Starting a Mexican Reef!!

[Gen21]

Hello everybody...

I just want to share with all of you the process of setup my new reef tank...

I've had marine tanks for the last 9 years and I started with a 10gal... after that I chaged it for a 40gal FO tank, a couple years later I deicide to start a new tank but now with corals and this tank was around 80gal...

On 31st Dec 2008... when I was with my family waiting for the new year, one of my wishes for this new year was "start a new reef tank"... and now Im starting with... and I'll share it..

Here in my Country the starfire or starphire glass is a little bit hard to find because the price and the use of it still in a low range of purposes but I contacted the biggest glass factory in Mexico and surprise!!! they handled starphire glass!!! so I though "Im starting with the right foot"

The tank is 3 sided starphire glass 120x80x60cms (48"x31.5"x23.6") and 1/2" thickness eurobraced... the glass of the back was done with a "new" kind of process of this factory named "COLOR-TECNO" and this is like a special paint black color with splashes of grey and white and it looks like a black stone and then was driled (2x 2 3/8" holes).. after that they applied heat to the glass and this "absorbs" the paint into the glass and is tempered too.

And a couple days after the glass were delivered, the tank was glued with a silicon special grade for construction from Dow Corning.. and this is the result

Today I received the steel stand, it is made of 2" angled steel

And I started to paint it with an anticorrosive primer named "zinc chromate" and I gave it 3 hands of paint..

This weekend I'll paint it with a white paint to finish it and will be prepared the "tank area" into my home...

I'll try to keep updated this post as soon as I do or get something new... I have some equipment that I'll listed this weekend too...

Greetings from Mexico City
P.S. sorry the bad quality pics

 

[FelipeRB]

WOOOWWWW it looks super great "paisano"!!! now I know who will make my next tank, jojojo.

good news listen you say there is starphire at México city!! do you know if is possible order a starphire whit curved curners?? i´ll would like make a new 50x150x50 starphire whit curved curnes.

About that "tecno color" crystal... are sure it not have any problem? same presure resistance?, not relase any toxic in the water?

good luck!!!

 

[bidny]

This tank looks really nice! Looking forward to the build!

 

[Gen21]

Hello Felipe..

Yess is possible to get some starphire glass curved in order to get something like an acrylic tank shape

About the color tecno process the paint is applied on the outside of the glass without any problem and the resistance is lightly increased because when you apply heat to the glass this turns the strong 5 times more like a tempered glass...

Steven, thanks for your comments I hope this project be good enough to be in Reef Central!!

Today I started a list of the equipment I have right now like:

Sequence Reef Flo DART return pump
chiller Aqualogic 1/3hp drop-in
Calcium reactor Deltec PF601
Heater Ebo Jager 250w
Aquatronica deluxe pack controller
IceCap 660 VHO ballast
2x Lumenarc III SE
2x IceCap 400w MH ballast
2x Radium bulbs SE 20K
5x KNOP Reefbase substrate

Maybe Im forgetting something... the skimmer Im not sure which one I'll buy, maybe Deltec AP701, Alpha cone 170 or ATI BM 200...

I'll try to post some pics of the equipment soon...

Regards!!

 

[sunsetSPS]

Mexican reef = lots of mexican turbo snails Good list to start your build. Good luck!

 

[Gen21]

Hi sunsetSPS...

Thanks for the comments and the wishes!!! I've bought my equipment slowly through a few months, but I think Im doing a good investment in quality...

You know?¿ I dont like mexican turbo snails.. they are so strong and 95% of the time they drop off corals and rocks so I prefered buy ceriths, neriths, nassarius and cucumber sand eating like the "clean-team"

 

[vetdog]

tagging along for this build! should be a good one

 

[Gen21]

Hey vetdog..

Thanks for tag my thread... I hope you can enjoy it along...

I think I can set it up soon thinking around 2 months...

This week or the next I'll go for the LR and only wait until the alpha cones be ready to buy and got the enough $$ to buy it haha.

 

[Oldude]

This will be interesting, tagging along as well.

 

[Gen21]

Hi Greg...

Im suscribed to your thread too!! your tank is really the "reef dream tank"... it looks amazing!! and Im thinking take some good ideas from your thread...

Im really excited to finish my tank... I think it will be interesting not only because Im using starphire glass and the size of the tank, the kind of a new process in the glass too and I think Im the first one to use and apply them...

I'll try to get a close up pic of the color tecno process in order to give an idea for all of you...

Today came early at home a guy who will "makeup" the tank area, still working and tomorrow saturday he will finish, after that I'll take the steel stand into my home... I'll post some pics tonigh or tomorrow...

 

[Gen21]

Updates

Updates

This is the room or the area where the tank will be.. this forniture were moved to work on the ceiling and walls..

And the worker started to..

At the same time.. I worked on the steel stand again, painting it with a special white paint to protect it and finish it, with this paint there isnt any worry about the salt..

This weekend I'll buy the plywood for the stand and leave it in the final place into my home..

Again.. sorry for the bad quality pics.. my camera was dropped off in the pool a couple weeks ago, so I hope to get a good camera when the tank be bring it to me..

 

[Gen21]

a couple pics

a couple pics

Hello again...

The steel stand is now in the final place, leveled and ready to received the plywood sheets and the tank this weekend!!

I put the lumenarc III's only for figure the aprox of the size

My home still under remodeling work.. so by now and until the next weeks the process of seting up my tank will be slow until the workers finished.

Greetings.

 

[cabrego]

what is the cost for a tank like that in mexico?

Looks good!

 

[Gen21]

Hi cabrego..

The real cost of this tank with starphire, "color-tecno", 2 drills, etc... around $850usd...

Greetings from Mexico.

 

[snake]

Hey Amigo Gen21 I though I have lost your track, I'm glad to know about you again !!!

Great tank the one you are building, I wish I would have enough room in my house to get a bigger tank also.

 

[Gen21]

Hey Snake!! how have you been?¿ Long time!!

I was seing you on the "IM"...

I hope this weekend have the tank inside of my home.. I´ve been working hard on last days and I havent enough time to continue my setup.. but keep you in contact, I'll updated this post soon.. and I hope you can enjoy it..

Regards!

 

[Lightsluvr]

Looking good!

Looking good!

I am admire your glass skills very much.

Following along on your thread.

LL

 

[Gen21]

Hey Lightsluvr...

Thanks for your comments... my skills are not very good.. I just bought the glass painted, drilled, etc.. I only "glued" them hehe!! but it looks very nice... I need to buy a plywood sheet and take the tank into my home!!! This weekend maybe..

Regards!

 

[Gen21]

Continuing....

Continuing....

Hello buddies!!! How have you been?¿

Today was a very good day for me and my family... because finally were delivered my tank and it came with a "free gift" for my home... a new refrigerator/freezer!!! (i hope nobody of my family read this post but I had to buy the "free gift" in order to keep my tank inside of home) lol

Some pics... bad quality but you can get an idea..

In the next days Im gonna take the tank up to the steel base once I level it and clean the area... and I hope at the end of this month buy more PVC piping and start to plumbing..

the tank was constructed with a "half euro brace"

this is the free gift from behind

 

[Rennsport]

Very cool tank indeed! I look forward to more updates!!