rlhanks
New member
Been in this hobby for several years and we have come to a cross roads, either pull the pin and move on or tear this down and build it right. I have been collecting and piecing together this thing for four or five years. Actually, I have had a fish tank of some sort since my paper route days back in 1984. But this system started four or five years ago. For several years we had this five gallon octagon tank sitting on the counter that separates our family room and kitchen, it housed a fancy goldfish from Petco or Meijers. I came across a 60 gallon complete setup some one had moved to the garage and gave up and sold it for cheap. I was fascinated with the modern way of marine tanks with a sump under the display, I just had to try this. So I brought it home and set it up in our living room. Since then, this has grown into 66" x 24" custom built tank on a steel stand with a forty breeder sump. It has always had potential but I've just thrown things together without enough thought and it has grown into a huge mess. I need to do something.
Some time before Christmas we decided that the living room carpet was going to be changed. Everything in that room was going to be removed including the fish tank. I knew this was coming and what was going to be involved to do this, no small task but I knew it was something that needed to happen. With the existing system there were many red flags, beyond belief that I let it get this far. Everything was running and I just wanted to ignore that a ticking time bomb was sitting there. This was in the back of my mind but since it worked I choose to ignore it, I was very lucky. This is the perfect time to fix all these potential future problems.
My existing tank was a modified 180 gallon. I wanted to move to a 24" deep tank but found that most, if not all were either 48" or 72", where the longest mine could be is 68" otherwise it would extend over the window, something the wife was not going to approve. I came across this tank on Craigslist and it was 72" but it has 1/2" thick glass. I knew it was long but I really tried to get her approval. I knew something was going to need to be done to make it work. So I decided to cut four inches off the total length, yes cut this down like you do to the bottom of a wood door. Since I was cutting it up, I decided to put the one end coast to coast overflow with a built in glass box. I purchased a water cooled circular saw for cutting marble and granite counters that equipped with a glass blade went through this tank like butter. Problem was since this tank was not rimless I had to do something with the frame, upper and lower. That part of the project got put on the back burner. I did silicone in the new pieces and redid the inside silicone with SCS1200. It now fit perfect, except my stand was 22" deep made for an 18" tank that I modified.
A couple of the red flags that stand out would be from the constant upgrading. The whole system is plugged into the same single outlet behind the stand. That was fine for the first system when there was only a filter, light and a small heater. But now that outlet looks like Clark Griswalds garage circuit. The overflow wasn't calculated correctly and when the main pump stops the sump fills right to the top. All the parts for an ATO but no room for the storage reservoir, so every day or every other I'm putting pitchers of RO water in the tank. All the problems I have under control but going away makes for a real problem trying to get someone to tend to it while we're gone. God forbid there is a real problem during this time.
I've had a lot of these living things for quite a long time and am not really ready to part with them so we've decided to step up and do this right. First, as much as I love my custom tank, there's too many things that frustrate me with it. To finish the modification and all the scratches are one thing but this winter I was able to pick up an SC 150 delivered for cheap. This is a new tank with starfire glass and the perfect dimensions to fit my location. I can drill my own holes and add a glass box at the end for overflow. Also the existing drilled holes I plan on using for a closed loop. I am having the stand remade to fit this one perfect, no more top hanging over the front and the back. Filtration is all going to be done on the other side of the wall this sits next too, not an actual fish room but in an area in the garage where it's not crammed into a 2 x 6 x 3 foot box. My existing sump will be used for the refugium and a twin will be added for the remaining parts. I picked up a new breeder from Petco during their dollar a gallon sale. The stand will be finished like a kitchen base cabinet with drawers for all the junk that gets put up on the hood. I will really like one of the drawers to have pull out surface to do all my testing on. With the filtration there will be a larger reservoir with fresh water and another one with premixed water. There's already a floor drain so that will be nice for all the water changes. I have been around long enough to know what frustrates me and what I don't care about and this time around I plan on taking my time and doing this right. This won't be one of those threads that you see someone going out and buying tons of expensive equipment after only having tank running a few months but it will be a slow transition from a hodgepodge to a centerpiece.
Some time before Christmas we decided that the living room carpet was going to be changed. Everything in that room was going to be removed including the fish tank. I knew this was coming and what was going to be involved to do this, no small task but I knew it was something that needed to happen. With the existing system there were many red flags, beyond belief that I let it get this far. Everything was running and I just wanted to ignore that a ticking time bomb was sitting there. This was in the back of my mind but since it worked I choose to ignore it, I was very lucky. This is the perfect time to fix all these potential future problems.
My existing tank was a modified 180 gallon. I wanted to move to a 24" deep tank but found that most, if not all were either 48" or 72", where the longest mine could be is 68" otherwise it would extend over the window, something the wife was not going to approve. I came across this tank on Craigslist and it was 72" but it has 1/2" thick glass. I knew it was long but I really tried to get her approval. I knew something was going to need to be done to make it work. So I decided to cut four inches off the total length, yes cut this down like you do to the bottom of a wood door. Since I was cutting it up, I decided to put the one end coast to coast overflow with a built in glass box. I purchased a water cooled circular saw for cutting marble and granite counters that equipped with a glass blade went through this tank like butter. Problem was since this tank was not rimless I had to do something with the frame, upper and lower. That part of the project got put on the back burner. I did silicone in the new pieces and redid the inside silicone with SCS1200. It now fit perfect, except my stand was 22" deep made for an 18" tank that I modified.
A couple of the red flags that stand out would be from the constant upgrading. The whole system is plugged into the same single outlet behind the stand. That was fine for the first system when there was only a filter, light and a small heater. But now that outlet looks like Clark Griswalds garage circuit. The overflow wasn't calculated correctly and when the main pump stops the sump fills right to the top. All the parts for an ATO but no room for the storage reservoir, so every day or every other I'm putting pitchers of RO water in the tank. All the problems I have under control but going away makes for a real problem trying to get someone to tend to it while we're gone. God forbid there is a real problem during this time.
I've had a lot of these living things for quite a long time and am not really ready to part with them so we've decided to step up and do this right. First, as much as I love my custom tank, there's too many things that frustrate me with it. To finish the modification and all the scratches are one thing but this winter I was able to pick up an SC 150 delivered for cheap. This is a new tank with starfire glass and the perfect dimensions to fit my location. I can drill my own holes and add a glass box at the end for overflow. Also the existing drilled holes I plan on using for a closed loop. I am having the stand remade to fit this one perfect, no more top hanging over the front and the back. Filtration is all going to be done on the other side of the wall this sits next too, not an actual fish room but in an area in the garage where it's not crammed into a 2 x 6 x 3 foot box. My existing sump will be used for the refugium and a twin will be added for the remaining parts. I picked up a new breeder from Petco during their dollar a gallon sale. The stand will be finished like a kitchen base cabinet with drawers for all the junk that gets put up on the hood. I will really like one of the drawers to have pull out surface to do all my testing on. With the filtration there will be a larger reservoir with fresh water and another one with premixed water. There's already a floor drain so that will be nice for all the water changes. I have been around long enough to know what frustrates me and what I don't care about and this time around I plan on taking my time and doing this right. This won't be one of those threads that you see someone going out and buying tons of expensive equipment after only having tank running a few months but it will be a slow transition from a hodgepodge to a centerpiece.
