Matteo's 60 Gallon Cadlights Cube!

[Matteo]

Okay so towards the end of June I will be purchasing a whole new setup. Here is a list of equipment but I need help deciding which equipment is best. The 24in cube will be stocked with all variations of coral, CUC, Fish: 1 Maroon Clown, Pair of Snowflake or Picasso Clowns, Purple Tang (last), Royal Gramma, and possibly others.

 

Cadlights 60 gallon cube already has stand, sump, and return pump.

(Help) Lighting: Either Nano Box Duo, or Kessil 360 NE? or WE?.

(Help) Skimmer: Any decent skimmer under 200 would be nice.

200 watt ehiem jagur heater

(Help) Circulation: Either MP10 or Maxspect Gyre. Who prefers what and do you have on cube?

(Help) Best Place to buy online dry reef saver rock?

TLF Reactor with carbon, Should I get another for either gfo or bio pellets? Sump will have refugium with cheato.

Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152 (the tank has clear cover for reduction of evap)

(Help) Best sand and why?

(HELP) Controller, everyone seems to love the APEX. Do you think needed? or fun expensive toy?

 

Obviously this will be a build and I will definitely keep posted when I make the large order from MarineDepot. Delivery day will be like Christmas/Birthday/4th of July.

 

 

BUT for now with preparation time I would really really love input so I can put together a masterpiece of an aquarium my landlord most likely will never know about;)

[Nanofreak79]

First off congrats, tanks from cad are pretty sweet, IMO. Everyone will probably tell you nanobox, but the kessil w would be nice too. I personally, if going with nanobox, would do a retro with T5's. Skimmer, maybe a SCA-302, coral box D300 or D500, BM curve 5...just to name a few under $200. I've had vortech pumps, and liked them very well. I just switched to the gyre pumps, and love them! Either is a fine choice. Cheaper would be the jeabo pumps, which are decent for the $. I usually buy from Amazon or just google what I want and see who has best deal. Most things mentioned have a set price, so no matter where you order you'll find same, unless there's a sale. I have the TLF reactors, there ok so are the BRS reactors. People will say don't mix carbon and gfo, but I do on one tank and not the other. Gfo does not have to tumble to be effective. Apex all the way! Fun toy and also very nice tank controller, with so many options to control things. I always used RKL's, and everyone has crapped out on me, as well as poor CS and very little control over anything, just on off or auto. Sand....well, I use caribsea. Reef flakes are cool too. I personally if I were new would Google the shit out of all this stuff, it'll give you a better idea of what you want to buy. Videos are great as well, BRS has many. My only words of wisdom is buy once, try not to cut corners as it will save you money in the future....

[Steensj2004]

Okay so towards the end of June I will be purchasing a whole new setup. Here is a list of equipment but I need help deciding which equipment is best. The 24in cube will be stocked with all variations of coral, CUC, Fish: 1 Maroon Clown, Pair of Snowflake or Picasso Clowns, Purple Tang (last), Royal Gramma, and possibly others.

 

Cadlights 60 gallon cube already has stand, sump, and return pump.

(Help) Lighting: Either Nano Box Duo, or Kessil 360 NE? or WE?.

Budget for a light would help people make suggestions. Nanobox is amazing, A Kessil or Radion XR30w would work well too.

(Help) Skimmer: Any decent skimmer under 200 would be nice.

Please, don't skimp here, you will kick yourself in the a@@ later. Try to find a nice used one in the classifieds. Reef Octopus or a Skimz 123 would work well.

200 watt ehiem jagur heater

(Help) Circulation: Either MP10 or Maxspect Gyre. Who prefers what and do you have on cube?

Either will work great, I love both, my Gyre was hard to get just right for flow, but now it's rocking it's face off!

(Help) Best Place to buy online dry reef saver rock?

BRS, Ordered from several places and it was the best I've gotten

TLF Reactor with carbon, Should I get another for either gfo or bio pellets? Sump will have refugium with cheato.

