Mr. Microscope's Cube 2.1

[Mr. Microscope]

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my next build and came to the conclusion that I'd like to attempt to build the tank from scratch (Thank you eitallent for the inspiration!). My new tank, however will be very large and probably not a good idea for my first attempt. I've been unhappy with my current sump. It's baffles are made out of acrylic that aren't secure, the skimmer is in a spot were the water level is constantly changing making it inefficient, the fuge is too small and often getting chaeto in the return pump, and the volume is very small (like 5 gallons). So, I've decided building a sump from scratch would be a great learning experience for trying to build an aquarium. I called up a local glass company and they quoted me $69 for the glass already cut and with the edges cleaned up. All I'd have to do is silicone the pieces together.

The tank will be 15" x 15" x 12". This is about the max that will comfortably fit in my stand. It will be made out of 1/4"/6mm glass.

Here's the design.
This image contains my NAC3 Bubble Magus, TLF Phosban Reactor, and return pump (the little black box). It also leaves room for a few other things like an additional reactor and/or an ATO.

Right now, I'm using filter floss. This design incorporates a filter sock. The water goes under a baffle into the skimmer area, then though a bubble trap to the fuge. From the fuge, the water goes through some overflow teeth into the return area containing the return pump, reactor, and soon to be ATO.

Here's a top view.

Side view.


Please offer any constructive criticism or comments! Thanks!

[ward827]

All I can say is those schematic drawings are excellent! W-

[Spirofucci]

Wow! Looks great!!

 

I have never use filter socks but after I finished my research and got a sump by Jeff @ Lifereef, I really like the sponge he provides or you can use filter pads. I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to both......

 

Very cool that you are doing all this from scratch!!!!

[jlbzixxer]

nice design, 69 bucks that sound like a good deal for cut and finish glass

[Reefmaster1996]

I was bout to say exactly what bluprntguy said.

[Mr. Microscope]

All I can say is those schematic drawings are excellent! W-

Thanks ward!

Wow! Looks great!!

 

I have never use filter socks but after I finished my research and got a sump by Jeff @ Lifereef, I really like the sponge he provides or you can use filter pads. I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to both......

 

Very cool that you are doing all this from scratch!!!!

I've never used a filter sock either. I appreciate your input on the filter pads. I figured a sock would be better than the filter floss I'm using cause I have to continually replace it. With the sock, I'm thinking I could just rinse it out frequently.

Thanks Spiro!

nice design, 69 bucks that sound like a good deal for cut and finish glass

Thanks jlbzixxer! I haven't done much price shoping yet. I just called up the closest place to me. It's got good yelp reviews. I'm glad to hear you think it's a good deal.

Nice job on the design.

 

You may want to make the return area a little smaller. That should be the only area where the water fluctuates and activates the ATO. The smaller the compartment is, the less water has to evaporate to activate the ATO, the more stable your salinity will be.

 

My return area is about 5x7, and that's enough room for the ATO sensor, a heater, filter media, and the return pump.

 

You also want to make sure there is plenty of water height. 7-9 inches should be good.

Thanks BPG! I was considering that and making the sump area larger. Though, because of the small water volume, I was also thinking about drilling a hole close to the bottom of the baffle to allow for the fuge to also serve as a return area. I don't have the ATO yet. So, evap may be an issue. I guess I should just bite the bullet and build an ATO as well.

I was bout to say exactly what bluprntguy said.

Thanks for the backup Reefmaster!

[NanoTopia]

Tried my best to find something wrong with it, and I couldn't. haha.

 

Looks solid enough to me

[jball1125]

Design looks good, look forward to more.

[eitallent]

Hey, great plan to practice on the sump first. Would you mind if I steal your sump plan when and if I get one?

[Mr. Microscope]

Tried my best to find something wrong with it, and I couldn't. haha.

 

Looks solid enough to me

Thanks NanoTopia!

Design looks good, look forward to more.

Thanks jball! I'll be building it as soon as I find the spare fundage/timage.

Hey, great plan to practice on the sump first. Would you mind if I steal your sump plan when and if I get one?

Thanks eitallent! Please do! Let me know when you need it and I can send you the design file.

[Reefmaster1996]

Just to add the bigger the sump/fuge the better(easy to maintain/ clean out equipment, extra nutrient exportation, etc) but If you can incorporate a ato section that would be even better. Personally I would go a bit higher on the side panels just to accomodate water from the display from a back siphon coming from the returns in the tank, but that is not necessary if you have check valves in the returns. Some may do it anyway just for redundancy (like me). If I were you I would make the sump 16" instead of 12" due to precaution, that would also help keep salt creep in the sump from water splashing, accommodate about 4 gallons of back siphon ( tank level dropping 3 inches from water sucked back into sump via returns when the power goes out and the main pump is off), and just add that extra safety feature that really helps you sleep at night and not worry about your tank at all. Just my .02. Good luck

[Mr. Microscope]

