180 gal reef build

[Musbtr1pin]

Well I went to the LFS today and bought my 180 Gal RR Tank.. The owner of the local store names "Sea of Marvels" gave me a great deal.

1 180 Gal Tank
1 55 Gal Sump W/ Glass dividers.
1 3/4 Hp external pump.

All of this is brand new, for 850$....

My inhabitants are going to include.

(2) Snowflake eels
(1) Lion Fish (TBD) Pry black Violitan
(1) Puffer (TBD)
(1) Trigger (TBD)
(1) Tang (TBD)

I am purchasing my rock from Marco's and will seed it with the rock from the LFS... I will get some pictures from the store of the rock when I go there tomorrow...

Here are some pics of the tank in progress!

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Tank Pictures

Tank Pictures

Here it is! The tank is drilled for 1 1/4'' Bulk Heads.. I am using Schedule 80.. Here's a couple pictures before the paint.

 

[Musbtr1pin]

After First Coat

After First Coat

So I finished the first coat... With a little delay due to liquid courage down the street at my buddies 30th Birthday party... So after 4 kegs of beer, I decided to paint this thing, because tomorrow it's off to the hardware store for GFCI's DPST Switches, and some 12-2 Wire!!! WOOO HOOO!!! Ohh and lots and lots of lumber for this tank stand!!!!

Here's some pictures of after the paint.... My shot of the iPhone playing on my BMF 13.5 HP Snow blower, and at the time I believe the tune was "The Animals - House of the Rising Sun" BOOM!!!!!! And a few other items that I cannot show on camera.. oh and lot's and lot's of fumes... WOW

 

[Musbtr1pin]

So it's almost 2 am here... Got a big day tomorrow, as far as a tank stand go.. If you have any idea's as far as a tank stand goes for a 72x24x25 let me know! I am using a 55 gal sump underneath... Lets see what you got!

I have my plans already, but a good bit of information never hurts, or hell, even a totally new design!

 

[palmer373]

i hear the DIY stand by rocketengineer(?) int eh DIY section is a great stand to use. im planning on using it for my 29. what stand idea do you have currently?

 

[Adam S]

i hear the DIY stand by rocketengineer(?) int eh DIY section is a great stand to use. im planning on using it for my 29. what stand idea do you have currently?

Yup, i used those plans for my 5foot 120g but instead of the 2x6s for the top frame i did the whole stand with 2x4s and put 1 brace in the front and 2 braces in the back and i slid my 55g sump in through the side. I over built the stand by a couple inches on each side to ensure id have enough room underneath and its holding up great.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Congrats on the new tank!!

That said, you should really reconsider your choice of inhabitants.

~Michael

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Congrats on the new tank!!

That said, you should really reconsider your choice of inhabitants.

~Michael

Reasons? Have you house these inhabitants before together?

 

[olemiss reb]

Triggers and puffers find lionfish fins irresistible. there is a sticky up top concerning triggers and lions -same applies to puffers.

Someone will chime in and say they keep them together problem free but the odds are stacked towards an attack once the fish mature. Just the nature of the fish.

 

[Musbtr1pin]

I find this interesting... Because my marine compatibility chart says they can live with each other.. Worry free..

This bothers me some... But then again, I'll do some more research and go from there...

What are your thoughts as to a deep sand bed

 

[olemiss reb]

Compatibility charts should be taken with a grain of salt. First hand experience is always more reliable info, imo. Xanthichthys triggers are a safer choice but the risk is still there.

Here is the video from the sticky: http://s136.photobucket.com/flash/player.swf?file=http://vid136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/barbianj/MVI_2067.flv

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Rock and Sand on the way!!!!

Rock and Sand on the way!!!!

I just ordered 75 lbs of rock and 160 lbs of sand from Marco's... I don't want to overload my tank with rock, so I figured that was a good start... What do you guys think? I can always order more...

Will 160 lbs of sand give me a deep enough sand bed??? And is 75 lbs of rock plentiful enough to create some pretty sweet landscapes n caves ?

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Stand is being built as we speak, I just had to take a break and eat something besides saw dust today... It should be finished by tonight, and I should have the tank up and on it tomorrow for leveling and a leak test...

Sump will be ready to go tomorrow, so I will be keeping you all posted on this as well..

As far as the stand goes, the materials put me back about 175$.. I picked up 3 Double Throw Single Pull switches, and 3 GFCI's to wire up underneath my tank, to my stand.

The 3 gang box and the 3 other 1 gang boxes were cheap.. The GFCI's set me back 25$ and the switches were 8.50$ ea.. I also grabbed 25 ft of 14-2 wire w/ground...

I will start wiring when I finish building tonight... I will post all the pics at once when I am finished to see what you guys think...

See you soon!

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Wood Is Cut!

Wood Is Cut!

So like I said before, I went to the Local hardware.... Menards to be exact, and bought all my items I need for the tank build.. Here is some pictures...

Wood...

Electrical items, and various other hardware..

My workshop, which is my 4th garage... Full of beer cans Tank has the 3rd stall to itself... More pics to come!:bounce1:

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Stand

Stand

Yup, i used those plans for my 5foot 120g but instead of the 2x6s for the top frame i did the whole stand with 2x4s and put 1 brace in the front and 2 braces in the back and i slid my 55g sump in through the side. I over built the stand by a couple inches on each side to ensure id have enough room underneath and its holding up great.

So I used RocketEngineers tank plans, and added my own various other goodies.. I had to use 2 x 8's, all in all, about 85$ for lumber itself, then about 90 for GFCI plugs and Double Pole - Single Throw switches, 14-2 wire, and other junk... Awesome so far, lets see what happens!:wildone:

 

[vegasr]

Looks like your on your way. Thanks for taking the time to post your build. Looking forward to seeing it go thru the steps!

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Electrical Blueprint for Tank Wiring!

Electrical Blueprint for Tank Wiring!

Here is what I drew up in class as I was doing everything but paying attention in lecture...

Single phase 120V 20A dedicated circuit. RED is my common. BLUE is my neutral. GREEN is my ground.


I have both the common RED and the Neutral BLUE going into the switch. I use a Double Pole Single Throw switch for this, and the reasoning behind this setup, is so I can know for sure that there is no possible chance for current to flow, if I keep both the neutral and common interrupted. Then I use the feed through for the rest of the switches, and run the drops to the independent GFCI's that I have specifically for the tank! See you all soon!:lolspin:

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Build Complete!!!!!

Build Complete!!!!!

OK! So after about 8 hours of tedious work, and precise cuts, the stand is complete.. As far as the electrical goes, im working on that now... Here are some pics, in order as they are taken..

The last few pictures are the locations of my gang boxes for my switches and GFCI's...

Here you go folks!

 

[Musbtr1pin]

More Tank Stand Build Pics

More Tank Stand Build Pics

More pictures for the stand... I ended up making my stand 40 3/4''.. Don't ask about the 3/4''.. Made a few measurements easier...

Here you go!

 

[Musbtr1pin]

Now it's time for the wiring.. It's 1:30 a.m. here and I see no end in sight until this is complete.. Post more pics as the wiring progresses