Pros and cons to a cube tank

[Reeferluke]

So I'm doing a upgrade and im thinking of a 30x30x24 deep cube. I'm running a 72 gallon bowfront mixed reef sps dominated now. so anybody with a cube wanna chime in with what they like or don't like about it would be great. I'm not stuck on those dimensions either could go bigger. Thanks luke

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I have that exact same cube tank. LOVE it. Gives me 93g of volume but in a small footprint (no need to devote 4'). Fits in a space right next to my desk so I get to watch my fish and corals all day as I work at home.

http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh524/SHFanatic/Cube_zpsx00lgpbr.jpg (http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/SHFanatic/media/Cube_zpsx00lgpbr.jpg.html)

Here's the 93g starfire cube.

http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh524/SHFanatic/rbta_zpsq0fosy5w.jpg (http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/SHFanatic/media/rbta_zpsq0fosy5w.jpg.html)

My RBTA with clown(s)

[jason604]

Give me ur dendros Anthony lol

[straightrazorguy]

So I'm doing a upgrade and im thinking of a 30x30x24 deep cube. I'm running a 72 gallon bowfront mixed reef sps dominated now. so anybody with a cube wanna chime in with what they like or don't like about it would be great. I'm not stuck on those dimensions either could go bigger. Thanks luke

I have a Marineland 3 ft cube. I love it, but there are some drawbacks too.

I like:
- The proportions. It gives a sensation of space that narrower tanks don't
- The depth. I like the look of it and the fact that it offers the opportunity to layer it with high light (SPS) corals at the top and lower light (acans, zoas) lower down.
- Lighting is easy because fo the compact footprint.
- Aquascaping a cube can be a lot of fun; I have a tall island in the middle, with tunnels and pass-throughs. You can also leave some negative space in the front to add to the perception of depth

I don't like:
- The fact that I get wet armpits when trying to reach the bottom. Some lower areas in the middle fo the tank are out of reach without aids.
- The cube dimensions makes water circulation difficult. I have debris and algae accumulate in certain spots just because it's tough to get good circulation. Gyres anyone?

[jordsyke]

i find it hard to get good flow in all of ur tank w/ a cube.... They look nice though :D

[Reeferluke]

I have a Marineland 3 ft cube. I love it, but there are some drawbacks too.

I like:
- The proportions. It gives a sensation of space that narrower tanks don't
- The depth. I like the look of it and the fact that it offers the opportunity to layer it with high light (SPS) corals at the top and lower light (acans, zoas) lower down.
- Lighting is easy because fo the compact footprint.
- Aquascaping a cube can be a lot of fun; I have a tall island in the middle, with tunnels and pass-throughs. You can also leave some negative space in the front to add to the perception of depth

I don't like:
- The fact that I get wet armpits when trying to reach the bottom. Some lower areas in the middle fo the tank are out of reach without aids.
- The cube dimensions makes water circulation difficult. I have debris and algae accumulate in certain spots just because it's tough to get good circulation. Gyres anyone?

The water circulation is my only real concern. I do run 2 wp40s already so maybe just add another to the mix. What about the sump? I have to keep it under the stand

[duncangweller]

I have a 93 cube too and I would agree with the circulation issues. I have a gyre and I still seem to have a low circulation patch directly below it which seems to accumulate a bit of algae.

I also agree with the wet armpits thing. Sounds like an odd thing to complain about but 24" is a deep tank and it is annoying to work in.

Sometimes I do miss a longer aquascape but the bigger volume and a small foot print is a huge plus.

[xenon]

We are in the middle of building a cube (24x24x18) and the biggest "con" would have to be the footprint under the stand. Its really tough to fit everything needed to run a proper reef under the stand.

You need room for sump, skimmer, reactors, return pump, doser, dosing containers, auto-top-off, powerbar, etc...

It can be done, it just requires careful planning.

[freezetyle]

I agree with xenon. I have a 24*24*20, and shoving things under it are a pain. And as others have mentioned flow.

When placing your tank make sure you can see all three sides equally!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I have a 24x24x 12" sump and it works well for me inside the stand.

[ScubaSteve]

We are in the middle of building a cube (24x24x18) and the biggest "con" would have to be the footprint under the stand. Its really tough to fit everything needed to run a proper reef under the stand.

You need room for sump, skimmer, reactors, return pump, doser, dosing containers, auto-top-off, powerbar, etc...

It can be done, it just requires careful planning.

I'll second this! I'm in the process of designing a new sump to fit under the stand.

My other complaint would be the difficulty with placing rock to have lots of real estate for corals. I'm an SPS guy, so it may be more of an issue for me that others.

I built a 24x24x20 cube (don't make a true cube, they look goofy). I like the 20" height as it avoids the wet armpit syndrome. If you're going with 30x30 foot print, you're pits will be even wetter as you need to reach further into the tank to touch the middle.

What do I love about it? Everything else!

[IanWR]

I went with a cube-ish tank, 30x24x24. If I had to do it again, I would have made it only 20" deep.

[Aquattro]

While my tank isn't a cube, it's cube(ish). 30x40x22h. I faced the potential for limited space under it, so simply made the stand bigger. It's footprint is about 34 x 52, giving me a nice ledge around the tank. Fits all my stuff :)

[reefmandan]

Footprint under the stand was definitely a con for me when I had my cube. I also found aquascaping hard, at least to produce something I liked that could handle placement of all the coral I had.

[xenon]

I am currently enjoying the challenges of a cube.

It sure does help that I have 10 years experience under my belt.

I would have failed miserably planning a cube if it was my first tank.

[Proteus]

I have a 24x24x12 half cube.. Flow was easy to achieve using directional bulkheads and a couple mp10..

Under the tank was a bit of a challenge but I managed to have a sump with socks skimmer reactor and return nicely packaged. Along with a 5 gal ato (fluval bucket) and a doser with container's. While it's a tight fit it works well http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd400/titus991/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0050.JPG (http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/titus991/media/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_0050.JPG.html)

[sphelps]

How is the footprint under a cube smaller than a comparable rectangular tank? 24x24 is the same as 36x16 or 48x12. In fact cube tanks make it easier to have a stand that can accessed from all sides so if anything you're at an advantage. In general sounds to me the space issues you guys are having relates more to fitting a lot of equipment under a small tank, not a cube tank specifically. You'd probably use the same equipment if you up'd the tank size to 30x30 or even 36x36.

The biggest disadvantage I had was light and flow as others mentioned, not so much an issue with a 24x24 but with 30x30 or 36x36 problems start to rise since most lights are designed for a 24x24 footprint. Cubes usually have 3 main viewing panels as appose to one so it's less desirable to place power heads on the sides so you're usually forced to have all source flow on the back which again becomes more problematic the bigger you go in footprint.

Advantages I liked was the amount of accessible space under the stand, in fact I ended actually putting a second display tank under the main although I did later end up moving equipment in the room behind but not out of necessity. I liked the aquascape and coral placement potential for 3 viewing panels and the overall presence of the tank was significant.