My tank build thread v.75gallon newb

[bronck83]

Update on Post #8 - sump, rodi, filled tank



I first got started with a 14g Biocube in November. I wanted bigger within a week or two.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/nano/Picture051.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/nano/Picture064.jpg

I bought a 40 gallon and within a few days I knew I'd outgrow that too quickly so I took it back for a 75 gallon(2nd floor apartment :thumbs_down: ). I got Ace to drill it & make a calfo overflow for me(I was sweating bullets during the drilling).:at_wits_end:

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/Picture001-1.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/Picture003.jpg

I then bought a pair of 250w MH pendants with 12k DE bulbs from STEPHENCRAIG on this site. A month or so later I started on my stand/canopy(worked here & there on the weekends at my parents house). I could have bought a stand but none of the stands I have seen satisfy what I wanted. I wanted a stand without a center brace so I can easily get a sump in & out and more importantly I wanted a taller stand. I'm a tall guy and I do not like having to bend over to look at an aquarium.

Here is my stand at the beginning:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/img001.jpg

I used 4x4 treated posts that are notched for 2x6's(to allow for no center brace in front/rear). Everything is glued and screwed.

I then went to work on my canopy for my lights. I made 2 different ways of opening my canopy. The first way is where just the front swings open for minor maintenance/feeding/etc. The 2nd way is the whole top is on a seperate set of hinges that will allow much more room to work. I did not want to be blinded by my lights so I ran a piece of aluminum L-frame across & drilled & hung my MH pendants from it with stainless steel cables. This way when I open the main canopy the lights keep pointing down instead of blinding me.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/img002.jpg

I then covered the entire stand/canopy in 1/4" oak plywood, built cabinet doors, stapled all my trim, & did some finishing work(wood filler, sanding) and sprayed it all inside/outside with Kilz. I then plumbed my 1.5" drains and painted the outside with a few coats of black exterior satin paint.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/Picture005.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/Picture007.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/Picture004.jpg

The stand/canopy was a lot more work than I had anticipated but I am happy with the way it turned out. I spent about $300 in materials and maybe 20 hours on it. It's probably overbuilt but it's rock solid and I didn't want to risk anything being in an upstairs apartment and I also wanted it to be able to hold a larger tank if I upgrade in the future. The final height dimensions of the stand is the bottom of the tank is at 45", the top of the tank 66", and the top of the canopy is around 80"(almost 7 feet). It's at perfect viewing level for me(I'm kinda tall).

Since then I've purchased a Koraline calcium reactor from Texreefer and soon will be conspiring with Ace about building a 30-35 gallon acrylic sump to house my skimmer/fuge. I still need to pickup a Euroreef skimmer, return pump, powerheads, auto-top off, RODI. I'm debating on whether to try to do the back wall with the spray foam or just painting it & a lot of live rock. I'll update this thread when I continue work, hopefully I have it all running by mid-April. I'm open to tips/suggestions as I'm still a newb. Thanks for playing.

[hobogato]

looking great so far.... nice job on the stand and canopy :)

[joelb]

good work! are you going to paint the back of the tank black or dark blue??

[bronck83]

good work! are you going to paint the back of the tank black or dark blue??

If I paint & don't do foam I'm leaning towards blue. Is arcylic spray-paintable? I'd want to paint the overflow too.

[ismvel]

I don't know this would work on acrylic, but I used window tinting on my corner overflows.....from a distance it looks like it is painted, but if you want to look at the plumbing you can get closer and see if there is anything going on in there. And it is removeable in the case I want to get rid of it later, as opposed to having to scrape paint off...

I painted my previous tank blue (avatar), and prefer black personally....

BUt your set up is looking very nice...great job.

[ErikH]

I have blue, and I wish it was black. I have not yet gotten bored enough to sit and scrape the back, vacuum, scrape, vacuum, scrape, & lastly vacuum. The limo tint is the way to go from what I hear. Whatever you decide, make sure to CLEAN THE GLASS BEFORE you paint it. :)

[bronck83]

Hmm...I assume you put the window tint on the outside of the tank?

[bronck83]

Well it's been a long 4 months since I started this project but its finally getting close. My RO/DI from Buckeye came in this week and Ace built my sump a couple weeks ago and I got my Eheim 1262 return pump.

First thing is first, its time to fill some trash cans and then drag them over to the tank to start filling it up.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/Picture002Custom.jpg

While waiting for each trash can to fill, I have many other things to work on as you can see below. It was like Christmas morning. I finished my plumbing with the loc-line that I ordered, mounted my ballasts(which need to be re-wired), and turned on the new heaters.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/Picture001Custom.jpg

Finally, about 26 hours later I have enough water(~100 gallons). You can see my sump that Ace made. It's dimensions are 30"(L) x 18"(W) x 15"(H) which equates to about 35 gallons. I made it larger than need on purpose so that I can re-use it if/when I upgrade to a larger display tank. The back left section is rock-rubble for drains, front left is skimmer section, middle is fuge, triple baffle, then return.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/a.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/b.jpg

The Koralia 4's making some nice surface disruption.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m227/thelefty83/tank/d.jpg

Next up, go buy some salt & substrate. I'm leaning towards Reef Crystals but I heard something about mixing them....? I hear the Coralife is good too though. Might come down to who has them locally & what this whole "mixing" problem is with the Reef Crystals. Can anyone chime in on this?

I'm planning to do a thin layer of coarser substrate for the display tank like crushed coral and then a finer sand for the refugium. Hopefully the next update will be more exciting than a glass box full of water.

[hobogato]

coming along nicely!

i use reef crystals and have not had any issues with mixing.

[sharkboy]

Nice....not sure if previously mentioned but what are the tank dimensions and what kinda lighting is being used?

[bronck83]

Nice....not sure if previously mentioned but what are the tank dimensions and what kinda lighting is being used?

75 gallon (48x18x21)
35 gallon sump(30x15x18)

Lights are 250x2 PFO Pendants 12k DE bulbs
Icecap & PFO electronic ballasts

Probably hard to tell the size of my tank, the stand is towering compared to most. I'm not a fan of having to bend over to look at my tanks, though I need to invest in a small step ladder to work in mine now. :blushing: