25G Rimless cube build

[pbradley0]

I'm in the process of building a 25g rimless cube. I plan on keeping softies, LPS, and a few SPS. I'm doing a lot of DIY and I hope to document it here.

A few details:
25 gallon rimless cube. Mr. Aqua low iron
Maxijet MJU 1800 return pump
DIY LEDs
DIY acrylic sump
DIY stand
Aqua C EV-120 with Mag5
DIY internal overflow box with a Herbie overflow

Still need to decide what I am going to do about flow. I have two old Koralia 4s but I think one might be a little much.

Here are a few pics of the work done so far:


The frame of the stand. Before starting this build I made sure I learned from my mistakes in the past. My old tank had a very cramped stand and it was very difficult to service. As a result, I decided to make an oversized stand. I know its a little unconventional to have this big of a stand for a cube but its what I was looking for. I also added a side door to give me easier access to the back of the sump. Additionally, I decided to do the "legs" a little differently than most DIY stands. Instead of placing two 2x4s in each corner and taking up a little more space in the stand I connected the boards using pocket screws. This turned out pretty good.




For the doors I did a Shaker door.


Here is the stand after I covered the frame with oak plywood and filled the gaps.


The final product


Doors open. You can see the side door kickstand on the right side


Side view.


I'm using electrical conduit spray painted black to hold my light fixture.

[pbradley0]

Package from RapidLED arrived. 24 Cree LEDs (14 XTE RB, 10 XGP CW), 92mm fan, black anodized tapped and drilled heatsinc, hanging kit, and two Meanwell 60-48Ds


XTE royal blues are in.


All the LEDs secured with screws and thermal grease


Wiring completed


Meanwell popped open. Nothing fancy here. Just thought it was a cool pic.


I made my own dimming box. I wanted to avoid using two wall wart, one for the dimming circuit and one of the fan, so I found a 12v AC adapter in my parts bin and wired a voltage regulator into my box. This allows for an output of 12v for my fan and 0-10v for the dimming circuit while only using one outlet.


Finished dimming box. I'm probably going to change the connectors to something else before all is said and done.


Hooked up to Meanwells for testing. Three of the RBs would not light when hooked up. Oddly, they were in the middle of the string and still worked when I used the LED tester. I messed around with it for a while and figured out that one of the screws was touching the extra contact plates on one of the LEDs. Fixed this by adding little spacers. Now they all light.


Dialing in the Meanwells. XPGs running at 1.3A. I think I'm supposed to stay "man, these are bright!" here. They definitely are.

[pbradley0]

Tank arrived


Heavy duty packing thanks to MarineDepot.com Tank arrived without a scratch


Now on to the sump. Planning on a 22x16.5x13 inch sump. It will be divided into a front and back section. The back section will have the skimmer section and the return section separated by a bubble trap. The front will be a fuge. The sketches bubble trap is all messed up but it will have three baffles.


Cut the acrylic today.


Frame of the sump

And that's were I am now. I plan on finishing the sump this week and then starting on the overflow box. I would have gone with a gl*******s one but I wanted to do a Herbie overflow and I don't think there's enough room in their boxes for this. I did order a bunch of stuff from them anyway including some hole saws. Super fast shipping and awesome customer service.

[salty_reefs]

cool, I just recently set up a 50g acrylic with a built in overflow. Making a stand yourself is the way to go, I spent under 200$ on mine and probably would have paid around $600 for it in a store. lookin good so far

[pbradley0]

Originally Posted by salty_reefs

cool, I just recently set up a 50g acrylic with a built in overflow. Making a stand yourself is the way to go, I spent under 200$ on mine and probably would have paid around $600 for it in a store. lookin good so far

Thanks. Yeah DIY is definitely the way to go. When I was first planning this build I was planning on just buying a stand and light but couldn't find what exactly what I was looking for. Instead I just invested a little time and make exactly what I wanted. Cheaper too. It's a win win.

[xCry0x]

The stand came out great, I definitely hear you on running out of space and wanting an extra big stand. My tank is on a biocube stand and it is very cramped with all the test kits, power strips, top off water, controller, dosing liquids, food etc.

