mother._.puffer’s Project: Candy Dish Pico (WB Cube 4)

[EmilyxLC]

Well, I figured that this would be the perfect time to kick start my build thread for the Candy Dish.

 

Long story short, this little tank has been used as the candy dish at Waterbox HQ & it came home with me as a project— to go from holding fruit snacks to acans.  🙂

 

Just a bit ago, I finished setting up everything and tomorrow I will be breaking open the live sand, circulating saltwater & dropping in some Bio Balls/live rock that I have had circulating in the Reef Pro 230.6 Dream Build in our lobby.
 

Anyway, I’m excited to see everyone else’s little pico setups, especially those that are Cube 4s!

[mitten_reef]

Acan pico?  should be fun. 

[Grmreapr]

I have a cube 4 and 7 sitting in boxes in my basement unused lol I wish they didn’t stop making them I would pick up more!!! I can’t wait to see what you do with this, this may be the motivation I need to actually start them.

[Tired]

Sounds great, it looks like a really nice tank. 

 

You definitely need at LEAST one coral named after a candy, of course. 

[EmilyxLC]

3 hours ago, mitten_reef said:

Acan pico?  should be fun. 

Honestly, it was between that & Zoanthids but I feel like Acans never get the love they deserve & they most DEFINITELY even look like candies, themselves.  That’s why they’re my favorite. 😍

 

3 hours ago, Grmreapr said:

I have a cube 4 and 7 sitting in boxes in my basement unused lol I wish they didn’t stop making them I would pick up more!!! I can’t wait to see what you do with this, this may be the motivation I need to actually start them.

You should most definitely get them set up!  My favorite thing about the Cube is that it’s the perfect desktop tank regardless of model, although I have to say the 4, 7 & 10 are the best options for it, IMO.  I have my Cube 10 at my desk at the office & it made me fall in love with the Cube as a whole.

 

3 hours ago, Tired said:

Sounds great, it looks like a really nice tank. 

 

You definitely need at LEAST one coral named after a candy, of course. 

Oh, absolutely!  I know I’ll find the perfect ones... probably from WWC or LRO knowing my shopping habits lol

[Reefkid88]

This will be just up my alley. Pico,cube,acan's..#perfection. 

[debbeach13]

Can’t wait to see this set. Following 

[EmilyxLC]

10 hours ago, Reefkid88 said:

This will be just up my alley. Pico,cube,acan's..#perfection. 

Same!  I’ve been keeping nanos for a couple of years now, but this will be my very first pico!  I hope I can help it thrive.  😍

 

9 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

Can’t wait to see this set. Following 

Yay!  Thank you so much!  I hope I don’t disappoint. ☺️

[EmilyxLC]

Yay!  The Candy Dish is wet; I repeat: THE CANDY DISH IS WET!

 

I’ve just added in my live sand, and now we just wait for everything to clear up.  Tomorrow I’ll be bringing home some live rock and bio balls that have been running in the Dream Build at HQ, so we can jump start this process a little bit. 
 

My next step is to figure out what to do with lighting— I am a huge fan of the AI Prime, but was considering entertaining other options; I do have limitations due to most light arms being too tall to fit underneath my hanging cabinets.  I’m literally the least handy person in the world, so I’d rather not have to mount anything to the bottom of the cabinet.  Anyone have any tips?

[TatorTaco]

What’s the clearance between the tank and the bottom of the cabinets above the tank?

 

I love my Primes, but you could get an A80 for half the price and it’ll still be plenty of light and look good. 

[Grmreapr]

I have an A80 for the 4 but I also picked up a aquaknight v2 recently that I have been hoping to try. Another good one to look into would be nanobox. 

[EmilyxLC]

21 hours ago, TatorTaco said:

What’s the clearance between the tank and the bottom of the cabinets above the tank?

 

I love my Primes, but you could get an A80 for half the price and it’ll still be plenty of light and look good. 

Hmmm...  it looks like I have around 9 3/4 (LOL) inches between the bottom of the cabinet, and the top rim of the aquarium.  I’m definitely not familiar with any non-AI lighting, but perhaps it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to venture out.  I’ll definitely consider the A80.

 

20 hours ago, Grmreapr said:

I have an A80 for the 4 but I also picked up a aquaknight v2 recently that I have been hoping to try. Another good one to look into would be nanobox. 

Have you had any personal experience with the nanobox?

[debbeach13]

I have a old model nanoboz duo On my 20l. No blue tooth or any adjustments. It is all on or all off on a timer but I love it. Besides high clearance how wide is the tank? Maybe a low profile fixture like a current? Not sure the smallest size might still be too long.

[Grmreapr]

No I have not but I know some people who run them and love it. Personally I would just go with an AI prime due to it being all in one with an app while the A80 you have to buy a separate controller if you want to take full advantage of the light. The mounting is the tricky part it seems you have very limited clearance. Maybe a 12” flex arm with some fanageling.

[Grmreapr]

The aquaknight V2 should fit .

[EmilyxLC]

Well, I ended up getting consumed with work so I’m late, but here’s the latest:

- Candy Dish was clear by morning, of course.

- Brought home my chönk of live rock I’ve had circulating at work.  It’s too big.  🙃

- Found a killer fish-themed plate at Target to use for Candy Dish maintenance time (see photo).

- Operation: Bio Balls is complete; I have seeded the Candy Dish with some Bio Balls that have spent the last couple of months circulating in our show tank in the office.  I don’t generally *keep* Bio Balls in my system, but I find them helpful when starting things up.

 

Enjoy this beautiful photo of my prized plate, hard at work.

[EmilyxLC]

On 5/26/2020 at 9:27 PM, debbeach13 said:

I have a old model nanoboz duo On my 20l. No blue tooth or any adjustments. It is all on or all off on a timer but I love it. Besides high clearance how wide is the tank? Maybe a low profile fixture like a current? Not sure the smallest size might still be too long.

Only 10” wide!  It’s so tiny; I never thought I’d have a setup this small.  I’ve lost my mind.

 

On 5/27/2020 at 1:10 PM, Grmreapr said:

No I have not but I know some people who run them and love it. Personally I would just go with an AI prime due to it being all in one with an app while the A80 you have to buy a separate controller if you want to take full advantage of the light. The mounting is the tricky part it seems you have very limited clearance. Maybe a 12” flex arm with some fanageling.

Ohhh, you are right.  I have ALL Primes & Hydras already...  not to mention my Nero 5s.  That would make sense to stick with AI for the sake of having everything in one app.

[Tired]

Get yourself a hammer and/or chisel and you can make that rock into many smaller rocks. I've recently discovered the freedom of chiseling your rock to make it more cooperative, and it's great. Assuming it's a piece that's OK if you break it kinda unpredictably, it's worth a try.

[EmilyxLC]

2 hours ago, Tired said:

Get yourself a hammer and/or chisel and you can make that rock into many smaller rocks. I've recently discovered the freedom of chiseling your rock to make it more cooperative, and it's great. Assuming it's a piece that's OK if you break it kinda unpredictably, it's worth a try.

I’d thought about breaking it down, but honestly I had chosen that piece due to its unique dome/cave shape, so there wouldn’t be a good way for me to break it down & it still be able to keep its original appeal.  No worries; I’ll find something this weekend!

[EmilyxLC]

Yay, I finally have an update worth sharing!  Our cycle is now complete, and it’s just about time to add the sole fish.  I ended up going with the Zetlight ZA1201 Pico LED Light.  It had pretty stellar reviews on BRS & I figured at $60, it was worth a shot.

 

It was incredibly easy to assemble & has rather impressive output for such an inexpensive light.  It has 3 modes:  White, Blue & Off.

 

Happy 4th, y’all!

 

[Tired]

Looks good. IMO, you should add a place your fish can go underneath to get out of the light, though. Fish don't have eyelids, so I like to give them overhangs to tuck under.

[EmilyxLC]

5 hours ago, Tired said:

Looks good. IMO, you should add a place your fish can go underneath to get out of the light, though. Fish don't have eyelids, so I like to give them overhangs to tuck under.

I have some additional rock that will be added shortly— no worries.  🙂

[Tamberav]

Awesome! I wish they still sold these little cute tanks, I really like them. They could send a pack of fruit-snacks with each one 😉

[EmilyxLC]

On 7/5/2020 at 12:38 AM, Tamberav said:

Awesome! I wish they still sold these little cute tanks, I really like them. They could send a pack of fruit-snacks with each one 😉

We hated to see them go, but we definitely wanted to focus more on the 2 most popular Cube models-- the 10 and 20.  I LOVE the idea of having them sent with fruit snack packets; they are the ULTIMATE snack.  😄

[Elizabeth94]

So cute! I have a Waterbox 7 sitting dry. Trying to get my other half into the hobby with it. I have everything its needs besides a light. 
 

Looking forward to seeing an acan garden!