Coralgurls tank build 180 - it's ALIVE

[Nano]

DIY LED kits are probably cheaper in your case, and I assume your tank is probably braced in the center, so the middle light would get a lot of shadows created in the tank if it was the case. If your seriously considering LED I would message Martin about a DIY kit He can throw things together t suite your needs for whether or not you will keep softies/lps/sps, what color requirements you want, dimming, controllers etc. awesome guy to talk to about this. from what I have heard MP40s are awesome but for the money I head a lot of people say Tunze is the way to go. I personally have no clue about that though.

Good Luck I look forward to watching your build!! I will be doing one in a few weeks too!

[Coralgurl]

Well, I got my tank, not the 135, but a brand new 180 gl, plus a sump (don't have the dimensions yet) and metal stand. Tank and stand were delivered yesterday, have 3 very strong guys to thank for safely getting it in the house! I have to pick up the sump from Red Coral this week, its a 5 footer..Thanks to my amazing boyfriend and family who made this happen!!! Hope they continue to support the addiction!

Here's the pics!

tank and stand


left overflow


right overflow



Where it will actually be placed.

[Coralgurl]

I went out today to look at wood both for skimming and to place the tank on. Will have to wait until later this week for the boyfriends truck, I really don't want it sitting on the floor. Its all predrilled so we are hoping to start the plumbing this week. I was thinking this would take more time, but may have it going sooner than expected. Water in a month????

I see many of you designing layouts, what program are you using?

Hoping for any suggestions you can offer!

[gregzz4]

I'm not so sure that desk will hold your tank
But seriously, that's a great lookin' setup so far.
You, IMO, will need more in tank flow than the 3 powerheads you have now, but I'd be inclined to leak test everything first and see how you like it before you buy more.
As far as the tiling goes, I'm the wrong guy to answer it for you, but I do know it's doable as long as it's done right. Otherwise you'll destroy the tiles.
I'm not familiar with your skimmer, but many are over-rated, although some are close. You'll probably end up with around 160g DT plus your sump, so you'll just have to try it and see. It's a good brand, but I know not of it.
Some tips;
-fasten your PVC to the stand to alleviate stress on the glass
-use flexible or 'spaflex' hose where you can to alleviate stress and vibrations
-if your sump is not already baffled, plan it well, then think about it for days. Then plan it again. Many of us wish we had thought it through more our first go 'round
-some members have used 'rare earth' magnets to hold the stand skin on. Works great as far as I have seen
And I'd highly recommend you leak test everything with tap water. Completely fill everything to where it will be and let it sit/run for a day or more. That's a lot of RO water to waste if you have issues

[gregzz4]

OH, one program out there is Google Sketchup

[Coralgurl]

The desk will be moved, it's not part of the tank

Leak test will happen once we're ready for water. Thanks for the suggestions on the plumbing. I know nothing about this so I'm reading as much as I can and looking at other builds. Ya, at 2 hours per 5 gallons for ro water, not going to chance filling the tank without testing.

The sump has a top off section, 3 baffles and room to add a refugium. I will post pics once I get it.

We may just leave the carpet and not change it out.

I'm not going to rush out and buy anything at this point, will get everything transferred and then see what needs to be changed/upgraded.

Was so excited last night, couldn't sleep, thinking about everything. I so want to do this right!

[gregzz4]

The tile idea is good as you have more control over spillage and spray, so don't bail on the idea yet.
I can't do anything about my carpet as the tank is in the livingroom and we just had the whole house re-carpeted.
I haven't slept right since the end of October when I decided to sell all my FW gear and go SW, so I know Exactly what you mean.
Can't fall asleep, wake up in the middle of the night thinking, get up after 1 or 2 hours, pull 36 hours straight ...
I'm getting close though, so hopefully, once I get my rock 'cooking' and all the plumbing/electrical done, I'll sleep normally again as I am absolutely Bagged

[fishytime]

sorry I missed your pm(was at work)......but ya, +3 (Kien, Kevin)......the big section would be great for whatever skimmer you ever decide to go with......have your drains dump as close to the outside edge of the big compartment as possible......if you want to run filter socks, a holder could be done with glass or acrylic or even eggcrate.....skimmer then fuge/spare rock (partitioned off from the skimmer with eggcrate).....bubble trap then return.....a nice tunze ATO and Bob's your uncle