400 gallon project

[untamed]

Originally Posted by Tracey2

Thanks for your help. Can I ask how tall your sumps are? One of my sumps is 60x24x24, 36" will be under my DT and 24" in my fishroom/closet, I was planning my stand 36" tall with a door on one end to access the part of the sump under the DT but if I use the 2x6 like you have on top I will not have alot of clearance, could I do the top frame in 2x4 for a 270g tank?

I'm not an engineer, so I don't know for certain what you can and cannot do.

I believe it is the span of the top frame that drives the choice. In my case, that span was 4 feet and I used 2x6's on edge about 12" apart from each other. This turned out to be plenty of support. (overbuilt)

I don't know the dimensions of your 270 gallon tank, but I would guess that the width is less than 4 feet. So maybe you could use 2x4s. You could also use more of them..maybe every 6" or 8".

My stand is 40" high, btw.

[untamed]

I'm quite happy with how the tank is doing, but there are always things to deal with.

Last week, the CO2 solenoid stopped working. After purchasing an entire new solenoid, I discovered that the thing is removable and serviceable. It probably only needed a bit of grease. So, I guess I have a spare part now.

After that, I must not have sealed the regulator on the tank properly, because 3 days later I ran out of CO2 without warning. 500lbs one moment...0 the next. It is always something.

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure. Here's Freckles doing what he does best..blocking the view into the aquarium. His tail streamers are really coming along now.

[lastlight]

Def looks like the tank has turned around again nice pic. Freckles is one stunning piece of fish! And did I read that right...you have a 500lb cylinder?!

How large is the hammer coral across?

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by untamed

After that, I must not have sealed the regulator on the tank properly, because 3 days later I ran out of CO2 without warning. 500lbs one moment...0 the next. It is always something.

My tank used to do that all the time to me. It would read 500 for the longest time, then be completely dead. I just figured it wasn't sensitive enough to read anything in the "redline" below 500.

Freckles is quite the photogenic fish How big is he now?

[untamed]

Originally Posted by christyf5

My tank used to do that all the time to me. It would read 500 for the longest time, then be completely dead. I just figured it wasn't sensitive enough to read anything in the "redline" below 500.

Freckles is quite the photogenic fish How big is he now?

You might be right about the sensitivity of the regulator. I may not have had a leak at all.

...and for Lastlight....500lbs is bad shorthand for 500 "lbs per sq. inch...psi". It is only a 10lb tank. It lasts me at least 6 months.

It is hard to measure Freckles, even though he poses nicely. I tried to measure him the other day and I get maybe 15" or 16". He seems larger.

You can see the right side of the hammer coral in the previous photo (back left). It is larger than a basketball...smaller than an exercise ball. It is probably 1.5feet diameter. When I carve a hole in it, it fills back in pretty fast. It expands steadily outward maintaining its overall ball shape.

[untamed]

Fang is a little seen resident of the tank who is not very photogenic (shy). He's been in the tank now for about 2 years. I don't think he is getting any larger at this point.

I managed to get a reasonably complete moult out of the tank the other day, so this is a good shot of his hollow outsides. As you can see, he's a pretty fair size! Those of you who are keeners for detail will note that the back two legs are missing from this moult.

In the 2nd photo, you might be able to see why he is named Fang. (the moult retains all his unique colorations)

[fishytime]

Das is a big crab!.....Great pics

[Skimmerking]

WOW I see that you are battling red turf algae too, do you find that it goes away and comes back? Im sick of mine i find that if i beef up the phosban it goes away

[superduperwesman]

Very cool pictures!

[Stevey87]

This aquarium is art.