Slice of Ocean Build - 48g Fiji Cube

[certain_code]

After nearly 4 years since I broke down my 80-gallon shallow, moved to the opposite side of the country, got my pilot's license, and have now settled into life again, the itch to spend frivolous amounts of money on reefing needs to be scratched. Come along as I document the build-out of a 48gal shallow INT middle overflow Fiji Cube tank!

Specs:
Tank + Stand: Fiji Cube 48 Gallon INT Middle Rimless Tank Package (White)
Sump: Fiji Cube Fiji-24 Advanced Reef Sump 2nd Gen
Return Pump: Ecotech Vectra M1
Light: Neptune SKY
Skimmer: Skimz Monzter SM161
Wavemaker: 2 AquaIllumination Nero 3
Dosing Pump: GHL Doser 2.1
Controller: Neptune Apex A3 + EB8
Testing: Hanna Checkers for Alk, Cal, Nitrate, and Phosphate

Tank Water Volume: 41 gallons
Sump Water Volume: 14 gallons @ 10.25in water level
Total Water Volume: 55 gallons

Goals:
1. Show quality SPS tank. Simple, modern, and clean look overall.
2. Budget and buy for better once instead of going cheap multiple times
3. KISS principle (keep it stupid simple) Nothing I don't really need
4. "Set and forget" setup. Stop playing around and let things stabilize

Approach:
1. Rock/substrate: Bare bottom and dry rock. Seeded filtration w/ 5 pounds live rock, 2 Polyp Labs Genesis Bricks
2. Cycle: Fishless cycle with XLM and ammonia dosing.
3. Nutrient/chemical system: Going to base this on the BRS Hybrid SPS tank system. Simple 3-part dosing via the GHL Doser. High nutrients in via feeding with slightly higher nutrients out. Not chasing nitrates and phosphates but finding balance and stability in them.
4. Controller: I am assuming that the Classic APEX at this point might start to become limiting. So long as everything still works, for now, it will be fine but at some point, I will likely be looking to upgrade. The addition of a Triton but not an urgent need currently.
5. Dosing: None currently

Welcome to the start of my journey. I am very excited to share all of my mistakes and success with everyone here; a community I joined 6 years ago almost to the day I purchased this tank.

As always, open to feedback, suggestions, questions, and thoughts on all things going on with this tank. Thank you all in advance!

 

[JumboShrimp]

You have thought this through like a pilot— preflight checklist. Lol. Best wishes!

 

[certain_code]

You have thought this through like a pilot— preflight checklist. Lol. Best wishes!

Ha. I guess Ive rarely thought about how the training has changed how I approach other things these days. Thank you!

 

[ladz]

Nice! I’ll be watching the build. I ordered the same config early last month. I went with the ATI Straton for lighting.

 

[certain_code]

Just as a quick update on things.

Tank, stand, and sump are on their way. Freight tracking does not seem to work but I will give it a few days of not hearing from the company to schedule delivery before I reach out there.

I settled on going with the Neptune SKY LED system thanks to some suggestions here and the fact that the recommended footprint literally is the tank dimensions. It seems like it was made for the tank and going with it will leave some of guess work out for me.

I am probably going to wait on ordering plumbing until the tank gets here. Ultimately I don't have great photos of the exact system and don't want to order a ton of extra parts in advance. I am eager to get this all going but since I plan on SPS, I am practicing patience as much as possible with this set up.

I am going to also go bare bottom as I want full control over flow and overall cleanliness that it provides. The BRS Hybrid series on SPS tanks all but confirmed I will prefer this over dealing with my experience with a sand bed. Seems like I will have a bit less stability in the beginning but the long term value is there. Again, patience is key.

Fish and livestock are still TBD but I love the 'fish with purpose' approach BRS mentions in their series so I will likely be researching livestock with that in mind. As always open to suggestions.

All in all, really excited to make this awesome tank and plan everything out. I think cable management and space are going to be a challenge but if I can use past experiences and inspiration from here I think I can nail it. Since I did go with the larger sump I am more worried about space than anything but have a few alternatives to help solve any issues there as well. Next steps before the tank arrives is going down to pull out my old tank equipment from storage, do any additional cleaning and assessments of their condition, and order plumbing and the smaller things.

 

[ladz]

Interested to hear your experience once delivered. Nice choice on the light.

 

[certain_code]

Estimated delivery is Monday but since I have not scheduled a delivery yet I assume another day or two is likely.

I just pulled everything from storage and everything is in good shape which is great to see. I also ordered plumbing and various things I need to start cycling rock while I work on getting the tank and sump set up. I ordered about 70lbs of Reef Saver rock including some additional shelves. I plan on going fairly minimal in look but with the most rock I can go with to achieve that since I am going bottomless. My plan is at least 3-4 weeks or curing and cycling the rock in a tub before getting the tank wet. We will see if I can go that long before getting the tank looking decent.

