Sabodish's 170 gallon cube build thread

[sabodish]

Well, the wife and i had a baby about a year ago, so this became too small

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_0005.jpg


and we had to buy this.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/frontofhouse.jpg

so, that means this (360 gallon) had to go.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/3306tankfull.jpg


and replaced by this 170 gallon cube.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/anglenewcube.jpg

due to the house being on a slab, i will lose my dedicated fish room and have to house all the equipment under the stand. or in this case, a small closet attached to my stand, more on this later.


tank specs:
-36"x36"x30"x3/4" acrylic cube built by andy at myreef creations.
- sump, my reef creations standard reef sump, with fuge
-DIY stand and hood.
-euroreef 8-3, which i converted to a recirculting skimmmer
-circulation, (2) OM 4 ways, water being provided by 2 sequence darts. once closed loop is returned through the bottom 4 holes, while the other loop is returned through bulkheads in the corners at the top through the eurobracing. CL intakes are on the rear wall, covered with large spa strainers.
-return pump is a small mag 7, which feeds my skimmer also.
-lighting will consist of (2) 400W DE metal halide icecap horizontal pendants being powered by icecap electronic ballasts. i will also be running (4) 3' VHO actinics powered by an icecap 660.

tank will be bare bottom and house a mixed reef.

so now..on to the construction pics. please share comments, critiques, or anything else.

-mike

[sabodish]

in stand building, i had admired the stand that "sonofgaladrial" built for his 48x48x24 cube, so i wanted to use his basic idea, but i needed to tweak it a bit to fit my needs. the stand frame is built out of 2x4's and then covered in 3/8" sanded plywood. i painted the entire stand with 3 coats of kilz and then 2 coats of white paint.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/001_27.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/002_26.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/003_25.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/004_24.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/005_23.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/006_22.jpg

[sabodish]

now, as i mentioned before, i needed some extra room as i was losing my fishroom, so i decided to build a little closet on the left side of the tank to house equipment.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/007_21.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/008_20.jpg

painted...but still a long way to go

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_0743.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_0746.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_0747.jpg

[staticx]

Bummer you had to go with suck a smaller tank, bigger house smaller tank?? I dont understand. Anyway looks like things are commiing along great

[wife no likey]

The MRC cube looks good. .first one I have seen a pic of.

What do you plan on skinning the stand in?

[sabodish]

it was now time to turn my attention to the hood, i needed somthing that would be able to lift on a piano hinge as my wife did not like the idea of putting hooks int he ceiling and using a electric hoist like i wanted, so this is what i came up with. the hood is built from 1" stock if i remember right and was then covered in 1/4" sanded plywood and painted with kilz and white paint just like the stand.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/009_19.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/010_18.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/011_17.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/012_16.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/013_15.jpg

[sabodish]

now, the fun part...my wife and i about killed ourselves trying to lift this tank onto the stand. thank god she works out and was able to help a ton.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/tankonstand1.jpg

i decided to throw down some linoleum the builders were nice enought to leave me. just there to prevent little spills, if something major should happen, it wont really help.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/linoleumdown.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/dooron.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/bulkheadsarein.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/hoodon1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/hoodonangle.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/hoodanddooron.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/bothdoorson.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/complete.jpg

[sabodish]

now for a few equipment pics...not really much to see her except some pipe, and pumps, but i know how you equipment junkies are..i still need to get some pics of my skimmer. i also purchases 2 american DJ power strips to make things a little easier.

heres the plumbing in the closet..you can see the intakes from the tanks to each closed loop pump and one of the OM 4 ways. in addition, you can see the sump how it will sit. its a tiiight fit in there.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/019_9.jpg

just a close up of how is plumbed the 4 way

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/020_8.jpg

under the tank pump and OM 4 way

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/021_7.jpg

close up of under tank 4 way

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/022_6.jpg


thats it for now...i will begin making RO/DI water this week and hopefully will be adding about 150 pounds of either fiji LR or Pukani LR, still havent decided. but before that, i have to get my electric straight. shouldnt be too bad, i had my electrician install (3) 20 amp GFCI outlets right behind the tank during house construction....only problem i foresee is where to put an auto top off bucket...

[snslarison]

Wow. Very nice.

[sabodish]

thanks...it will be getting better shortly!

[Gundo5000]

Looking good, nice work!

[AVALover5498]

Very nice! I'm staying with this thread!:)



-Chris-

[DoctortedNYC]

Very Impressive...Great Attention to detail and super clean looking...Only question: Closet looks a bit narrow: Would you have preferred it a bit wider?

[sabodish]

i preferred it ALOT wider...the original plan was for a 48x48x30 tank with a closet, but once i laid it out on the floor it got vetoed by the boss..the final dimnsion ended up being 5 feet for the tank and closet.

[skeeter-doc]

what did you do with the old tank, and all the stuff in it?

[sabodish]

sold it all to fund the new tank and equipment...i had to sell all the old stuff and get rid of the tank as the wife didnt want hte house on the market with a huge fishtank in the basement. so, there was about a 6 month lag from taking down my old tank, to having this one to where it is.

[skeeter-doc]

yikes, that sis a long time to go without having a fish tank, sorry to hear it, but at least your new one will have all that you want , and more! BTW, congrats on the new house and baby!

[Skaman386]

That is going to be a beautiful tank! Be sure to keep us informed with updates!

[sabodish]

i will try and update as soon as i get the LR in..maybe late next week.

[Paintbug]

thats going to be an awesome tank. any chance to get a vid of the OM in action once the water is in there?

[sabodish]

yeah, i had freshwater in it last week and it was like a tsunami in there. i can take a short video with my camera and post it next week most likey.

[Paintbug]

that would be cool.

[sabodish]

well, its update time...i was finally able to get my lights working, live rock is in, and its all running. i added 140 pounds of pukani LR that i purchased from kevin at downunder in garner. lighting currently consists of 2 400W DE icecap pendants with 10k krystal star bulbs on icecap ballasts. i am planning to add 300 W of vho actinic in the coming weeks. as for the aquascaping, i was trying to creat a few swimming channels down low as well as show the depth of the tank. i especially like the tall pillar, just stacked rock, no dowels. its very stable. i know the tank is a bit dirty, but i havent bought a magnet good on acrylic yet. so..on to the pics

i have everything running into 2 of these american DJ strips. first time i ever used them, gotta say, i love them

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_0877.jpg

heres a front view of the tank

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_0878.jpg

and the side view

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_0879.jpg

and for those who asked, a short quick time movie of the OM in action

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/th_100_0870.jpg (http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/?action=view&current=100_0870.flv)

any comments, questions and suggestions are always welcomed!
-mike

[Paintbug]

sweet!!

[msuzuki126]

Looking real good. Nice, clean setup.

[drummereef]

Awesome setup. Very cool vid of the OM. Keep us updated on the progress.

[chetm2]

Very nice! Cubes rule ;) What do you plan on keeping as far as corals and fish? Keep the pictures coming.

[sabodish]

chet..thanks for the kind words....i think im going mixed reef with about 75% of that sps...of course, as we all know that will change. i havent finalized a fish list, as i never had a tank this shape before. my old tank was great for tangs and such, but the cube really doesnt lend itself to that. i was thinking maybe a few anthias, maybe a rare pygmy angel and after that i really dont know...ill have to go back and read yours and sonofgaladriels build threads and see what you guys did and what recommendations people made...it took me 7 months to get to this point, so im in no rush.

[NanoGurl]

very cool!!

[chinaman4u]

I like the all-in-one container thing. My tank & equipment is overtaking half my apt and kitchen!

[ChloroPhil]

Great setup! I can tell it's been designed by an engineer. :)

Holly Springs, how far from Charlotte are you?

