Another 75 Gallon Build - Fleming Island edition

[ashrem]

Situation:

So here is another 75 gal build. Been dreaming (okay obsessing) about it since I took down my failed 125.

I recently lucked out and got a deal on a 90gal reef setup with some prime equipment so cant drag my feet anymore (wife wants a tank for all the money I spent over the years). I had a new 75 gallon MarineLand from Black Friday sale at BIOREEF that I would be using instead of the used 90.

Currently I have a 40gal Breeder whose contents will be moved into the 75g.

Philosophy:

It will be a mixed reef and I hope to be able to breed Bangaii Cardinals and other fishies. As a mixed reef, there will be soft, LPS and SPS. I love zoos so want mats of zoos to add color.

Without further ado;

The Ubiquitous Equipment List:
-75 Gallon Reef Ready - Black Friday bargain from BIOREEF
-Wood Stand and canopy
-Two Gen 1 Ecotech XR30 lights - will see about updating them later.
-Kamoer KSP-F Dosing Pump
-Eshopps RS100 Reef Sump
-Maxpect Gyre 200 pump
-Neptune AC Jr. controller with pH and temp controller
-Jebao DC-6000 return pump
-Reef Octopus XP-1000SSS skimmer
-Two 300watt heaters
-Two Fishes Media Reactor-currently packed with generic ceramic rings

Virgin Tank

RS100 Reef Sump

Jebao Pump

Reef Octopus Skimmer

Future Equipment
-Two 48" T5 supplemental lights
-Calcium reactor to replace doser
-Remote Deep Sand Bed

 

[ashrem]

Place holder

Place holder

Place holder for future posts.

 

[ashrem]

First thing

First thing

Okay the first thing I want to do is paint the stand. Inside the stand, I am going to use Kilz complete paint and out side will be some touch up to remove scratches.

I start with the canopy. The canopy looks like they used some varnish so I am stripping it with a corner cat sander.

I am starting with 80 grit and will move to a 220 grit when done. I have a Ryobi battery powered sander but I found it wasnt allowing me a lot of work time. So I just bought a Ryobi corded corner cat for the job.

Going to take me a while to sand things down so I can paint.

Also there are two doors on the canopy but the hinges are rusted and nasty looking. I was thinking about removing them and using magnets to hold them on or velcro.

Let me say I welcome any suggestions for my project I am more than happy to hear them.

Thanks for reading.

 

[ashrem]

I am the slowest painter in the world

I am the slowest painter in the world

Okay I am not very good at painting and I am slow at it (albeit life does seem to get in the way too much).

Here is the canopy after sanding and painting multiple coats. On reflection I should have used a wood filler before painting, c'est la vie.

Here is what it looks like now:

<a href="http://imgur.com/vgtRn0E"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/vgtRn0E.jpg?2" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="http://imgur.com/JIq9kd2"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/JIq9kd2.jpg?1" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>