where to get 135 cube

[asherah]

I'e decided to upgrade to a 135 cube instead of a 60 =p woohoo angels! LoL
So where would the best place to buy be ?
asherah

[digital-audiophile]

Build it the way you want it :)

[Myka]

Do you have limited space? I am just wondering why you would want a cube of that size...? That's not easy to light at all...I suppose a 400W might do the trick. Wait...you said Angels...not a reef then eh? Haha! Watcha gonna do for a 30" light then? PCs? A 30" tank seems awfully small for them big Angels...?

[asherah]

you lost me ?
I was thinking hanging a T5 above it would work
Don't angels only need 80-90 gallons ?

I love the look of the rimless cubes Would you suggest something different ?
asherah

[asherah]

I don't want to Build it i'm worried it wouldn't take the strain of the water lol
asherah

[fatpuffer]

I think he was saying that it would be tough to light it up if you were going to put corals. If it is a fowlr light is not so much an issue.

BTW check you pm.

Js

[asherah]

why is that ? =/

[asherah]

pm sent =p

[asherah]

would you suggest a lon g tank instead ?

[fatpuffer]

SOmething to do with light penetration and the depth of the tank. It will be at least 30 inch deep. It is tougher to light up the deeper tanks.

Jonah

[asherah]

24" deep
will that still be to deep ?

asherah

[fatpuffer]

I think you will def. need MH at least.

Js

[asherah]

oooo ouch ! lol
what's a good light in that range ?

[asherah]

what about this ?
http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=1903

or

24 inch Giesemann Infiniti 1x150W HQI + 4x24W T5 Light Fixture - Silver
pretty pricey tho

or
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Metal_Halide/Sunlight_Supply/Reflectors/Lumen_Max_Horizontal_Reflector_w!_Socket_Assembly_ by_Sunlight_Supply
asherah

[Brent F]

A 135 gal cube would be 32x32x32

That's not a standard size so would need to be custom built. The depth would make it harder to light. The 32" length would require custom stands, hoods, etc and limit your lighting choice (e,g, couldn't use standard 36", 48", 72" fixtures.

Unless this is going to be in the middle of a room the 32 inch front to back wouldn't "show" as nicely as a more traditional shape. For example these three tanks would also be 135 gallons:

48 X 24 X 28
60 X 22 X 25
72 X 18 X 25

I think a 4, 5 or 6 foot long tank with angels would look more attractive than a 32 inch long tank and would probably cost less.
________
Honda VF700S (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_VF700S)

[asherah]

actually i was going to ake it 36 x 36 x 24 but maybe i will just get a long tank instead

[albert_dao]

Doesn't look too hard...

Pop a good 250 watt pendant over the top and you're good to go.

I have a tank that's 36 x 36 x 28 (not set up yet, only filled to leak test). I threw a Lumenmax II 250 watt pendant over it and it looks great.

[asherah]

great! =)
asherah

[asherah]

36 x 36 x 24 Cube Tank. Price: $750.00
sump with refugium $399
WC-2 Waste Container - $75
protein skimmer $275
Quick Release Upgrade $45
MAG 12 $108
Lumenmax II 250 watt pendant - $150
-10,000K 250watt HQI Halide Bulb - Ushio - $86
-Two Little Fishies Red Mangrove Pods
-Ice Cap 250W Electronic Metal Halide Ballast - $158.95
Fiji Live Rock - $571 130lbs
4 Tropic Isle Tahitian Moon Sand - 20 lbs $60


$2678

what do you think? will I need more sand?

[Zylumn]

Looks like you would have a nice setup. 3 things to consider expect to spend a Min. 400 on a decent skimmer, and min. 3 X the amount of sand and 100+ on plumbing.
Kevin

[dsaundry]

I would suggest a long tank for angels. Cubes are nice but I think you would have an easier time with a long tank, both in ease of maintainance and overall fish success..happy holidays

[asherah]

well if angels won't be happy in a cube than i guess i'll get some other fish for it I want the fish to be happy

can anyone recommend a good skimmer ? This is the one I was thinking of getting along with my tank and sump
http://www.myreefcreations.com/psstandard.htm

so Ill need more than 80 pounds of sand ? about 160 pounds ?
asherah

[Skimmerking]

get a ATI BM 250 its an awesome skimmer for the price. I have one and love it lots, pulls amazing crap out of my tank.

[asherah]

kewl thanks =)

[asherah]

$829.00 CDN !!!! yikes!

