Fish's new cube [Archive] - Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

Fish

11-11-2005, 09:46 PM

Hello fellow canreefers,

I am upgrading my tank so that my mantis shrimp, Ike, has a little more room to move around. Here is a photo of the two cubes side by side:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185newcube.jpg

The new cube is a 12" starfire cube. This time around I had the glass shop polish the edges for me and it looks even better! (time will tell though if it was worth the $1/inch polishing cost ) The one-cubic-foot dimensions gives me approximately 7.5gal of volume. I am hoping that the extra room will allow me to create some interesting aquascaping and allow for further coral growth. And of course, it's all about Ike these days . Continuing in the tradition, the bulkheads and intake strainer will be the only equipment visible inside the tank -so this photo of the emtpy tank is as unsightly and cluttered as it will ever get. I have planned an additional modification to the cannister filter and am currently giving some serious consideration to going BB. I would be interested in seeing what people thought on the subject. I have kept both sand and BB and personally feel that astetics (or sand-dependant livestock) is the only reason a person should ever keep substrate. Having said that, astetics is a pretty powerful reason in a hobby where we place so much effort into having everything look right. Since I am so torn right now, a "yea" or "nay" from my peers would really help. I look forward to any comments or questions.

Cheers,

- Chad

muck

11-11-2005, 09:52 PM

I'd go with a little courser sand myself. Not quite CC but bigger than sugar sand.

Fish

11-11-2005, 09:58 PM

Haha sorry for such a narrow set of options Ryan. I have updated the poll :razz: . What is your reasoning for coarser sand? I had a fine-crushed-coral (oh, there's another one) in my 2gal cube and found that even a thin layer of that collected a lot of detrius. Are you thinking in terms of preventing a blizzard or allowing me to vacume easier?
Thanks,

- Chad

muck

11-11-2005, 10:02 PM

Reasoning was to prevent a blizzard, but if the sugar sand worked for you in the other tank I could go with that.. :mrgreen:

Beverly

11-11-2005, 10:15 PM

Chad,

I would go BB with small LR rubble around Ike's home for him to work with in whatever way he needs. You could then siphon out crud in a moment's notice. If you do go BB, the most efficient way to siphon crud is turn off the water flow, gently baste the crud from under the rockwork, then siphon to your heart's content. Rockwork would also have to be set up for you to easily see under the rock (with a flashlight, if necessary) and room around the rock to get the baster in.

Fish

11-11-2005, 10:15 PM

Ryan,
Gotcha. I think that since the flow in my cubes is directed from the bottom to the surface, and not the other way around, I have not had problems with blizzarding. However, I haven't flow tested it with the correct sized blades on the cannister impellor yet, so I my be wrong...
Should be about 240gph after losses.

- Chad

AndyL

11-11-2005, 10:23 PM

I don't see you being happy with bare bottom... So go with a sugar/CC substrate.

Going to skim the new tank?

Andy

Fish

11-11-2005, 10:36 PM

Hey Andy,
No I'm not going to skim the new tank. As much as I am a proponent of skimmers, I can't incorporate one into my setup without having equipmet visible...
I am not really worried though. I am going to have pretty much the sme bioload that I had in the 2gal in the 7.5gal.
I may add a small damsel... but I think the LR and chaeto will be up to the task.

- Chad

deacon hemp

11-12-2005, 01:09 AM

I'm doing the 2 gal cube with a black starboard bottom.I thought about a coarser shallow sand bed but i think im going bare.I'd vote for your tank coarse sand bed because of the mantis.

Corey

11-12-2005, 03:44 AM

Fish

11-12-2005, 04:59 PM

deacon,
That sounds sweet. I think that starboard in the 2gal is a great idea.

- Chad

Fish

11-12-2005, 05:00 PM

Have you thought about maybe using a thin layer of insulating foam and then covering it in fine sugar sand, I am planning on doing it with my nano, you have the asthetics of sand with the ease of cleaning like a BB.

Corey,
I have heard of people doing this before but haven't really seen any pictures of how it turned out. Definitely somthing to consider...

- Chad

deacon hemp

11-12-2005, 07:23 PM

Chad even better than a foam bottom,use black sand and make a resin faux sand bed it looks really natural but its bare bottom! You would have to research on rc how to do it but ive seen them,they look good.

Fish

11-14-2005, 02:49 AM

deacon,

I am also considering that. Some of the posts that I have read claim that a resin sand bed looks good at first but after the biofilm grows on it, it can't be cleaned like a BB or sifted like real sand.... ?

