Hi everyone. I wanted to start a build thread to keep track of and share my progress on the new tank I'm setting up. My last couple of build threads fizzled out but I am going to attempt to keep this one updated and add as many pics as I can. The plan is to make this an SPS dominant mixed reef. The tank is a 5'x2'x2' 150 gallon by Great Lakes Aquarium with a custom 2 piece stand and matching canopy. Stay tuned...
150 gallon reef
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Crabs McJones
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My Tank Thread
Welcome to R2R!!
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Awesome! Welcome to the community! Can't wait to see the build!
So a little info about how this tank came about. I originally had purchased a 180 gallon (6'x2'x2') to setup in our spare bedroom. I planned on turning that room into a complete fishroom since that was where my quarantine tank was anyway. So I went ahead and refinished the stand for the 180 and had it looking gorgeous, put in place, shimmed it up, and filled it with RO water to leak check in place. The day after I started the leak test, my wife informed me that we now needed this room to become a nursery! Was very happy to hear the news, but unfortunately the 180 had to go because it wouldn't fit anywhere else in our small house. So after selling the 180 I spent a few months trying to find a 5'x2'x2' that would fit perfectly in our living room. I finally found this setup just a few hours from my house and it was exactly what I was looking for! So I ended up with the perfect tank and a healthy baby boy that was born on October 6th [emoji1]
Now, back to the build. Probably the most challenging part about having an all glass aqarium is moving it. When I brought it home I couldnt find help getting it unloaded right away so I needed to improvise:
Drove the truck right into the backyard and slid the tank right onto the deck. My wife thought it was hilarious, but did proceed to tell me that it made us look like the Beverley Hillbillies [emoji38]
Drove the truck right into the backyard and slid the tank right onto the deck. My wife thought it was hilarious, but did proceed to tell me that it made us look like the Beverley Hillbillies [emoji38]
Okay, the tank is in place and looking sharp. Next on the agenda is to make my DIY sump and do the plumbing. I would love to have one of those sweet custom acrylic sumps, but for this budget build, that is $500 I can spend on something more important such as lighting. For a sump, I came up with a simple design from research I have done and what has worked well for me in the past. I will be using a spare 40 breeder I have along with some old glass from a broken tank to make the sump.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Awesome backstory! Congrats on the new little one!! (And the tank too of course!)So a little info about how this tank came about. I originally had purchased a 180 gallon (6'x2'x2') to setup in our spare bedroom. I planned on turning that room into a complete fishroom since that was where my quarantine tank was anyway. So I went ahead and refinished the stand for the 180 and had it looking gorgeous, put in place, shimmed it up, and filled it with RO water to leak check in place. The day after I started the leak test, my wife informed me that we now needed this room to become a nursery! Was very happy to hear the news, but unfortunately the 180 had to go because it wouldn't fit anywhere else in our small house. So after selling the 180 I spent a few months trying to find a 5'x2'x2' that would fit perfectly in our living room. I finally found this setup just a few hours from my house and it was exactly what I was looking for! So I ended up with the perfect tank and a healthy baby boy that was born on October 6th [emoji1]
Okay, sump is finished. Not exactly how I planned it because the glass shop could not cut pieces small enough for the filter socks, so I eliminated that part. I also picked up a skimmer and return pump while building the sump to make sure they would fit. I went with a used ATI Bubble Master 200 but instead of using the original pump, I bought a Skimz VSC3000 DC pump to run it. It should be a beast. The return pump I may get flack for but from all of my research the Jebao DCP-15000 is a perfect fit and has very high reviews so thats what I went with.
Also got some stuff from BRS [emoji1]
Also got some stuff from BRS [emoji1]
