A Reef in the Sky

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:fish1::fish1::fish1:

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"Moderators, Members and Guests...

Welcome aboard... Please Fasten your seat-belt, make sure your seat is in the upright position and tray table stowed.
The journey ahead should be fun and I look forward to making your reading enjoyable"​

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Firstly, is it possible to create a beautiful 'Reef in the Sky' similar to this beautiful sunrise??

Not sure... but I will try.

:fish2::fish2:

Experience

My name is Andrew and I have been fascinated by aquatic life for many years but have never had the chance to own a reef tank until 2008. I have only been in the hobby just over 1.5 years so there is still a lot to learn but I am looking forward to the challenge(s). My current tank is a Red Sea Max (RSM) 34 Gallon which some of you may have heard of or seen. It is a great tank for a beginner but as predicted... I have caught the bug and want to upgrade.


Goals

All corals are amazing however I have taken a fascination to SPS corals. I came across Zeovit and the concept around 18 months ago and would like to try it. My goals are to have a mainly dominated SPS reef with some marine fish. Besides the contents inside the aquarium I am trying to design a stylish & modern setup which compliments my apartment. Can all this be done up in the sky? Stay on board and time will tell :thumbsup:


Current Tank

This is my current tank and the space that I have to work with.

Looking forward to sharing my experiences and progress with all of you

 

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Display Tank

Rimless Design
3/4" Low-Iron Glass (sides and front)
66"L x 26"W x 22"H
Clear Silicon

Since I'm limited for space and the tank can not be wider than 26" I've elected for an internal overflow and not an external overflow. I would like the tank to be viewable when I walk through the front door so having an overflow at one end isn't really an option.

A sample of the 3/4" low-iron glass. This tank will be heavy :hmm2:

What it should look like

Sump

Located under the display tank inside the cabinet.

3/8" Normal Glass
42"L x 20.5"W x 16"H
Clear Silicon

 

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Stand

I wanted to create a stand that was unique, user friendly and allowed me to fit everything I needed inside so I decided to design one which would allow this. I also wanted the ability to roll the sump in and out when required for cleaning and to incorporate a sliding table to ease maintenance chores.

Stand will be made of 1.5"x1.5" Steel painted white.
66"L x 26"W x 32.5"H

An end view showing where the sump tray will slide in and out.

Sump Tray, Sliding Table... etc

Underneath the sliding tray table will be the electrical area and ATO container. This section will be separated from the sump by a piece of acrylic to minimize salt creep/rust.

 

[stagcrazy]

congrats on the new build!! that stand is sick i love it it is well thought out.

 

[Keyvan S]

great looking project.....

 

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congrats on the new build!! that stand is sick i love it it is well thought out.

great looking project.....

Thanks guys. Welcome aboard

 

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Cabinet & Features


After much thinking I have decided to go with a light blue colour similar to the picture.

I needed to design the cabinet doors to allow the sump tray and sliding table to be utilized. To achieve this the end doors needed to be removable. Decided to use a 'French Cleat'

How it will look

The front cabinet doors will be rather large and heavy so I needed find good quality stainless steel sliders that can carry the weight of each door. Also needed some that would extend 100% to allow me to access the front adequately. After a search I decided to go with this Japanese brand. Same brand but smaller size will be used on the sliding table.

They will be attached to wood which will be attached to the steel frame.

Finally, the sump will roll out on caster wheels which are rated at 50kg Static and 25kg Dynamic each.

 

[soccerbag]

Hey v1, what program are you using to create these drawings? Really nice design.

 

[hatfielj]

Wow, this is going to be a nice tank! Keep the pics coming!

 

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Hey v1, what program are you using to create these drawings? Really nice design.

Cheers... using 'Google sketch' up for drawings and 'Hypershot' for renderings.

Wow, this is going to be a nice tank! Keep the pics coming!

Thanks... will do :thumbsup:

 

[Walter Costa]

nice planing! Will tag along

 

[Sardaukar]

Might be missing something, but what exactly is the point of a slide out sump? That seems like a lot of extra planning and headache for some greater ease when working on the tank.

 

[igotdibs]

Yeah, I have to agree, really nice job!! Im amazed at how involved some get in the planning phase, and I love it. Wish I knew how to do some of these renderings. I usually just roll with it. Can't wait to see the real thing. Awesome.

 

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Room Layout & Background


Checking the tank measurements will fit the room

The next challenge was to decide what background colour to have?

Black, Blue or nothing? Much thought went into this as the tank will only be 26" deep and I wanted to achieve a perception of "depth" and it must not clash with the cabinet colour. I therefore elected to go with blue, but with a 'twist'.

This is what I came up with.

Next was to see how it looked on the tank whether it would look acceptable with the blue cabinet.

The end result.

The background will be custom built but I have recently been having some trouble finding someone who can make it. It will be a lot harder than I thought. :sad2:

 

[nicknguyen]

tagging along for this one. gona be nice.

 

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nice planing! Will tag along

tagging along for this one. gona be nice.

Thanks guys.

Might be missing something, but what exactly is the point of a slide out sump? That seems like a lot of extra planning and headache for some greater ease when working on the tank.

True... it has been a lot of extra planning but has been fun. No real point of having the roll out, just something different. The idea originated when I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to remove the skimmer for cleaning as there wasn't much clearance. Didn't really want to make the stand taller so this was the next option.

Yeah, I have to agree, really nice job!! Im amazed at how involved some get in the planning phase, and I love it. Wish I knew how to do some of these renderings. I usually just roll with it. Can't wait to see the real thing. Awesome.

Thanks, I tend to plan too much... as you will see. Hopefully it will all work :hmm2:
I saw others were using sketch-up for their plans so I started practicing. Very useful tool but can take some time learn

 

[hatfielj]

I would go with an all black background. Blue will take away from the corals.

 

[Boundless]

I wonder if black background will make the coral colors pop or not...:hmm1:

 

[rxx2]

It'd be sweet if you could get an overflow cover that matches the background.
I remember a thread a few years back of a guy I think who was in the Sacramento, CA area that did a similar background. It looked really nice, weatherson I believe was his RC name. I'll look for his thread.

 

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Electric Light Lifter

To make maintenance easier I have designed an electric light lifter. This will be the first item installed before the tank and stand arrive.

An older drawing showing how it will hopefully look above the tank

Top view

A video I took showing the lifter unit in operation. I was amazed how smoothly and quiet it operates. You can program the heights/distances you want it to stop as to avoid accidentally pulling the plugs out, etc...


Completed. It will be installed in the next two weeks. :spin1: