fcmatt's 57g rimless build thread - hoping for the best!

[fcmatt]

Hello everyone. I am back in the game!

I cannot even remember how long ago I started in this hobby with a 40 gallon breeder, under gravel filter, and that yellow tang.
So much has changed. I have had a few more tanks over the decades but I have been tankless for the last 5 years or so.

It seems this tank has been in the planning for the last few years. The first step was to decide on how large.
Well that was easily decided because I already built a stand I never used 4 or 5 years ago. It can fit the dimensions of a 40 gallon breeder.
Thus I went with the largest rimless tank I could find premade. That led to Deep Blue's 57g rimless without an overflow.
I was never one for super large tanks. I am unsure why.

My stand building skills are not up to par as others here but I am happy with the result. I am tall so I never cared for short stands.
This is slightly more then 36 inches tall.

What I am thinking is a rimless tank. Sump below. Sleek bean overflow. Drilled.
Quality parts. T5 lighting.
Sand undecided. Cooked rock with no pests.
Minimal maintenance. A lot automated.
Heavy bioload for the size. Pair of clowns, SPS, perhaps an anemone to start once broken in.
It has to be dead quiet. Clean look for the most part.

So here is the tank:

And here is the stand:

I will post more and what I am thinking as I go. Any advice is appreciated as I share more. Thanks!

 

[fcmatt]

Lets start filling out the parts I will be using. For the pump I decided on a Red Dragon 3 Speedy pump with 10 volt connection and the additional controller for connecting to an Neptune controller.

Since this is a DC pump I can lower the wattage way down and increase my chances for a super quiet tank. It also allows me to feed a few accessories via a manifold near the sump.

What is very important to me is that this pump has a better chance of being much more reliable then other pumps on the market. I really do not want to go away for a few days and find out my pump died.

 

[fcmatt]

For the skimmer we are going German again. A bubble king double cone 150. Like I mentioned above I want a heavy bioload for the tank size, I like to feed, and I want something reliable and quiet.

I chose not to go with a controllable pump in this case. Just let the skimmer do it's job. I just don't see the point in the extra cost. Perhaps one day I will go with an automatic neck cleaner but I never found the chore of cleaning the skimmer cup that big of a deal.

A lot of BK owners said the skimmer is built really well and I have to agree. It is a pleasure to look at and feel. Time will tell how it will run for me on this tank and volume of water. So with the pump above and the skimmer we are around ~50 watts of power. Not bad at all.

 

[fcmatt]

Sometimes you have those oh crap moments when setting up a tank.

When I built my stand I wanted a 20 gallon long sump. It is a very affordable option. My personal opinion is that a sump is a low place to put ugly stuff. While I do enjoy looking at "Cadillac" sump setups I do not want to spend my money on that aspect of the hobby.

But.. I could not fit a 20 gallon long. I did not make the opening wide enough :-(

So a 20 gallon tall it is. Kind of cramped but we shall see how it goes. I need to think about baffles.

 

[fcmatt]

Now the tank has been drilled in each upper corner with 1.5" holes that will fit 3/4" bulkheads. Threaded on both sides for the bulkheads. In retrospect I wish I would have drilled a bit larger for schedule 80 bulkheads but oh well. I never had one break before but the extra security would have been nice.

The center was drilled with two holes that are 2.5" if I recall correctly. The tank was drilled more than a year ago.

The reason for this is that I went with the 16" Synergy overflow. The older model that comes with bulk heads instead of the newer model that is injected molding.
Once again this is the case of I buying a part a long time ago and just not getting around to the project.

 

[368]

What happened to all the pics?

That tank is going to look clean with that overflow.

 

[fcmatt]

What happened to all the pics?

That tank is going to look clean with that overflow.

I am on my cell phone and I can see all the pics. I am using Google photos to host them.

 

[fcmatt]

I am on my cell phone and I can see all the pics. I am using Google photos to host them.

Bah. I cannot edit my original posts. Sigh...
I asked for this post to be deleted and once gone I will recreate it.

 

[Zoahoarder]

Just start a new post over. This will eventually fad away.