Mikes 360 Gallon Reef

[bobafet1]

Alrighty, well here's my build thread. I ended up getting a tank from AA. Dimensions are 96x36x25.

As of now I'm still filling up my tank with water. My RO unit is pretty darn slow so it may take a bit more time to completely fill up. Unless of course, I just transfer all my water from my 180 system.

I took some pics of my stand build this past week. Here they are.

Brought home raw wood from the lumber yard. I decided to go with Birch.



Since the wood didn't have a straight edge to start cutting from I had to make my own. Give me a tree and I'll make a stand out of it. =)


All milled up and ready for preliminary assembly of the face frame. I kept the wood at 2" thick to help with the weight.


Time for some glue.

 

[bobafet1]

Next step was to assemble the sides and start putting them together.

 

[bobafet1]

I had to cut out an opening in the back so that my huge sump would fit.



Tank came in so I let my kids play inside it.

 

[bobafet1]

Starting staining the outsides and reinforcing the center of the stand.


Cut out the holes for the return and drain lines.


I had to move the stand to the backyard so that I can add the trim and finish staining it up. It was sooo wide that I couldn't fit it through any of my front doors. In fact, it barely fit through my side gate.

 

[bobafet1]

Tank is finally inside the house!!



Next step is to get started on my doors and hood.

 

[bobafet1]

Does anyone have some sand stashed away that you are dying to get rid of? I'm going to need a grip of sand and more rock.

 

[dodgerblew]

Awesome Mike! Great start!

 

[KWoo008]

Looks awesome! Now I know who to call if I have any woodworking questions.

 

[bobafet1]

Awesome Mike! Great start!

Thanks! Filling this thing up makes me super nervous though. I don't question my abilities or those of John at AA but 360gallons is A LOT of water to come pouring down on hard wood floors. I'm calling my insurance company Monday to add the tank. Hopefully they cover it.

 

[Jade5051]

Last insurance company I talked to would not insure my tank. They did cover any damage the tank caused.

 

[bobafet1]

I'm taking down my 180 today. I have its sump/fuge, frag tank, and other components in a separate cabinet inside my garage. I don't need these things anymore however there are some things I do need and I'm willing to trade for them.

Things I have to trade:
Frag Tank with corner overflow (front right side)- 48" x 24" x 16"
Sump- (3 chambers. It sprung a small leak in a corner a few days ago but I'm sure it's just something that can be sealed up easily) 50" x 16" x 21"
Stand (as seen in pic) 79" x 27" x 48"


Things I Need:
Cleaner Magnet for ACRYLIC
Rock-Preferably bigger pieces
Sand-Buckets and buckets of the stuff.

Please PM me what you have.
Thanks

 

[scrapz]

Jelly!! My dream dimension. Congrats on the tank and sick building skills.

Threw away 1 5g buckets of sand 2 weeks ago..

 

[thegrun]

Great stand and tank, can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[Germanwerks]

any reason why you didnt go with a bigger sump?

 

[rickztahone]

Beautiful tank but I'm a sucker for a good stand, and that is a gorgeous stand. Tfs

 

[billyzbear]

Beautiful stand! You are talented, I wish I had half your skill.

 

[OG Reefs]

Nice! This is gonna be an awesome build!

 

[OG Reefs]

Oh, by the way, I just moved to Fontana.

 

[bustayanky]

I have two bin full of sand that has been sitting in saltwater outdoors for about 6 months. Free if u want to clean it up and use that.

 

[bobafet1]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I appreciate it.

Last insurance company I talked to would not insure my tank. They did cover any damage the tank caused.

Yeah, that's what I'm mostly interested in getting covered. If the tank busts or anything happens to it then I won't be as concerned as I would be over having to rip up my hardwood floors and replacing drywall.

Jelly!! My dream dimension. Congrats on the tank and sick building skills.

Threw away 1 5g buckets of sand 2 weeks ago..

Yep, I did the same 1/2 year ago not realizing I would need it one day.

any reason why you didnt go with a bigger sump?

That's the biggest sump I could fit beneath the stand. I think it's big enough for my needs.

Oh, by the way, I just moved to Fontana.

Awesome bro. I gotta see your new tank in person.