Try a Coral Compulsion Par30 Refugium light, mine grows macro like CRAZY. also, IMHO, run carbon passively in a bag and save reactor for other media

Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152 (the tank has clear cover for reduction of evap)

If you get a controller, run your ATO through the controller, otherwise any of the ones people usually talk about work great

(Help) Best sand and why?

Subjective, i will say that ultra fine sand will blow around like crazy. Fuji Pink is my favorite.

(HELP) Controller, everyone seems to love the APEX. Do you think needed? or fun expensive toy?

People will argue about this, here is what I think..... I always thought it was a fancy toy.......then I bought one. Apex, Digital Aquatics, it doesn't matter, the ability to control, monitor, and customize is worth its weight in gold. Stability is the name of the game, and when you can keep the temperature within .5 degrees, monitor Salinity, Run doser pumps, turn lights on and off, monitor leaks, run Auto Top Off/ Auto Water Change, and so on, it makes a HUGE difference. Needed no, but if you can swing it, absolutely get one!

Obviously this will be a build and I will definitely keep posted when I make the large order from MarineDepot. Delivery day will be like Christmas/Birthday/4th of July.

 

 

BUT for now with preparation time I would really really love input so I can put together a masterpiece of an aquarium my landlord most likely will never know about;)

Other things to consider and account for in the budget:

-Test Kits. I suggest Salifert or NYOS.

-Are you going to buy water or mix your own?

-General supplies like tongs, buckets, siphon tubes for water chages, etc.

-Refractometer/hydrometer, I suggest the refractometer as it is better and more accurate.

 

 

[Matteo]

Thanks everyone for the input. I currently have a 29 gallon biocube with softies, lps, sps and misc. I have been keeping reefs for awhile but really just want a nice a$$ tank. For lighting I really don't want to spend more than 500 which is what the duo is looking to be. Everything I read I heard Nano Box is just way to go. I decided for now I want to hold off on the controller and ATO. It saves me like a good chunk. So light will be Nano Box Duo, Skimz Skimmer, Pink Fiji Sand (40lbs?) and 40lbs of reef saver rock. For circulation I was thinking of placing GYRE in the back facing front with one of the fans pointed down and the other more up. Thoughts on that and everything else?

[Matteo]

Just an update, ordering everything soon. I wont be home between the 12-22nd so I have to wait BUT! talking with Dave and going to be ordering the NanoBox Quad which will be more than enough light, decided on the Reef Octopus 110 skimmer, and the Gyre 130 ( which I think I will but in the back vertically). Only going to get 20lbs of Fiji pink and 20lbs of something heavier. I don't want everything blowing around too much with the gyre. Also going to do 35lbs of dry rock because I already have a good amount of mature rock in the 29biocube.

Now my biggest question is; can I simply fill the tank up with RODI water and make sure the salinity and pH is the same add all my existing live rock and sand. Once everything is all settled down and clear I can just simply add all the live stock, correct? There will probably be a mini cycle and a small diatom bloom as always but that's whatever.

[Steensj2004]

Just an update, ordering everything soon. I wont be home between the 12-22nd so I have to wait BUT! talking with Dave and going to be ordering the NanoBox Quad which will be more than enough light, decided on the Reef Octopus 110 skimmer, and the Gyre 130 ( which I think I will but in the back vertically). Only going to get 20lbs of Fiji pink and 20lbs of something heavier. I don't want everything blowing around too much with the gyre. Also going to do 35lbs of dry rock because I already have a good amount of mature rock in the 29biocube.

Now my biggest question is; can I simply fill the tank up with RODI water and make sure the salinity and pH is the same add all my existing live rock and sand. Once everything is all settled down and clear I can just simply add all the live stock, correct? There will probably be a mini cycle and a small diatom bloom as always but that's whatever.

As long as you match salinity and PH, place the LR right back into the tank so there is no die off, the rock is cured. This should allow you to get away without a huge cycle if any at all.