A 12 year build. Friedwilly's 60 Gallon Cube

[friedwilly]

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen you have read right, the 12 year tank build and still counting. But the good news is that this 60 gallon cube build will be going live by the end of March 2015.

A little history as to why this build has taken 12 years.

I purchased a TruVu 60 gallon cube in 2002 with the hopes of building my first saltwater/reef tank. In the past I have kept freshwater, brackish and cichlid fish in tanks no larger than 20 gallons. I have always dreamt of having a saltwater tank as I am also an avid scuba diver too. Well life took over and the tank just sat. Since 2002 we have sinced moved into a new house, have two beautiful kids and all the responsibilities that go along with life.

It was in 2013 that my son won some goldfish at a local fair and being the fish fan that I am, we went out and purchased a 5 gallon tank. But as we all know the fish that are typically kept at those fairs are not in the best of health and they passed. So I took my son to the local fish store and we replaced the two goldfish, which are still alive today and are very healthy. Over the past couple of years the goldfish have done well and quickly grew out of the 5 gallon, 10 gallon and now live in a 20 gallon. Needless to say I got bit by the fish hobby bug.

In 2014 I was cleaning around the garage and there sat the my 60 gallon tank, staring at me and begging me for attention. Well I accommodated the tank. Over the past year I have made a real push on getting this tank complete. Not only for myself, but for family to enjoy a small portion of the ocean.


Let's start with some details. The following is my build list:

• TruVu 60 Gallon Custom Acrylic Tank

• Custom stand and hood (built by yours truly, which took me most of my time)

• Next Reef NRS20 Sump

• Super Reef Octopus 1000LSS Protein Skimmer

• Waveline DC-6000 Return Pump (with a spare backup)

• BRS Dual Reactor (Carbon + GFO)

• Apex Aqua Controller with Temp, Ph and Leak Detect

• Finnex Titanium 300W Heater

• APC Battery Backup

• Eheim Jager True Temp 150W (Battery Backup)

• 2 - Tunze Turbelle 6095 Power heads (Battery Backup)

• Tunze Controller 7096 (Battery Backup)

• BRS 5 Stage RODI 150GPD

• AI Hydra26 LED (custom and adjustable mounting by yours truly)

• AI Director

• Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO

• Sicce Syncra Silent 3.0 (Reactor + Water Changes)

Now some pics of the tank, as it stood for 10 years.


Tank


Tank and Base Cabinet



Last year I was able to pick up some live rock locally (20lbs) and have been maintaining it with saltwater, heater, and power head. I also purchased 40 pounds of dry rock, which I soaked it with vinegar and RODI water to leach all the phosphates out of the rock. What a process that was!!! Once the dry rock was free of phosphates I added it when the live rock to seed the dry rock.

Live Rock



Currently I am finishing up the hood, which will house the AI Hydra 26. I have also created an area within the hood for all the electronics to separated from all water sources and easily accessible from a top hatch. Photos to come soon.


Thank you for stopping by to view my build and please check back soon for updates and photos.

[frankabagnale]

Awesome!

[friedwilly]

Originally Posted by frankabagnale

Awesome!

Thanks for the support!

[jsrnec]

That's great, can't wait to see more.

[friedwilly]

I am highly motivated to get this tank running by the end of the month and have been spending late nights and countless hours getting the stand and hood complete.

Currently the base is complete and the hood is almost done. I spent most of my night last night applying the first coat of polyurethane to the exterior of the hood.

Wide Angle Photo of Hood



This shows the overall look of the hood.

Top Photo of Hood



Top of the hood, which shows an inset for exhaust vents.

Interior of the Hood



The interior of the hood which was sealed with three coats of sanding sealer and two coats of enamel.



My reason for building such a large and complex hood, is for many reasons. The main consideration is light spillage, I did not want my whole basement to be lit up by simply hanging the light fixture over the tank in the open.

The other consideration had to do with a location to mount all the electronics. The space is limited in the base and plus the moisture and water source. So when I built the hood I provided a divided section in the back to mount all the electronics. This area is accessible from a hatch and will be free of any water sources.

Please check back soon, as I am currently also working on building a custom mounting solution for the AI Hydra 26. This mount will also allow me to change lighting easily as needed.

I will also be moving the tank and base into the house this weekend. Once in the house I will be doing a test run of all the plumbing once assembled.

[friedwilly]

Well, Last night I put the final coat of polyurethane on the hood. Only to discover this morning I had a small area of drips in the finish, UGH!!!

I guess this what happens when you do this stuff late at night. A small set back, but progress moves on!

I have also been working on a custom mounting solution for my AI Hydra 26 and the mounting solution will allow me to adjust the lighting height and position. I simply did not just want to hang it from wires, as the circulation fan would probably make it sway.

So right now I am starting with some 1", 1 1/2" and "L" brace in aluminum to construct a scissor lift for the light fixture

Materials



I will post more pictures as I progress on this project.

[jpmwjm]

Looking good. I always enjoy seeing peoples tanks coming together. An exicitng time with many more to come.

[Oceanblu]

Really nice tank!!

[friedwilly]

This weekend was a very productive weekend. I was able to get the tank moved into the house, which I never thought would happen.

I was also able to clean the tank and stand. The plumbing has been fully assembled and I was able to test all the plumbing by running RO water thorough the sump and into the overflow, via some temporary tubing.

Stand Installed and Leveled



Tank Installed on Stand



Plumbing Connected and Tested for Leaks



This coming weekend (March 20 - 23) will be the weekend to get this tank fully operational. So check back soon for many updates.

[friedwilly]

Well last night I spent a lot of time laying out equipment in the base cabinet, which included wire management. This took me the most amount of time.

Plus not too mention that I am very limited on space in the base cabinet, so it took a good portion of my evening getting the skimmer properly positioned. This included the fabrication of an egg crate stand for the skimmer.

On another note I have changed my initial design for mounting my Aqua Illumination Hydra 26. I originally was going to build a scissor mount, but after considering cost, materials and time I have gone another route. So I am using the Aqua Illumintaion Hanging Kit with my own made mounting, about $25 in materials from Lowes.

I couldn't see spending $50 for two Ext Rails, which is what is required to use the hanging kit for the Hydra 26.

AI Hydra 26 Mounting for Hanging Kit




Please check back often as this build is moving quick.

[Frozenguy]

Nice! Great build. Will check back

[friedwilly]

Once again another late night and a lot accomplished. Mostly wiring the sump and the hood.

My wiring projects were:

• General wire layout for powerheads

• Wire layout and install of Apex

• Switches for automatic shutoff exhaust and supply fans

• Wire layout an install of Hydra 26

Sorry no pics today, but check back soon for more pics

[friedwilly]

After a long night/morning, I could say that most of the physical installation is complete.

I was able to finish up all the minor plumbing details, all the wiring and install the hood permanently.

Wiring of Main Electronics



Final Installation, Ready for water!!!



All I need to do is scour and clean the sump and tank. Plus tonight starts water production.

Final this tank will have water in it by no later than Saturday March 21st.

[friedwilly]

Well the tank is up and running, but i still have a lot of adjustments to make and or deal with.

My main concern is the sump and drain. I am running a single durso and I am not completely happy with sound level. Plus water levels seem a bit off. The display is as full as it can get, but I am constantly struggling to get the return section to an adequate level.

I would love to change the stand pipe, but the overflow is very tight and cannot accommodate additional drains.

I am also running a Waveline DC6000 and it is adjusted to the lowest level, would like to get a little more turnover. By the way I purchased 2 DC6000 and one was to be a backup. Well the first that was installed leaked like crazy from a joint. Took apart and could not find any obvious problems. So installed the back and worked out of the box.

This post will be updated with more pics soon. But I need some sleep, this build has stolen that from me.

[friedwilly]

After a very busy and sleepless weekend I was able to get the tank complete setup and dialed in.

Here are all the pictures documenting the process of setting up my tank.


Water Production



I started water production first, as I knew this was going to take the longest.


Clean Sand



Rinsed all the sand with RO water to lower the amount of cloudiness once the tank was filled.


Finishing touches on electronics




While the water was being made and getting the temp up on the water. I was able to connect all the electrical and wrap up all the finishing touches on the electronics.