Here is an update on my progress. As though one hole inside the cannister filter wasn't enough :rolleyes: , I drilled it again and added a hydor 50w heater.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185filtermod.jpg

I went with the hydor because it was the shortest one that I could find and I like that fact that I can just bolt it to the underside of the cannister top out of the way. I have heard mixed reviews on this heater so I will be running it with an electronic controller to manage the temp. I made the holes just barely big enough to squeeze the wires through and then used a hole tube of silicone to seal it all up - cause dang, 7.5gals would not look good on the floor of my office...

- Chad

Fish

11-15-2005, 04:38 AM

Tonight I hooked up all the plumbing to the filter to do a leak/ temp test. I was so pleased with the results that I moved everything over to the cube for a couple days before moving it all to work.
Here are some pics I took while everything was still settling:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185fulltank.jpg

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185ikesnewhome.jpg

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185latest1.jpg

I hope you like!

- Chad

muck

11-15-2005, 04:39 AM

I like!! :cool:

deacon hemp

11-15-2005, 04:44 AM

Looks tight,are you going BB or are you gonna add a thin layer of sand?

Fish

11-15-2005, 04:46 AM

Thanks deacon. The testing was just done BB, but when I set it up at the office, I am going to put down a thin sand layer.

And thanks Ryan :cool:

Cheers,

- Chad

deacon hemp

11-15-2005, 04:49 AM

Sorry chad another question? Is your LR made up of a few peices or is it all one peice? And same question for the 2 gal?
YGPM

Fish

11-15-2005, 04:55 AM

It was made of three pieces stacked ontop of each other but when I moved it over to the cube tonight, I epoxied them all into one big piece. I think it will be a lot easier to work with now....

- Chad

Fish

11-17-2005, 12:01 AM

Update:

I set up the new cube at my office this morning at 6am. It became immediately apparent that the new, larger bulkheads were not going to fit through the same electrical conduit that the 2gal did (a measurement error on my part). Right now the tank is on the edge of the desk up against one wall - hence no 360degree view :frown:. I believe that if I raise the tank up a couple inches so the bulkheads are off the desk, the hoses will fit through ok.
Aside from that setback, I am really pleased with how smoothly everything went. The flow is just right and the aquascaping turned out better than I imagined. And the look of the tank with the white sand is incredible! Ike actually looks happier and was out quite a bit today - despite the early morning trauma of being dropped on the carpet (he actually started running across the carpet and I caught him by putting down a sour cream container in front of him so he'd run inside :eek: ).
Also with Ike is a handsome little blue damsel and looks great under the 20k bulb. I promise to take a photo tomorrow.
The goals I have right now are:

1 - Moving the tank back to the original spot
2 - Seeing whether or not the single 70watt halide will be enough
3 - Keeping the sand white (I hope it stays like this forever)
4 - Figuring out the proper dosing rate for my auto topoff

Cheers,
- Chad

Fish

11-18-2005, 12:52 AM

Fish

11-18-2005, 12:56 AM

And nothing says "content livestock" like a damsel yawning:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185new_tank82.JPG

or a mantis shrimp smiling:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185new_tank88.JPG

Hope you enjoy,

- Chad

AndyL

11-18-2005, 02:13 AM

Looks awesome!

Are you sure you want to levitate via hockeypucks? Wouldn't a nice oak base/surround suit the tank better? Could build it split, thus you could install/remove at will.

Andy

NanoReef

11-18-2005, 02:16 AM

I WANT SOME OF THOSE ORANGE ZOOS UNDER THE YAWNING DAMSLE!!!! they are really nice! the whole tank looks great!

Fish

11-18-2005, 02:21 AM

Andy,
Ya, I think that a custom built wood stand would look a lot better. Problem is, I don't have the materials right now... uh, or the tools... or the skill... :razz:

Cheers,

- Chad

Fish

11-18-2005, 02:22 AM

Nanoreef,
Thanks man. I can't even offer you a frag because I have had those zoos for a year or so and I don't think they have grown a single polyp :confused:

- Chad

AndyL

11-18-2005, 02:56 AM

Andy,
Ya, I think that a custom built wood stand would look a lot better. Problem is, I don't have the materials right now... uh, or the tools... or the skill... :razz:

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure there are a few canreefers who are rather skilled carpenters (No I'm not one of them)

Andy

Fish

11-18-2005, 03:14 AM

Haha, true enough. If no one stops by here I may post something in theclassifieds section...