Next planning steps are getting the RODI going and in an ideal world, automatic water changes. There is a bathroom where I can run freshwater but I will need to figure out the waste water line to make that happen. It might be too much considering I am renting in an apartment but fingers crossed on at least an ATO fed automatically for some automation.

 

[certain_code]

Sigh. Long story short, yesterday came and went with no contact from the freight company. Calling them led me to finding out one carrier passed the shipment to another local carrier for delivery. Well after a few follow up calls and finally convincing the original carrier to give me a number of the local carrier, I am now stuck with both carriers claiming the other has the shipment and saying that claiming there is nothing either of them can do. Seems like I am stuck in a "BNF" (Bill No Freight) state and until someone finds the shipment sitting in their warehouse, there is not much I can do but wait. I'm not in a huge rush overall but I just hate needing to do the leg work of tracking down something I am paying for and not knowing when to plan for the time away from work to accept the shipment.

All that being said, BRS shipment gets here Friday so I will do some of the larger aqua scape work and start cycling the rock in a tub.

 

[RiptideAquaculture]

After nearly 4 years since I broke down my 80 gallon shallow, moved to the opposite side of the country, got my pilots license, and have now settled into life again, the itch to spend frivolous amounts of money on reefing needs to be scratched. Come along as I document the build out of a 48gal shallow INT middle overflow Fiji Cube tank. I just placed my tank, sump, and stand order but will be documenting along the way so others can know what to expect, what to avoid, and ultimately marvel in what I plan on being a stunning SPS show tank (fingers crossed).

Specs:
Tank + Stand: Fiji Cube 48 Gallon INT Middle Rimless Tank Package (White) - On order, awaiting delivery
Sump: Fiji Cube Fiji-24 Advanced Reef Sump 2nd Gen - On order, awaiting delivery
Return Pump: Ecotech Vectra M1*
Light(s): Neptune SKY
Skimmer: Skimz Monzter SM161*
Wavemaker: IceCap Gyre (cannot currently find ), Jebao SWs for various additional flow*
Plumbing: White+Blue Schedule 40 with all the unions
Dosing Pump: GHL Doser 2.1*
Controller: Classic Apex Controller (Temp, pH, 2x Energy Bars)*
Testing: Hanna Checkers

* noted on items from previous build. Need to evaluate use still and if they survived it through the move out west and while in storage.

Goals:
1. Show quality SPS tank. Simple, modern, and clean look overall.
2. Budget and buy for better once instead of going cheap multiple times
3. KISS principal (keep it stupid simple) Nothing I don't really need
4. "Set and forget" setup. Stop playing around and let things stabilize

Open needs, thoughts, and decisions:
1. Lighting: Going with the Neptune SKY either suspended from the ceiling or mounted to the back of the tank.
I need to settle on lighting still. I know I want to go LED given California heat and power costs but not sure if I want to go smaller dual fixtures or a single larger fixture. Both seem to have benefits from upfront cost and coverage perspectives but I am leaning towards the dual option and either EcoTech or AI for brand. Still open to suggestions though as I am now also looking at the SKY fixture. Key need is making sure that it can support SPS top to bottom.
2. Rock/substrate: Going bare bottom and live rock.
Debating what I want to go with for rock work and if I want to go bare bottom. If I go bare bottom I might go with live rock and sacrifice a bit on the rockscape to kickstart the tank cycle. I love the look of bottom sand but I hated maintaining of it on my previous tanks and hated needing to limit flow at times to prevent bare spots. On the flip side, bare bottom might mean more OCD cleaning needed on my part as detritus will be more obvious. Currently leaning towards live sand and dead rock work so I can take my time on the rockscape and have plenty of flow around the rock and ledges for fish/coral. Really hoping to achieve a minimal look, center island style with some large overhangs.
3. Nutrient/chemical system: Going to base this off of the BRS Hybrid SPS tank system. Simple 3 part dosing via the GHL Doser. High nutrients in via feeding with a slightly higher nutrients out. Not chasing nitraes and phosphates but finding the balance and stability in them. I previously ran Triton systems and had a love/hate relationship. I loved that it was dead simple in some ways but hated that I felt at times that I didn't know what was going on in the tank. A key goal in this is to keep the tank as simple as possible with chemistry and the mechanics of everything. With previous tanks I felt that I just added and added and added which was cool and 'techy' but in the end it lead to a ton of maintenance work. I have been a bit out of the hobby now so need to brush up on what successful SPS tanks are doing these days with simplicity in mind. As with other areas, open to suggestions before this all start really coming together.
4. Controller: I am assuming that the Classic APEX at this point might start to become limiting. So long as everything still works for now it will be fine but as some point I will likely be looking to upgrade and I have been satisfied with GHL systems so far. The addition of a KH Director at some point might point me in the direction of their controller system as well but not an urgent need currently.

