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Bigyankfan's 225 Dream Reef Build

bigyankfan

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My name is Eric and I live in Holmdel. Here is my current setup - an SCA 50 that has been up and running since 2017. I had a 120 that ran for many years until I shut it down after Sandy wiped out the entire tank, We moved to a house this January and now that I have the room, I'm doing my dream tank. Here are pics of my current tank, which I will be selling once the 225 is up and running:

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And here is our den, where it will go:

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The outlet is a dedicated 20 amp line that I just had put in this week. More posts to follow.
 
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bigyankfan

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Working on the stand now:

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Took off the doors and cleaned the inside then I sealed the bottom seams with caulk.

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Sprayed the bottom with white Flexseal so that if I have any leaks, it will be contained in the bottom of the stand and won't leak on the floor.

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bigyankfan

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I have the powdered citric acid that I use because it doesn't have that bad smell. I also ordered the marine background from Universal Rocks so that will cover up the mess on the back wall and overflow.
 

bigyankfan

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It is 72" x 27" x 27" - I bought if from a guy from Lodi on Manhattan Reefs and thx. My 120 I built a stand and canopy for it but this time I'm just going to fix up the existing stand because I'm eager to get it up and running - here is the thread from last build.
 

bigyankfan

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The stand is finished inside - I've sanded and fixed the gouges on the exterior and I've removed all of the top and bottom trim. I am going to refinish the exterior - pics to come.

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bigyankfan

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It turns out that I need a little more or this contact paper, so I had to order another roll. I won't use a good portion of the second roll, so if anyone wants to reskin their stand let me know and you can have the remainder.
 

bigyankfan

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The tank is cleaned, I resealed the front seams and I spray painted the left side panel which will be up against a window.

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I built a sub-base for the tank from 2 x 4's so that I could put levelling feet underneath the stand - the floor is my den has a 0.15 degree slope so I want the tank to be perfectly level. There are 16 feet that I bought from Rockler so each foot will carry 1/16th of the total load of approximately 3500 lbs. or about 220 lbs. per foot which is well under their 400 lb. rating

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bigyankfan

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Installed the lights in the stand, put in the two EB-8's and added a piece of MDF that will be sprayed white and will be my controller board - I can't believe they charge over $100 for one.

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bigyankfan

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Here is the update - my 91 year old Mom got very sick right after New Year's, was hospitalized and then passed away in the beginning of February. I started working on the tank again on Valentine's Day and proceeded to gash my knuckle with a utility knife so deep that it took 6 stitches to close. That being said, the knuckle is healed enough so that I can start back up - new pics will be posted soon and thx for asking.
 

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dude I am so sorry about your mom, and your finger that looks painful, hopefully you will be able to get the tank up and up to shape again
 

nightmarepl

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Here is the update - my 91 year old Mom got very sick right after New Year's, was hospitalized and then passed away in the beginning of February. I started working on the tank again on Valentine's Day and proceeded to gash my knuckle with a utility knife so deep that it took 6 stitches to close. That being said, the knuckle is healed enough so that I can start back up - new pics will be posted soon and thx for asking.
thats a nice cut im sure it felt amazing haha good to see your back at it i love the stand man wish you did a video legit looking stand i also noticed you added leveling legs sweet!
unfortunate to hear about your mother hope all is well in the family.
 

bigyankfan

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Thx for your kind thoughts. As for the stand, it was a crappy black plywood stand that I covered in this stuff in brown.
 
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