Please show pics of your 180 tanks

[jarhed]

Jarhead I really like your corner idea I wish that would of fit into my plan. Oh well maybe on the next one I am thinking of doing a three sided one in the future with one of the ends in a closet. Such a dreamer I am. :rollface:

April didn't get the outside done yet but I am thinkin it will be wood.

Thanks Mako, I figured it would be easier in the long run because I dont really have room to hide both sides anyway. Not to mention, I (and my neighbor) LOVE the ability to look through the tank longways.

BTW April, my name is Raphael, but I prefer Jarhed, Devildog, Tuefelhunden, Shock Troop, Sgt Cutty, or just plain Osama's Nightmare.

 

[April540]

Thank all for the names, And Raphael, you will remain jarhed, But I just have one question? DO YOU REALLY HATE DRYWALL? ROFLMAO But Me too!

Mike, the 3 sided would be really nice, I like those alot. We dont have a place really, to do that. I wish I had a place to do the in wall. But I dont plan to move, so I'll just enjoy all of these, I'll be happy if I get the canopy made for this one.

 

[April540]

Mines easy. Jason.

I hate drywalling and I'm willing to bet he does too now!

Was a good bet huh? lol poor jarhed! It is a tough job. Sometime we get a little over our heads.:crazy1:

 

[jarhed]

Yeah, your right. Oh well, has to be done and I'm a "perfectionist". I want folks to look at it and say "there is NO WAY you did that!!".

 

[cediss]

No matter how much I intend to take my time and try to take my time, I always end up in a rush. It doesn't help when you are either moving tank to a new residence or as is the case this last time that I was putting the new tank in the same location as the old. There just isn't a lot of flexibility for taking my time. I try to plan things out for weeks prior, but as most people who have done this can attest, things often don't go as you plan and last minute changes are often necessary. Just trying to say that I envy you guys having the time and financial resources to put such elaborate systems together. I'm very happy with what I have, it's not ugly, and most important it works, but my hat is off to you for your well thought out and built systems Jarhed and Mako.
P.S. Doesn't it amaze you how expensive PVC gets when you plumb these things together. Mine was far less complex than some I've seen lately and I spent over $200 (not including bulk heads) including flex PVC!

 

[tblue]

I know what you mean. I'm moving this weekend and have several containers setup, some with saltwater mixing as we speak. As much as I've tried to plan this out......I have a feeling it will not go as smoothley as it should. My tank is only 29 gal right now....so thats a plus.

I'm looking at having a 180 setup in my new house within a couple weeks of being there, so everything will get moved again....hopefully everything makes it through the transition.

 

[April540]

tblue--Please dont do what I did when I changed over the 29 to the 180, Of course you dont have the Hubby to try and smooth over,but I had the FO tanks before and are alot different than the reef, I thought I had to put it together the same way, and as the years have come and gone--------things in this Industry has changed tremendously! I didn't know what a refugium was, thought the wet dry was THE THING to have, Wrong!!!! The guy I bought the tank from had all of the equiptment, all TOO small for the set up. Now I have to try and rig something up for the fuge, I wish I could have read more. I usually have this kind of thing down to an art before hand, Make sure all of your under tank stuff is under, before you put the tank on!!! I'm still trying to smooth the hubby, I still have so much to switch over, My problem with him is, he thinks it looks ok just the way it is!!! So in bit and pieces, I am doing it, I dont understand all of you all, plumbing, dont even know where to begin, I just am really enjoying all the new set ups going together. And Cediss, I love your set up, and so impressed with your set up outside! It's great. BTW is the temp. still holding?:rollface: :rollface:

 

[April540]

Well I have been working on it dumped in the sand today now to see what it looks like when the storm dies down,,,,LOL :eek1:

Mike, what in the world do all of the pipes on the top go to? I have seen this alot, but I have no idea what they are all for! It looks complicated.

 

[cediss]

April, thanks for the compliments on the plumbing! As for the temp all is well so far. This weekend it was up to the 90's outside. I wanted to see if I could resist using my air conditioner because I am still afraid my wife is going to get upset when the next electric bill comes since the addition of my tank. As a result the house temp was approaching 83 degrees. The tank never went over 80.6 even with the 1200 watts of lighting on. I did turn on the A/C for a brief while until the cooler evening prevailed. But this had a minimal effect at htis point except to make us more comfortable! We'll see what happens when the 100 degree weather hits, I'll be using the A/C for sure and may have to avoid turning all lights on!

