Post your questions and ideas here!!
- Thread starter Mr James
- Start date
blennieluvr
New member
Both will help you have more room to setup the sump and work under your tank. One big bonus to it being taller is it brings your tank up closer to eye level. I alway have to stoop over or kneel down to get a good look at my corals. So taller and wider would be GREAT!
Home_Depot
In Memoriam
I would worry more on the height than the width. I will snap a few pics of my stand and try to post them here if not PM me you email again and I will send them to you.
Home_Depot
In Memoriam
Click on my gallery icon and there will be some pics of my stand
Mr James
Premium Member
I build all of my stands overkill. My hieght is generally a minimum of 36" tall +/- and depending on my needs. I also make the width a minimum of 24" regardless of tank size. The reason I do that is two-fold. 1. In case you upgrade to a larger tank, 24" is usually the width of a standard tank. 2. I have a ledge to put things on as well as places to do some "non-conventional" plumbing. I'll take pictures of what I men exactly.
My current stand hold a 58g and a 40g breeder. If I tore thos tanks down, I could hold a standard 300g tank in need be without doing anything to the stand.
Dedex, you want to make sure the legs are braced. The tank needs to be supported around the perimeter ONLY (on glass tanks only). Do not support the bottom pane of glass on a glass tank!!!
Acrylic tanks need the entire bottom to be supported. I use 1/2" or 3/4" foam sheets cut to size, layered on top of plywood.
My current stand hold a 58g and a 40g breeder. If I tore thos tanks down, I could hold a standard 300g tank in need be without doing anything to the stand.
Dedex, you want to make sure the legs are braced. The tank needs to be supported around the perimeter ONLY (on glass tanks only). Do not support the bottom pane of glass on a glass tank!!!
Acrylic tanks need the entire bottom to be supported. I use 1/2" or 3/4" foam sheets cut to size, layered on top of plywood.
Mr James
Premium Member
I certainly didn't mean to imply that. I got my stand design from a book on how to build workbenches. It is the same design I use to this day. I can't really explain it, but I can show you if you want to come over and check it out. Yes, you do need center braces for most larger tanks. IME, center braces are an excellent place to put hinges for a door on your stand. I'll see if I can dig up some pics in the meantime.
Mr James
Premium Member
I could probably show you better than I can explain it. Maybe the next time you are in town, you can stop by and I can show you my tank and we can draw some stuff out with a pencil.
Keep in mind, you are kind of jumping into the deep end of this hobby with all this new terminology, processes and plans. It will take reading, reading and more reading to understand what it all means. A very small handful of people get it, right from he start.
Before you build anything, make sure you are aware of what is needed. Otherwise, you will, in this case, end up with a wet floor and damaged merchandise.
Reminder: AGA, Oceanic and most other tank manufacturers will void the warranty on their tank if you DO NOT use their stand. Personally, I'd rather take my chances with my own, over-built, stand.
Keep in mind, you are kind of jumping into the deep end of this hobby with all this new terminology, processes and plans. It will take reading, reading and more reading to understand what it all means. A very small handful of people get it, right from he start.
Before you build anything, make sure you are aware of what is needed. Otherwise, you will, in this case, end up with a wet floor and damaged merchandise.
Reminder: AGA, Oceanic and most other tank manufacturers will void the warranty on their tank if you DO NOT use their stand. Personally, I'd rather take my chances with my own, over-built, stand.
Mr James
Premium Member
The reason I put asked you to explain how a skimmer works is so that when you are shopping for one, you will know that function should outweigh cost. No offense to the $150 skimmers out there, but if I see one with this price tag, I ignore it. There was a guy on "the bay" (eBay) that told me his New Jebo ($19.99) could effectively skim 180g. I didn't bother laughing as it was a waste of energy.
Contact time is one thing you look for in a skimmer. Recirculating skimmers offer more contact time. Larger diameter units offer more too. My skimmer has a very energy efficient pump that also happens to draw in a significant amount of air (to be shot into the skimmer). That is yet another reason I chose that skimmer.
Let me find a helpful link for you on skimmers........
I used to know the author of this a long while ago:
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/skimmer101.htm
EDIT: Regarding your question about the Euroreef CS6-2+, yes, it is a very good brand name skimmer. The problem I have with the advertisement you gave me is that there aren't any pictures. After a fiasco I had here on RC, I will, for the most part, never buy without pictures of the"actual unit for sale". Val, what did your investigation come up with on that ER (EuroReef) skimmer?? What did you find out??
Contact time is one thing you look for in a skimmer. Recirculating skimmers offer more contact time. Larger diameter units offer more too. My skimmer has a very energy efficient pump that also happens to draw in a significant amount of air (to be shot into the skimmer). That is yet another reason I chose that skimmer.
Let me find a helpful link for you on skimmers........
I used to know the author of this a long while ago:
http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/skimmer101.htm
EDIT: Regarding your question about the Euroreef CS6-2+, yes, it is a very good brand name skimmer. The problem I have with the advertisement you gave me is that there aren't any pictures. After a fiasco I had here on RC, I will, for the most part, never buy without pictures of the"actual unit for sale". Val, what did your investigation come up with on that ER (EuroReef) skimmer?? What did you find out??
Mr James
Premium Member
Here is a quote from a different thread that may help you decide which skimmer NOT to get. The tank in question is a 58g Ocreanic (exactly what I have).
I totally agree that the ASMS are junk unless you mod them. But why mod somehting if you can buy a plug-n-play unit without the worries.
Link to the thread: Click Me
I totally agree that the ASMS are junk unless you mod them. But why mod somehting if you can buy a plug-n-play unit without the worries.
Link to the thread: Click Me
Swanwillow
goby girl
so which types of skimmers are you running? I was looking into an octopus.
Home_Depot
In Memoriam
I have a turbofloter 1000 and I like it.
Mr James
Premium Member
On all my previous systems, I ran MRC skimmers and calcium reactors. On my last tank in Florida (180g lots of SPS), I ran an MR-2 powered by a GenX-55HP (not horsepower).
Seen here (MR-2 on top and CR-2 on bottom):
Now here is a picture of an ASM G2x or something like that. It came with the system I bought as a whole. It is shown with the recirculation and gate valve modifications. I soon sold it as I couldn't stand it!!!
Shown here running on a temporary Brute can full of rock that was curing:
But of course this tank I am running an ATi Bubblemaster 200:
So, how big of an ATi does one need for a 75g? Also, what is everyone's opinion on the Octopus skimmers? I have read and read, and everyone seems to be pretty happy with them. I want something that I can set up and not have to worry about modding though, only emptying the "good stuff" (or should I say "bad stuff") out of when necessary... I would like to try to find a used one, but am open to purchasing new. I am budgeting around $400 for the skimmer...
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Swanwillow
goby girl
see, thats what was recommended to me, was the octopus... I don't do well with things called MODS or TWEAKING or even adjusting the little black nobbie thinggie on the CPR bak-pak that I haVE in my closet.
Going by those specs, I was told to get an octopus.
Going by those specs, I was told to get an octopus.
