Our first SW tank - 180 gal build
 

My apologies ahead of time, this may be a slow build. I'm a newb so feel free to offer some constructive critisism.

And now onto the main event...

This is where the tank is going. We plumbed in a drain for simple water changes, as you can see in the center of the tank space. And yes, that is my sad, sad looking Christmas tree. I've had it for 8 years now and I love it :biggrin: :

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3537.jpg

Cutting and modifying the stand's legs so that she fits into the wall:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3540.jpg

Whipping together a quick stand base to raise the tank by 10". We did this so that the viewing level is more esthetically pleasing and also to have a 1 foot platform for us to do the upkeep. Also it just looks good and helps distribute the weight of this beast over a larger surface area.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3541.jpg

Baseboards removed:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3542.jpg

Fitting in the stand platform:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3543.jpg

Trying it on for size (that's nutella all over my kid's face. Haha, he loves the stuff!):

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3544.jpg

Newly modified stand going on her new platform:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3550.jpg

Got the tank on. It took two strong guys to lift this girl. Her dimensions are 6'X2'X2':

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3551.jpg

Filling..:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3552.jpg

More filling....:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3554.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3555.jpg

Something that survived the 7 hour drive:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3556.jpg

Something else that survived...:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3560.jpg

Fits the space nice, the OSB under the tank concerns me, prone to swelling when wet, could cause a problem down the road. What are the plans for trim?

I had some zoes on a rock that I had missed in a move and sat in the bottom of a rubbermaid tub for week. Threw it in the tank and a few days later they popped out again. Good luck on your tank build!

Sweet!! Looks great so far! Adorable kid too btw!!

We're planning on this tank not leaking so hopefully the plywood will stay dry (haha!). On a more serious note, we are looking into a liner to put on the platform to protect again potential spills. This is extremely incomplete. We haven't even gotten the chance to put in the sump as the skimmer's pump is not working right now so we are waiting on parts. BTW Is it better to cycle the tank without a skimmer?

Our family friend is a Jman carpenter and he is fabbing up the cabinet/trim pieces for us. Planning to do a full piece that will frame in the tank like a picture frame would. I can't decide if I want a full canopy piece or not..

That's not OSB t's standard ply. The whole platform seems weird to me but I assume there's a reason and plan behind it so I'll stay tuned for now.

Weird how resiliant they are... I'm quite surprised acually. Maybe we will stick with only zoas now that I know I'll have a hard time killing them :biggrin:

Thanks, I made him from scratch!

I was hesistant at first too but now I really like it. It was my husband's idea. It kind of matches our fireplace so it goes with the house decor. Plus it's making maintenance easier for me, I don't have to reposition a stepladder while cleaning.

As far as spill protection you should consider something although it's difficult to add something properly with the tank already setup. Spills will happen, 100% for sure it's just a matter of when. That platform will prevent proper cleanup when the spill occurs as it will go behind it and be stuck underneath. I hope the idea of the platform wasn't related to floor protection.

I was referring to the wood directly under the tank, not the platform the stand sits on, from the pics it looks to be OSB, in any case looks like you have put lots of thought into it.

Just give it a good weatherproof paint with a sealer, should keep everything happy. I think it will look great once finished, the tank fits so well in the wall having the whole stand and everything flush would have looked off unless it perfectly matched. The only thing that could be a pain is to check when your sitting down if you can see into the lights in the canopy. I used to have a tank beside my TV and i could see the bulbs, it was very distracting when watching TV. haha. Looks great though, good job so far.

Tanks cleared up a bit..
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3563.jpg

And the new NS Apex came in the mail today courtesy of concept aquatics:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3564.jpg

Looks like I wasn't the only one excited about the parcel:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3569.jpg

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3570.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3571.jpg

Yeah, I'm one of those parents who shamelessly posts photos on my kid :)

And here's the sump getting ready to be hooked up:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3572.jpg

As far as the platform being not very waterproof we are simply going to seal it and sillicone the edges to wall so that water can't run in behind it easily in the event of a spill.

Also our basement is unfinished so if need be we can access under the platform from the basement if all things go south with this platform.

Looks good so far.

You could just trim out the entire setup and make it look like an in-wall setup. Then the lights would be covered and you wouldn't see the bulbs from a sitting position. It would look more like a fireplace... Or more like a fishy place?

As others have said, pairing and sealing the base would be a good idea before you setup the sump. You could just do it up white to match your baseboard and continue your base boards from your wall and around the base you built to add to the built in look.

Awesome day. I don't have enough clearance to empty the Vertex IN250 protein skimmer's cup with the sump being on the platform. So we are modifying the sump and dropping it inside of the platform. This is a pain in the ass but it will probably look cool.

Also decided to "upgrade" the sump and go with something a bit bigger. This one is a 50 gallon tank going off of it's dimensions. We are going to do a DIY 80 gallon sump with 4 chambers (chambers are called baffles?), so that we can have a refugium and protein skimmer each with their own dedicated area. This new sump is going to be 5'X18"X18". We'll build it on Xmas holidays if we have the time. Acrylic most likely as for some reason everyone in my local area wants to sell used 50+ gallon tanks for $350 or more. Just the tank, no hardware. Pricey!

Also going to be dropping by the hardware store tomorrow to pick up some sealer for the platform. Thanks for the tips and suggestions everyone.

Tank is cycling well. Got our initial ammonia spike yesterday (3 PPM). The existing zoas don't seem too thrilled but they are still kicking.