 

[mako56]

Cediss I wish mine was so well planned out :rollface: I am hoping to do this one and see what I did wrong again. All a person can do is his best with what you know I guess. I sure wish I would of washed the sand before I put it in ,,, LOL.

April it is an 8 way from ocean motions makes the flow without all the power heads.

 

[April540]

Maybe you should turn on a fan, that will help cool it also, and you can cool the room as well! I guess you have to smooth things too huh? LOL I guess if the spouses loved them as much as we do, we would be working several jobs, and never have time to enjoy the tanks! That would be a bummer

 

[cediss]

April, I use fans in the hood although these only provide some help with regard to the MH heat. The tank is acrylic which does little to dissapate heat, or absorb for that matter. But the key is the fan in the sump! It really cools things down amazingly well. I propose it would compete against a 1/4 horse chiller and costs a lot less in initial and operating cost.
I sometimes have thought it would be great if my wife was as in to this as I am. But your right. We would have to be working many jobs, and she would still want things different. We would then need several tanks, which I'm all for!

 

[jarhed]

Cediss,

Is yours an in-wall tank? Do you have an AC duct piped into the room as well? That is my plan. If I have to dump ice cubes into the fuge, I'm going to avoid buying a chiller.

 

[cediss]

She's pretty supportive and accepting of this "habit." She says it could be worse. I could be out at the bars, strip clubs or wherever, but instead I'm at home with her and the corals!

 

[April540]

Cediss,

Is yours an in-wall tank? Do you have an AC duct piped into the room as well? That is my plan. If I have to dump ice cubes into the fuge, I'm going to avoid buying a chiller.

Jarhed, his tank I think is on page 3 or 4. he has an outside sump that is awsome. you need to go back and look at it. his tank is really neat, has the canopy like I want. he just put this one up too.

 

[April540]

She's pretty supportive and accepting of this "habit." She says it could be worse. I could be out at the bars, strip clubs or wherever, but instead I'm at home with her and the corals!

She is so xery right! And the tanks are so relaxing.

 

[April540]

Cediss I wish mine was so well planned out :rollface: I am hoping to do this one and see what I did wrong again. All a person can do is his best with what you know I guess. I sure wish I would of washed the sand before I put it in ,,, LOL.

April it is an 8 way from ocean motions makes the flow without all the power heads.

Was it live sand that you put in? And what is wrong with your set up? I think you are doing a great job? What didn't you plan out?

 

[cediss]

I guess what Mako and I are doing is trying to make the "perfect" system. But this is something that comes with time. Most systems are not"perfect" from the start, and besides who desides what is perfect. My idea of perfect is a system that is cost efficient, clean and as simple as can be in design, and most importantly keeps the inhabitants as healthy as a natural reef with as little human intervention as is possible! The fact is this does take time if it ever happens at all. Everyone on this post should be proud of the fact they are blessed enough to even have a system and that it looks as good as each one does!

 

[jarhed]

Question folks!

When you placed your tanks on the stands, did you find ANY gaps between the frame of the tank and the platform? I'm thinking that because my plywood is warped a bit (noticed that when I was putting it on) and the tank is empty, I'm going to have some of those.

I did shim the back up a little under the frame and under the stand to bring the tank perfectly level front to back, but the shims are sitting on the plywood, and I was told that in a glass tank, the four corners are whats bearing the weight of the tank.

I havent filled the tank yet, but it's in it's final position to start plumbing.

Your guidance?

 

[jarhed]

By the way, remember my stand is deeper than the tank because I wanted a 6inch shelf on the rear to put closed loop pumps and tools while I'm servicing. If you look at my pics, you'll see that all four corners are in fact supported, but the center span of the rear of the tank is only on 1/2" plywood, with only two joists underneath on hangers.

(Sorry, some of my pictures are missing because EarthStink's personal web pages have a bandwidth limitation. They wont be restored til the end of the month. I have the pics somewhere else, but cant get a Mod to respond to let me change the paths. I'm allowed to beat on EarthStink, I worked there for seven years ).