d2mini's 130g Rimless Cube

[cet98]

looking good (as always) d2mini....
if I may ask, can you post a couple more picks of your sump area as its running now?...
I am so inspired by your build that I'd love to use your "template" as a basis for my "work in progess"...if that's cool

thanks!....

[shrimphead]

d2mini had you considered putting all the plumbing in the middle of the tank, i know you've done it differently and it looks amazing but i was just wondering if it would be possible as was wondering how stable it would be to drill holes in the middle of the base rather than the side.

[d2mini]

cet98 - I'll try to do that this weekend.

shrimphead - yes, my original plan was to do a center column overflow. But then i realized how much real estate it was going to eat up in the center of my tank. Not so much on its own, but what sucked was the amount of space i was going to have between the overflow and the glass. It didn't leave much room for rock and stuff. Half the reason for this build was to upgrade from my 46g bow with internal overflow. In that tank i got really cramped for space and if I did a center overflow in the new tank, I was pretty much going to have the same amount of space (or lack of it). Putting the overflow in the corner allowed me to have a ton more open space for aquascaping. If I didn't have it set up as a full walkaround tank and instead had it up against a wall, I would have done a coast to coast overflow across the back. But for my setup, I felt the corner overflow worked best.

[Lyfey]

Awesome Hitchhikers D2!! By the way, Im on the waiting list now for the first ever ITech400 external! Can I see some more pictures of your Itech in action?

I might order some TBS live rock for my new tank, just seeing all the life in it looks awesome!! I just dont want any mantis!

[adddo]

Originally Posted by d2mini

Are these pistols or mantis? If mantis then that bet is over. Shrimp FTW! LOL!

Cool pic!!

[drtrash]

Those are pistol shrimp. mantis looks like a cross between a shrimp and a centipede.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by Lyfey

Awesome Hitchhikers D2!! By the way, Im on the waiting list now for the first ever ITech400 external! Can I see some more pictures of your Itech in action?

I might order some TBS live rock for my new tank, just seeing all the life in it looks awesome!! I just dont want any mantis!

Ya, I'll get more pics of the sump area this weekend. It skimmed for the first couple days after i put the sand and rock in but now there is nothing left in the tank to skim so not much to show as far as skim production. I need to get some bioload in there.

When my next batch of rock comes in, I'll probably do the hot water thing right away before putting each piece in the tank.

[JustinReef]

Love this build! Great attention to detail!

What camera are you shooting with? The photos are very crisp and clear.

[lougotzz]

Looking good.

[IridescentLily]

:-O

See, i was gonna go with a 36x36 but for some reason i changed my mind.
Now i've changed it back.

You're tank is-just-gorgeous.
My boyfriend hears me oohing and aahing over your pictures because I'm in love with your tank lol.
Thanks for posting your build for us!

[Nicholas89]

Appears you have pistol shrimps, not mantis.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by JustinReef

Love this build! Great attention to detail!
What camera are you shooting with? The photos are very crisp and clear.

Thanks! Nikon D700.

Originally Posted by IridescentLily

:-O
See, i was gonna go with a 36x36 but for some reason i changed my mind.
Now i've changed it back.
You're tank is-just-gorgeous.
My boyfriend hears me oohing and aahing over your pictures because I'm in love with your tank lol.
Thanks for posting your build for us!

Haha, thanks! As long as your bf doesn't want to kick my *** I'm good.

Originally Posted by Nicholas89

Appears you have pistol shrimps, not mantis.

Ya, i figured that out. The ones in that pic are pistols. I did catch two Mantis though.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by cet98

looking good (as always) d2mini....
if I may ask, can you post a couple more picks of your sump area as its running now?...

ok, here's a couple more of the sump area.
Still need to put some macro in the fuge and get my BRS reactor filled up and running.






And here's a couple more pics of the life that came with my rock.
A small mithrax crab hiding in the holes of a rock in the first pic, and then the top of another piece of rock showing some Halimeda (Money algae), some white sponges and other algae in the second pic.

[cet98]

d2mini...thanks for the sump pix
a few questions for ya...

1- what happened to the cork padding under the sump? why did you remove it?
2- I noticed that you have a gate valve on your drain from the DT...is that being used to regulate flow or just to cut off the flow all together in the course of maintenance?
3- curiuos about how effective your bubble trap design is working for you. I'm intrigued with the simple two panel design. How high is the first panel (the one with the holes at the bottom) as well as the second short panel?
4- what are you using to feed water into your dual reactors?
5- what is the overall height of your sump BTW? (I was thinking of making mine 16"H but yours looks much higher)

thanks again and as always, I look forward to your on going progress!

regards,
C

[flipsideleo]

Man, dude! You're doing us Houstonians proud! Tank looks phenomenal!

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by flipsideleo

Man, dude! You're doing us Houstonians proud! Tank looks phenomenal!

heh heh, thanks!

Originally Posted by cet98

d2mini...thanks for the sump pix
a few questions for ya...

1- what happened to the cork padding under the sump? why did you remove it?
Had a little set back with some excess moisture from the completely enclosed stand. Going to have to vent the back wall of the stand. Had to pull the sump out, rip up the cork that was starting to get some mold on it, put down a quick coat of primer again on the floor, then hook the sump back up.
2- I noticed that you have a gate valve on your drain from the DT...is that being used to regulate flow or just to cut off the flow all together in the course of maintenance?
Both.
3- curiuos about how effective your bubble trap design is working for you. I'm intrigued with the simple two panel design. How high is the first panel (the one with the holes at the bottom) as well as the second short panel?
I think I have a few micros in the DT, but not bad. I keep flow through the sump kinda low and the sump itself looks crystal. I think the first panel is 10" inches or so.
4- what are you using to feed water into your dual reactors?
MJ1200 suction cupped to the front panel of the skimmer section.
5- what is the overall height of your sump BTW? (I was thinking of making mine 16"H but yours looks much higher)
18" high. The floor of the stand is raised several inches off the ground.

[cet98]

sorry to hear about the mold issue with the cork...uuurrghh!

so, the gate valve is on the main drain of the "Herbie"? I did not know that you were supposed to restrict/regulate the main drain...or am I misunderstanding something, sorry...could you explain? (sorry to ask, but I tried to read the actual thread, but its SO LONG and theres so much bickering over there I can't seem to find any answers )

also, I neglected to ask the water level height difference between your "fuge" section and your "return" section...it looks to be a couple of inches...does it make any splashing noise?

sorry for the multiple questions, but your system just looks so well thought out that I'd love to somehow replicate your system where ever possible (hope you don't mind )

thanks again!
C

[d2mini]

No problem.

Cork... issue here is not the cork but the excess moisture in the stand. For now the doors are open until i vent the back of the stand. Could put the cork or something else back in but probably won't bother at this point.

Herbie... yes, the gate valve is an integral part of this design. You need to be able to adjust the flow so the water level in your overflow levels out to where you need it.

Water Level... as water evaporates, the return level drops. I will eventually have an ATO system that will keep this to a minimum. I have one in my other tank and consider it a must have item. But for now, no... there is no water noise. The flow is slow enough to not be rushing over the edge.

[theyammieguy]

He's putting this Houstonian to shame. (:

[cet98]

Originally Posted by d2mini

Herbie... yes, the gate valve is an integral part of this design. You need to be able to adjust the flow so the water level in your overflow levels out to where you need it.

Gotcha, thanks! I was under the impression that the overflow water level was regulated by utilizing the gate valve on the "return" pump not the drain...

Originally Posted by d2mini

Water Level... as water evaporates, the return level drops. I will eventually have an ATO system that will keep this to a minimum. I have one in my other tank and consider it a must have item. But for now, no... there is no water noise. The flow is slow enough to not be rushing over the edge.

by height, I meant the actual dimension between the height of the 10" high panel at the skimmer section and the lowest point of the routes on the panel to the return (sorry for not being clearer with my original question )

thanks!
C

[porschefan]

Simply Stunning, great attention to detail, my Wife love's the house and we both love the tank design.

We are trying to decide if your a professional photographer or an Architect

One question i have though is were do you get your water from for top-up's, do you have to do it manually? I note there is an RO/DI in the sump area but i can't see if it's plumbed to anything.

Looking forward to following your progress.

[rking77573]

I'm loving your build. I can't wait until your second shipment of rock comes in.

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by porschefan

Simply Stunning, great attention to detail, my Wife love's the house and we both love the tank design.

We are trying to decide if your a professional photographer or an Architect

One question i have though is were do you get your water from for top-up's, do you have to do it manually? I note there is an RO/DI in the sump area but i can't see if it's plumbed to anything.

Looking forward to following your progress.

Thanks!
We are both graphic designers and I do photography on the side.
What you are referring to as a RO/DI is actually my BRS Dual Reactor for GFO and Carbon. I just haven't filled it and got it running yet.
As far as top off water, I still need to do that. One of the walls in this room has the garage on the other side. I think I'll be installing an ATO container out there and will run a thin water line through the wall and behind the base board molding under all those windows and enter the stand where the power line enters into the stand. Still mulling this one over. For now it's manual top-offs every couple days.

Originally Posted by rking77573

I'm loving your build. I can't wait until your second shipment of rock comes in.

Thanks! Me either!

[theyammieguy]

I've been wondering what you did for a living.

Interested in doing some shots of my bike when Im done building it?

[d2mini]

Originally Posted by theyammieguy

I've been wondering what you did for a living.

Interested in doing some shots of my bike when Im done building it?

Definitely. Will work for frags!