Cheryl's 165 Gallon upgrade

[CherylMcKay]

So the stand is built and the finishing on it is almost done. I used Flex coat waterproofing inside the stand and on the top. The rest is cabinet grade birch and I have just varathaned it.

Before finishing

After finishing:

We decided to add 2 pieces of Angle Iron on the back bolted to the stand for putting on a light frame at a later date.

I need to dry fit the sump and decide where I am going to put holes in the back for the returns. I also need some advice on how to plumb it.

It has the return holes in the Eurobracing on the top and there are 2 holes in the bottom just behind the center of the tank. The bulk heads are 1 inch so I was thinking of having the 1 inch pipes to the level I want to drain and then put a 4 inch piece of PVC around them and attach my rocks to them so they are kinda hidden. Not sure if this is the best way, but I am really leary to drill the tank myself as if I break it I am out of luck and I already sold my 75 gallon.

[Skimmerking]

Cheryl congrats on the tank. if u wanna pm me your number I can call you direct and discuss skimmers with ya. I know that there are many types of skimmers out there and it can be confusing

[CherylMcKay]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

Cheryl congrats on the tank. if u wanna pm me your number I can call you direct and discuss skimmers with ya. I know that there are many types of skimmers out there and it can be confusing

Thanks for the offer.

I think I am going to stick with what I have, as I really need to spend my money on plumbing and other necessities. I will give you a shout when I am ready to buy a new skimmer.

[CherylMcKay]

Well, getting closer. We got the rug and laminate floor cut out where the tank stand will sit over the beam.We had to cut out the flooring to get rid of the transition and I am looking at replacing the carpet in the next year or so ,which means I don't need to move the tank to do it.

The tank stand in it's final location:


The tank stand is all finished and set in place. We glued in rubber foam inside the stand to dampen any noise. Under the foam rubber is a waterproof coating to contain any water that may spill out of the sump.

I got the fans and vents installed today and it works okay.... They are 4inch USB low voltage fans and they should help keep the temperature of the water a little more stable. I have seemed to have a bigger temperature fluctuation issues more this year than any other.

The fans on the outside:


a shot from the inside of the stand:


I am now at the point where I need to get the tank on the stand, the sump and the skimmer container in the stand, and figure out the rest of the plumbing pieces I need to order. We have a Home Hardware so I can get most of the PVC I need but I will need to order gate valves, bulkheads, possibly flexible PVC and figure out what I am going to use for returns.

Still need to purchase:
1. Wave maker or controlled water pumps.
2. a new return pump
3. new heaters

I think I will then be at the point, equipment wise, to be able to run the tank and add equipment while I am cycling the tank. I have more equipment then I used to run my 75 Gallon, so I am feeling fairly confident that I could get it going as a FOWLR to start. I currently have my fish, couple of softies and live rock spread across 1 20 G and 2 10 G tanks spread around the house, so I really want to start getting this cycling.

[CherylMcKay]

So it has been a while since I updated... Things ended up moving a whole lot faster than I planned. We noticed the stand the temporary holding tank was on was not holding. it had started to sag and the legs were splaying... Therefore the fish got moved to the new tank about 5 weeks sooner than I wanted.

I have put a larger peice of PVC around the 1 " returns and have drilled 1 and 1/2 inch holes to hang the rockwork as best I can.

This is the right Pillar initally


The left pillar initally


I then had a little issue with keeping the pillar glued down. I had initally just siliconed it to the bottom of the tank. I have now used coral glue and aquarium expoxy.

It now looks like this:


I still have some rocks to finish hanging and then I can glue the few corals I have.

[CherylMcKay]

So I have taken a full tank shot today.


I have some new live stock:
long tenticled anemone
blue sided fairy wrasse
red striped hawk fish
3 orange mushrooms
3 green hairy mushrooms

My old livestock is:
sailfin tang
2 pink skunk clownfish
2 perc clownfish
orange spoted goby
bi-coloured blennie

I don't have a lot of coral/mushrooms:
2 colonies of green star polyps
green candy cane coral
and one that I thought was a Chalice but I don't think it is.(I would love an ID)


I am waiting for a set of lights I bought of a member. 72" T5 and 3x250 watt mhi. I am just waiting for it to be shipped. I am hoping that will give me some added light and allow me to look at other coral as well. I want to go with LED's but... I need to save up for a bit.

[dreef]

Pagoda cup coral

[kien]

Nice setup! By the way, 72x24x20 is 150g :-). I know because that's the exact same dimensions as my 150g tank :-)