New Frag Tank Setup

[jwalker314]

Here is my work in progress frag tank setup....











I bought wood stain, not sure whether i want to stain it or just paint it black. Thinking black will hide a lot of the imperfections better, but stain will look nicer. Also considering using wood filler to cover up the drywall screws i used to assemble it (me and a hammer don't get along)

considering possibly building a sump for the bottom since it is drilled, probably eventually. I had a 20 gallon breeder that would have worked as a sump, except it was 1/4" too wide for my design, so i decided to use a 10 gallon instead.

Thoughts and input are apperciated.

I will have a 250 watt MH pendant over top, 16" above the water, with a 15k XM bulb.

 

[iamwrasseman]

what is that square compartment with the hole in the bottom of the tank ,an overflow ? if so its really way to large but will work . just a waste of space ,especially for a frag tank as space is always needed at one point or another . fill the holes with general Sheetrock mud and three coats of black semi-gloss paint to seal it up and you should be good to go . i would use Sheetrock mus because its easy to sand and work with and it will be sealed well with the three coats of paint . i use rustoleum latex and a quart will be sufficient .if your gonna stain it you should stain it dark because its basic 2x4s and they really dont have pretty grain so light colors wont compliment it at all . all in all it looks good but i would do it black because of the low quality of the wood as it just doesn't really look great when stained IMO .also if your going over nails the staining will look weird as the nails dont take stain so you would have to recess them and then stain and poly then fill the holes with an appropriate filler . trust me as i do lots of stands and canopies and it will look much better black semi-gloss or satin . semi will have somewhat a duller luster than gloss but the satin will be almost like a chalk board . i wish you the best .

 

[jwalker314]

thanks for the input! glad i didn't open my can of stain, staining wood its kinda like a safe zone for me because its harder to screw up.

The reason for the super large overflow is 2 reasons, the tank was predrilled....i didn't like the idea of have a center overflow, and i did want some type of overflow (not just a pipe with a strainer on the end) to give me surface skimming.

reason number 2, i found two pieces of glass that were that size, and knowing how my skills are when it comes to cutting acrylic or plexi, i knew the edges wouldn't be completely straight.

I know its a large overflow, but if i decide not to plumb a sump the large area will house the pump for my skimmer rather well and if i do decide to incorporate a sump im sure i can find some use for that extra space....DSB or something of the sorts maybe.

thanks again

-John

 

[iamwrasseman]

well if its a frag tank you could leave the box right out of the tank and install a stand pipe with a 90 and a strainer on it . this would give you more room and also surface skim for you .also silicone does not really stick great to Plexiglas and it could cave in due to the pressure so be sure that the silicone is backing the Plexiglas on the inside where the pressure will be pushing it twards . one other thought is that glass is very cheap and you could get those two pieces cut for a few dollars and it would be much more stable but you have it already built so you may want to run with it as is .FWIW you can aslo put frags in the overflow if you run out of space so its not really wasted space if you do so .

 

[reeftanknewbie]

I agree with iamwrasseman in bagging the overflow and using a standpipe with a 90 elbow and strainer so that you can have as much of the space as possible for your frags. I just worked with a LFS in building their setup so I have learned a lot and you would be amazed on how many frags you can fit in a small tank with the proper planning and prep.

Hey iamwrasseman, have you ever been to the LFS Fairmount Aquarium & water Gardens in Syracuse? I stopped in there about a month ago in my travels and they are planning to open an amazing SW room with 300+tanks. The guy was great and gave me a tour of what they have been planning for several years. It was amazing looking.

 

[jwalker314]

thanks again for the input.


also another reason for the overflow, is that i might decide not to plumb a sump into the system, and since my skimmer is a HOB style, the pump wouldn't be getting any surface skimming. So with this design i can put the mag 6 pump in the overflow and still get surface skimming without a sump. Also yes if do decide to add a standpipe for the sump then I could very easily use the space in the overflow for frags, as well as growing some on the walls of the overflow as well.

I plan on getting the first coat of paint on it today so Ill post some pictures when I am done.

 

[iamwrasseman]

yes i have been there many times as they have been building the fish room for 8 years and counting . did you get a chance to get to ABC reefs as its about three miles away and an awesome salt store ,one of the best IMO .

 

[jwalker314]

decided i didnt' need paint...lol....impatience kicked in, i will probably paint it in the spring time, but for now, i was in need of a proper frag setup, its all up and running, small leak on one of the couplings on my skimmer, but looks good, 20k bulb looks great in it....

cracked my new XM 15k bulb i got for free sucks bad....