- Chad

NanoReef

11-18-2005, 04:40 AM

wow???? try to give them more flow and more light. it will happen slowly!!! good luck, hope you can offer me a frag soon!!! lol

Fish

11-18-2005, 05:00 AM

Haha, I don't think that flow or light are the issue. :razz:
The last tank they were in had 35watts of halide/gallon and over 40x's turnover. These are zoos, not sps.
If anything I believe that some zoos do better in a "dirty" aka nutrient rich tank. Moderate light and flow seem to get better results JME. IF they ever do grow enough to frag I will definitley give you a call.
Cheers,

- Chad

WWWD

11-18-2005, 05:02 AM

zoos tend to do really well when you leave them along and dont move them.

Fish

12-22-2005, 02:18 AM

Hi all,
I have moved the tank over to the same spot that was occupied by my two gallon cube. As soon as I figure out how to post photos I will...

- Chad

Bob I

12-22-2005, 03:00 AM

Nanoreef,
Thanks man. I can't even offer you a frag because I have had those zoos for a year or so and I don't think they have grown a single polyp :confused:
- Chad

You may have gotten them from me because I still have some, and can't get them to grow much either.:sad:

Fish

12-22-2005, 03:38 PM

Ya, I think you're right Bob. I guess Murphy's Law apllies to the natural world as well...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/4613005121523.JPG

Chad

Fish

12-22-2005, 03:42 PM

Looks like I got it working. HEre's the other photos:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/4613005121528.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/4613005121512.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/4613005121530.JPG

What do you think?

- Chad

muck

12-22-2005, 03:53 PM

Don't know about the pics Chad but...
Love the Reef Central Banners. :razz:

Fish

12-22-2005, 06:58 PM

Dang, worked for me. If you copy and paste it will take you to the photos. What happened to the canreef gallery??

- Chad

muck

12-22-2005, 07:32 PM

Dang, worked for me. If you copy and paste it will take you to the photos. What happened to the canreef gallery??

- Chad

The links need to be sorted out yet but here is the direct link to it..

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/

:biggrin:

Fish

12-23-2005, 05:36 PM

Great, thanks Ryan!
I will post them properly once I get home.
Cheers,
- Chad

Fish

12-24-2005, 03:43 PM

Here they are:

12" cube sitting on 5 kockey pucks

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/118505121523.JPG

stuff

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/118505121528.JPG

yet another mantis shot

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/118505121512.JPG

How it looks on my desk

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/118505121530.JPG

What do you think?

- Chad

muck

12-24-2005, 08:04 PM

That looks great Chad!!
I love the larger cube.. :biggrin:

Fish

12-24-2005, 10:30 PM

Ryan,
Thanks brother. Ike looks a lot more comfortable with the extra space as well...

- Chad

Cap'n

12-25-2005, 03:12 PM

Looks great, Chad. What do you stare at more, your monitor or the tank?

Oh, if you get tired of the "Mantis Night in Canada" stand, send me some measurements and I could make a skirt for you at the shop.

Fish

12-26-2005, 03:57 PM

Cap'n,
Thank you very much for the offer. I will definitely contact you about that, probably when I bring the tank home.

Cheers

Here is a link to the new video I just made:

:http://www.truenorthreef.com/newcube.wmv

addam4208283

12-27-2005, 03:15 PM

that movie was great. i don't know if its because i am new to the whole reef thing but i would never thing that a mantis shrimp would have that much personality. Ike is a funny little ****. again great movie, and great set up.
ADAM

Fish

12-28-2005, 12:37 AM

Adam,
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. It was a big surprise to me also to see how much personality a mantis shrimp has. Ike probably couldn't be any more alien or different from a dog but for some reason, that's what he most reminds me of...

- Chad

Fish

01-07-2006, 05:44 PM

Ike hadn't been fed for a few days and was getting hungry so yesterday I picked up 5 small hermit crabs and dropped them into the tank. Ike grabbed one right away and pulled it into his cave but after only a couple hits, he was already back out grabbing the next one. Before I knew it, all but one (one got away) were gone. I looked inside his cave and saw that all four hermit crabs were placed side by side upside down so that their openings were facing up instead of down. Ike was hanging motionless from the ceiling and staring right inside the shell openings. It looked like he was just waiting for one of the hermit crabs to come out and try and right itself. I watched this for about a minute and Ike was perfectly still the whole time. I couldn't stick around because I had to get home but I am looking forward to what I find when I get back on Monday.

