40g Reef Build

O

Okcreef

New member
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=TankBefore1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/TankBefore1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=TankBefore2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/TankBefore2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=StandBefore.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/StandBefore.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I picked up this 40 gallon tall acrylic aquarium and stand from PsychoBilly for free (thanks again), so I decided to sell a couple of the freshwater tanks I had and start another reef tank. I wanted this tank to be as cheap as possible and done mostly DIY with the help of others on the forum and the knowledge I've picked up on youtube.com and personal experience. I also started this build with the intention to document my progress and share it with other local reefers for two reasons, 1- to get all the help I might need along the way, and 2- so that other beginners will have a good reference to guide them along in their own projects.

Let me start by saying that this will be my second saltwater system, with the first being a 36g glass bowfront Reef w/ 10g sump/refugium, DIY gravity fed/ air driven protein skimmer, T-5 lighting, Koralia 3 circ pump, 50 lb Live rock, 50 lb live sand. etc. Not to mention a little cyano bacteria problem :(
(getting much better though)
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=IMAG0357.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/IMAG0357.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
I am already making progress on the build and will upload pics and give updates as I go along. I am sure I will have some questions along the way as well. If you have any input or advice, please feel free to chime in. Thanks.

Mike
 
Ok. I have come across my first obstacle. I was told the fish tank was acrylic..... after getting some scrap acrylic and cutting it and sanding it, buying weldon 3 and then weldon 16 after 3 didn't work... I realized the problem. It's Glass. :hmm3: So if anyone wants to make an offer on the weldon products, I am certainly open to offers. Lol. I wish I would have known that before I soaked the whole thing in vinegar to clean it... I could've taken my razor blade to it.

Now comes the obstacle. I cut the original brace all the way through, thinking that I would soon have a clear replacement that was stronger. Now I have no center brace. I wonder if there is such a thing as a replacement trim piece that is made of clear plastic, or am I gonna have to do a euro-brace if so, any links for me? I appreciate the help guys. I will update some pics soon of the canopy that I built and the MH light that I chose for it.
 
I forgot to mention that I was trying to replace the center brace, thats why I cut out the original (which was already partially cut). I was going to weld in a piece of acrylic until I realized the tank was actually glass. Anyway, there is a pretty big lip still left on the original trim, so I was thinking to just try to weld the acrylic to the plastic trim with the weldon 16. I am worried that it will fail over time, but I don't really know what else to do.

I hope someone else will reply soon. Im starting to get bored of talking to myself.
 
I wanted to post an update on the progress with this tank if anyone is interested. I would like to get some feedback this time if you see something you would do differently or something you like, just let me know. I am still pretty new to saltwater and corals, so all feedback from experienced reefers is greatly appreciated.

I finished the canopy and I think it turned out just ok for me, but I did manage to match the stain color pretty well. I finally fixed the center brace issue by using the weldon 16 to bond the new piece of acrylic to the existing trim. I was pretty nervous about this, but i applied it generously and it went very well. The tank has been full of water now for 2 days or so and I am really confident that it will hold. I installed the 150 watt metal halide unit that I took out of the 72" Current outer orbit light that I am not using right now. I also took one of the fans, which I mounted in such a way that it blows right above the center brace. I repurposed a 10 gallon tank (that was housing the OB Peacock Cichlids babies- moved to the display tank with the help of a divider) and turned it into my sump/fuge. I am going to have to redo the silicone on one of the panels before I move it to its final location. If you have never done one, it is kindof tricky and it would help if the panels were glass instead of acrylic because silicone doens't stick to acrylic. Got all the plumbing and electrical done and basically now all I am waiting for now is to finish the leak test. I want to do at least 3 days, maybe more. SO, without further delay. Here are some pics.

Here is the tank empty, while waiting for the center brace to cure.
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=IMAG0378.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/IMAG0378.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Here it is fully up and running, there was alot of stuff flying around the tank.
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=IMAG0382.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/IMAG0382.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Here is the rear view of the canopy. Very messy at this time, cleaned it up a little since then.
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=IMAG0381.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/IMAG0381.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Heres a shot of the back. Krylon Fusion background:lolspin:, plumbing, overflow, and very experimental DIY protein skimmer which is located inside the overflow. It would have been virtually impossible to install one in the sump due to height restrictions, so I figured I would get all crazy and try something I have never seen before.
<a href="http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/?action=view&current=IMAG0374.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/FAMILY_GUY007/IMAG0374.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
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