[pbradley0]

Originally Posted by xCry0x

The stand came out great, I definitely hear you on running out of space and wanting an extra big stand. My tank is on a biocube stand and it is very cramped with all the test kits, power strips, top off water, controller, dosing liquids, food etc.

Thanks. Yeah I'm really looking forward to cramming this thing full of equipment, test kits, etc. I hope the space translates to easier care. I'm also going to be using a Tunze Osmolator which should help. Adding top off water to my old tank was an every other day task that got to be exhausting.

[pbradley0]

Got my flexible PVC, unions, and gate valves from Savko today. I've still got some work to do before starting the plumbing. Anyone have experience with the flexible PVC? It seems like a good choice but definitely has some memory to it. I'm hoping that doesn't make it to difficult to work with.

[Malign Reefer]

Looks awesome so far, I like the fact you are building everything yourself. A man after my own.

[rpjaws74]

nice start man!!

[pbradley0]

Originally Posted by Malign Reefer

Looks awesome so far, I like the fact you are building everything yourself. A man after my own.

Building your own stuff definitely makes it more enjoyable plus if it breaks you already know how the thing works and hopefully how to fix it. Working with acrylic on the sump kinda makes me wish I had built the tank myself too.

Originally Posted by rpjaws74

nice start man!!

Thanks!

[pbradley0]

Got my plumbing supplies in. Savko has an awesome selection, cheap prices, and a website reminiscent of 1992.





Also drilled my tank. Damn, that made me nervous! Luckily it came out completely fine. Drilled two holes for the drain and one for the return







Success!



Painted the back of the tank black too



The sump is done as well. Tested it and found a small leak that I fixed with Weldon 16.

[pbradley0]

Finally an update. I've got everything put together. Only thing that's missing is the water.




Used Aqua C EV-120. Free thanks to my brother. You can also see my American DJ switchs installed


Shot looking up into the stand. Meanwells mounted on the back and rope lighting. Rope lighting was $3 at Home Depot


Another shot inside the stand


Drain lines on the back with unions on each end to allow for easy removal.


DIY overflow box. Made the cuts with my tablesaw. I just used my regular wood blade and it shows. Lots of chip out but I think I was able to hide it mostly. I'm sure it will be harder to tell once algae is growing on it too. I just couldn't justify spending $50 on a blade I'd use once.


Inside the box. I'm doing a Herbie overflow. Hope it works.

Thats it for now. Gotta make 50 gal of saltwater and get some sand. I'm also going to redesign the light box. I hate the way it looks right now with the electrical conduit and RapidLED hanging kit. I think I'll put it all inside a box or something.

[pbradley0]

I guess I should point out that the lights are turned way down in these pictures. Turning them up causes the colors to wash out.

[WaVe RiDeR]

I am doing a similar build its a 24X24 rimless and made my own stand too, i agree much better way to go and also staining it black, where did you buy the acrylic sheets for you sump from and how much was it all?

[arshad98]

Very nice setup. I love the cabinet finish.

[TucanSam007]

nice setup! love them cubes

[pbradley0]

Originally Posted by WaVe RiDeR

I am doing a similar build its a 24X24 rimless and made my own stand too, i agree much better way to go and also staining it black, where did you buy the acrylic sheets for you sump from and how much was it all?

Bought them from a local plastic shop, Plastics America. They did the cuts for me so it cost a little more than just buying a big sheet. Total for the acrylic was about $115

[pbradley0]

Originally Posted by arshad98

Very nice setup. I love the cabinet finish.

Originally Posted by TucanSam007

nice setup! love them cubes

Thanks!

Filling with water now. My big trash can has a hole in it so I'm having to do it 5 gallons at a time with a bucket.

[TheAquatard]

Looks nice, you won't be dissapointed with the herbie, changed everything for me, all you can hear is the slight vibration of the pump

[pbradley0]

Filled with water. Tuned in the Herbie. Dead silent. Now the cycle begins.

[89Foxbody]

Looks great so far. Good luck with the cycle.

[ek9vboi]

Looks nice, plenty of space for your chemicals and stuff.

[pbradley0]

This Aqua C is LOUD. I've gotta figure out a way to silence it. I can hear it sucking air and the bubbles in the tower. It sounds like someones blowing bubbles in their drink with a straw...

[KBear]

Awesome build!