Welcome to the start of my journey. I am very excited to share all of my mistake and success with everyone here; a community I joined 6 years ago almost to the day I purchased this tank.

As always, open to feedback, suggestions, questions, and thoughts on all things going on with this tank. Thank you all in advanced!

excellent thoughts! good luck

 

[Zoacoral]

Have you figured out where you tank is yet?

 

[certain_code]

Have you figured out where you tank is yet?

Nope. Pretty frustrating but I called the original freight carrier first thing this morning and they finally agreed on the actual status. They ordered a dock sweep then but I had not heard anything so tried calling again before they closed. The person who requested the sweep left around 12 but there was also no update on if they found the shipment. Hoping to hear by tomorrow morning at least yes or no on finding it and going from there.

Delivery this week looks unlikely but we will see. At this point I just really hope this gets sorted before holidays throw in potentially more delays.

 

[ladz]

Has Fiji been helpful at all? I had an issue with my order. They had shipped some missing items on Monday just never responded to me until last night after several emails. Pretty poor cs. They were on top of the shipping though. Hope you get this sorted soon.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Tell them, “LOOK, Buddy. Everything has to be SOMEWHERE.” They seem to be acting like your tank got swallowed by a Cosmic Black-Hole.

 

[certain_code]

Has Fiji been helpful at all? I had an issue with my order. They had shipped some missing items on Monday just never responded to me until last night after several emails. Pretty poor cs. They were on top of the shipping though. Hope you get this sorted soon.

So far no and I honestly doubt they can do much. I emailed them just to see but no response. I am going to follow up again just to get some response hopefully but I agree, pretty poor CS.

Tell them, “LOOK, Buddy. Everything has to be SOMEWHERE.” They seem to be acting like your tank got swallowed by a Cosmic Black-Hole.

Ha! It's so insane but I guess less surprising that no one can seemingly find a 480lb pallet that cannot be stacked. I also just feel that the longer this is sitting somewhere the more likely it is to arrive damaged....

 

[Zoacoral]

Hopefully you get it soon and all is well with it. I'm anxious to see the tank.

 

[Zoacoral]

.

 

[Kimosobey]

Excited to see this build! Do you have an Instagram for this build?

 

[certain_code]

Hopefully you get it soon and all is well with it. I'm anxious to see the tank.

Same and same. Hoping to hear something by tomorrow at least if they found the tank in whatever warehouse it may or may not be sitting in. FijiCube did get back to me today, confirmed they sent it and also called the freight company. So fingers crossed.

Excited to see this build! Do you have an Instagram for this build?

Same! Haha. No IG at the moment but might make one in the coming weeks/months.

 

[certain_code]

And here we are, a week after the tank apparently arrived in Los Angeles and after a week of a "dock sweep" by the freight company, and I am now in a 30 day investigation to determine what happened to my tank. FijiCube is apparently going to reach out on Monday and see what's up. Really hoping at this point they just try again from the start and ship me a new tank. I just hate when we probably could have made this call and had another tank shipped on Monday/Tuesday when everything already was missing but no one wanted to make that call clearly and yet here we are a week later.

BRS order with a majority of my needed things was scheduled for delivery today but now is pushed to Monday. Guess I really jinxed myself in saying I am going to be patient about this but seriously, can LA logistics just get their **** together for everyones sake already?

 

[certain_code]

3/4 of the BRS order came in so I should have everything but the rock (which arrives tomorrow) and the tank/stand. Hoping at this point that FijiCube just ships me a new tank/stand otherwise I might just cancel the order and go with another manufacturer at this point. The whole process has been frustrating and if FijiCube is not going to help make it right (not that this is really their fault) I may just head over to my LFS and pay a bit more for a different tank. At this point, the earliest I will probably have a tank is the week after Christmas but if some miracle happens then maybe this week is still an option.

I did get the RO/DI hooked up and plumbed to feed fresh water to the office (where the tank will be) from the bathroom the next room over. I was able to make 17 gallons of fresh water, heated it, and got a pump going in a tub to start the live rock cycle this week.

I am going to plan out the rock scape, gluing together any larger sections, and starting the cycle Tuesday/Wednesday this week. I am using Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter XLM and ammonia for a fishless cycle. I may end up getting some bio-bricks as well but I need to see the Fiji Sump before deciding on that.

I also now have all the equipment cleaner than ever thanks to some citric acid and scrubbing. Once the tank gets here I should be in a good spot to really get things set up. My plan is to at least fit the sump and dosing containers on the floor of the stand and build out a really clean, sealed off shelf above to hold all of the controllers and power. I've been trying to do some research on others with clean set ups in this way for inspiration.