100 Gallon Cube Tank Build

[Im Lon 2]

I like Stupids overflow (across the top, kind of like the Calfo design).. Works great on a 36" wide tank too.

[StupidsReef]

Thanks Lon, Nice to see you around again.

Nook, thanks for the input on the Low-Iron I didn't know about that. Chelsey it looks like you've done your research on this build, Good choices on equiment too!! You know were going to beg you all way through this for pics !!!!!!!!!

I would agree on the external overflow but didn't know that GC would make one and cut the tank for it and then let you install it. I would have gone that route had I known, I didn't ask. Chelsey are you building your own stand are buying one?? And are you making this tank more of a look-down view or just a normal view??

[Chelsey]

I'll be building my own stand (with help of course). The tank will be a normal view tank. To be completely honest, the internal overflow idea doesn't bother me too much. I think if I went external and installed it myself I'd be constantly worrying.

Nobody's going to have to beg me for pics either...I'll be more than happy to provide them

[Chelsey]

My next order of business is rock. The rock that I have in my 40 breeder is apparently leeching phosphates into the water faster than I can keep up with them. I'm running a phosban reactor and am doing twice weekly water changes and it's still not helping. In addition, they're covered with algae and look terrible.

I'm going to need more rock, and I don't know whether to just get more to add to what I've already got or if I should just get all new rock and put the algae covered junk in my sump. Any additional rock that I get will be coming from marco rocks and will be base rock.

I do have a tub that I can fill and put the marco rocks in there with a few pieces of live rock out of my sump (I'd peel the macro algae that's growing on it off first of course) to seed it, in addition to some coralline flakes to help with the growth of organisms/coralline on the rock.

The marco rocks stuff is really cool and I'm almost tempted just to buy all new rock, but I already have some live rock and don't necessarily want to waste it. That being said, the LAST thing I want in my new tank is algae!!!

Any opinions?

[icepick96]

IMO,

I would ge new rock if you can swing it money wise. To me one of the best parts of reefing is watching fresh rock come alive. It's like Christmas every day. Downfall some of the gifts you get you don't want and you can't take them back.

[Chelsey]

What do I do with the rest of my rock then? And what about the fact that this is base rock, ie, dry?

[icepick96]

There's a lot of big tanks out there. Someone could use it as rock in a sump, it has useful bacteria living on it. I'm sure someone would either buy it or trade some frags for it.

[StupidsReef]

First, I'd like to suggest getting in contact with ebe here on RC if your going to go with all new rock. He makes his own Rich1972 has alot of his stuff one piece is 32 LBS!! IT's really good work and purpled up with in a few months ( Rich doesn't have a cal reactor either). I'd love to have your LR as I'm in need of as much as I can get however I'm pretty much broke and after what I did today the wife want's my (ya knows) cut off in placed in a jar!! But I really "needed" that fish

Ok now JMO I'd buy all new base rock Marco/ebe whoever, and place it in the display tank, and then place your LR into the sump. You can clean it up the best ya can using fresh SW to remove the hair algae, but I can't think of a good reason to get rid of it. JMO.

[d.french]

ebe definitely has best homemade rock hope he makes some more soon i need some rubble for my new tanks sump. Plus his rock is a good buffer from whatever he uses to make it cause my ph stays up with no problems at all.

[saltyshoe_nano]

chelsey, are you in the build phase yet? JW

[Chelsey]

I ordered the tank and equipment Thursday or Friday, so I guess you could say I'm in the build phase. I am hoping to start work on the stand within the next week.

If I can get someone to buy most/all of the rock in my display tank for $4/lb (it'll have some sps encrustation on it and likely some zoas if I can't get them chipped off) I'd like to buy all new rock, but I'm going to have to have some kind of guarantee from the person...I can't buy 75lbs of new rock and then be stuck with what's in my display tank too! Another thing I've thought of doing is ordering the new rock, using it and the stuff that's in my tank now, and then selling off the stuff that I don't use. Seriously though, who wants algae covered rock?

[StupidsReef]

Yea that's kinda hard to sell huh. I guess if I was hunting for LR I wouldn't care really, cause it would go in my sump + I have a spiny urchin and he wiped out all of my hair algae and now he's controling the hazy like green film/hair that covers the back wall. So he's love it I'm sure LOL. But I'm not. I'd keep it, that's natures best filteration, so load up your sump and don't light it for a while. The algae should die off.

[Chelsey]

I just bought 75lbs of Marco rocks...50lbs Fiji and 25lbs Tonga shelf. I decided I'll use that in my cube, use what's in my current tank if I need to, then put what's left over in my sump. If I don't have room for all of that I'll be selling some.

[Jarob]

wow chelsey, really going all out on this one, thats what I like to hear.

I will be back in town an another week or so, I will let you know and I can help build whatever

[StupidsReef]

There ya go!! See it all works out in the end

[DrBDC]

You can get the phosphate out of your rock if you don't mind killing it. That may help on $$.

[Nanook]

Algae is just a part of liverock and nutrients....nothing really wrong with it that good husbandry can't solve with some patience Putting it in a sump with a lot of chaeto will get the goodies out pretty quick. Or, you can sell all that great life off and lose the benefit of liverock which does a LOT for the tank.

I am of the opinion that letting the algae grow is a great way to get rid of the extra nutrients....just harvest it out from time to time.

[Chelsey]

My equipment came today!!! I'll post pics later

[Chelsey]

Update:

-I'll be picking my tank up from the glass cages facility on the 19th when Chad and I go to the MTRC frag swap Yay for saving $50!!!

Here's my fish list, the ones with * beside them are fish that I already have:

*ORA picasso pair
*Leopard wrasse
*neon goby
*purple firefish
*Golden Dwarf Angel
Two spot blenny
Tail spot blenny
Flameback angel (maybe, we'll see)
redheaded goby
Lineatus wrasse (Have to see what my budget looks like by the time my tank's done)

[Jarob]

pics!!!!

[Chelsey]

There's nothing to take pics of yet, unless you're talking about equipment pics. I don't have the stand built yet so I can't take pics of that either!

[saltyshoe_nano]

its gettin closer and closer lol are you excited chelsey? lol

[Chelsey]

I am excited. I think things will be more real once I have everything built (stand, suspended canopy) and can paint it and hook up my MH. I ordered my CO2 controller and media today, still need to get a tank for it. Most everything else that I have not yet purchased will be swapped over from my old tank.

Here's the gameplan for swapping stuff over:

Sometime next week before I pick up my tank I'm going to drain my 40 breeder sump and glue in baffles. My old sump had baffles and I miss having them with this one, it just makes things look neater After I let it dry for 48 hours I'm going to put it under the cube stand and fill it back up. Once I get my new tank and it's up on the stand I'm going to aquascape it, add sand, and plumb it. I am then going to fill with water, add salt, and let it run with all equipment in position for a while. I'm not sure exactly how long I'm going to let it run, but I will be putting some of the live rock from my sump in with the dry rock that I have to seed it. That or if John will let me maybe I can borrow a few pieces of LR out of his sump to seed my rock and keep what I've got in my sump for biological filtration. At any rate I'm going to have to let the tank cycle and if at all possible I'm hoping to have some decent coralline algae growing before I move anything over. Once I'm satisfied (or get too impatient ) I'll move the corals over and place them accordingly. Ideally I'd like the sps to encrust where they're at before I put any snails or hermits in because I do not want any of my corals moved. We'll see how all of this pans out, but I really want it to go off without a hitch, and without anything dying.

[SaltwaterChris]

Sounds cool keep up with the updates

[Jarob]

!!!

Originally posted by Chelsey
My equipment came today!!! I'll post pics later