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OF2F's New Tank: Round 3 Well, Im at it all over again. For those of you just joining us feel free to catch up: Round 1 http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/s...rogress-17236/ Round 2 http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/s...und-2-a-20611/ and Round 3 is here! stay for the fight, im hoping for a knockout! :lol: Well.. after a few personal ups and downs over the last year or so i decided im not fully happy without a tank. To be more specific, a saltwater tank. The tank is something i do have, which is a 40 breeder, but over the course of however long it takes me, just about all equipment will need to be purchased ( more like re-purchased :roll: ) all the way down to the refractometer. The plan is to set up the 40 breeder with a 40 breeder sump ( already built back home just have to go back and pick it up ) leaving me with about 80 gallons of tank volume. ( i say "about" because the sump isnt full to the rim. ) i am also hoping i can dig out one of my old skimmers to use on this tank as well as that would save me a great deal in itself. im not even sure if i still have any of them. this isnt going to be the fastest of builds, so i hope i didnt ruin anyones lunch by not having a bunch of progress to show. A big part of the plan i cant decide on yet is if i want to have most, if not all my flow come from the return pump and loc-line setup or invest some cash into a wireless vortech mp10. either setup would have a "clean look" IMO but those vortechs arnt cheap and i think the end result i would like 2 of them which just cracks the piggy bank even more. i guess i could always start with one. In the next month i should be ordering a few things for this tank. I think my first 3 purchases are going to be a 700gph glassholes kit, AWI RO/DI, and 80lbs marco rock that will come dry and need time to establish itself. the dry rock process alone is going to put this tank on hold for awhile, but this will allow me to get working on the stand and save some money for this project. i warned you it would be slow. :-( |
Looking forward to seeing the build! 80lbs of Marcos rock is going to be a lot for a 40g breeder. I've got 40lbs of the same rock in mine and feel its a good amount. If you are looking to have rock for the sump and extra pieces to play with maybe 80 is what you want. |
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i do not like to keep rock in my sumps as this to me is just as bad as having a sump full of bioballs. there just isnt enough flow down there to keep them clean. i would only put maybe 2-3 pieces if any, and this is so i can rotate them weekly to bi-weekly back up to the display full of pods. |
i started on the canopy first. i only got the frame work done so far. i chose to do the canopy before the stand because last tank i built a temporary canopy and never got around to building the actual one unitl a much later date. the frame is constructed from simple wood balusters. http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...y/DSCN1383.jpg everything seems to be cat approved :lol: http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...y/DSCN1386.jpg a few quick light paint coats to help seal it. once its fully built the entire canopy will be painted as a whole. http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...y/DSCN1399.jpg i plan to cover the top and back piece with 1/2'' plastic mesh. the front and sides will most likely be 1/2'' ply painted black. http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...y/DSCN1397.jpg now im still on the fence with filling the insides up with a retrofit T5 or a 6x39 nova extreme pro t5 unit. i enjoyed the 6x48 icecap retrofits on my last tank, however im alittle upset icecap is no longer with us. i may just go with the pre built unit and call it a day. |
cool beans i am glad i am going to be on for round 3...and i would go with the retrofit man...you know you can do better than the competition for cheaper and all us folks at home can use an experienced reefers insight from the ground up.. |
Yay!!! I'm happy you're getting back into it again!!! |
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http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...r/DSCN1428.jpg http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...r/DSCN1431.jpg dont recall where i saw this, not my idea but i built one, a DIY carbon reactor for over/in a sump. |
Cool!!! |
alittle wood http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...d/DSCN1447.jpg alittle stand construction http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...d/DSCN1448.jpg i glued on some spacers on the canopy, this is because i plan to have the sides as well as the front overhang the plastic trim around the tank. i also decided to use a piece of ply on the top so if my cat ever does get up there it will support the weight. http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...d/DSCN1453.jpg after everythings constructed i plan on using this as my primer http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...d/DSCN1450.jpg |
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