I thought I'd start a thread for my 60 gallon cube. It's been an interesting few weeks getting this set up and I'm not quite there yet.
Here's my setup -
60 gallon cube (drilled for sump)
Tunze Powerhead - 6095 with wavecontroller - nice and kind of overkill
Orbit 24" Marine LED - loving this light - may get a second
Aqualine Skimmer Sump with sock
Coralife 75G skimmer
Eheim heaters (150 and 200) - in tank until I can get the sump pumping up to the tank
Pump - hope to find one soon
30lbs? of live rock with Kenya Tree and Green Star Polyp
2 20lb bags of live sand (black)
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I had been doing research for some time about setting up a saltwater/reef tank. I reserved a 40 gallon from a local store and then I found ARC. It's not that I don't want to support local (I ended up spending double my deposit at that store) but everyone recommends to "buy up" so when I saw a 60 cube with stand listed, I jumped on it. I also bought a lot (too much) live rock and then found I didn't need it because my eventual tank already had a nice stack.
The tank was full of water the day I got it. We drained it, cut it away from the awesomely plumbed multi-tank set up, put some of the rock in a bucket and some stayed in the tank with some of the water. I drove home with it, got it in the house and set it back up. The Kenya Tree and Star Polyp didn't seem any worse for the wear. It even came with a good little Nassarius snail who's been cleaning all along.
I bought a sump and pump from a fellow member and quickly realized the sump was too big for the stand (of course, I'm a fool - I could have turned it sideways out the back). Anyway, sold that sump to another member and ordered a nice-looking sump from eBay. Sump got here - pump is way too wide for the third chamber, where I assume the pump needs to go.
In the meantime the tank's been cycling, a few ammonia spikes and a day or two of high nitrates but parameters leveled out over the last few days. I've had the powerhead running and the thermometers in the tank. Have had the lights running on a 12 hour schedule. Got lots of algae and so went to Shac's today and bought a few snails and hermits. They're all going to town and since the previous snail has been fine, I figured it should be ok now.
So will wait a few more weeks for first fish or any other corals. I've seen more of the northern Atlanta suburbs than I knew existed driving around buying used equipment from members when I can. Don't even want to total up my purchases - no use, it's already done. Sigh.
Loving watching the corals I do have now and the CUC is entertaining.
Here's my setup -
60 gallon cube (drilled for sump)
Tunze Powerhead - 6095 with wavecontroller - nice and kind of overkill
Orbit 24" Marine LED - loving this light - may get a second
Aqualine Skimmer Sump with sock
Coralife 75G skimmer
Eheim heaters (150 and 200) - in tank until I can get the sump pumping up to the tank
Pump - hope to find one soon
30lbs? of live rock with Kenya Tree and Green Star Polyp
2 20lb bags of live sand (black)
I had been doing research for some time about setting up a saltwater/reef tank. I reserved a 40 gallon from a local store and then I found ARC. It's not that I don't want to support local (I ended up spending double my deposit at that store) but everyone recommends to "buy up" so when I saw a 60 cube with stand listed, I jumped on it. I also bought a lot (too much) live rock and then found I didn't need it because my eventual tank already had a nice stack.
The tank was full of water the day I got it. We drained it, cut it away from the awesomely plumbed multi-tank set up, put some of the rock in a bucket and some stayed in the tank with some of the water. I drove home with it, got it in the house and set it back up. The Kenya Tree and Star Polyp didn't seem any worse for the wear. It even came with a good little Nassarius snail who's been cleaning all along.
I bought a sump and pump from a fellow member and quickly realized the sump was too big for the stand (of course, I'm a fool - I could have turned it sideways out the back). Anyway, sold that sump to another member and ordered a nice-looking sump from eBay. Sump got here - pump is way too wide for the third chamber, where I assume the pump needs to go.
In the meantime the tank's been cycling, a few ammonia spikes and a day or two of high nitrates but parameters leveled out over the last few days. I've had the powerhead running and the thermometers in the tank. Have had the lights running on a 12 hour schedule. Got lots of algae and so went to Shac's today and bought a few snails and hermits. They're all going to town and since the previous snail has been fine, I figured it should be ok now.
So will wait a few more weeks for first fish or any other corals. I've seen more of the northern Atlanta suburbs than I knew existed driving around buying used equipment from members when I can. Don't even want to total up my purchases - no use, it's already done. Sigh.
Loving watching the corals I do have now and the CUC is entertaining.
