Centerline
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Hey Folks,
Last year I scored a rimless 80 as temporary tank to hold me over while we were remodeling our house. I got it all setup and cycled, and move a BUNCH of stuff over from a 10 year old 180 that was being replaced and all was well - until it sprang a pin hole leak. I was working about 70 hours a week at the time and simply didn't notice until several days had passed. By that time the salinity had dropped so far that most of the corals had died. It really sucked as I had been collecting Tyree corals for years and killed many irreplaceable specimens. It was depressing enough that I drained the tank, broke everything down and took a break from the hobby.
In December I decided to stop licking my wounds and give a rimless 80 another shot. I set the tank up on December 24th and it was cycled and good to go by January 11. Below are the details of the new build and some thoughts on fool (myself) proofing the setup as much as possible.
The tank and stand.
Deep Blue Rimless 80 & Deep Blue Series 2 cabinet.
First off I really like the 48x24x16 format. The tank seems solidly built and the glass is quite clear. Its not starphire but its pretty dam clear.
The stand itself looks great but unfortunately its just a typical particle board cabinet. The stand has a nice access door on the left hand side and enough room to fit a 40 breeder in it as a sump.
My overall impression is that for the price of the tank and stand a few simple changes could significantly enhance the overall value.
1) Make the overflow pipe adjustable. For some reason they have a fixed overflow and this means you have to adjust the feed from the return pump rather then the height of the pipe. Seems like a small thing but if you like a lot of turnover like I do you have to use an inline valve to adjust the flow. Otherwise you will get a lot of noise and gurgling.
2) Its pretty hard to tighten the through fittings as the pre-drilled holes don't line up well with the cutout in the stand.
3) Consider using plywood - for the price of that stand its hard to believe that .5" plywood would impact the net profit that much. By the pallet .5" red oak plywood is about $19 a sheet.
4) Consider stainless hinges - the ones that come with the doors are fine - typical Euro style adjustable hinges. But we use these in a humid and corrosive environment and the hinges (nor the MDF) are really suitable.
If this tank / stand combo were a budget item I would say "you get what you pay for".
Below is a picture of the tank post-cycle on January 11
Last year I scored a rimless 80 as temporary tank to hold me over while we were remodeling our house. I got it all setup and cycled, and move a BUNCH of stuff over from a 10 year old 180 that was being replaced and all was well - until it sprang a pin hole leak. I was working about 70 hours a week at the time and simply didn't notice until several days had passed. By that time the salinity had dropped so far that most of the corals had died. It really sucked as I had been collecting Tyree corals for years and killed many irreplaceable specimens. It was depressing enough that I drained the tank, broke everything down and took a break from the hobby.
In December I decided to stop licking my wounds and give a rimless 80 another shot. I set the tank up on December 24th and it was cycled and good to go by January 11. Below are the details of the new build and some thoughts on fool (myself) proofing the setup as much as possible.
The tank and stand.
Deep Blue Rimless 80 & Deep Blue Series 2 cabinet.
First off I really like the 48x24x16 format. The tank seems solidly built and the glass is quite clear. Its not starphire but its pretty dam clear.
The stand itself looks great but unfortunately its just a typical particle board cabinet. The stand has a nice access door on the left hand side and enough room to fit a 40 breeder in it as a sump.
My overall impression is that for the price of the tank and stand a few simple changes could significantly enhance the overall value.
1) Make the overflow pipe adjustable. For some reason they have a fixed overflow and this means you have to adjust the feed from the return pump rather then the height of the pipe. Seems like a small thing but if you like a lot of turnover like I do you have to use an inline valve to adjust the flow. Otherwise you will get a lot of noise and gurgling.
2) Its pretty hard to tighten the through fittings as the pre-drilled holes don't line up well with the cutout in the stand.
3) Consider using plywood - for the price of that stand its hard to believe that .5" plywood would impact the net profit that much. By the pallet .5" red oak plywood is about $19 a sheet.
4) Consider stainless hinges - the ones that come with the doors are fine - typical Euro style adjustable hinges. But we use these in a humid and corrosive environment and the hinges (nor the MDF) are really suitable.
If this tank / stand combo were a budget item I would say "you get what you pay for".
Below is a picture of the tank post-cycle on January 11
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