Jake 33 build
 

I have had this tank up and running for a few months now and I am just getting around to putting my tank journal up!

Here is a few photos:

Day 3 september 15, 2010. Got my first live rock in

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4050

Well I finally got some of the particles to settle out around a week later

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4053

Haven't got aqua-scaping done yet but I had some plans for later on

I had a little bit of a problem with my power heads, they caused nothing but problems because they were petsmart specials. I did a little research and found that Koralia 1050 and 750 were a good option. This is more of a learning tank, so I am making sure everything can be upgraded to a 80 gallon bowfront later this year.

1400 maybe too much for this tank. A 1050 is probably the strongest you want to go.

or get a vortech mp10 or another type of adjustable powerhead (koralia and tunze have options as well but they are as or more expensive) if you want to upgrade.

stick to a normal rectangle or square tank vs bowfront. They are harder to light near the front due to their odd shape. Keep your eyes out in this forum or kijiji - literally hundreds of tank available at one given time. I am sure you can find what you like at a fraction of the cost of a new bowfront.

stick to a normal rectangle or square tank vs bowfront. They are harder to light near the front due to their odd shape. Keep your eyes out in this forum or kijiji - literally hundreds of tank available at one given time. I am sure you can find what you like at a fraction of the cost of a new bowfront.[/quote]

I never had a problem with lighting the front of a bow tank!!
I don't think that would be an issue worth not getting the tank you want!!

Sorry I made a mistake there, I got a 1050 and a 750 not a 1400! Yeah I hve been contemplating the bow-front. I know someone who has one in his basement that he can give me when im ready to upgrade. But I was also looking at a 120g as well.

So this is my tank around 2 months later. I got a air of turbo snails, a few bumblebee snails, nassarius snails and a bunch of hermit crabs. http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4054

Looks good Jake. Reminds me a lot of my first tank.

If you want to put a sump on that bad boy, let me know and I will help you out. I have a little 10 gallon you could use, or there are probably plenty of tanks that would fit the bill on usedvic.

Keep it up.

Yeah Im thinking I might do that soon! Not really sure what it involves but I know I need a new stand to fit everything.

Functional stands are easy to make, and there are a lot of good instructions floating around on the forum. Attractive stands, well, they are beyond my skill set.

Just getting all my photos up to date!

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4059

I got my corals in the tank from Shelley's frag swap. Tons of great stuff for way better prices than store! But I put in some green chromis and they were killed very shortly after I put them in. I have to re arrange my tank so I could find this mantis shrimp. I will post some updated photos now that I have actually dome some aquascaping!

Here is a few corals

My meteor shower, Thanks Shelley!

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4058

Some new frogspawns, still a little stressed from the frag swap.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4056

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4055

My first attempt at a frag, The epoxy is ugly but it wont be going anywhere!

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4042

Shouldn't be to big of a problem for me, I spent the last 6 years working as a cabinet maker so I have a little insight as to making it look good! I figure a 2 by 4 frame and I will cover it with a mahogany plywood that I have left over from a contract.

So I have to be able to fit my biopellets and protein skimmer in the sump. I figure ill build the stand this weekend. Is there any size of a sump that I should use for a 33 gallon tank? 10g? 20g? Any how would I go about drilling a tank that has live stock in it?

There are a lot of variables, but as a rule of thumb "bigger is better". Especially on a smaller tank, more water volume is a bonus. It depends if you want a refugium, and what skimmer you are using. Also, will you use and internal, or external pump.

Best bet would be to get whatever you can fit in the stand and go from there.

Yeah I figure a refugium is better. I am still using my Seaclone skimmer (hopefully not for long). Since everything is HOB the pumps will need to be in the skimmer. Im thinking that my 20g I have at home would do nicely. Any suggestions for how to build a refugium?

Refugium are really simple. They are essentially an area for critters to take "refuge" from the predator fishes in our tanks. They are a great place to grow macro algae, and house excess rock or whatever.

Mine is just a compartment in my sump, which is just made by sectioning off a portion using glass baffles. You are welcome to come check out how I have done mine. If you have a mantis shrimp in your display, a perfect home could be your refugium. Mantis are super cool, hopefully you got a colourful one.

Well Its a little late for him now (soda water kinda did him in). They are really cool, but this one took a liking to anything that moved. Yeah that would be great if I could take a look at your refugium. Let me know if you have any free time and I can stop by.

Well Here i the final result and some corals as of yesterday.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4071

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4068

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4063

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4062

Needing a new stand
 

So I decided to install a sump in the next few weeks, but my current stand wouldn't hold a sump so I had to go and build one. I think I may have over built it just a tad but here is the pics!

Here is my 20 gallon tank that I will be using.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4078

This is the frame before I faced it. Just a basic 2 by 4 frame that has been glued and then screwed together. My calculations say that the stand should be able to hold 1500 pounds when done. I built the frame so that I can later put a 90 gallon on top of it.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4081

This is the nearly finished product, minus the front panel and the paint.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/pic...pictureid=4084

I will be painting it a satin black and the front panel will be held in by magnets. I built a cabinet for a customer years ago that I put a magnetic panel on the back and it worked amazingly. So I decided to give it a try instead of using regular hinges. I will also be wiring a LED light and a battery pack to run the heater and protein skimmer if the power goes out.

I love how you're planning for the future upgrade already

Looks great, I wouldn't even bother putting the tank you have right now and just go straight for the jugular and put a 90 on there.

If you are building a LED, building the stand, building a sump. Why not build the tank? It could be lots of fun. Perhaps a little nerve racking, but if it works then you get mad props right?

I've thought about it. Not sure if I will, I think I can find a used tank for allot less than building a new one.

Well I think my little bacteria bloom is under control now. Think I may have added to much bio pellets!

how goes the battle?