45g DIY Cube Documentation

[Milleme]

This will be my second real display tank to setup in my 3 years of involvment in this crazy hoppy. My first (58 gal) was set up on impulse and quick decisions without a ton of research. But it has over all been a success and taught me many things. Right now my wet friends are residing in a 20g aquarium in the kitchen while I redo my room and build my newest aquarium a 45 gallon acrylic cube.

TANK
The display is a braceless 44.9 gallon (24 x 24 x 18) cube made out of 1/2" acrylic with a 12" linear external overflow. Does anyone think I will have to worry about bowing with this thickness of acrylic considering the dimensions?

PICS of the build so far.
First 3 pieces glued together.
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Overflow cut in the last piece.
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Quick scetch of the layout.
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I will post more info on equipment shortly and yall can help me with questions and problems I encounter.

[New_Noob]

sweet, i love cubes, what are u gonna use for lighting?

I used to have an above tank fuge, i liked the concept, but i had to switch due to limited space, definitly more copepod friendly.

[Milleme]

Filtration
Skimming will be done by a ER RS5-3. I am intrested in moding it to be fed from the overflow and turning it into a recirculation skimmer. I have never done this before so ill need some help.... . Although i might look into getting the new BM-160! if it isnt to pricey (more on skimmers later). Biofiltration will be 30-50 lbs LR that I have been cooking for a good 3 months now as well as a thin layer of LS. I will also set up a 10 gal refugium that gravity feeds to the display (see scetch on first post) mainly just for fun but also for nutrient export.

Lighting
Will be 250watt DE Pheonix 14k drivin' by a magnetic ballast. Supplemental lighting will be a actinic flouresent bulb until I can upgrade to PCs or T5s (Last on the list...)

Water Circulation
1 or 2TUNZE nano streams and oldschool TUNZE turbelle PH.

Calcium and Alkalinity supplementaion
I have already purchased a kalk reactor to do this. I will replace evaporated water with kalk water during the night to maintain pH. I will need help and recomendations on dosing pumps and floatswitches to make an ATO and put them together to make everything run smoothly when the time comes to set it up.

At this point this is pretty much all the equipment i can think of besides heating and cooling ( I may add a chiller later on). I will most likely not be using any controllers unless I find one on the side of the street one day...

[Milleme]

Thanx New_Noob, I just posted the lighting above..........

Ya my main reason for the fuge is to display those little critters and maybe a couple a exotics, like a pipe fish, than it is for nutrient exportation.

[flar92]

looks good keep up the good work and post more pic.

[Kentanner11]

Hey what is that acryllic called? I really want to try some DIY with it! And where did you get it>?

[newreef8584]

I think you will be fine with 1/2" I just built a cube with the exact dimensions using 3/8" with a 2" Euro brace. Filled it to the rim then bumped it around for a while as a wet/stress test with no problems.

[taketz]

Looking good Milleme, I like alot of your choices you have made

And as for the BM-160, I'll give you an update when I get it in 2 or so weeks to let you know how it compares to the ER. Hopefully it just blows it away.

You have any idea of a stocking list? I know you're thinking of mostly SPS and select LPS/softies, but any idea's fishwise?

[Milleme]

Kentanner11, iTs called CHEMCAST GP, I ordered it from a local plastic shop down here in austin. Just check your yellow pages for a store local to you.

Newreef8584, thanx for the insurance, I'm sure it will be fine...

Taketz- Thanx man. I cant wait to see your BM in action, I might have to save up for one.

FISH LIST
-African flame angel (already have)
-Longnose hawk (already have)
-school of blue spine cardinals
-some kind of wrasse
-fu manchu lion ???

This will probably change though.....

[Milleme]

No new updates, I have to pick up bulkheads tomarow so I know what size to drill the return hole. Then I will be able to finish the tank up!

[Kentanner11]

Thanks! Hey where are you getting your bulkheads from?

[Milleme]

I dont know yet, I checked lowes and a local fishstore today but neither had them. Tomarow Im gonna check a few more reliable LFS's and a mom n pop hardware store that may have them.

You can also get them online from savko.com

[Kentanner11]

Thanks!good luck!

[Milleme]

Today i finished the tank up and am waiting to give it a wet test. How long should I wait before putting water in for the bond to cure?

PICS

the last side was assembled this morning
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and the tank was finished this afternoon!!!
[IMG][/IMG]

I ended up with some very smooth seems and some not smooth ones... For the not so good ones is there any way I can go over them again on the outside to fill in gaps? I will get close up pics of the seems later.

[Milleme]

I went ahead and wet tested it because i was so anxious to and found that i did have one small leakaround the base how should I go about fixing it? I figure I will just go around the outside of the tank carefully with the weldon 3 to fill any gaps. Does this sound like a good idea, does any one have any better suggestions?

Was putting water in an hour or so after glueing a bad idea?

[checkinhawk]

you really should have waited 24 hours for the weld on to cure.do you know exactly where the leak is?

[sac-bobme]

I thought weld-on 16 was a tad thicker and used as a acrylic glue sealer (like silicone is for glass)
maybe i got it backwards .. but I dont think so ..

I did a search and yes, its 16 you want to use around the seams...

[Andrew]

Nice DIY cube!

[Milleme]

Checkinhawk, Thanx for the reply. Ya i had i weird feeling the whole time I was watching it fill up. When i saw the leak I marked where it was precisely. Do you think the water will cause any problems or will I be okay?


Sac-bobme, #16 is more like a glue. #3 actually melts the acrylic and bonds the two pieces.

Andrew, thanx bro!

[checkinhawk]

what did you glue the tank with?how clean is the inside glue joint?if the inside is real clean you could cut a small strip of acrylic and glue it into the leaking area.

[Milleme]

I used weldon #3. That is a good idea.

I just went over the leak on the outside joint to fill in the air bubbles. I think it took care of it but Im gonna wait till tomarow to wet test again. If it isnt fixed ill do the easy fix you mentioned.

[checkinhawk]

yeah let it dry til tomorrow then test it again,good luck.

[Milleme]

Wet test today was successful, I filled the tank and let it sit for a couple of hours and no leaks.

Now I need to build the external overflow box. It will be made out of 1/2" acrylic also. The overflow is 12" long so Im gonna make the box 14" long 8" tall and 4.5" wide. Does any one see any problems with this?

I also need help to determine the GPH I will need going through my sump. My return pump will "T" off at least once, between the display and the fuge. But I am gonna put a "T" before that incase I add a chiller, uv, or any other reactors. I am considering the Gen-X PCX-30 (982.7 gph @ 14.5') for the return pump. What do yall think. Also will one 1" bulkhead be enough for the drain or should I put two just in case? Heres is a pic of a scetch of the plumbing and equiptment I drew so yall can see what Im talking about.
[IMG][/IMG]

[woz9683]

sac-bobme had it right, for filling in those gaps you probably should have used weld-on #16. It has better filling properties than #3 or #4 because it has acrylic mixed in with the chemical solvents.

Also, you probably should have let it sit more than a few hours before water testing it. That's probably why it developed a leak in the first place. Not trying to rain on your parade, but I'd leave it full of water for at least a week or two in the garage or somewhere like that because filling it with water that soon put a lot of stress on very new joints, and it might develop more leaks.

In general, you want to wait at least 24 hours before water testing your joints, 72 hours is more acceptable, and at 1 week your joints will be close to full strength so it's best to wait that long.

The tank may be perfectly fine, but IMO it's better to find out now than to find out when it's full of fish/corals and sitting on your desk.

[Milleme]

woz9683, thanx for the reply. I might go get some #16 then. I did wait 24 hours to test it this time and so far no leaks but ill let it sit a couple more days to make sure. BTW I like that octopus, is it yours by any chance?

So wats the secret to bubble free joints? I still have to make the sump as well so any pointers are greatly appreciated! My questions 2 posts above about the drain and return still remain.