60g rimless cube build - Page 3

cellingson · 02/10/2018, 12:59 PM

And as you can see the sea urchin made it into the sump. The guy was a beast and ate everything in its path, including the coraline algae, perhaps that is how it stayed so pink.

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cellingson · 02/12/2018, 07:53 PM

Added a few corals from a local guy here in anchorage.

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cellingson · 02/13/2018, 07:27 PM

I bought this UV light off Amazon. Great price!
Well the think is a tank. Not sure if it will fit under my tank well. Will have to mess with it when I get some time in a few days
I know there is some debate on the value of UV lights. I do believe they are effective in algae control and perhaps in preventing the spread of parasites that may be floating in the water. UV sterilizer are used heavily in the pond industry to control algae blooms. I have used them in my discus aquariums in the past for disease prevention. Before using them my water always was a slight brown/green color after a water change. Once the UV light was installed it would come out crystal clear. So I am going to give it a try here.

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cellingson · 02/15/2018, 01:42 PM

Starting to look at fish and decided I need to put a top on my tank.
I think most rimless tank owners like the open top and the sleek color of glass and water as it reflects light. I wanted to preserve that.
I was really impressed with the artful acrylics screen tops I have seen but to have one built for me and shipped to Alaska would cost about $250. That was too much for me. I thought about getting the BRS screen tops but they look pretty ugly.
So I decided to try and make my own.
I bought this 2X2 ft piece of 1/4" polycarbonate off Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XH...rch&th=1&psc=1
And this netting for the top.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WN...o_pop_mb_pd_t1

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cellingson · 02/15/2018, 02:31 PM

I started by taping out what I wanted the final look to be.

Initially I thought I would cut around the inside with a Dremel. But this looked to take way to long and moved to the miter saw. Which worked awesome!

As it turns out this polycarbonate is nearly impossible to cut if you try to cut pieces off. It pops and bends like crazy. But cutting the middle while leaving the outsides intact for support worked great. I also sandwiched the material in wood. I didn't cut all the way through each side and used the dremel to complete the cut in each corner.
The blade was a 60 tooth carbide.

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cellingson · 02/15/2018, 02:32 PM

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cellingson · 02/15/2018, 02:36 PM

As you can see the lid sits in top of the glass.
I really wanted it to drop in the tank a bit.
I used my table saw to cut out a saw blades width from the outer edge and about 1/2 in depth. I did this on all sides. This essentially created a rabbett around the tops edge so it would drop into the tank.

Finally I added the netting. I cut small squares and used Weldon 16 to glue them around the inner edge and stretched the netting into place.

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cellingson · 02/15/2018, 06:33 PM

Here are a few more shots of the edge.

And the tabs

And the final product

Not sure if anyone has ideas on what to do about condensation? I have thought about putting is gaps on the edge but not sure.

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cellingson · 02/25/2018, 10:20 PM

Looking for some thoughts from anyone with experience in this.
The live rock from Fiji can full of surprises. A large number of anemones, up to 7, and saw a couple of zooanthids the other day. Any help in identifying type of anemone would be awesome. From my research I think the larger green one is a sabae but not sure.

Here are some of the smaller ones.

But it also has some cons. There is lobophora that is starting to spread and I am not sure how to deal with it. My nitrates and phosphates remain zero. I don't want to try and get a Naso and rehome later:
Here are some picks.

Thought???

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cellingson · 03/20/2018, 07:52 PM

Update.
Algae is now non existent. Added that UV light and pushing water really slowly through it. Water is crystal clear. Tried adding an algae scraper. But even that isn't growing much algae.
However still fighting lobophora hard. It seems like it is slowly spreading. Tried a sally light foot crab and a kole tang but neither one seems to be making a dent in it. I sometimes see my Mexican tubo go threw it but not sure if it is doing much. Lots of hermits, astrea, and other snails and not much is touching it. Any thoughts??
Otherwise tank parameters on check. Corals growing well. Montis are spreading, acropora growing, mushrooms starting to divide, and acan has 4 new heads.

cellingson · 03/20/2018, 08:00 PM

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cellingson · 05/27/2018, 06:20 PM

Things were going well. No algae issues. Corals slowly getting bigger. All fish were happy and gloating to myself that I had only lost one snail in the whole setup to date.

Well I guess that is when nature teaches you something.

3 nights ago I noticed my tank water was low and return pump filling the tank with air. There was water on the floor. I quickly shut the thing down and starting cleaning up the estimated 5 gallons. I then examined the tank looking for a trail of water that would point to the leak. I had my sump leak once before but this water must be coming from the tank as my stand was wet at the top where the tank sits. I decided to refill the tank with a gallon of water and see where the leak was coming from. Sure enough the joint in the back corner was leaking. And then before my eyes it started to spread downward. I held the edges together while my wife drained the tank below the joint separation. About halfway.

