My 1st attempt

[erock68]

To answer a few questions:

No, it is not a load bearing wall, the way they put the drywall up, was cut incorrectly, hence the added pieces on the stud in the middle. Would have been easier to recut drywall for this but, they chose to add wood. House was built in the late 40's

The stand, will be reinforced toward the bottom, and will be attached to the middle stud, in the wall.

The underside, of the plywood top, is reinforced with 2x4's, vertically and horizontally. (except where the cutout for the bulkheads will go)

I redid the legs (to 4x4's), just as a matter of piece of mind, so to speak. I was going to "marry" 2 2x4's but felt better about the 4's

No need to worry about load on the floor. It is a ranch house, on a slab No basement, no floors below.

 

[jwilson]

OK - cool.

 

[MeTaLMaN1375]

Sweet work looking great keep us posted.

 

[erock68]

Well,

Now I'm waiting on my supplies to get here, so I can start the plumbing.

I ordered the Reef Octopus 6" Needlewheel Skimmer, Via Aqua 3300 Pump, Eheim Jager 200 Watt Heater, Bulk Reef Supplies 75GPD 5 Stage RO/DI unit and 10lbs of "Miracle Mud"

After some thought, I have decided to go with Spa Flex Flexible PVC for connections.

Once everything arrives, I can measure and get the glass cut, for sectioning off the sump.

 

[erock68]

Of all the things I mentioned, I forgot this, it arrived first....4" Sock-It with mount, sock & hardware:

Hey, it's a start and I'm psyched :bigeyes: At least this coming week will be like Christmas for me, with all the deliveries I'll be getting.

 

[erock68]

I have the stand reinforced and the hole cut on top, for the bulkheads & plumbing:

 

[Zobp]

Looks like a very interesting build, look forward to completion.

 

[devildog999]

Subscribed to watch progress, good luck.

 

[erock68]

Thanks for the comments & well-wishes. I do appreciate them. Learning as I go!

Well, I guess I can't go any further, tanks wise, until the rest of the stuff comes in. I added the overflow parts and did a leak test:

 

[89Foxbody]

Good luck with your build! One question, why didn't you use a 90? Same footprint, just a little taller. You could have lowered the stand a couple of inches to accommodate. I like the extra height for building rock structure. I suppose it's a matter of preference, though.

 

[erock68]

Good luck with your build! One question, why didn't you use a 90? Same footprint, just a little taller. You could have lowered the stand a couple of inches to accommodate. I like the extra height for building rock structure. I suppose it's a matter of preference, though.

I plan on doing 2 live rock islands. I really like a cleaner look, leaves plenty of room inside the tank.

 

[erock68]

I also didn't want to limit the space for the sump, which is going under the stand.

 

[erock68]

Slowly but surely, I'm getting there, 2 more arrived today:

 

[erock68]

I'm starting to do some research on, which species, will call my tank home. I am going to start off with Blue Reef Chromis and my wife really likes the clowns ( I prefer the black and white :hmm2: we'll see how that goes) but down the road, I would really like to get a pair of Harlequin Shrimp.

Since I'm just getting to my aquascaping, I was wondering if anyone had suggestions? I know, I HAVE read the Invertebrates section and "Harlequin Shrimp" thread (all 12 pages and every post) No one really explains their scaping' too much or when you can actually add them in. Is it better to just let them find a home somewhere, in the Live Rock themselves?

Yes, I did post in that thread, with no luck. I guess they think I didn't read through it all.

I wouldn't pick them up until the tank was pretty well established. Again, just thinking down the road and trying to make them a good home.

 

[TheReefJedi]

A nice start, looking forward to your progress!

 

[erock68]

Sweet! More stuff to play with, came today. I received my BRS 5 Stage Plus RO/DI unit. I also ordered extra tubing, to fill/top off, directly from the system, an extra filter sock and thermometer, for the sump. I think I may have ordered too much tubing, but I'd rather have it than not enough!

I'm going to install today, in our small bathroom, that's adjacent to the tank. I will let you know how it goes. I have 3 - 5 gallon containers and will fill them up for later need.

 

[tylersarah]

Slowly but surely, I'm getting there, 2 more arrived today:

That's the best heater I've ever used.

 

[NanoReefNoob]

I do have a question...I have read that, some people paint the backs of their tanks. With having it in wall, can I use a black aquarium "scene" I mean, you know the ones you can buy, off the roll, at the LPS? The closet will be dark enough, with the sliding doors closed, to hide the setup (I plan to have a small dehumidifier going, so all the evaporation, won't stay in the small enclosed space, causing a mold problem)

I did not see if any one answered this or not ... But I painted the back of my tank with a black spray paint, and it worked just fine and looks really good. Also is a little cheaper .... but then again I only have a pet smart near me so i did not have many options.

The things that I have found wrong with the "scene" that you put on the back is that they get old and start to not look as good as you want them to. Also you are limited to what you can find, where as paint is all up to you and your abilitys.

 

[BigCountry74]

Looks great, perfect wall for it!

X2 on the RO/DI. By far the best piece of gear I have purchased for my tank.

 

[erock68]

Install on the RO/DI was a snap! I think it was done in less than 5 minutes. The ONLY problem I ran into :hmm2: was, even though I ordered the extra adapter kit (which I did wind up using for now, for only $3.00 more) I still need to run out and see if there is an adapter, for the shower head outlet. Hopefully, they make such a thing.

I installed in a shower, that we don't use and is the perfect spot! It's enclosed with a drain and the unit is wall mounted, under where the shower head would be. I wanted to get the intake in there too but, as of right now, it's being fed off the sink that's only 2 feet away.

Other than that, it works perfectly :bigeyes: