My 65 Gallon Build

irupp33 · May 21, 2014

Hi all another reefer here from Tampa, FL!

Well ill try and keep it simple as I have alot of pictures. Initially I bought a complete setup on craigslist as a way to get back into the hobby. The setup was so cheap I couldnt say no. The lighting was a simple 150 halide with some PC actinics. Simple bioball converted sump with a skimmer and that was it.

Heres the setup before I tore it down to take home.

irupp33 · May 21, 2014

I didnt like the stand and the canopy has a little water damage so I decided to build one to better suit my style and to make the wife happy

The stand is constructed from laminated oak plywood, 2x4s, misc oak trim, and some tile work.

irupp33 · May 21, 2014

irupp33 · May 21, 2014

Then after looking the tank over It had alot of scratches. A neighbor who had just gotten into building tanks decided to take my order on an build me a same size footprint out of acrylic. However this one had an extrenal overlfow on the back of the tank so it didnt take up room inside which I LOVED!

My little helper checking it out haha

irupp33 · May 21, 2014

I also changed my mind on the canopy sitting on top of the tank and wanted a "floating" look. So I welded up some 1x1 steel box I had laying around into some hanging arms that mount to the back of the stand. They got coated and I started on my canopy to match the stand.

Mounted the lights inside the canopy.

Fill time!!

And this is how the tank ran for about a year. I got bored once it was up and running and didnt pay much attention to it. I think I enjoy the build more than the hobby itself lol.

After a while I decided to upgrade the sump. Again I contacted ryan and asked him to build me a sump and it came out AMAZING!

irupp33 · May 21, 2014

After a while longer my tinkering side got the best of me and I decided to try my hand at building a DIY LED setup Even though my current MH and PC gave me GREAT color.

I bought a heat sink and all my leds and went to town. The light is full spectrum consisting of 6500k and 4300k whites, Royal blue, True violet, Cyan, Cool Blue, Red all on 4 different dimmable drivers. I love being able to adjust the color now and my corals seem to LOVE it.