Hello everyone, I've been working on this tank for about a month now, gathering parts, building things here and there and so on. i figured id start a thread here to document my progress.
Equipment,
100Watt ebo jager heater
Ranco temperature controller with a thermal well
20 gal. sump/fuge
150W PFO pendant and ballast with a 14K pheonix bulb
Bubble maggus NAC 3.5 cone skimmer
Gravity Fed ATO
And a hydor seltz adjustable return pump.
I still need to get an ro/di filter( Most likely from "The Filter Guys")
I plan on using E.V.S salt.
Okay, now that the equipment is covered, heres some pics of everything.
I got my tank made from advanced acrylics, its a custom 12x12x5" 3/8" acrylic cube with a center internal overflow.( plastic wrap was place on the tank to prevent scratches)
Heres the tank,( those returns have since been changed),
For size reference,
I then built a "mini stand" for the tank using oak trim.( 1/2 foam was placed between the plywood on the bottom of the stand and tank)
A shot inside the overflow( return has since been replaced, info and pics are further in the thread)
I originally got a 9 LED kit of rapid LED, made the fixture ect, but i decided to ditch the LED's and go with the halide, the LED's will be used as a fuge light. heres a shot of the tank with the LED's
The stand i am using was given to me by my uncle, it is an oceanic stand made for a 40 gal. i built the stand up with 2x4's and ply-wood so the surface would be even with the trim- I then tiled the stand to give it a better appearance, ( please note i haven't grouted the tile yet),
Once the tile was complete, i sealed the inside of the stand with 2 coats of Kilz primer, and i plan on doing 2 more coats with epoxy appliance paint to further-more protect against water damage, I do now have pictures of the inside of the stand.
Heres a shot of the new return, I originally had the tank maker drill the return hole in the overflow, but trying to plumb the return in a 4x4 area just wasnt worth the hassle, and if i ever needed to service the return, it would be nearly impossible. so I had 2 extra 1/2" bulkheads, so i put the bulkheads in both return holes and got threaded PVC caps, painted them black, then screwed them into the bulkheads, so if i ever wanted to use those holes again, all i have to do is un-screw the caps and i can use them easily. the new return consists of 1/2" spray bar loc-line. the loc-line will be covered in sand with only the nozzles sticking out, so it shouldnt be noticeable when the tank is up and running, it was hard trying to get even flow around the center overflow,
Heres a shot of the DIY metal halide fixture to hold the pendant above the tank. its just a simple PVC structure painted black, i plan on using eye-bolts in both and pendant and light stand and hang the metal halide with small chain so i can adjust the height of the halide easily,
So, i think thats its for now... I will update the thread as progress continues. sorry for the low- quality pictures, I'm stuck using my phone camera, hopefully i can get a friend to lend me a good digital camera and take some nice pics. any comments and suggestions are welcome!
Equipment,
100Watt ebo jager heater
Ranco temperature controller with a thermal well
20 gal. sump/fuge
150W PFO pendant and ballast with a 14K pheonix bulb
Bubble maggus NAC 3.5 cone skimmer
Gravity Fed ATO
And a hydor seltz adjustable return pump.
I still need to get an ro/di filter( Most likely from "The Filter Guys")
I plan on using E.V.S salt.
Okay, now that the equipment is covered, heres some pics of everything.
I got my tank made from advanced acrylics, its a custom 12x12x5" 3/8" acrylic cube with a center internal overflow.( plastic wrap was place on the tank to prevent scratches)
Heres the tank,( those returns have since been changed),
For size reference,
I then built a "mini stand" for the tank using oak trim.( 1/2 foam was placed between the plywood on the bottom of the stand and tank)
A shot inside the overflow( return has since been replaced, info and pics are further in the thread)
I originally got a 9 LED kit of rapid LED, made the fixture ect, but i decided to ditch the LED's and go with the halide, the LED's will be used as a fuge light. heres a shot of the tank with the LED's
The stand i am using was given to me by my uncle, it is an oceanic stand made for a 40 gal. i built the stand up with 2x4's and ply-wood so the surface would be even with the trim- I then tiled the stand to give it a better appearance, ( please note i haven't grouted the tile yet),
Once the tile was complete, i sealed the inside of the stand with 2 coats of Kilz primer, and i plan on doing 2 more coats with epoxy appliance paint to further-more protect against water damage, I do now have pictures of the inside of the stand.
Heres a shot of the new return, I originally had the tank maker drill the return hole in the overflow, but trying to plumb the return in a 4x4 area just wasnt worth the hassle, and if i ever needed to service the return, it would be nearly impossible. so I had 2 extra 1/2" bulkheads, so i put the bulkheads in both return holes and got threaded PVC caps, painted them black, then screwed them into the bulkheads, so if i ever wanted to use those holes again, all i have to do is un-screw the caps and i can use them easily. the new return consists of 1/2" spray bar loc-line. the loc-line will be covered in sand with only the nozzles sticking out, so it shouldnt be noticeable when the tank is up and running, it was hard trying to get even flow around the center overflow,
Heres a shot of the DIY metal halide fixture to hold the pendant above the tank. its just a simple PVC structure painted black, i plan on using eye-bolts in both and pendant and light stand and hang the metal halide with small chain so i can adjust the height of the halide easily,
So, i think thats its for now... I will update the thread as progress continues. sorry for the low- quality pictures, I'm stuck using my phone camera, hopefully i can get a friend to lend me a good digital camera and take some nice pics. any comments and suggestions are welcome!
