My 55 Gallon build thread

[ERivera65]

Well guys it's time to upgrade my Biocube 29 to a bigger tank. I have always wanted to rebuild my 55 and I now have the parts and funds to do it. I would go bigger but I already have the 55 and my next build will be atleast double the size of my 55. I know its not a fancy 1,000,000 gallon build but hey, this is my build and its priceless to me lol. So here it is fresh from Cory's garage LOL.



This is what it looks like now after I sanded and painted the stand and canopy



Some rocks I got from Cadugauch (thanks!)
Cooking in peroxide and hose water lol



Baking in the sun



My Glassh0les.com 700gph overflow kit



My Jebao wp-25 from Reef Radiance (thanks Rick!)



10 gallon sump I rigged lol, hey it works!



My DM-155e LED fixtures from Reef Radiance (thanks Rick!)





Lots more to come guys, i'm gonna drill the tank this week... wish me luck lol. hopefully i do not crack the glass lol

 

[ERivera65]

Oh in other news, i rebuilt the sump and took out the first wall of the "bubble trap" in order to not use it as a refugium and i instead will use a filter sock and a big skimmer. I believe that a big skimmer will do a much better job at removing organics compared to a small refugium with a small amount of area for macro-algaes to grow.

 

[Fishman7]

nice start

 

[cadugauch]

Finally!!

 

[Snaredrum]

Good start. I will be following as im wanting to upgrade from my 29 also.

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[ERivera65]

nice start

Thanks, its been a long time getting here to where i'm at.

Finally!!

Thanks buddy!

Good start. I will be following as im wanting to upgrade from my 29 also.

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Awesome, glad to have you along here!

 

[ERivera65]

I just drilled the tank this morning! It was fairly easy and i think having a brand new diamond bit really made the glass cut easily. I also purchased my light brackets, a reinforcement 2x4 for the bottom of my stand to support the ATO reservoir and sump, plumbing parts for the overflow, and pvc glue. I should have the system running this weekend I hope.

 

[ERivera65]

Drilling!

 

[DRThompson]

Looks great! Have the reef radiance lights over my tank also. Very happy with them

 

[Lacy]

....I know its not a fancy 1,000,000 gallon build but hey, this is my build and its priceless to me lol.

Who needs a tank that size anyway? I am sure it will be really nice when it is done. Looks like you are off to a good start. What kind of skimmer are you going to put on it?

 

[ERivera65]

Looks great! Have the reef radiance lights over my tank also. Very happy with them

Thanks Doc! Nice, your tank looks great from the photos from the tank hop. Hopefully I can get to your level soon!

Who needs a tank that size anyway? I am sure it will be really nice when it is done. Looks like you are off to a good start. What kind of skimmer are you going to put on it?

Thanks! I am leaning towards the SC Aquariums SCA-302 cone skimmer. I've heard great things about it and for the price you can't beat it. I'm convinced that since its rated up to 180 gallons, it will definitely remove crap from my tank water lol. More than enough for my 55 plus 10 gallon sump.

 

[Deep Reef]

Great job on the stand following along...

 

[ERivera65]

Great job on the stand following along...

Thanks! Little by little things are coming along

 

[ERivera65]

Back of the tank has been painted and I should have the system plumbed soon!

 

[ERivera65]

Well I plumbed and installed thw overflow system today and no leaks so far. Thank god lol. But I did notice the paint on the back of the tank peeling off since some water got on it. So i decided to strip all the paint off and redo it. I'm not leaving it half a*s to then have it look like crap later. I want it done right so I will redo it with spray paint this time. Much easier and less of a mess than brushing the paint on.

 

[DRThompson]

The original finish might be a lacquer. You should always use an oil based paint over lacquer or varnish.

 

[ERivera65]

The original finish might be a lacquer. You should always use an oil based paint over lacquer or varnish.

It was on the back of the actual tank, meaning the glass that peeled off. The black paint got water on it and it just peeled off the glass. I'm thinking it was because I brushed on the paint and I didn't really prep the glass well enough. I got spray paint now and I will paint it some time soon. Possibly tomorrow

 

[DRThompson]

Understood. Make sure you use some type of enamel paint to paint over glass, many people recommend krylon fusion. Any oil based, acrylic or enamel paint will do IMO

 

[Biggar]

let the cycling begin! exciting stuff. Take your time and get it right the first time. Once its filled with water and rock, its hard to turn back.

 

[ERivera65]

Understood. Make sure you use some type of enamel paint to paint over glass, many people recommend krylon fusion. Any oil based, acrylic or enamel paint will do IMO

Thanks for the advice Doc!

let the cycling begin! exciting stuff. Take your time and get it right the first time. Once its filled with water and rock, its hard to turn back.

Thanks Biggar! I got the stand and canopy from Cory. He was telling me about your tank and corals when I drove up to his place to pick them up. Your pics look great on the tank hop!