45 Gallon Reef - first FTS shot with scape and a FISH!!

[phi delt reefer]

progress....


tank



overflow





stand - stained and assembled - still needs some detail work (sanding/re-staining)






reefkeeper mounted



sump area



ATI Sunpower - 8 bulb





random shots





why did i build such a big stand? Simple - I needed some place to store all this crap;

[freezetyle]

Thats going to look really good full on water. I like how you are hiding your overflow, it will give it a very clean look.

[phi delt reefer]

Originally Posted by freezetyle

Thats going to look really good full on water. I like how you are hiding your overflow, it will give it a very clean look.

thanks man - just came back from the sugar bush where i attempted to eat my weight in pancakes and sausage. Going to nap for a bit then finish painting/staining and start drilling holes for all the wiring.

[Skimmerking]

looking god man well done ya lots of stuff for a small tank

[phi delt reefer]

thanks man! I was showing the wife your build and she figured it must of taken you like 5 years to put that 8 footer together considering how long mine is taking. I showed her the dates on your posts and got a smack across the back the head for taking so long with mine. Its her fault really - she decided to move the tank to the other end of the room where the floor dips like 5/8" over 5 feet so now i need to add leveling legs. I have no idea as to how i am going to install them considering this stand weighs at least 300lbs. This project is turning into a bottomless money pit and i haven't even bought a single fish or coral yet.

[lorenz0]

Stand looks awesome man

Your doing it right with taking your time, from the looks of things it is really working out in your favor.

[phi delt reefer]

thanks Lorenzo - your tank is looking gorgeous with all that SPS man!

I gotta throw out a big "Tank You" (really bad reef joke) to Asmodeus who was kind enough to help me with my leveling issue yesterday. He called me long distance and spoke with me for an hour offering different options as to how to get this sucker straight and true.

I had another look at the base of my stand and it looks like the front and rear 2x4s bows upwards near the front right corner of the tank. This is what is creating the gap. My floor definately isnt 100% flat but it appears to be pretty level though - possibly a 1/4 dip but i dont have a long enough straight edge to tell. So this means the stand isnt resting on the ground. Asmodeus recommended adding a piece of half inch plywood to the base the stand where it's not touching the ground and then using some shims for the final bit of "trueing". I wanted to use just leveling legs to make up the difference but Mike brought up a valid concern that all the weight would be supported on a single 23" 2x4. The plywood would reinforce the base further and re-distribute the load evenly.

I thought about it some more last night and I might try this...

the base of the stand is made of 2x4's standing on edge (similar to everyone else's designs. They are screwed together with 3" deck screws. Because the front and rear right side is not touching the ground I am going to screw in some metal L brackets on the under side where the 2x4's meet at 90 degree angles. This should further tie everything together and allow me to just use the leveling legs. I will use 4 legs on the right side of the stand to distribute the force on the front facing 2x4's as well as the right side 2x4.

none of this makes sense now that i have re-read it but I will show you all some pics when i am done. Lifting that stand is going to be epic. Time to call in some favors with the fraternity