Just to add the bigger the sump/fuge the better(easy to maintain/ clean out equipment, extra nutrient exportation, etc) but If you can incorporate a ato section that would be even better. Personally I would go a bit higher on the side panels just to accomodate water from the display from a back siphon coming from the returns in the tank, but that is not necessary if you have check valves in the returns. Some may do it anyway just for redundancy (like me). If I were you I would make the sump 16" instead of 12" due to precaution, that would also help keep salt creep in the sump from water splashing, accommodate about 4 gallons of back siphon ( tank level dropping 3 inches from water sucked back into sump via returns when the power goes out and the main pump is off), and just add that extra safety feature that really helps you sleep at night and not worry about your tank at all. Just my .02. Good luck

Hey RM! I've been considering going a little higher with it, but I'm concerned about working space under my stand. It's a little cramped in there. Maybe I can split the difference and go to 14 inches. I have accounted for extra water volume in case of a power outage already, but it couldn't hurt to add a few gallons. Thanks for the ideas!

[Reefmaster1996]

That's was the only thing that I thought of that would make 16" not practical 14 would be best then, no one likes a cramped sump. It makes maintnance a pain and even makes some people not do it.

[rO.oster]

hey, good to see you're grappling with some DIY, enjoy the process!!

 

And those bristle worms are creeeepy! Nice vid earlier.

[Mr. Microscope]

That's was the only thing that I thought of that would make 16" not practical 14 would be best then, no one likes a cramped sump. It makes maintnance a pain and even makes some people not do it.

Yup, went in and measured last night. I think 14 will work. Thanks again for the suggestion. Those extra two inches will give me another two gallon safety buffer. I can't wait to get this thing going!

hey, good to see you're grappling with some DIY, enjoy the process!! And those bristle worms are creeeepy! Nice vid earlier.

Thanks Rooster! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[--chris--]

Kind of an odd question, but how do you like the Finnex Heater controller?

[Mr. Microscope]

Kind of an odd question, but how do you like the Finnex Heater controller?

The jury is still out, but it seems to be working. Sometimes it seems like the temp is too low and the heaters aren't on, but I need to pay more attention to it. Perhaps my heaters are not good enough. BTW, I have the outlet split. So, I have two 100 Watt heaters plugged into the system. One is located in my overflow and the other is in the sump. I also think the temp readout is a bit low. My alcohol thermometer reads about 76 when the readout on the Finnex says 73.

[Hexadron]

Wow everything looks amazing, and I love your videos What software do you use to edit them?

[Mr. Microscope]

Thanks JDH! I use Final Cut Pro. That was my first and second time using it. It seems pretty user friendly. I have another big update coming up very soon and am planning to add another video.

[Arkayology]

That's a great looking sump design. The only thing I can think of is that it might be annoying to light a fuge that is long and skinny like that. Maybe move the fuge to where the skimmer is on the diagram and move the skimmer to the right of the filter sock box. That way you can see into the fuge easier and it is easy to light. If you paint the sides black, you won't get any spill over either. Just a thought. I also like the comments made above.

[Mr. Microscope]

That's a great looking sump design. The only thing I can think of is that it might be annoying to light a fuge that is long and skinny like that. Maybe move the fuge to where the skimmer is on the diagram and move the skimmer to the right of the filter sock box. That way you can see into the fuge easier and it is easy to light. If you paint the sides black, you won't get any spill over either. Just a though. I also like the comments made above.

Hi Ark! Thanks for your suggestions about my design. You make a good point about lighting just the fuge. I recently added a clip on light. I put a halogen bulb in it because I read halogen is good for growing chaeto, but I'm definitely thinking about another solution. It lights up the whole stand no problem, but it's really heating up the tank. I'll probably wire up some LED's soon.

[Hexadron]

Thanks JDH! I use Final Cut Pro. That was my first and second time using it. It seems pretty user friendly. I have another big update coming up very soon and am planning to add another video.

I started playing around with it a bit as well. It is definitely easier than I originally thought it would be. Can't wait for the update!

 

For the lighting, maybe you could look into some NW or WW Par30/38 bulbs. I'm sure you could get one off ebay or one of the LED websites. Probably not too expensive either, maybe worth a shot? Save electricity for sure as well as heat.

[Mr. Microscope]

I started playing around with it a bit as well. It is definitely easier than I originally thought it would be. Can't wait for the update!

 

For the lighting, maybe you could look into some NW or WW Par30/38 bulbs. I'm sure you could get one off ebay or one of the LED websites. Probably not too expensive either, maybe worth a shot? Save electricity for sure as well as heat.

I've got some buckpucks and heat sinks left over from my pico build. All I need to get is a couple of Crees. Though, I might just go with a PAR 30 for laziness.

[markalot]

Ha,

 

the picture isn't updated but the title is. Hopefully I am the first to say...

 

 

CONGRATS!

[Mr. Microscope]

Hey All!

I just made TOTM!

Check out the profile and thread!