NOVAcane's Build Thread

[NOVAcane]

So I started the build back in January and took pictures along the way. I never got around to creating a build thread before today but figured I may as well since I finally filled the tank. Let me give you a little background. I have kept freshwater aquariums since I was a kid and always wanted to take the leap to saltwater. I finally bought a 56 gallon tank and stand back in 2005 from a LFS and gave saltwater a go. I had no idea what I was doing. I was running a fluval as my only filtration and was using tapwater to top off every month or so. I stocked my tank with more fish than sea world and within two months everything started dying. I got frustrated, disconnected the filter, and kept an algae tank for the next couple of years. Eventually, I drained the tank and decided to give it another go.

My wife bought me a HOB skimmer (i did not have a sump) for my birthday in November. She bought the wrong size so I went to Big Al's in January to exchange it. Timing is everything! While at Big Al's, MRX66699 overheard the associate telling me a bunch of crap, introduced himself and asked if I needed help. He told me about this forum and I followed him back to his house where he gave me a bunch of start up supplies: pvc, wet/dry, sand, etc. He said he would help me put everything together. For those of you that do not know MRX, he is an asset to this forum. The following week, he came to my house to set everything up. We ended up scraping the set up and opted to redo everything from scratch: new stand, custom sump, pre-purchase equipment, etc. I will post the results below and update my progress along the way. There is soooo much to learn in this hobby but I am having fun with the process.

 

[NOVAcane]

Here is a picture of my living room when MRX came to set-up the first day. The tank and LFS stand is on the left. The stand on the right was originally designed to be a top off stand. It eventually became the frame for a new custom tank stand.

 

[NOVAcane]

My father-in-law is very handy, so I traveled to Naples for consecutive weekends to build the stand. I cannot believe how long it took! We decided to go with dual doors in the front and a removable side door, secured by magnets. We left the back completely open.

 

[NOVAcane]

Next, we sanded, primed, and caulked the entire tank. We used furniture molding on the top and bottom.

Eventually, it was time to paint/stain. I decided to go with paint. We bought a flat black paint from Home Depot, and I applied 4 really thin coats. I took my time and used an artist brush in the hard to reach spots.

 

[NOVAcane]

MRX "helped" me build the sump (he actually built the whole thing, lol). The plan was to drain the display into a skimmer chamber, then pass the water into the return chamber. We were going to add a refugium on the other side of the return chamber, but the dimensions we were working with made this a difficult task. Ultimately, we settled on a two chamber 30 gallon sump. I am running without a refugium which hopefully I will not regret. The skimmer is stocked with a Reef Octopus 200xs skimmer (I returned the crappy HOB skimmer and forked out $300 for a big one - I am overpowered but it will allow me to upgrade tanks down the road)and dual phosban 150's running carbon and GFO.

 

[NOVAcane]

I got my rock from Linesider on RC. He gave me an incredible deal on more than 100 lbs. It was 90% Fiji and 10% Haitian. The rock was dry cured. I do not have any live seed rock, but plan on picking up a couple of pieces from Liverock USA.

 

[david00061]

your stand looks real nice

 

[NOVAcane]

MRX helped me find an RO system which I later learned came from NIVRAM. I was originally going to run the water into an empty drum, but decided to install it under the sink instead using a pressurized RO tank that I picked up from Mitchwelt. Mitch has also been a big help! In addition to the storage tank, he sold me a couple of maxijets for the reactors and a bucket of salt - all for a great price. The RO unit is now under the sink. My father-in-law gave me a UV light to attach to the RO unit for extra purification. I installed a T that allows me to run the water through a faucet (great for coffee) or through a 20 foot line that actually reaches my tank. The line is coiled under the sink so everything is nice and clean.

 

[NOVAcane]

I had to go with a HOB overflow. When I upgrade, I will definitely opt for a drilled tank.

 

[NOVAcane]

 

[NOVAcane]

After the above pictures were taken, I decided to paint the back glass and the PVC pipe black. Unfortunately, I did not snap a photo.

 

[NOVAcane]

Today, five months later, I filled the tank! The water is still very cloudy (and I do not know how long that will last), but here is a photo of the tank set up.

 

[NOVAcane]

Once the tank is cycled, I am going to start off slow with a couple of smaller, hardy fish. Eventually, I would like to keep an anemone, LPS, zoas, and some softies.

I have decided to go with T5 lighting for the time being. My tank is an odd size (30L x 18W x 24H) so grimreefer recommended that I go with a 24 inch, 6 bulb ATI sunpower. If anyone is selling one, please let me know! Otherwise, I will be buying one brand new. I do not have a top off system yet so I am going to be manually topping off for the time being (hopefully not too long). I am trying to find a good top off system. Most likely, I am going to pick up a piece of furniture and paint it with the same paint I used for the stand (bought an extra can just in case). I was going to go with a gravity top off, but since I have already been shopping for controllers, I have decided to go with a top off pump. I saw a 20 gallon black storage tank on tank depot that will probably work. My biggest problem with putting together a top off system is designing something that my wife will tolerate. She is not a big fan of tanks that have that industrial look. I am trying to keep everything neat and clean.

So that is it for now. I will keep this thread up to date as I proceed. Any feedback and advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[verz36]

looking great... keep uploading flicks as you go....

 

[nivram]

Wow, you are a patient man. Looking good.

 

[mrx66699]

looking sweet buddy ....you have come such a long way since big Als that's for sure......now arnt you glad you didnt wast your money on all that junk the guy was trying to selling you....I cant stand that when they do that to people....anyway its looking good just be patient and you wont believe where it will take you....

 

[mitchwelt]

i feel special, i got a mention!

 

[AquamanE]

looking sweet buddy ....you have come such a long way since big Als that's for sure......now arnt you glad you didnt wast your money on all that junk the guy was trying to selling you....I cant stand that when they do that to people....anyway its looking good just be patient and you wont believe where it will take you....

Way to go MRX. :thumbsup:

Helping people start off right is sooooo important. Many don't get the right advise and end up killing tons of stuff, even quiting because of the frustration and unnecessary expenditures.

Novacaine- That is a sweet set up for sure. Keep being patient. It will pay off in the end.

 

[illal]

Looking good! Matt really is a good guy (when he's not harassing people)

 

[geoplane2]

where were you guys when i got started ?? LoL I guss I was at the wrong forum ? LOL