30 Gallon reef cube build 100% DIY

[Tigweldpro]

Attachment 15801

Glass overflow done cutting. now comes the silicone SCS1200 black.....

[Tigweldpro]

Attachment 15803

Tank assembled, 24hrs then seal inside with a fat bead....
Gonna be a nice tank!

[Tigweldpro]

So my tank is built and looks great.
Working on the stand currently 32 x 24, 29" tall.

-Now yes or no for egg crate in the bottom of the tank?
-I went with the Sicce 1.5 instead of 2.0 will the flow from this pump be enough or should I be adding power heads?
-1 or 2 bubble traps in the sump? haven't added baffles yet but have lots of glass.
-1" of sand is good enough in tank?
-Sand, rock, rubble, bare bottom in refuge?

Little help would be nice from the senior reefers.....

Thanks

[Frogger]

Why do you want egg crate in bottom of tank?

[Tigweldpro]

Originally Posted by Frogger

Why do you want egg crate in bottom of tank?

I don't...... or do I? are there benefits/disadvantages?

[Frogger]

Not sure what the benefits are.

We used to put egg crate at the bottom of the tank to create an airspace and have gravel on top, ie: undergravel filter, or to create an anaerobic space in the case of a plenum. But there are way better methods of filtration and nitrogen reducing methods than these. I am not sure what other uses there are. Maybe supporting your rock.

The question you may want to ask is if you want a bare bottom or coral sand or gravel. I prefer a thin layer of coral sand or gravel.

[Tyfighter]

I used to put egg crate on the bottom of my Africans cichlid tanks which was pretty common practise back then. The idea was the the rocks would sit on the egg crate instead of just on the sand or totally buried and sitting on the glass. It also provided a stable base since the cichlids really liked to dig in the sand which could cause the rocks to move/collapse.
As long as your rock structures are stable I wouldn't really worry about adding egg crate.

[Tigweldpro]

Now I'm on the hunt for a good light... Any suggestions for best bang for your buck? id like sun up sun down programmability. 19" cube...

Originally Posted by Tigweldpro

So my tank is built and looks great.
Working on the stand currently 32 x 24, 29" tall.

-Now yes or no for egg crate in the bottom of the tank?
-I went with the Sicce 1.5 instead of 2.0 will the flow from this pump be enough or should I be adding power heads?
-1 or 2 bubble traps in the sump? haven't added baffles yet but have lots of glass.
-1" of sand is good enough in tank?
-Sand, rock, rubble, bare bottom in refuge?

Little help would be nice from the senior reefers.....

Thanks

[Frogger]

What do you want to keep in your tank and whats' your budget

[Tigweldpro]

I don't know what I want to keep..... I'm hoping to start with a clown fish pair, Yellow wrasse, pistol shrimp/goby. Like to add an anemone for the clowns once the tank has aged.
My budget is whatevers left from selling my cichlid/pleco/shrimp fry....

Been eyeing this on Ebay http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Dimmable-165W...MAAOSwSlBY31UN