I put some heavy tape around the corner of the compromised joint and things are stable for now. I have resealed the joint as well with a needle and syringe using silicone. I was able to move all the corals and rock below the water line, adjust the pumps so they too are below the water line and moved the heater from the sump upward to keep the tank inhabitants warm. So far the fish and inverts seem to be okay.

I am thinking this is a good time to get a new tank. I am going to go with another cube, likely a bit bigger and definitely better quality. The tank I had was a 60g Mr. Aqua rimless 24in cube.

Overall happy the whole tank didn't just empty in my house overnight. So this thread ends and another begins.

Happy reefing gents.

Oh and I am in for recommendations on a company to build my new tank.

02/10/2018, 12:59 PM	#51
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	And as you can see the sea urchin made it into the sump. The guy was a beast and ate everything in its path, including the coraline algae, perhaps that is how it stayed so pink. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/12/2018, 07:53 PM	#52
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	Added a few corals from a local guy here in anchorage. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/13/2018, 07:27 PM	#53
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	I bought this UV light off Amazon. Great price! Well the think is a tank. Not sure if it will fit under my tank well. Will have to mess with it when I get some time in a few days I know there is some debate on the value of UV lights. I do believe they are effective in algae control and perhaps in preventing the spread of parasites that may be floating in the water. UV sterilizer are used heavily in the pond industry to control algae blooms. I have used them in my discus aquariums in the past for disease prevention. Before using them my water always was a slight brown/green color after a water change. Once the UV light was installed it would come out crystal clear. So I am going to give it a try here. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/15/2018, 01:42 PM	#54
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	Starting to look at fish and decided I need to put a top on my tank. I think most rimless tank owners like the open top and the sleek color of glass and water as it reflects light. I wanted to preserve that. I was really impressed with the artful acrylics screen tops I have seen but to have one built for me and shipped to Alaska would cost about $250. That was too much for me. I thought about getting the BRS screen tops but they look pretty ugly. So I decided to try and make my own. I bought this 2X2 ft piece of 1/4" polycarbonate off Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XH...rch&th=1&psc=1 And this netting for the top. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WN...o_pop_mb_pd_t1 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/15/2018, 02:31 PM	#55
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	I started by taping out what I wanted the final look to be. Initially I thought I would cut around the inside with a Dremel. But this looked to take way to long and moved to the miter saw. Which worked awesome! As it turns out this polycarbonate is nearly impossible to cut if you try to cut pieces off. It pops and bends like crazy. But cutting the middle while leaving the outsides intact for support worked great. I also sandwiched the material in wood. I didn't cut all the way through each side and used the dremel to complete the cut in each corner. The blade was a 60 tooth carbide. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/15/2018, 02:32 PM	#56
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/15/2018, 02:36 PM	#57
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	As you can see the lid sits in top of the glass. I really wanted it to drop in the tank a bit. I used my table saw to cut out a saw blades width from the outer edge and about 1/2 in depth. I did this on all sides. This essentially created a rabbett around the tops edge so it would drop into the tank. Finally I added the netting. I cut small squares and used Weldon 16 to glue them around the inner edge and stretched the netting into place. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/15/2018, 06:33 PM	#58
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	Here are a few more shots of the edge. And the tabs And the final product Not sure if anyone has ideas on what to do about condensation? I have thought about putting is gaps on the edge but not sure. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02/25/2018, 10:20 PM	#59
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	Looking for some thoughts from anyone with experience in this. The live rock from Fiji can full of surprises. A large number of anemones, up to 7, and saw a couple of zooanthids the other day. Any help in identifying type of anemone would be awesome. From my research I think the larger green one is a sabae but not sure. Here are some of the smaller ones. But it also has some cons. There is lobophora that is starting to spread and I am not sure how to deal with it. My nitrates and phosphates remain zero. I don't want to try and get a Naso and rehome later: Here are some picks. Thought??? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03/20/2018, 07:52 PM	#60
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	Update. Algae is now non existent. Added that UV light and pushing water really slowly through it. Water is crystal clear. Tried adding an algae scraper. But even that isn't growing much algae. However still fighting lobophora hard. It seems like it is slowly spreading. Tried a sally light foot crab and a kole tang but neither one seems to be making a dent in it. I sometimes see my Mexican tubo go threw it but not sure if it is doing much. Lots of hermits, astrea, and other snails and not much is touching it. Any thoughts?? Otherwise tank parameters on check. Corals growing well. Montis are spreading, acropora growing, mushrooms starting to divide, and acan has 4 new heads.

03/20/2018, 08:00 PM	#61
cellingson Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 58	Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk