Well... I'M ADDICTED!! new tank inside

[gveng]

after only having my aquapod 24g for one week i decided i needed something bigger. well, i was pretty bummed about not being able to buy frekcles 60 gallon. after doing some early morning errands, i decided to jump on craigslist.org to see if anything new was posted. after typing in my usually keyword searchs; fish, fish salt, tank, saltwater, aquarium and aqaurium. i found an ad for a 60 gallon and decided to call to make arrangements to see the tank since it was local. to my surprise it was my dream tank, 24x24x24 CUBE!!! i'm soo stoked right now because i got it for a steal!! :dance:

the list of extras:
60 Gal cube tank 24x24x24
w/ stand , canopy and glass top
bak pak protein skimmer
CPR over flow box w/ tubing
return pump w/ tube
sump w/ bio balls
150w lighting w/ ballast

and onto the pictures... keep in mind it's freaking pouring outside!!

tank: my cats new toy

i hated the color of the stand and canopy and originally wanted to paint them black but the color matches my wood floors so i think i'll keep it.

sump, overflow and skimmer:

light:

questions:
-i'm pretty sure i need an aqua lifter for the overflow... can someone confirm this?

-how much can i get for the light? it's very bright and i think a little overkill since i think i want to start out w/ a FOWLR tank. maybe trade it for t5 fixture?

-anyone have any experience going rimless? i'm thinking of ditching the canopy and taking the rim off. the guy i bought the tank from did it to his 90g cube and assured it was safe, but i don't know.

-i know i need to ditch the bio balls, but i really want to use that sump since it fits perfect in stand. can i replace the bio balls w/ live rock and in the second compartment put some chaeto? sorry this is my first sump'd tank

-i know the skimmer is a HOB, but can i hang it on the sump?

any help is greatly appreciated!!

thanks again guys... yaya!! for my new addiction.

 

[gveng]

test fit...

flash off:

flash on:

 

[Wiggles92]

Nice pick-up! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

 

[TMartinez]

Congrats on the pickup. Plans for stock?

 

[gveng]

Nice pick-up! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

plans so far:
-replace bio balls in sump w/ live rock.
-get chaeto for sump w/ small light.
-sell 150w metal halide and buy a t5 fixture.
-test fill
-cycle

i really want to keep this tank simple and not pile up live rock... maybe make a rock tree in the middle or something and leave a lot of swimming room. i still need to decide on livestock. my g/f really wants a blue hippo tang. guess why?

 

[gveng]

Congrats on the pickup. Plans for stock?

so far... one blue hippo tang. g/f wants one because of "finding nemo"

but for me i really want a dwarf lion fish.

i think this will start out as a fowlr tank and go from there.

 

[shua71]

so far... one blue hippo tang. g/f wants one because of "finding nemo"

but for me i really want a dwarf lion fish.

i think this will start out as a fowlr tank and go from there.

No tang would fit in a tank with only 24" of swimming space. Those blue hippos get huge and are pretty aggressive. And I wouldn't remove the brace. Why not keep the metal halide? If you eventually do get into corals it'll give you a much wider option than any T5 would be able to. Nice pickup though. Mind telling us how much?

 

[TMartinez]

Mind telling us how much?

Kinda wondered that myself

And I do concur with the small swimming space. These guys are recommend a 75g minimum because of the space to swim left to right. I would reconsider that...

 

[gveng]

No tang would fit in a tank with only 24" of swimming space. Those blue hippos get huge and are pretty aggressive. And I wouldn't remove the brace. Why not keep the metal halide? If you eventually do get into corals it'll give you a much wider option than any T5 would be able to. Nice pickup though. Mind telling us how much?

i know!! trust me... i keep telling her a blue hippo tang needs at least a 100+ gallon tank but this is becoming a losing battle. unfortunately, i have a feeling one will end up in my tank and the best i could do is raise it to be happy and healthy until it gets too big for the tank and then i'll trade it in (but i'll tell the g/f it died, i know, white lie, shhhhh!!)

i'm not 100% i want to get ride of the metal halide but it's freaking bright... it literally lights up my whole room. but i'll wait until i have sand and live rock before i make my decision.

Kinda wondered that myself

And I do concur with the small swimming space. These guys are recommend a 75g minimum because of the space to swim left to right. I would reconsider that...

i picked up everything for $150.00, best part is i sold my aquapod 24 for $200.00

 

[TMartinez]

Good deal. keep us posted