help a 150g newb - let's do this reef together

[reefwars]

alot of people put eggcrate under there rock and then fill in and around with sand afterwards...heres a trick to no sand storm:

take a length of pvc or abs ppe(the wider diameter the better) cut it at a length where it can go all the way to the bottom of the tank , keeping the pipe straight so the bottom is flush fill the pipe with sand, slowly lift the pipe and your sand will come out slowly, you can also have sand where you want it in any amount without a dust storm, but rinse the sand first


if your adiment on putting the sand in before rock then put all the sand in and cover with a garbage bag and use dinner plates to hold the bag down, pour the water over the bag ,when the tank is full lift plates and bag slowly and then add rock

[reefwars]

dont forget to level the stand as you fill

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

welcome to canreef,you sure picked the right forum to share your build.
From looking at the photo you provided one thing I don't like is your foam pad looks old and beat up I would get a thicker pad and a heavier gauge. From experience I like using the egg crate glued to the bottom of the tank as it gives support for your rock work, for filling the tank I would place the sand on the egg crate and have the RO hose right into the tank, yes it will take a couple days to fill but slowly without any storms . Enjoy your build.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Elias@caco3reef.com

welcome to canreef,you sure picked the right forum to share your build.
From looking at the photo you provided one thing I don't like is your foam pad looks old and beat up I would get a thicker pad and a heavier gauge. From experience I like using the egg crate glued to the bottom of the tank as it gives support for your rock work, for filling the tank I would place the sand on the egg crate and have the RO hose right into the tank, yes it will take a couple days to fill but slowly without any storms . Enjoy your build.

+1 i use the pink 1" rigid styrofoam

[reefwars]

before you fill with water consider beefing up that stand a bit remember theres gonna be over a 1000lbs of water alone in a 150g tank do a search on here for stands theres some good designs to follow

[mark]

not sure what's in the overflow but have you put thoughts toward plumbing? If you need more holes/bulkheads obviously easier before the water added

[jon in alberta]

Thanks everyone.

Re: the styrofoam - yeah good call. I messed it up a little retrofitting the stand into the opening.

re: the support - I have a carpenter friend who said that what I have will likely do the trick. I still am thinking about cross-bracing some of those legs. Quick calc puts the weight of water at ~1300 lbs!

re: the plumbing - gotcha - that is my next step: I plan to drain it now and start punching holes in the wall to the right side. That will take me back into the laundry room (with a floor drain) where the sump will be.

My work pace: I hate to say this but this will probably take me a long time. unfortunately my regular job is keeping me really busy. So if I don't post for a while .. i haven't forgotten - I'm just busy!

[parkinsn]

Originally Posted by reefwars

+1 i use the pink 1" rigid styrofoam

Not to be a downer as you have come this far. But you should NOT put styro under a tank with the black plastic trim on it. Its creates uneven pressure on the glass which can crack the bottom (if I remember correctly that is the reason). Also use the pink stuff if your going to use any styro as it does not compress as much as the white.

The build looks good so far though.

I may retract that looking closer at your pic's. Do you have the gap between stand and glass or is it a L shape on the bottom and the glass sits flat on the plastic, if that makes sense?

[parkinsn]

Does it look like this or is flat on the bottom? If its flat, forget my other post and continue on you doing great!!

[jon in alberta]

Originally Posted by parkinsn

Does it look like this or is flat on the bottom?

Perfect!

thanks for the photo.

it is flat. maybe compacted the styro an additional 2mm from where the glass compacted it. Good catch tho. if it was like your photo, i really would have been sorry.