteup, which I hope to do tonight, cutting glass for the top, and last but not least, the LED light assembly. I'm using a current USA PC fixture that I had on the 10gallon that I transferred from. It's actually pretty good, but the new light will be so much better.

I'm attaching some pics, but I'll try to get some better ones this week.

Oh, last thing to mention - I decided against using the Solana skimmer. I was going to buy a NAC3+ or an SWC120. After searching all over last week for reviews I found an AquaExcel Mini2 on fishstreet. I emailed about it and found out that it's essentially an SWC120, with a few slight differences. The bubble plate is different and the motor housing on the bottom is blue acrylic. I placed the order on the 23rd. It came to about $148 shipped. It arrived on Saturday! The only downside is that the pump it came with is listed as 220v. I have ordered a new pump, which should be here tomorrow. I'll post more on the skimmer once I get the pump and get it all set up, but at first glance I'm very impressed with the quality. Hopefully it skims as good as it looks.

[ragnas]

I am planning the EXACT SAME THING! I am going to make my stand but this is perfect timing! SUBSCRIBED!

Sweet! Looking forward to reading about your build.

[Iwishihadgills]

love it. Keep up the good work.

[bigworm175]

Update?

[zma21]

I just ordered my 25 rimless cube today, and started my own build thread on here. Hoping to see some updates!

[ragnas]

I've been meaning to update the progress more frequently, but things have been crazy with a 13 month old and my wife going back to work.

The tank is doing great. I was fighting some pretty nasty green hair algae about 5 or so weeks ago, but that is almost fully eradicated now. To help win that war I installed a BRS carbon/GFO reactor about 4 weeks ago. I'm running both carbon and GFO and it's done a great job polishing the water and keeping algae growth on the glass to a minimum. The biggest difference in the hair algae war though, was reducing the photoperiod to about 10hrs/day and not over-feeding.

Mechanically, I'm mostly happy. The auto top-off system is working great. I still haven't found time to finish the LED light project, but that's coming soon (before Christmas).

The skimmer is pretty good. It seems to pull an okay amount, but the annoying part is when I turn it off and then back on again, the pin-wheel seems to get stuck. It's pretty tight in the sump area so I have to pull it out and fiddle with it to get it spinning again. Any thoughts on what the problem here might be?

The return pump (stock Solana pump) does okay, but it's loud and vibrates a lot. I think I'll be in the market for an upgrade fairly soon. Any suggestions on a quiet pump in the 300(ish)gph range?

I've been fiddling with an arduino based pH probe - which is pretty sweet. I added a wireless shield and can now read the pH by going to a webpage on any computer on my network (iPhone included). I have an ELN dimming shield from DWZM that I will use to control the LED lights once I get them wired up.

So now for the good stuff. I have the following inhabitants:


1 six line Wrasse
2 Ocellaris Clown fish
1 green Chromis
1 green bubble anemone
1 coral banded shrimp
1 lettuce nudibranch
a ton of florida ceriths from reefcleaners.org
a few trochus snails
about 8 nerite snails
1 large red scarlet hermit
about 15+ electric blue hermits
1 Halloween hermite (sold to me an electric blue hermit)
1 brittle starfish, whom I never see


I also recently added a few corals to supplement the leather coral I had from my previous nano reef, including:


green star polyps
tricolor orange ricordia
red mushrooms
candy apply zoanthids
candy cane coral



I must say that now that the hair algea is under control, the clean up crew has established itself, and the clowns have taken to hosting the anemone (which is growing like crazy), the wife acceptance factor for the whole setup has increased a ton.

Enjoy the pics and I'll try and do better on the updates.

[ragnas]

Here's a video I took a few days ago:

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[HiImSean]

do you have any pics or more details from the LED build? im going to order the same tank tomorrow or monday and i really want to do a DIY LED build. what size heatsink are you using?

[bigworm175]

Sweet. Thanks for the update. That tank is on sale at Marine Depot. I just got mine.

[ragnas]

do you have any pics or more details from the LED build? im going to order the same tank tomorrow or monday and i really want to do a DIY LED build. what size heatsink are you using?

I have all the parts to do the LED, just haven't found the time yet. I purchased two 5.9" x9" heat sinks from rapid led. I'm using two ELN-60-48p drivers, which will allow me to dim them using the arduino. As for the LEDs themselves, I will be using XP-G whites and XR-E royal blues. I will not be using optics as the light will be integral to the tank cover. The two heat sinks will be connected using 1/4" inch aluminum angle.

For the cover I am currently using two pieces of glass cut to the inside dimensions of the tank and suspended with plastic clips. The plan for the cover for the light is slightly different. I will use a piece of 1/4" plexi with a hole cut in the middle for the light. The who light will slide into a catch on the top of the acrylic and hold the light unit in place. That way I can easily remove the light and the lid. I'll post some pictures once I start the build.

[ragnas]

Sweet. Thanks for the update. That tank is on sale at Marine Depot. I just got mine.

That's an awesome deal! It's a great tank and the packaging for shipping is excellent - so excellent that it will tank you some time to free the tank from the packing materials.

[SWINGRRRR]

How do you like the MP10 on a tank that size? At what % would you say you are running it at? Would 2 be overkill?

[HiImSean]

I have all the parts to do the LED, just haven't found the time yet. I purchased two 5.9" x9" heat sinks from rapid led. I'm using two ELN-60-48p drivers, which will allow me to dim them using the arduino. As for the LEDs themselves, I will be using XP-G whites and XR-E royal blues. I will not be using optics as the light will be integral to the tank cover. The two heat sinks will be connected using 1/4" inch aluminum angle.

For the cover I am currently using two pieces of glass cut to the inside dimensions of the tank and suspended with plastic clips. The plan for the cover for the light is slightly different. I will use a piece of 1/4" plexi with a hole cut in the middle for the light. The who light will slide into a catch on the top of the acrylic and hold the light unit in place. That way I can easily remove the light and the lid. I'll post some pictures once I start the build.

so pretty much a 12x9 heatsink? how many of each LEDs are you going to use? i'd love to see some pics when you get a chance. im actually ordering my tank right now :D

[ragnas]

How do you like the MP10 on a tank that size? At what % would you say you are running it at? Would 2 be overkill?

The MP-10 is awesome. I run it on about 50% reef crest mode. If you crank it too high it will stir up the sand. Based on that I would think 2 might be too much.

[ragnas]

so pretty much a 12x9 heatsink? how many of each LEDs are you going to use? i'd love to see some pics when you get a chance. im actually ordering my tank right now :D

I have 10 xp-g whites and 13 xr-e royal blues. The whites and blues will be on separate drivers.

[SWINGRRRR]

The MP-10 is awesome. I run it on about 50% reef crest mode. If you crank it too high it will stir up the sand. Based on that I would think 2 might be too much.

Sweet. With all the black Friday sales, time to do some shopping!!

[SirVilhelm]

This is really a great thread. I was planning on just getting a JBJ cube but like the DIY of this setup. Do you have a rough estimate of how much you spent on this project?

[oppih]

So what size did you drill the bottom of the cube.. 1" & 3/4"?