At first I thought that Ike was too lazy to do any smashing and was just going to wait them out. After I posted in the mantis forum on Reef Central, another g. smithii keeper told me that he just observed the same thing when he put 10 blue legs in his tank. That got me thinking about a possible explaination for this behavior. 10 blue legs is a lot to feed, and 5 is the most that I have ever put in the tank at one time...
Perhaps this is a "food storage" mechanism that the mantis has developed. When I feed him a couple crabs, he busts them open and eats them. Maybe when you feed them more crabs than they can eat at once, they imobilize them on their backs to keep them until it is time to eat again. Maybe in the ocean, if they let a meal get away just because they weren't hungry at the time, they wouldn't be able to guarantee when the next meal would come along...
What do you think, does that sound possible?

- Chad

Skimmer Juice

01-12-2006, 09:21 PM

how did you hook up your canister filter to the bottom of your tank?

Fish

01-13-2006, 12:15 AM

Stinky,
Hi. I connected the cannister filter to the bottom of the tank like this:
holes drilled with bulkheads - bulkheads fitted with hosebarb fittings - filter lines slid onto hosebarbs. Easy peasy.
Cheers,

- Chad

i have crabs

01-13-2006, 03:55 AM

how do you control it from overflowing or draining ,does it just equal its self out?

Skimmer Juice

01-13-2006, 06:24 AM

Thanks for your help:biggrin:

Fish

01-13-2006, 02:15 PM

Stinky,
You're welcome!

how do you control it from overflowing or draining ,does it just equal its self out?

Crabs,
It is a sealed cannister filter, not a sump. The intake and return lines are both plumbed to the bottom of the tank so there is no other water in the system to overflow anything and nowhere else for the water to go, so no worries about draining either. It is baisically a closed loop... with a chaeto fuge ( : Hope this makes sense.

- Chad

Fish

01-27-2006, 12:17 AM

Updated photos:

Front

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060126047.jpg

Back

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060126065.jpg

Closeups

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060126053.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060126057.jpg

Hope you enjoy!

- Chad

Fish

01-27-2006, 12:18 AM

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060126066.jpg

woodcarver

01-28-2006, 05:17 PM

OCDP

01-28-2006, 06:02 PM

That looks great. I really like that frogspawn, it fills the space very nicely. And look at the polyp extension on that acro.. wow.. in a nano that small especially.. nice to see.

Looks great.

Fish

01-28-2006, 07:19 PM

Amazing. Your cubes are works of art Chad............excellent photographs and video's
Would be great if you had the time to do a little schematic showing hook up ,type of filter ,impeller mod etc.,Or do I recall you showing this on a previous thread ?
I actually quite like the hockey puck look,very minimalist does not distract the eye from the tank.
Keep up the innovations just gets better and better
.............Dave.

Wood carver,
Thank you! I like your idea of doing up a schematic with all the stats. Unfortunately, I am not very well versed in any autocad or drawing programs. I'll see what I can whip up....

- Chad

Fish

01-28-2006, 07:21 PM

That looks great. I really like that frogspawn, it fills the space very nicely. And look at the polyp extension on that acro.. wow.. in a nano that small especially.. nice to see.

Looks great.

You're right, that frogspawn probably would even fit in my 2gal anymore - it was already touching two panes of glass before I made the switch ( :

- Chad

Fish

01-28-2006, 07:23 PM

A couple more photos:

Ike poseing for the camera

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/mantis.jpg

And stalking an unsuspecting hermit crab

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/mantis2.jpg

Cheers everyone.

- Chad

Fish

03-03-2006, 01:49 AM

And here's a few more pics after I changed the sandbed today:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060225036.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060225030.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060225022.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060225023.jpg

- Chad

st4tic

03-03-2006, 02:02 AM

can you post pics of whats under your tank?

thanks

Fish

03-03-2006, 02:08 AM

I'll hunt around. Watch my videos though, they have some clips of the equipment. After that you can let me know what you'd like to see more of.

- Chad

crusty1

03-03-2006, 02:30 AM

That's a great looking nano! I love the lighting. Do you have more info on that?
Chris

Fish

03-03-2006, 02:40 AM

Thanks Chris!
The lighting is a 70w metal halide with a 20k bulb. I bought the ballast, reflector, and bulb and then wired it into a halogen desklamp. I took these photos while I was gutting the desklamp and bolting in the retrofit:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/46130lightstages.jpg

- Chad

petah

03-31-2006, 03:45 AM

how much does it cost for a cube to be made? $$20-50??

prosnow

03-31-2006, 06:01 AM

well i just had a custom cube made...check out my pics in nano reef, and mine cost more then that...starfire is expensive...

petah

03-31-2006, 06:29 AM

looks great! but lets say i dont use that glass and i settle for saphire glass.. or a low iron glass.. somthing that will not cost an arm and a leg.. what $$ would i be looking at?

