zatch's 60g cube mixed reef

[zatch]

After a long hiatus from marine tanks (and a huge increase in downtime over the course of the pandemic), Ive started a new build! My goal is to set this up as a stable multi-year mixed reef with minimal maintenance.

Because I rent downtown, I generally shy away from anything too large that would either get me in trouble with the complex or be extraordinarily difficult to move when a lease ends. For those reasons, I went with a 57gal Deep Blue / Aquarium Masters "Edge" series low iron rimless tank for this build that measures 36x18x20, which is pretty much the limit of what I can setup within my restraints...

Before my current lease ends in January, I wanted to get the tank initially setup and going on the long cycle so that it will be ready for the fun part shortly after the move!

I spent the weekend building out the stand. Fortunately, I have some woodworking experience, and friends with garages and lots of tools! I generally build stands with oak or maple, but decided to splurge and finished this cabinet in walnut.

Some photos of the construction
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Need to clean up some trim work, but here is the finished product with the tank on the stand
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(my cat kristofferson for scale)
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Up next will be the drilling/plumbing work once the parts come in! Stay tuned!

 

[JodiI]

Beautiful woodwork! And I love the catfish. Can’t wait to see what you do with it!

So when you say long cycle - you going fishless? Do you plan to use sand? Aquascape or just pile in the rock and worry about aquascaping after the move?


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[TheRealChrisBrown]

Great job on the stand, looking great so far!

I'm just lazy enough that I wouldn't start a cycle until I moved. Maybe put all the rock in a brute with a heater and some circulation, add some bacteria if you like. But I'd leave the tank dry, get all the equipment in there and plumbed.....but dry. That's just me, again and I'm lazy.

 

[SynDen]

Nice work on the cabinet. The walnut looks great, and super cute catfish you got there

 

[Balz3352]

As someone who is currently moving..... Dont set your tank up just to tear it down its a pita

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

The stand is nice for sure! And I agree! Don’t get this set up until the move. It’s not a huge tank but still... moving aquariums is no fun. My 180 took longer than the rest of the house when I moved. And, I ended up killing a few things...


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[zatch]

Beautiful woodwork! And I love the catfish. Can’t wait to see what you do with it!

So when you say long cycle - you going fishless? Do you plan to use sand? Aquascape or just pile in the rock and worry about aquascaping after the move?


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Thanks!

Im planning on cycling it through the 'ugly phase' with probably a single fish until the tank is well balanced and ready to support corals. It will pretty much sit dormant until after the move. Yes, I cant get used to bare bottom, so going to do a argonite/heavy sand that will stand up to the powerheads. Aquascaping is going to get a bit obsessive, ill be sure to keep you all posted with what I have in mind :nomouth:

 

[zatch]

Great job on the stand, looking great so far!

I'm just lazy enough that I wouldn't start a cycle until I moved. Maybe put all the rock in a brute with a heater and some circulation, add some bacteria if you like. But I'd leave the tank dry, get all the equipment in there and plumbed.....but dry. That's just me, again and I'm lazy.

Im thinking that isnt a bad idea either, I have a 20g brute thats good to go for that reason....

 

[zatch]

Sooo.... there's going to be some changes to this setup right off the bat.

When I got the tank on top of the stand, I noticed at the right light angle it has HUNDREDS of tiny divots on the inside of the starfire front pane. Under a phone light it looks like a windshield thats got millions of tiny dots from a years of driving :rage:

On top of that, when I called to return the tank, the warehouse sold out of 57s, so I cant replace it. Even though it is my fault for not opening and closely examining the tank when I got it, it really sucks that I just built a stand for it and it isnt gonna work. (It does have the dimensions of a 40 breeder, im sure ill be able to sell it on craigslist or something and recuperate the materials cost.)

Oh well, I did make a mistake with making the stand a little too low for my taste, so I can correct that on the next stand coming soon!

 

[zatch]

So, this is going to turn into a 60 Cube build instead! Is it possible to edit my thread title, or should I just create a new one?

 

[SkyShark]

So, this is going to turn into a 60 Cube build instead! Is it possible to edit my thread title, or should I just create a new one?

I will change it for you.

 

[TheRealChrisBrown]

When I got the tank on top of the stand, I noticed at the right light angle it has HUNDREDS of tiny divots on the inside of the starfire front pane. Under a phone light it looks like a windshield thats got millions of tiny dots from a years of driving :rage:

Did you fill it with water and see if they disappear, like a small scratch might? I guess if the wheels are in motion to return it, it probably doesn't matter. I was just curious.