Xenon's 45G SPS Build Thread *Pics*

xenon

Owner of Canada Corals
I figured I would start a build thread for the SPS dominated 45G display that I am building in my showroom. The tank is made by Marineland (terrible silicone job but whatever). The tank measures 24L x 24D x 18H.

The stand is made from Bosch aluminum extrusion. It's a dream material to work with because its so modular.

Before I ordered anything, I used Google Sketch-up to design the tank stand so that it could be "skinned" with panels to hide the aluminum frame. I wanted the panels to mount flush with the glass so the stand was designed to compensate for the panel thickness.

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Once the stand was cut to size, this is how it looked in the flesh.

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Because the stand is precision cut, no foam is needed to compensate for imperfections. I used 1/4 HDPE plate so that the glass does not come in direct contact with metal.

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Next step was to drill 2 holes into the Marineland 45G tank. A 30mm and 42mm glass drill bit was used to make room for the return and drain. Then black vinyl was applied to the glass for the background.

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I decided to use the Xaqua X-Inout Overflow System. It actually creates a pulsating wave motion with no moving parts.

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This is how it looks from the inside of the tank. The drain cover is removable for cleaning.

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The light I decided to use is the Giesemann Spectra MH/T5 combo. It has a 400w single ended metal halide bulb (20K Radium). It also has 4 x 24w T5 with ATI True Actinic bulbs.

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This is how everything looks so far.

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I designed a custom sump in Google Sketch-up that should be ready in a week. That is when the real fun begins.

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The footprint under a cube is very challenging because there is very little room to fit a sump, skimmer, dosing pump, dosing containers, ATO, powerbars, fans, etc... but I am up for the challenge!

More pics of the build will soon follow!!!
 
love is man def following this one ,,,,,,great choice for a fixture i also run the same one .i guess in that sump u wont be using no socks correct ? GL with build , keep the pics coming
 
love is man def following this one ,,,,,,great choice for a fixture i also run the same one .i guess in that sump u wont be using no socks correct ? GL with build , keep the pics coming

Thanks!

Having to replace filter socks has never been my priority so its better that I don't use them.

I usually just siphon the sump when its time for a water change anyways.
 
This is one sweet build! :beer:
Will be following for sure. Good to see so many early members still in the hobby. :)
 
I'll be following for sure, I'm looking to use the aluminum to make my next tank stand. I really appreciate your attention to detail!
 
We got some more progress done on our build!

We decided a top was needed to prevent fish from jumping out of the tank. There are plans to add designer wrasses and we all know how much they love to jump.

The frame is made of aluminum so rust wont be an issue. :)

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not a fan of the bulb choices that geisman came with (way too much blue for me) but everything else is looking sweet. BB or sand bed?
 
not a fan of the bulb choices that geisman came with (way too much blue for me) but everything else is looking sweet. BB or sand bed?

The light fixture does not include bulbs. Those were my choices. :p

400w 20K Radium is the gold standard for SPS coloration and ATI actinic seemed like the right choice to supplement the MH for dusk/dawn effect. On an electronic ballast, the 20K Radium is VERY white!

I absolutely love the look of sand because its more natural but I also love clean/clear water with no particles flying around. Because this tank will have lots of flow, it will be bare-bottom. I will have a 1/4" piece of HDPE cut to size to protect the glass from any rocks falling.
 
I finally got the panels and door mounted today. It took me a while because I wanted to find a way to have the side panels removable.

I ended up using IKEA kitchen doors to skin the aluminum frame. I bolted on some 3/4" thick PVC strips to the metal frame so that I could have something to screw into.

I originally purchased 3 wood panels but it was looking too heavy. I decided to use glossy white for the sides and wood for the front door.

The sump I custom designed is now built. I am going to pick it up tomorrow afternoon. :)

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That looks totally awesome. Ive been wondering where to get panels that are ready made that can go on an aluminum frame!
 
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