[Skimmerking]

ya but its worth it I have owned many types of skimmer from Eiro reef's to Becketts and Imo Becketts are good for FOWlr and Euro reefs and BM are good for mixed and SPS systems, they really pull a lot of crap out ,but they pull it out slowly. Becketts yank the crap out.

Im doing a Cube once I get back from Afghanistan in Aug probably do a
30 x30 x 24. with a exteranl over flow too

[vessey]

here is a program for calculating how much sand you need

http://www.reefs.org/library/downloads/sandcalc.exe

vessey

[asherah]

doh
i'm on a mac =p

asherah

[Myka]

As far as skimmers go...SPEND THE MONEY!!! Go with Euro-Reef as minimum (you'd need the RS180)...ATI if you're feeling rich.

If you want Angels then obviously you aren't planning a reef setup. So I am confused as to why people would be suggesting you get a MH setup. Your choice of hanging some T5s over top wouldn't be the best idea because they come in 24" or 36". Power Compact fixtures come in 30". If I were you I would buy 2 dual (double bulbs) 30" fixtures, so you can place one towards the back of the tank, and one towards the front of the tank. They will penetrate 30" just fine for just fish. So I just saved you a bunch of money here to upgrade your skimmer.

Now if you ever thought of upgrading to a reef, you could maybe pull off a 250W HQI MH (mogul would never cut it), but you'd have to have good water clarity. Numerous T5s would also work with optimal water clarity. If you're just learning then I would suggest a 400W MH as they will easily penetrate the 30" depth.

There is NO WAY in heck you're gonna fit 130 lbs of live rock in that cube and have room for the fish to swim. With a FOWLR I don't see the need to put more than 70-80 lbs in there. So that just saved you more money to upgrade your skimmer! :D

BUT, I'd go with a traditionally shaped tank. Larger fish will be MUCH happier. With the cube you will be limited not by the gallons of your tank, but by the length of your tank. You would need to pick fish that are happy with a 30" tank, which means you're not gonna be able to put anything in there that gets bigger than about 4", OR anything that is a very active swimmer. That's a whole lotta little fishies in that big tank. PLUS, that cube is gonna look tiny compared to a 4' or 6' version.

I would suggest a 120 with measurements of 48" x 24" x 24". Then enjoy your Angels (not the huge species though). Or a 180 72x24x24...then you can get the biiiiig Angels! :D

[asherah]

Well I think I would rather hae a reef =p So I'll go with the metal halides

80 pounds of rock
180 gallon Tank--3/4. Price: $1525.00 - EURO-BRACED somewhere better to get it ?
sump with refugium $399
AquaC EV-180 Protein Skimmer With Mag-Drive 7 Pump
Lumen max II 250 watt pendant - $150 or 400watts
-10,000K 250watt HQI Halide Bulb - Ushio - $86
-Ice Cap 250W Electronic Metal Halide Ballast - $158.95
-Two Little Fishies Red Mangrove Pods
koralia 4 - $48 More ?
Fiji Live Rock - $381 80 pounds
Tropic Isle Tahitian Moon Sand - 8 - 20 lbs $112
plumbing - $100

[michika]

Sounds like you have some good ideas going for this new cube of yours. So I take it you are going to go for a reef. Are you going to put dwarf angels in? Granted they are hit or miss, and you did say you wanted some angels.

May I ask why the Mangroves, instead of say cheato, or another macroalgae?

A few suggestions of things to include in your design;
- unions and valves before & after any pumps if needed.
- an area for timers and plugs preferably up high
- drip loops
- GFCI plugs
- Consider how tall you are vs. how tall you stand is, in short, can you reach all the areas of your tank.
- Can you feed/put your hand in your tank without burning yourself on your lights

Just a few things I learned the hard way (except the GFCI thing). Hopefully they help you a bit in setting up your new system.

Have you thought of a stocking list at all? If you are going to go 180 are you going to have it built, or look for a pre-build model? If you are having it built you may want to consider going shallower, and longer. Fish like say tangs, and chromis are more side to side swimmers then say up and down like seahorses are.

Something else that might help you along with a few ideas here and there is looking over everyone else's tank journals. There are lots of great ideas in there that don't often get discussed or pointed out.

Good luck!

[asherah]

Well I think i' going to go get this 220 from this guy in edmonton the only thing is that it isn't rimless but it's $200 with an overflow
ah well
anyway it's 48" x 30" x 36"

asherah