Pan

03-31-2006, 09:46 AM

Hi all,

Here are a couple pictures of the tank set up at work. It doesn't look as good against the wall as it will when I move it back to the original spot next week:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185new_tank73.JPG

I am going to place it on a base of hockey pucks to raise it up enough for the hoses to clear the slot in the desk top. It shouldn't look quite as "Canadian ghetto" as it sounds :razz: . I will have a puck on each corner and one in the middle of the tank and all recessed a bit so that it looks like the tank is floating an inch off the desk on short black pillars.

This shot is to get a general idea of the aquascaping:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185new_tank24.JPG

looks like a little zen mountain setup :)

i think it might have looked quite neat if the sand was black....
i remeber reading about a guy who loved his white sand, the only way he kept it like that was to replace it all...yes all every month....was like a 500 gallon or something like that...rich european....

Fish

04-02-2006, 05:22 PM

Thanks. I have thought about black sand before too - just not sure how it would look...
The aragonite is pretty cheap to replace every 4 or 5 months... I only use a cup or so and I'm still on my original bag.

- Chad

Fish

04-02-2006, 05:25 PM

looks great! but lets say i dont use that glass and i settle for saphire glass.. or a low iron glass.. somthing that will not cost an arm and a leg.. what $$ would i be looking at?

It is all the same glass, saphire/starfire etc. just different brand names for low iron glass. My tank cost about $200 but some of that expense was for polishing as well.

- Chad

petah

04-03-2006, 05:11 AM

yikes.... $$200 for a foot cube... id rather buy a crystal vase for 20 and get the same effect only alot cheaper... better yet a free large glass jar from work...

prosnow

04-04-2006, 05:35 AM

wow, i never realized how much of a good deal i got on my tank..

i've got to keep up with keeping the glass crystal clear now with everyday cleaning ;)

Fish

04-07-2006, 11:48 PM

yikes.... $$200 for a foot cube... id rather buy a crystal vase for 20 and get the same effect only alot cheaper... better yet a free large glass jar from work...

Haha... except you can't drill crystal and any glass jar you use will be riddled with imperfections and distortions. If you think that's expensive, you should see what the shop would have charged me if I didn't already know a couple of the guys working there. They charge $1 per inch for polishing glass edges. My polishing cost alone on the tank would have been $240 (12" per side x four sides per pane x five panes). This time around I had the shop drill the bulkheads for me (saved me some time)that cost about $10-$15 per hole and then the bulkheads themselves are $5-$10 each.
I'm sure anyone could make a cheaper cube - but don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you have a tank, you have "the same effect". ( :

Good luck,
- Chad

Fish

05-06-2006, 04:51 PM

Yesterday I brought the tank home from the office. I put it on the bookshelf in the kitchen but I am still looking around for a better piece of furniture so that I can keep the 360degree visibility. The topoff sits on the left of the bookshelf and the cannister filter is to the right.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060427051.jpg

As seen from my chair at the dinner table:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/honda919/060427053.jpg

Enjoy,

- Chad

muck

05-06-2006, 05:04 PM

I thought you were selling this bad boy Chad?

Fish

05-06-2006, 05:53 PM

Ryan,
Hey dude. That is the plan but there are a couple components that no one wants. If it doesn't all sell, I will probably just hold on to it...

- Chad

JOSH

08-22-2006, 02:28 AM

how much would be selling this setup for?

KarlK

08-28-2006, 01:47 AM

I'm interested to know as well.

Just curious...

christyf5

08-28-2006, 01:52 AM

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=24800

Fish

08-29-2006, 03:54 PM

Hi everyone,
Sorry that I didn't reply sooner. Yup, it's true. Everything for the aquarium has sold and been shipped out. It was a sad day when the last of it left but not as sad as the day when Ike's new dad came and got him. I already miss the SW scene and spend my nights dreaming about fantasy projects ( :
My wife is not a fan of SW or all the money it cost, and I am going through a phase of downsizing anyway (even selling all my old he-man figures on ebay).
I have the green light to set up a very small freshwater tank in the kitchen. I am planning on using the oportunity to master FW planted,
My goal is to build a planted nano that will run with only very minimal equipment...

Once I start that, I will probably be found in the FW side of the board.
It's only a matter of time until I'm back here though ( :
Cheers,

_ Chad