Jumping In! My tank diary begins.

[lastlight]

Hello,

This is my first crack at salt after many years doing the freshwater thing.

I'll be keeping a sort of diary of my progress here:

http://www.reef.thelastlight.net/

Comments welcome. Cheers!

Brett

[EmilyB]

couldn't get into that link

[saltynuts]

looks like you could hold up a car with that stand.
but keep it comeing

[OCDP]

Wowzers.. that's one heavy duty stand. That bad boy will secure some peace of mind alright

Looking forward to more progress.. welcome to the board. Welcome to the addiction. Things seem to be moving along quite nicely for you so far.

[TheReefGeek]

Well done, can't wait to see the finished product.

[Deathstar]

Nice start, That is one hardcore stand.

[lastlight]

This just in: All three cats on the stand at once brought it down. I'm in tears! Back to the drawing board =)

Thanks folks. I've been reading up for nearly a year. It's SO sweet to finally be getting my hands dirty (and soon SALTY)

Brett

[woodcarver]

Thanks for sharing ! These threads really help those of us hovering on the fringes waiting to make the leap . Site looks good to me lastlight!
I liked Albert's simple , no nonsense reply to what he sees as the basic neccessities as ,sometimes ,the more reading one does the more confusing it gets.
.........Dave

[GMGQ]

Looking good, Brett! I didnt know anything about carpentry, plumbing, or electrical either when I got into this. But I did my research and muddled through it. Feel free to check out my old photo gallery:

http://www.auphanonline.com/gallery/...d=1330&page=98

If you want to add another piece of mind to the stability, might I suggest some construction grade, Polyurethane Adhesive (comes in a tube, so you have to use a caulking gun to squirt it out). I glued & screwed everything, as suggested by a carpenter that I know. You can get it at Home Depot.

Oh, and another tidbit: Dont DIY to save money. It actually cost me a lot more DIY, than it would if i had bought everything. The priority for DIY is mainly for customization. So dont be surprised when you go over-budget (because you WILL!).

[TheReefGeek]

There are some DIY projects that might cost more than retail, but IMO that would mean you ended up with something mucher higher quality and customized than retail.

And for a lot of projects, DIY is actually cheaper, even if you do go over budget by a bit. For example, I have done 2 lighting hoods that were much cheaper going with a retrofit kit and DIY hood compared to buying a complete unit. My Auto-top of system is cheaper than retail by far. My sump is DIY with an old tank and baffles, FAR cheaper than buying a retail sump.