[sabodish]

thanks for all the kind words..im working on a fish list as the cycle continues...

chinaman..the "all in one" was required by the boss (wife) she wanted somethign clean looking as the tank is right in our living room. im making it work, but it sure is tight!

phil..im 2.5 hours from charlotte...holly springs is about 20 mins south of raleigh.

[46bfinGA]

Thanks for the link to your thread sabodish. Two darts on this tank is going to be crazy! my 36" a 36" cube is going to have sand in the bottom so i dont think i could get away with two.Im a bit concerned with using one let alone two.Of course my tank will only be 24" tall at around 135 gallons.Ill be foolowing your thread closely as i get mine built. what size bulkhead is in the back for the closed loop?where did you buy all your plumbing?

[Gooli]

nice work

[sabodish]

the bulkheads in the back are 2", i dont recall what the hole size is however. i bought all my plumbing at home depot. i wish i could have went crazy and bought all the true union ball valves, etc...but that just really wasnt in the budget.

you are right, 2 darts on this tank makes it like a typhoon in there, my sps are going to love it!

gooliver..thanks for the kind words...i wish this thing would cycle already so i can start adding livestock!

[STEELERFAN747]

First of all, congratulations on your new baby, home and tank.
I love the rock work.

I know it is too late now but did you think of putting the overflow box/pre-filter on the exterior of the tank (since it would have been hidden in the closet)? Oh-well

Great work none the less.

[sabodish]

thanks for the props!

i thought about it, but space was already at a minimum and i needed to keep it compact as possible.

[sabodish]

Update!
its been about 6 months since my last update with pics, so i guess ill throw these out there and see how you guys feel. the biggest changes have been the switching of the lights from the DE to SE bulbs. i am running 2 400W 10k reeflux in mini lumenarcs powered by the new style icecap electronic ballasts.
i also added 2 fans to cool the tank, temp runs 78-81 every day now. fans are controlled by a ranco. i also finally got my Ca reactor online, now im just dialing it in.
The tank now contains the following fish:
4 anthias (3 female, 1 male)
1 tomini tang
1 multicolor angel
2 percula clowns

im thinking of adding another dwarf angel, i would love to try a trimaculatus, i would just hate for it to pick on everyhting...maybe ill go with a pair of bellus instead?

now..the pics

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1114.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1115.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1118.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1130.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1132.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1133.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1136.jpg

[Steeltowndubber]

Looks really good... thanks for the update!!

[gabe3d]

Very nice! I like the ocean motions at the top and bottom as individual CL.

[sabodish]

thanks guys...those OM make it pretty chaotic in there as far as flow goes. i finally have them set up so detritus settles in only one spot, very easy to siphon out monthly.

[Julio]

great work and craftmanship!!

[Gooli]

love the rocks...nice :)

[tdukes]

Hey Mike,

The tanks lookin sweet, I'm thinking about a cube for the next upgrade. New pics!!!

[xtm]

Nice cube!! Very clean

[zach0660]

Sweet setup!! The love the cabinet and tank in one design, it gives it a sleek look. Cant wait to see updated pics of when the sps grow and fill in. :D

[sabodish]

mini update..these pics are from may, since then i have switched to 12k reeflux and like the color much better. ill take some new pics this weekend, but for now, enjoy these and comment away (good or bad)

front
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_1276.jpg

side
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/100_1277.jpg

[DEXNC]

SWEET!!!! What happened to the tank in the old house

[sabodish]

thanks!!
sold the old tank to fund this one...

[Doni]

Very nice work on your new cube. It's beautiful.
How do you like being barebottom?

[sabodish]

well, its been about another year. here is how it looked tonight. i lost about 12 of the sps frags i had a year ago from a bad RO membrane..so, im slowly restocking. the white balance looks a little off to me also.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/001.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/002.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/003.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/004.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/005.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/006.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/007.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/008.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/009.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/010.jpg

[sabodish]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/011.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/012.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/013.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/014.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/015.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/016.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-28-10/019.jpg

[Pallobi]

pretty sweet, i must say :)