Mr Aqua 25 gallon rimless cube

[Munchie]

Found a great deal ($20) on a Mr Aqua 18x18x18 rimless 25 gal cube from a guy on Craigslist! Cleaning it up real good now then the fun starts.

Will be building a 32-36" high stand that will run flush with the sides of the tank.

The question is, to drill or not?

I would love a 15-20 gallon sump, however I am scared of a flood during power outage/pump failure. Any tips to avoid this?

The second option is building a AIO, but I will loose about 4" of depth.

Will be upgrading to this from my 20L so I want to make it worth it.

 

[obscurereef]

Wow nice deal! Lucky Drilling will make it have a cleaner appearance. It won't flood if the u-tube (or whatever outtake part) is not too low/pointing downwards. When you turn off the sump pump, the water will be siphoned from the outtake and the water level will stop wherever that outtake part is if that makes sense.

I really like this design.

 

[Munchie]

Interesting!

The U sounds promising.. I will need to do some research on it.

I like the design you posted, only would like it to be a little taller and possible wider or deeper as I would like to use my existing 20 gallon long tank as the sump..come to think of it.. would that help the upgrade transition if I leave the sand and live rock in the old tank and break it up into chambers after taking the fish and coral out?

Also need to make sure it has a door and some sort of "sound proofing" as this tank is in my bedroom.

Wow nice deal! Lucky Drilling will make it have a cleaner appearance. It won't flood if the u-tube (or whatever outtake part) is not too low/pointing downwards. When you turn off the sump pump, the water will be siphoned from the outtake and the water level will stop wherever that outtake part is if that makes sense.

I really like this design.

 

[obscurereef]

Don't make it too tall since you'll have to take out the skimmer cup out easily.

What I'd do would be to take out the fish/corals and put them in a temp bucket w/ a filter/air pump. Then wash the sand well or put in new sand in DT, put in LR, and then the fish and have a powerhead for movement. Then carry out your plans for the sump and create it since it's empty. Takes 24 hrs for silicone to dry so it would be a day before you could use the sump. The livestock should be fine without filtration for a day. There's a lot of extra work to do if you want to make a sump out of the current tank. You'd have to plumb it and hope that nothing leaks. Sounds like it would be much better to get a different tank for the sump (taller like you said you wanted it to be).

 

[Munchie]

Good points! I am running a AC50 currently as well so I could toss that on. Should I just get a hang on overflow? That way once I am ready I can throw it on and plumb to the sump?

 

[obscurereef]

Why do you want to build a sump and do all the plumbing if you have a perfect filter? Overflow boxes are loud so I've heard. There are ways to make it more silent, but it can still make noise. You could plan ahead and get all measurements for the sump baffles, and have all the plumbing ready. Maybe put a 5 gallon bucket and the pump in there to test out the plumbing beforehand. Then you'd you have the plumbing done before you moved the tank and the sump supplies/measurements ready to go.

 

[Munchie]

Looking for more water surface overall I guess. The AC50 does great..but mounting it on a rimless tank will be tricky, unless someone knows a secret lol.

 

[Munchie]

Well tonight I picked up and cut a bunch of 2x2's and will start assembling a 18x18x30 stand tomorrow night for this...going for the ADA look.

Will 2x2's alone with a bunch of cross braces handle a 25 gallon tank, 25 - 40 lbs of rock and 40 lbs of sand? Or should I add 3/4" birch on the sides and front?

 

[CaptainJugz]

Sweet deal- think mine was like two hundy shipped. I have had mine Mr. Aqua 25 cube for two years now and love it. The Low iron glass really sparkles, but beware as too much hang on weight on the panels will bend the glass slightly. I put mine on top an old dresser for a stand. It's amazing what you can fit in an 18 x 18 x 18 cube! Here's a few pics....

 

[Munchie]

That looks great! Is is drilled?

How many lbs of rock?

I wasn't looking to upgrade, but for the price I couldn't go wrong...and I always loved the rimless look!

 

[CaptainJugz]

Not drilled....I attached another pic showing home made surface skimmer (acrylic pencil holder). Feeds into CPR aquafuge which fits width exactly. LBs of rock....not sure exactly, I kept adding until it "looked right" and could still use more in the back. Prolly around 50- 60 or more pounds in there along with a 4" DSB.

 

[obscurereef]

Very innovative! Tank looks great.

 

[Munchie]

Made some progress on my DIY stand, posting pics of that soon. I am using 2x2's for the frame and then wrapping it in 3/4 inch birch plywood.. Just need to find a table saw to mitre the edges all to 45 degrees for a seamless look.

Got a quote from someone to build a in tank AIO.. $150. Think I can do it myself though...

Will this material work for a false wall with chambers in the back of the tank? Click here

It is FDA Approved, not sure if that matters.
thanks

 

[Munchie]

Also looking at this as it will fit under my stand. Platinum Series Basic Sump "Micro" - Basic Sumps - Any one use these?

 

[Munchie]

Finally got around to making my stand!! Spent $50 on 3/4 birch and the nice guy at lowes cut it for me.





I still need to attach the door, fill screw holes and stain, but it sure went together fast!

18x18 cube
30" tall

Top and bottom are 19x19 squares so it has a wider base as well as a bit of room for the tank on top so it stays away from the edge.

I will be prepping for stain today, mounting the door and adding birch banding along the sides of the wood where edges are exposed.

 

[Billbug68]

The stand looks great! Much better than most diy stands I've seen. If it were me, I'd drill the tank. It's a real shame to hang anything on a nice rimless, or to take up room converting it to an AIO. Following from here on out!

 

[Munchie]

Thanks! I wanted that sleek ADA look and I think it's close.

I am still debating on the drilling. I need to find a cheap sump that would fit in a 16x16 spot.

Stained the stand today (black with brown highlights coming thru) will spray semi gloss poly on it this evening and mount to door.

I am making the door use a push latch so there is no handle to mess with.

I need to get a light for it still, that is the next big step. Do I go with a par38 led for reef use or a 120w led from eBay?

Will post photos of the stained stand shortly.

 

[Munchie]

Wow! I just found this, the BeanAnimal overflow system. I see the inlets (3) but how does the water return?

http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

 

[Munchie]

Quick glimpse..still needs a bit of care to wrap it up.

 

[Billbug68]

Excellent! It looks black!