550ish build thread

[TChristman]

First update in a long time. I dropped the rock in today but I am not 100 percent sold on the aquascape. The tank is 36" deep so I wanted to create a lot of swim through areas, caves, and tunnels. I accomplished that but I am just not sure this is the right aquascape. I have several rocks left and I wanted to use mosty large pieces. Would love your feedback. Pictures are not the cleanest as I wanted to get them taken before dark.

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[aquamn1999]

if you like the aquascape thats all that matters. I prefer more open spaces and not so much a rock wall. My tank is almost the same as yours but mine is only 24" tall. Here are pictures of my aquascape.

 

[TRITON1]

I agree with the aforementioned comments about your stand. If the front of the stand is built into the walk that should be fine, but the back is concerning:

First, I would not use treated 4x4s - They notoriously twist, bend, and crack when they dry out. 2x4s nailed edge to edge (like a long L) will work much better. Also treated lumber is treated with all kinds of nasty chemical that you would never want leaching out in a reef tank. Do a quick search on treated lumber in stands and you'll find others who made the same mistake and switched them out.

Second, and more importantly, the back of your stand is not structurally sound. The 2x4 in the back should lie between the top perimeter of the stand and the bottom perimeter of the stand. That way all the weight of the top is distributed through the long axis of the 2x4. As you have it now the weight of the top of the stand is only being supported to the bottom by whatever screws/nails you attached the 2x4s to. Fortunately its a quick and easy fix - all you have to to do cut 2x4 to fit in front of the ones have now, such that they sit between the top and bottom frame. Do the same with the corners.

It is a $20 fix and will significantly increase the strength and longevity of your stand.

 

[TChristman]

I never felt real good about the aquascape so I redid it a couple of days after the original. I like this one much better as it shows the depth of the caves and tunnels much better.

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[TChristman]

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[TChristman]

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[TChristman]

Finally some pictures to show the almost finished product. A friend from the Atlanta Reef Club is master woodsman and he was a great help in getting the trim work on the tank done.


The view coming down the stairs

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Front view

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The front top trim work

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Exactly how I wanted it to work. Makes it almost silent and I can access the tank from the front.

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[TChristman]

All of the trim work has not been painted in case you were wondering from the pictures before.

Here is the light rack

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Water change station. Still a little work to do here.

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View from way across the room. Makes an 8 foot tank look pretty small.

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Tank has been cycling and running for about 12 weeks. It is almost time to start adding the goodies.

 

[TChristman]

Thought I would add some updates a little over a year later.

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[TChristman]

Some more photos:

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[Newbie Aquarist]

Nice work. I would turn the couch around personally to view the tank. LOL. Nice craftsmanship.

 

[TChristman]

Nice work. I would turn the couch around personally to view the tank. LOL. Nice craftsmanship.

Thank you. There is actually my chair in the middle that swivels and another matching couch/loveseat/chair that faces the tank at the same angle. They all face the center of the room and tv but they chairs that do not face the tank are the last to be taken.

 

[Dustin1300]

Tank looks great and your in-wall build cabinetry looks a lot like I was just designing....Your wall color is same color wife and I just chose for our basement paint too so good tastes sir

 

[psusocr]

Looks Awesome!!!

 

[SUPPOReefer]

Looks great. Did you ever make any changes to your stand?

 

[TChristman]

The Winter allows me to do some work on the tank and the fish room so I have redesigned the frag tank. Today I will clean the fish room and tidy it up but here are some pictures of the frag tank redesign.

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Happy New Year!

 

[Reef Reactor]

Hi, any update on this?
Did you changed your light to leds?