My 12" Cube Build

[reefer1024]

This is the start of my build log for my new cube. I just set it up a few days ago.

The stats:

12" Starfire Cube (holds exactly 5 gallons of water)
Coralife 12" 2x 18 watt PC
2 aquaclear 20 hang on back filters
Finnex 50w titanium heater
Tunze 70 gph micro powerhead.

I got my inspiration from Ali at Amazing Aquariums and Reefs. He has some awesome display tanks with huge open sand areas and minimal rocks. After seeing them I wanted to try something similar, but in my case its on a much smaller scale.

I did my best to get pictues, but my point and shoot camera focuses on whatever it wants to.

The front


The side

My view from my computer chair

Hermes the Hermit Crab


For corals I plan to do a frogspawn for the centerpiece, some pulsing xenia on the island in the front and ricordia, shrooms, blastos and zoas to fill in all the left over room.

Fish have not been decided, But will most likely be either a pistol shrimp and goby or a small group of Trimma gobies.

Thanks for looking. Hope you like.

[doihavethemoney]

i love the rock wotk it looks great

[TheApprentice]

that looks great! Just wait till you get a ton of coralline all over the rock. nice set up!

[rbird]

Very nice. I like the rockscape too.

[JazzZero]

NICE AQUASCAPING GOOD LUK WITH IT

[reefer1024]

Thanks guys. I am really happy with the way the rockscape came out. I spent a ridiculous amount of time getting it just right. Unfortunately my crappy pictures don't capture the 3Dness of it.

[Nano Chris]

Nice setup!

[reefer1024]

Ok time for an update, but first a HUGE thanks to the following people who donated frags to help get me started:

Jerome736 (scnrs)
Ha-eun (scnrs)
tmantaylor18
90sShooter

I got so many frags from these guys (and girl) that my tank is almost full I have not found permanent homes for all the coral yet. I figured I would give them a little wile to recover from being freshly fragged and moved to my tank before I **** them off even more by supergluing them. I plan to isolate the xenia and GSP on the rock island in front and stick a frogspawn in their place. Ok heres the pics.





I probably should have waited a little bit longer before adding so much stuff, but I'm dumb and impatient. Aside for a frag or 2 of fresh cut zoas that look a little ****ed everything else is doing very well. I also had a bit of a diatom outbreak but is seems to be going away now.

[MikePowell]

Where did you get that tank?

[reefer1024]

the tank is custom made by Visio.

[billie6227]

For being such a small tank, it looks huge. You did a great job.

[reefer1024]

Thanks a bunch. Just wait till I get those frags mounted and clear up some more of the sandbed. Then it will look HUGE!

Good news. The diatoms are 99% gone!!! They were bumming me out.

Also I added 1 tiny nassarius snail along with 3 stomatella snails. I like them because they don't knock anything over and reproduce in the tank.

I decided to do a small group of trimma gobies instead of a pistol shrimp goby pair, but I don't plan on adding them for at least 2 weeks.

[JGilvey]

Very cool. How are the individual filters set up?

[Marclex]

Looking good, keep it up!

[reefer1024]

I run the filters in kinda a unique way. I take out the "basket" that is meant to hold the carbon. I found if you cut a Polyfilter in thirds each third wedges in perfectly flat across the top of the filter. They fit in such a way that the water if forced though the Poly filter pad. If you leave the basket in the water can flow around the sides avoiding the pad. Underneath the pad I have a bag of carbon and Purigen. I only change the filter media of 1 filter at a time, alternating back and forth.

Heres a pic of a Poly filter that is about ready to be changed.


I am considering turning 1 of the filters into a fuge to grow macro algae.

[red13miller]

Looking good! Whats the plan for fish, if any?

[rustrocker]

Great idea on the filter

[reefer1024]

Originally posted by red13miller
Looking good! Whats the plan for fish, if any?

I plan to add a mix of trimma and eviota gobies. I am sticking to fish that stay smaller then 1.5" to help give the illusion the tank is larger than it is. The other day I added a single Eviota Bifasciata. I really like this guy. He is constantly darting in and out of rocks and munching on pods. Unfortunately he is very camera shy. Whenever i try to take a picture he darts into the rocks and then as soon as I put the camera down he comes back out to taunt me.

Now prepare yourself for one of the worst pictures ever taken

[redwarrior77]

Awesome little tank! I find the little pico tanks fascinating and this one is particularly well-thought out. I especially like how you're keeping everything small in scale to make the tank seem larger.

[reefer1024]

Thanks Redwarrior.

[JGilvey]

Cool use of the filters. So only chemical filtration at this point?

[reefer1024]

Right now (if you don't count the rocks and sand) I only have chemical filtration. I just ordered a 5 watt submersible halogen light. I am going to attempt to grow macro algae for nutrient export in one of the filters and keep the other how it is.

http://www.specialtyliving.com/produ...ce=Google-Base

[reefer1024]

Its been a wile.

New additions:
Pistol shrimp and goby
3 sexy shrimp
frogspawn
duncans
zoas
yumas
candycane

I got the shrimp and goby to make there burrow right in the front of the tank by starting the burrow for them and turning the bag upside down and holding it over the entrance until they went in.

I also turned one of the filters into a fuge using the 5 watt submersible light shown above. Its not growing stuff to well though.

here are the pics. (i still cant work a camera)

[90sShooter]

Looking good Brent! Love the Nuclear browns! rollface:

[reefer1024]