Hi All!
I thought I'd share my project that has pretty much consumed my time and wallet for the last few months. My history with aquariums has been one that started with freshwater at age 10 (now 47) all the way up to last fall when the "Reef Bug" bit. Of course I experimented with a couple of RSMs and an Aquapod 12HQI but as everyone knows, it doesn't take long to get the great idea of a larger tank. After reading as much as I could and a little inspiration from Brian Jackson's Tank (makoJ) I thought I'd give it a shot. Anyway, here it goes...
I ordered a 60"x30"x26" brick style euro-braced tank from AGE out of Houston. It has a Starphire front pane with regular glass on the rest. The center return has 2 one inch and two 1.5 inch bulkheads for drains and returns. I also holes for had two 1.5 inch and four 1 inch bulkheads put in the bottom for the closed loop system. Unfortunately, the communication to make the holes to accommodate the Hayward hex fittings got lost so I had to trim the edges of the bulkheads a little and drill out some holes to make the high end bulkheads fit. This was a pain considering how much I paid for the tank and also pretty darned disappointing. But, what do ya do. I sure wasn’t going to use junky cheap fittings on a tank of this caliber much less risk dumping 180 gallons of salt water in my living room. I also ordered their 40 inch metal stand in order to be able to maximize the room underneath the aquarium for all the equipment since I did not had a “fish room†behind the system. I think this was well worth the extra money.
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My first thing to do was to plumb the tank. My CL included an Oceans Motions 4 way on a Dart pump and the sump would have a “Herbie†overflow system and a Eheim 1626 return pump. Below all of the plumbing would be a totally removable tray that would hold the sump and catch any water that may spill or someday leak.
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I thought I'd share my project that has pretty much consumed my time and wallet for the last few months. My history with aquariums has been one that started with freshwater at age 10 (now 47) all the way up to last fall when the "Reef Bug" bit. Of course I experimented with a couple of RSMs and an Aquapod 12HQI but as everyone knows, it doesn't take long to get the great idea of a larger tank. After reading as much as I could and a little inspiration from Brian Jackson's Tank (makoJ) I thought I'd give it a shot. Anyway, here it goes...
I ordered a 60"x30"x26" brick style euro-braced tank from AGE out of Houston. It has a Starphire front pane with regular glass on the rest. The center return has 2 one inch and two 1.5 inch bulkheads for drains and returns. I also holes for had two 1.5 inch and four 1 inch bulkheads put in the bottom for the closed loop system. Unfortunately, the communication to make the holes to accommodate the Hayward hex fittings got lost so I had to trim the edges of the bulkheads a little and drill out some holes to make the high end bulkheads fit. This was a pain considering how much I paid for the tank and also pretty darned disappointing. But, what do ya do. I sure wasn’t going to use junky cheap fittings on a tank of this caliber much less risk dumping 180 gallons of salt water in my living room. I also ordered their 40 inch metal stand in order to be able to maximize the room underneath the aquarium for all the equipment since I did not had a “fish room†behind the system. I think this was well worth the extra money.
My first thing to do was to plumb the tank. My CL included an Oceans Motions 4 way on a Dart pump and the sump would have a “Herbie†overflow system and a Eheim 1626 return pump. Below all of the plumbing would be a totally removable tray that would hold the sump and catch any water that may spill or someday leak.
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Oh yea, and I have a 60x36x26 tank, almost identical dimensions, weird...
. That cabinet looks awesome. I build furniture and have a New Yankee Workshop in my basement and I can assure you that you did an excellent job. :thumbsup: 
