130 cube build. (1 Viewer)

[dollarz81]

Hi everyone. I'm making another build thread because my other one is jacked up. None of the pictures are showing up so I'll post them here.

It's now been 3 1/2 years and the tank is finally up and running!

I'll post some updated pics soon.

Equipment:

Lights- Ecotech Radions.
These lights are very cool with the way you can manipulate the color and intensity. I currently only have one fixture and I have no doubt I could grow most lps and sps with just one fixture. I'll be adding a second fixture one day.

Skimmer- Skimz Monster 252 external skimmer.
I can't even explain how sweet this thing is. Very easy to dial in and pulls some serious skimmate.

Sump/refugium- Trigger Systems Crystal ELITE
It's a nice sump. Small refugium area but it gets the job done.

I also have a 25 watt uv sterilizer and a Skimz media reactor that will be used when needed.

 

[dollarz81]

Here are some various other pics of the build.

I'll get some updated pics soon.

 

[dollarz81]

Left side. Here you can see the plumbing from the return pump to the UV then to the skimmer.

Front view. The refugium is lit by 2 LED flood light bulbs picked up from home depot. I believe each is rated at 75 watts. Pitched up the cheato from someone today getting out of the hobby for a while. Has tons of micro brittle stars, pods, and worms.

Right side view of skimmer and reactor.

Just finished cleaning the collection cup an hour ago. This skimmer is a monster!

I also picked up an additional 50-60 lbs of live rock, which makes about 120 lbs total. Has tons of aptasia so I'll start eradicating that before I start aquascaping. Anyone have peppermint shrimps? I'll give you some cheato!

 

[TiAg]

Sweet man. Love that stand, will have one in the works soon myself and thanks for the link you PM'd me. Helped answer a couple questions I had. Can't wait to see more on the scape and how things are turning out.

 

[flipside]

Do you have any shots of the tank now that it has cleared-up? Or are you waiting to stock it up some more before you do?

Good choice in skimmers, though you may have "super-over-killed" on that one.

 

[BigRick]

Good choice in skimmers, though you may have "super-over-killed" on that one.

I think so too lol. Better feed a lot throughout the day to make sure corals get fed. Or turn that bad boy off and on.

 

[RR-MAN]

Looking good Dollarz; time to fill it with corals man. Oh wait, you still need to cycle the tank.

I think so too lol. Better feed a lot throughout the day to make sure corals get fed. Or turn that bad boy off and on.

I just overfeed, my SRO 3000 Cone Skimmer works better with more food in the water columns.

 

[dollarz81]

I think so too lol. Better feed a lot throughout the day to make sure corals get fed. Or turn that bad boy off and on.

I plan a mixed reef heavily stocked with fish and inverts.....and lots of nps corals. So I really don't believe it's overkill. I personally believe most people under-estimate the bioload in their tank. Pristine tanks need pristine water.

 

[dollarz81]

Here are a few tank shots. It's hard to get clear shots cause the lights are so damn bright and only at 50%. It's just a pile of rocks.

It's really nice having 36" viewing sides. Three full viewing sides is almost like having three separate tanks to aquascape.

 

[Wtyson]

looks great, cant wait to see you stock it. what type of coral are you going to focus on?

 

[BigRick]

Ahh I need to get my 130 cube going too. Sooooo little time.

 

[dollarz81]

looks great, cant wait to see you stock it. what type of coral are you going to focus on?

What I won't be focusing on are soft leather type corals, gsp, and candycane corals. I want the bright expensive stuff. Tons of ricordea!!!! So mostly lps, sps, and ricordea. The tank is deep enough to put low light corals and nps corals at he bottom and sps up top.

Im hoping for lots of rare and unusual fish. I had an idea to put a sheet of acrylic over the top and get a snowflake eel. Ive always wanted one....they are fairly reef safe. Im hoping for tank-of-the decade when I'm done in a few years.

It's slowly taken 3 1/2 years of saving and buying the best that's also reasonable. I'm going big on this thing.

 

[Wtyson]

ditch the snow flake and get either a (blue/black) ribbon eel, Banded snake eel, Golden Dwarf Moray eel (what i did), White ribbon eel, or one of the other more interesting species. Snow flakes are ok, but very common and can become problematic when they get big. If you want tank of the decade, i would get a pair of ribbon eels, but they are quite hard to care for. Tube anemones are cool for low light areas, and come in almost every color imaginable. you could also go with a rhinopias ( http://www.google.com/search?q=rhin...iNYjm2QXRmdH-BQ&ved=0CDwQsAQ&biw=1385&bih=660 ) if you want to spend the money on it, but it would certainly eat smaller fish/ shrimp.

 

[Wtyson]

City pets has two ribbon eels (one white one blue) that look great and ate when i asked to see them eat. i had not just gotten my golden dwarf i would have bought one of them. FYI

 

[dollarz81]

Random pics

 

[steveb]

Sweet looking tank. I love the attention to detail on your woodwork and tank setup.

 

[dollarz81]

Can anyone ID this?

Itty bitty starfish

 

[tektite]

Its a type of macroalgae called neomeris annulata. Most likely it won't last too long.

 

[dollarz81]

Installed the bio-pellet reactor this weekend. Since installing it my skimmer seems to be 10x more efficient. I had to turn off one skimmer pump and decrease air flow through other pump and it is making skimmate at a ridiculous rate. And there seems to be an increase in water clarity. Can this stuff really be that good?

 

[below radar]

What exactldoes a bio pellet reactor do.