hul kogan's 180G In-Wall Glass Reef [The Chronicles of Awesome]
- Thread starter hul kogan
- Start date
STAND PROGRESS
Hey folks, I made some progress over the weekend and I thought I'd share...
I decided to partially skin the back of the stand to add some more strength and help tie the structure together. I decided the go with 5/8" plywood. Here is the sheet cut down to stand dimensions and mounted up so I could mark the cut lines. (The dark vertical line is a shadow.)
My Pops decided to come over and help me out, so here he is running the jigsaw. I decided to let go of the board and take pictures, naturally.
And here is the finished skin mounted up to the stand. The top header is around 8" and the sides are around 10". The bottom is only the height of a 2x4, but this is still one whole piece. Hopefully that helps with the structural integrity.
Next up was a floor for the sump, etc. We were able to utilize the scraps from the skin and the rest of the board to accomplish this. After some measuring and cutting for the corners, here it is.
And the side angle.
Next up...primer/sealer time! Not sure if I want to add a top coat yet. I might just stick with a few coats of this. Thoughts?
Let me know what you think!
Hey folks, I made some progress over the weekend and I thought I'd share...
I decided to partially skin the back of the stand to add some more strength and help tie the structure together. I decided the go with 5/8" plywood. Here is the sheet cut down to stand dimensions and mounted up so I could mark the cut lines. (The dark vertical line is a shadow.)
My Pops decided to come over and help me out, so here he is running the jigsaw. I decided to let go of the board and take pictures, naturally.
And here is the finished skin mounted up to the stand. The top header is around 8" and the sides are around 10". The bottom is only the height of a 2x4, but this is still one whole piece. Hopefully that helps with the structural integrity.
Next up was a floor for the sump, etc. We were able to utilize the scraps from the skin and the rest of the board to accomplish this. After some measuring and cutting for the corners, here it is.
And the side angle.
Next up...primer/sealer time! Not sure if I want to add a top coat yet. I might just stick with a few coats of this. Thoughts?
Let me know what you think!
Coming along nicely-- you will be surprised how long it will take to paint that-- lots of nooks and crannies with all those corner supports-- IMO you won't want to do more then 2 coats (you will be sick of painting by then)-IMO the primer/sealer will work fine...
(Greetings from a fellow TRACer)
(Greetings from a fellow TRACer)
Hey Bill, thanks for checking in over here!
Oh yea, I am dreading it already. It is going to take F-o-r-e-v-e-r. In retrospect, I should have painted it before I got this far and it would have been easier. But, hindsight is always 20/20, eh? Heh.
NanoReefWanabe
Active member
ahhhh the fun...in your best Adam Sandler voice..."paint, paint paint, all day long, paint, paint while i sing this song, gonna paint this stand, gonna make it white, then silicone gaps tomorrow night..."
looking good man...the plywood should add tonnes of strength to it...did you glue and screw it on?
looking good man...the plywood should add tonnes of strength to it...did you glue and screw it on?
PaPa_Johnny
Premium Member
looking good! hmm the term power sprayer comes to mind for painting all the nooks also 
SKIMMER TALK
If you all might indulge me for a minute, I'd like to discuss some of the options that I have found in the skimmer department. I'm hoping you might be able to pass along some insight, personal experiences, etc.
From my research I have compiled the following list of the skimmers that, a. Caught my attention and b. Are used by others on their 180s:
- Euro Reef RS-250
- ASM G3 or G4
- Octopus PS-200 or NW-200
- MSX 200
Thoughts on any/all of those? Or do you have a suggestion that isn't listed?
Worth mentioning is that I am looking for a skimmer that I can run in my sump and my price range will likely be $300-$600. But, I'm not opposed to stretching it a bit for a far superior product. And as a reminder, this will be a mixed reef with a average amount of livestock. Not overstocked by any means.
If you all might indulge me for a minute, I'd like to discuss some of the options that I have found in the skimmer department. I'm hoping you might be able to pass along some insight, personal experiences, etc.
From my research I have compiled the following list of the skimmers that, a. Caught my attention and b. Are used by others on their 180s:
- Euro Reef RS-250
- ASM G3 or G4
- Octopus PS-200 or NW-200
- MSX 200
Thoughts on any/all of those? Or do you have a suggestion that isn't listed?
Worth mentioning is that I am looking for a skimmer that I can run in my sump and my price range will likely be $300-$600. But, I'm not opposed to stretching it a bit for a far superior product. And as a reminder, this will be a mixed reef with a average amount of livestock. Not overstocked by any means.
Last edited:
DolphinLVR
New member
I will be going with the SWC 250a for my 180
DolphinLVR
New member
well for one the 250a uses askoll pumps now instead of the sicci, but more than that, i have gotten great recomendations from other Reefers on this skimmer. And another bonus is that the price for the skimmer is great!
Jeff
Bax
Premium Member
The SWC and AMS lines are good economy skimmers. I have an ASM G4x that with a few mods has proven to be a very decent skimmer. You'll hear folks complain that they are cheaply made, but you have to look at in context, they are half the price of other skimmers. Keep you eyes pealed on the For Sale forum and they often come available at very reasonable prices. So do some of the the "better" skimmers for the $600 cap you mentioned, there should be lots to look at it all timing.
Currently, I am really coveting the cone style skimmers. There are several out there with the Askol and Sicci NW and mesh pumps that are very watt efficient. I think it was the SWC Xtreme 250a that was just on sale on CA for about $780, that's a pretty nice cone rated for 400g. The 200a was $600 and change and would probably service your 180. When ever I finally get my system to the point where I think it's mature enough, I may move from my watt chomp'n dual beckett to one of these.
Currently, I am really coveting the cone style skimmers. There are several out there with the Askol and Sicci NW and mesh pumps that are very watt efficient. I think it was the SWC Xtreme 250a that was just on sale on CA for about $780, that's a pretty nice cone rated for 400g. The 200a was $600 and change and would probably service your 180. When ever I finally get my system to the point where I think it's mature enough, I may move from my watt chomp'n dual beckett to one of these.
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