Getting rock ready



Once the water was complete and the proper salinity, I started preparing the rock to go into the tank. I had acquired live rock about a year ago and cured and treated dry rock. All the rock was then stored together for about 9 months.


Installing Rock



Now to install the rock. Installing the rock was very involved, as I had to epoxy putty all the base rock. Then I used gel super glue to mount most, but not all of the secondary rock. I did not mount pieces that I knew I may have to move.

Tank being filled



Once all the sand and rock were installed, it was time for the water.


After a very long night and morning I had all the rock, sand and water installed. I soon discovered I had some leaks, so after fixing all that I went to bed @ 3am.


So here is the tank 24 hours after being filled and all the minor plumbing issues fixed.



Now it is time to wait for the cycle to run it's course. My initial readings after adding the proper amount of ammonia to start the cycle were as follows:

Salinity - 1.025
Temp- 77.8
PH - 8.28
NH3/NH4 - 2.0
NO3 - 0
NO4 - 0

I will update this post with some other projects I did during this build process.

[friedwilly]

While I was waiting for the water to be produced for my tank. I built a screen top for it.

The materials




Finished product



List of materials:

• 1/4" Clear screen netting (BRS)
• Aluminum Screen Bar (Lowes)
• Screen Corners (Lowes)
• Screen Spline (Lowes)
• Screen Spline Tool (Lowes)

[renato120]

Nice work, looking nice!

[friedwilly]

Well, the tank has been running for a week now. The cycle has started and all the adjustments have been made.

Now we just wait and be patient for the cycle to end.


Here is the tank at 1 week old



This post will be updated as the cycle finishes and any other small additions to my tank.

[Jerm_54]

Can't wait to see what this looks like all stocked up! Any plans for stocking yet?

[blakefoster]

looking awesome, cant wait to see it

[SparkyTuna]

WOW great build, just love the whole setup

[friedwilly]

Originally Posted by Jerm_54

Can't wait to see what this looks like all stocked up! Any plans for stocking yet?

Thanks for the kind words.

I am going for an Indo Pacific tank, but trying to acquire fish that are captive bred. My plans for stocking are as follows:


Clean Up Crew (After Cycle Complete, As needed)


24 - Dwarf Ceriths
12 - Trochus Snails
9 - Nassarius Snails
9 - Nerites Snails
1 – Blue Leg Hermit Crab
1 – Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

Fish (In order of stocking)

2 - Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
1 –Orange Spotted Goby (Amblyeleotris guttata)
1 – Blue Eye Royal Dottyback (Pictichromis dinar)
2 - Ocellaris Clownfish (Paired) (Amphiprion ocellaris )
1 – Zebra Barred Dartfish (Ptereleotris zebra)
1 - Ruby Red Dragonet Goby (Synchiropus sp.)


Corals (Mainly Softies and Inverts)

Anemone
Zoanthids
Polyps – Green Star Polyps, Sun Polyps
Mushroom – Hairy Mushrooms
Ricordea
Feather Duster
1 or 2 Hard Coral

[Jerm_54]

Originally Posted by friedwilly

Thanks for the kind words

No problem. My LFS just got a few ruby red blennies in. There amazing looking fish and I'm pretty set on adding one in my tank next. The small size is really great for my tank to. Do you know about their feeding habits? I've seen them being called dragonets as well so that makes me wonder.

[friedwilly]

Originally Posted by Jerm_54

No problem. My LFS just got a few ruby red blennies in. There amazing looking fish and I'm pretty set on adding one in my tank next. The small size is really great for my tank to. Do you know about their feeding habits? I've seen them being called dragonets as well so that makes me wonder.

I know that the dragonet requires pods, copepods or amphipods. So this will be the last fish to go into my tank.

[friedwilly]

After about three weeks of cycling my tank. It appears that my cycle has finished and the bio-filter is processing ammonia in a 24 hour period.

I will be doing a 50% water change this weekend to lower phosphates. Plus activating the skimmer and carbon/gfo reactor.

During the cycle I have developed a small amount of hair algae and diatoms. With that said the lights have been off. I will be adding the first portion of the clean up crew and lights will be going on now.

I suppose it is now time to start getting ready for fish too. Which includes starting a quarantine tank.