Started to plan the cabinetry but that's going to be a surprise for you guys until I post the pics. We have a really great idea for easy access to underneath the tank.

Thanks to all who are following along on my learning journey and as always, please add your constructive critism. It's easier and cheaper for me to learn from your mistakes and not my own ;)

Looks cool where you have it set up but the only real concern I have is with the way you have the tank sitting on 2 pieces of plywood instead of 1 solid piece & the fact that you do not have any styrofoam under the tank. If by any chance there is a spill & the water soaks into one of the edges under the tank it could crack the bottom.

Looks good so far!

^agreed^.......have you worked with acrylic before?.....if not I wouldnt make something that needs to hold water your first attempt......working with acrylic is not easy and if you dont get it right she will eventually blow....

I actually have worked with acrylic before. I've also built a glass tank from the ground up. That one was my 125 gal FW. I had it running for 5 years before I took it down and sold it. Never had a single leak and neither did the buyer to the best of my knowledge. I was pretty proud of that one as I was only 15 when I built it. It was a basic box with no overflows though so it was pretty easy.

I'd honestly rather buy a nice used tank to convert but I can't find anything that will work in my space so we'll see. If Santa doesn't bring a HO Refugium for us then we will see about making one.

The guy who built the platform is a Master Carpenter. He knew what it would be supporting. I'm confident in his abilites. This thing is solid. Yes we will be looking into sealing the stand but the reason we had to set it up so quick is because we only had the weekend to get it up and running or risk waiting another two or three weeks until the husband and his friends were off to help put it up on the stand for us. I don't have any regrets and I'm not concerned but I appreciate everyone else looking out for our best interests.

Looks like a great build and awesome rock work.... Love the hitch hikers....I got lucky there too :)
Salt is a fun hobby...... Cant wait for the stress to stop and the beauty to begin LOL

I was not referring to the platform I was referring to the plywood between the tank and the stand. Should have been one piece of good plywood at least 3/4" thick with atleast 1/2" of styrofoam between the plywood and tank. I hope don't have a panel break or crack, I have seen it many time.

You will grow very old waiting for that day.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/IMG_3550edit.jpg

This is the plywood the Grizz is referring to. This should all be one solid piece of Plywood not osb of mdf. If this gets any moisture at all it will expand and possibly crack your tank. Also there should be a half inch piece of rigid styrofoam between the plywood and tank.
I agree that the platform it sits on looks well built and solid and with a little silicone and sealer will be very moisture resistant.

Oh, now I see what you are referring to. That came with the tank. Perhaps we should have put something else between the tank and stand. It was bone dry and had no swelling so it looked good to us, but I can see what Grizz meant about one piece being safer. If you are reffering to the base of the tank (platform), that is one piece of 3/4".

Anyway!

New update:

Got the sump dropped down, working well without the skimmer while the tank cycles and the apex controller installed. The apex wasn't easy to put together but it was much easier than I thought it would be. Working off of a Mac to configure it ended up being very simple, although the web interface is the same regardless of your operating system. Now in the morning I will tackle how to get iphone access to it.

Looks good so far guys...loving the rock work!! I will be following along but it seems so weird lol.

Dropped the sump in but the wire mess is driving me crazy. Getting a different sump built and will clean up and organize the mess once it's installed.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3584.jpg

The utility room:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3586.jpg

Mixing salt water. I have two of these. Both have a eheim 250 W and a maxijet 900:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3588.jpg

Also since these photos I've hooked up the ATO and hooked up the iphone aspect of the Apex but I have yet to figure out how to access the controls from outside of the house via iphone.

Added a few things:

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3707.jpg from bayside corals
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3705.jpg from bayside corals
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3704.jpg from bayside corals
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3703.jpg
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3701.jpg from bayside corals

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3716.jpg
Kenya tree is from thereefshoppe.
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3714.jpg
Unfortunately this peppermint shrimp didn't make the drive up. I threw him in as a snack for the hermits and snails I got from Kelly. There were two other PPMS and I figured they would decide not to die on me if they saw what happened to their amigo after his demise. So far the trick has worked!
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3787.jpg GSP from the reef shoppe.
The feather duster rock:
http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/IMG_3786.jpg My PPMS love them more than the aiptasias unfortunately.

[quote=The Grizz;662263]I was not referring to the platform I was referring to the plywood between the tank and the stand. Should have been one piece of good plywood at least 3/4" thick with atleast 1/2" of styrofoam between the plywood and tank. I hope don't have a panel break or crack, I have seen it many time.

I hate to be a party pooper but this tank is doomed is it not? I think grizz is right here. You should have taken the time to put some foam under your tank. I think it's only a matter of time before she lets go but hey it's your choice. Sorry for the negativity but apart from that it's looking good and best of luck with it.

Cool well we are moving in less than a year so let's hope it can hang on until then.

that could end up being a very expensive decision lets hope your luck hangs in there.

Ive never put foam under a single tank ive had in the last 12 years ive been in the hobby, even big ones. they usually all just sit on hard wood - never harmed anything, you guys are just paranoid.

I agree, your stand would have to have some serious defects to cause problems. I've seen just as many tanks break on foam as on wood. As long as you still have the plastic trim thing around the tank still you should be fine.

i also wouldnt worry too much i dont have foam under my 5 foot 90 and it is fine. the main cause of a break is if a floor shifts due to weather change and if your stand doesnt shift properly with it it could cause a break..but a tank could break just caue of glass defect as well for no reason.

not paranoid when you get a tank with the trim the bottom is tempered. however with her tank there isnt any trim and the bottom isnt tempered.