New 120g build - need advise
- Thread starter Silver_Stang
- Start date
Silver_Stang
New member
I thought about that or a piece of MDF or something, but it would look like crap.
The other alternative would be to rip off the top, get more expensive wood that is not warped... I really don't want to go through all that work though.
The stand the previous owner had the tank on only supported the tank on each end and the entire middle section was unsupported so I was thinking maybe it will be ok...
cas
New member
Get a piece of trim and stain it to match and cover the foam and the black trim on the tank?
Misenplace101
New member
Silver_Stang
New member
Does the consensus seem to be that if I just leave it as is I will end up having a problem??
SirToppemHat
Member
Good looking stand. A piece of cork board wouldn't look too bad underneath. I think you would be more at ease if you fixed it. That's a lot of weight and pressure.
Whaledriver
New member
See if the board flattens out after a week or so. A similar thing happened on one of my tanks. The wood was originally flat and the weight of the water will flatten it out over a short time. Wet the wood if it doesnt happen fast enough.
One thing you might consider as you arrange your sump is a separate skimmer chamber or area with a constant height of water. It wouldn't vary with the up and downs of flow and evaporation. This will help you tune in the skimmer and prevent the skimmer cup from overflowing. Ideally the skimmer chamber would have the same water level when the main pump is off. This is hard to do but it prevents problems when the main put goes out or the power fails.
The main thing to think about is what will happen when one piece of your system fails? will the system crash or will it be able to keep going at a subsistence level for a while?
You might consider duplicate systems instead of single systems ie... 2 small heaters instead of one big one. 2 main pumps instead of one. 2 4 bulb T5 lights instead of 1 8 bulb unit.
Everything in your system will fail and its easy to repair a system like lights if you don't have to worry about the survival of the system
One thing you might consider as you arrange your sump is a separate skimmer chamber or area with a constant height of water. It wouldn't vary with the up and downs of flow and evaporation. This will help you tune in the skimmer and prevent the skimmer cup from overflowing. Ideally the skimmer chamber would have the same water level when the main pump is off. This is hard to do but it prevents problems when the main put goes out or the power fails.
The main thing to think about is what will happen when one piece of your system fails? will the system crash or will it be able to keep going at a subsistence level for a while?
You might consider duplicate systems instead of single systems ie... 2 small heaters instead of one big one. 2 main pumps instead of one. 2 4 bulb T5 lights instead of 1 8 bulb unit.
Everything in your system will fail and its easy to repair a system like lights if you don't have to worry about the survival of the system
Silver_Stang
New member
All very good suggestions. I am going to get baffles for the sump and just have a small separate return section with an auto top off system.
I just ordered an external skimmer that I am going to put on a stand next to the tank, that way I don't have to worry about keeping the skimmer on a stand under the tank in 7 or 8 inches of water. I ordered the super reef octopus xp-2000 external model.
I was also kind of thinking that the wood might flatten out a bit with time. I used pine which is a soft wood, and the tank filled with water is about 1000 lbs, so we will see what happens. I just filled with fresh water right now to test out the system, I will be draining it soon and replacing with RODI water....
Silver_Stang
New member
I was excited today when I got home, I got my skimmer in the mail today. Now I am just waiting for the glass shop to finish my baffles and the LED DIY lighting kit to come in the mail. I should be able to fill the tank up with RODI water and salt mix this weekend!!!!
I also got a 3/4 inch piece of MDF and painted it black to stick under the tank to help get rid of the tiny gaps between the tank and stand. It seems to have worked well and it actually does not look that bad. The MDF stands out more in the pictures because of the camera flash, but in person you can hardly notice that it is there. I can sleep better at night knowing that the tank is supported more evenly...
I also got a 3/4 inch piece of MDF and painted it black to stick under the tank to help get rid of the tiny gaps between the tank and stand. It seems to have worked well and it actually does not look that bad. The MDF stands out more in the pictures because of the camera flash, but in person you can hardly notice that it is there. I can sleep better at night knowing that the tank is supported more evenly...
Fish_wiz2
Mangroves are kool.
I was excited today when I got home, I got my skimmer in the mail today. Now I am just waiting for the glass shop to finish my baffles and the LED DIY lighting kit to come in the mail. I should be able to fill the tank up with RODI water and salt mix this weekend!!!!
Very nice, just picked me up the XP-2000 internal just last weekend. We need to share experiences
Wiz
Silver_Stang
New member
Very nice, just picked me up the XP-2000 internal just last weekend. We need to share experiences
Did yours come with instructions? Do you have to use pvc cement on the intake and output pvc pipes? I have never had any experiences with a skimmer like this. It seems well made though...hopefully it performs well on my tank
Fish_wiz2
Mangroves are kool.
Octopus never includes instructions :lol: , i would first test it though as the connections are pretty solid. But i did have to use some on my uncle's external octo especially around the output pipe. Wiz
Silver_Stang
New member
time for another update. Things are not going so well. I got my skimmer set up and it has a leak on the bottom between one of the acrylic joints. :mad2: I also glued together some of the PVC fittings together on the skimmer output, but I forget to put the nut from the top of the union fitting between the pieces so I could not attach the skimmer output to the skimmer body. I guess that does not matter very much since the skimmer has a leak. I contacted reef specialty (where I bought the skimmer from) to see what they can do. Hopefully they tell me to send it back and send out a new one.
I also got by 48 Cree LED kit from rapidled.com. I built one light so far, and everything worked well.:dance: Below are some pics.
I also added the dry rock to the tank, but it is in major need of some aquascaping.
I got my 75g sump and baffles done as well. A local glass shop charged $40 for 3 12x17 quarter inch glass baffles. All the edges were polished nicely so there is no way I can cut myself. I have zero microbubbles in the tank which is good.
Also, had an issue with leveling the tank documented here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1773583
And an issue with cloudy water documented here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1775165
I also got by 48 Cree LED kit from rapidled.com. I built one light so far, and everything worked well.:dance: Below are some pics.
I also added the dry rock to the tank, but it is in major need of some aquascaping.
I got my 75g sump and baffles done as well. A local glass shop charged $40 for 3 12x17 quarter inch glass baffles. All the edges were polished nicely so there is no way I can cut myself. I have zero microbubbles in the tank which is good.
Also, had an issue with leveling the tank documented here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1773583
And an issue with cloudy water documented here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1775165
tyreeftank
New member
Nice skimmer and setup.
Silver_Stang
New member
Thanks. The skimmer had a leak between one of the acrylic joints, so I had to send it back to octopus to be repaired. I got the lighting done, added sand, and did some aquascaping. I also ran carbon with my new BRS reactor to clear up the water. I am trying to tweak the calcium/alk and sg, as soon as I get things where I want them I am going to add a few fish and some ricordea from my 29g. Here are some recent pictures.
Silver_Stang
New member
They look awesome, the picture doesn't do them justice. Very low heat. I will be building a pendent to house them this summer, but for now I have them rigged up there. The real test will be after I start adding corals, however others have kept sps with good growth under the exact same lighting kit I have, so hopefully they will work out in the long run.
