JoeZimm's 54g Corner Reef Build

[joezimm]

Hey all.
Ok, so here's the story. I've been looking to upgrade my 14g biocube to something a little more substantial. Well yesterday I was out tank hunting and found a used 54g Corner Reef Ready tank at one of my LFSs that they purchased from one of their customers recently who was moving. It is larger that I was looking for, but I couldn't pass up the price.
So, it has the following.
Tank (54g Corner).
Overflow wall w/ plumbing in the corner.
Stand
Sump (acrylic trickle w/ protein skimmer)
Pump (not sure of the size... probably should have looked)
Missing:
Light (he kept)
Cover (broken)
Tank

Sump

Aside from the broken cover, which I will probably replace eventually, everything looks really well maintained. Seals look good and no visible scratches on the tank.
TODO:
Cleaning - this thing needs a good scrubbing.
Painting - I'm going to paint the two flat back sides black. What would be the best paint in terms of color and durability?
Sump - It's a trickle filter w/ bioballs, but I was considering modding it to contain a refuge. This may not be possible due to the size/shape of the sump. If room allows, I'll build my own sump from a 10g. Also, the tubing is a little aged, so I will likely replace with new.
LIGHTING! - Here is the big question. With the odd shape of the tank (1/4 cylinder) what sort of lighting should I be looking at that would be sufficient for a reef tank. I can probably only fit a 24" light. Would 4 x 24w t5 be sufficient or to I really need to look at a Metal Halide?
So, this is where I am so far. I'm leaving in about an hour to pick up tank from the store.
I'll give more updates once things get moving.

 

[teresaq]

I had that tank but mine had a canopy so my lights were mounted in there.
Meowzer has this tank also, hopefully she will see this
T

 

[fishkid13]

New thread.

 

[joezimm]

Update
No new pics yet. Nothing really to show.
Did a fill test and ran the whole system for a couple hours on Sunday. No leaks and the return pump is fine. Skimmer pump only runs if you hit it a couple times.
Also scrubbed out everything in the sump but the pumps. Not sure if they can open up to get to the wheels.
Return pump: Beauty CAP-1800
Skimmer pump: Rio 600 Venturi (or something like that)
Sump: Pro Clear wet/dry
What's Next?
After a lot of looking around, I've decided to construct a reef wall out of DIY Live Rock, egg crate, and pond foam+sand
+rubble. Maybe add a closed loop hidden behind the wall. It's going to be a lot of work, but from some of the pics I've seen around some of the forums, it will look amazing.
Not exactly sure about the rock. I'll try several different recipes with mixtures of cement, crushed oyster, rock salt, aragonite, plastic shaving, macaroni, biodegradable packing peanuts (I have bags of this stuff, it dissolves during curing), non-biodegradable packing peanuts (Is this a good idea? I have tons of this too), and anything else I can think of.
1 Cement + 2 Oyster Shell + 1 Rock Salt + 1 Aragonite + water
The pieces will be pretty small and light with lots of holes so they shouldn't take more than a few weeks to cure. I can use that time to finish my other TODOs. I'll likely place zip ties in them during molding to make them easier to attack to the crate.
Other TODOs:
1)Clean + paint the stand. It's showing a lot of wear.
2)Clean out pumps. Is there a way to open the two pumps listed above? it doesn't look like they are easily accessible.
3)Paint back walls black (Krylon gloss black sound good?). I'm not covering ALL of the back with the reef wall. There will be an inch or two on each side towards the front that will still be visible from top to bottom.
4)Find a suitable light.
5)Possible build a new sump out of a 10g glass tank if it will fit in the stand.
...
Think that's it... for now.

P.S. Thanks to anyone who actually made it to the end of this post.

 

[t316]

Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3063852
I had that tank but mine had a canopy so my lights were mounted in there.
Meowzer has this tank also, hopefully she will see this
T
Have you seen a thread in the past 6 months that catlady hasn't seen

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/3067383
Have you seen a thread in the past 6 months that catlady hasn't seen

LOL...I missed this one...

..I have been pre-occupied
I have that same tank w/o the sump and overflow....I have the dual satellite on it, but it is my seahorse tank so lighting was not an issue for me.
I also have 2 feet sitting on the lid....so if you go with a 24" light you can either hang it...or put something across the tank where those 2 feet will go.

 

[t316]

See....what did I tell ya

 

[joezimm]

Ok, got the Rio open. It was pretty easy. Basically the wheel and magnet are pretty well worn out. The wheel appears to be worn down inside pretty well and it wobbles at a funny angle. Also, the shaft inside the magnet thingie has worn away on the inside and it wobbles quite a bit too. Oh, and the cover with the two inlets needs a new seal.
Would it be worth it to replace the wheel components and the seal, or should I just get a new pump?

 

[t316]

Just kiddin' with you meowzer

 

[joezimm]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3067390
LOL...I missed this one...

..I have been pre-occupied
I have that same tank w/o the sump and overflow....I have the dual satellite on it, but it is my seahorse tank so lighting was not an issue for me.
I also have 2 feet sitting on the lid....so if you go with a 24" light you can either hang it...or put something across the tank where those 2 feet will go.
Hanging isn't really an option. This tank is going on our living room and we have 20' cielings

. So, I'll have to go with option B.

 

[meowzer]

Joe...by the time you get parts for it...you might be better off replacing the whole pump....I don't think Rios are THAT much...LOL
Goodnight T316.....

...See this just tells me I was missed

 

[t316]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3067398
Joe...by the time you get parts for it...you might be better off replacing the whole pump....I don't think Rios are THAT much...LOL
Goodnight T316.....

...See this just tells me I was missed

Yes...it's late for me. Goodnight

 

[joezimm]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3067398
Joe...by the time you get parts for it...you might be better off replacing the whole pump....I don't think Rios are THAT much...LOL
Goodnight T316.....

...See this just tells me I was missed

You're probably right.
I found some info on the other pump. The Beauty pump is apparently now called ProClear. Judging by the pictures, it is identical. The ProClear Aquatics CAP-1800 is rated at just 476gph. Is that really enough flow for a 54g tank

? It has to push the water up about 40" as well.
I'm thinking this is going as well. It's pretty noisy anyway.

 

[impulse-ive]

I recently started my 55 gal corner tank. It's been going about 4 months. The sump you have seems OK...i'd up-grade to a better protein skimmer though. I painted my sides with blue acrylic paint is works well and clean of easily if you want to change or get rid of the tank later. Here is shot of what i have going now.
Good Luck!

 

[meowzer]

Nice tank...I have that same moonlight on mine...LOL....I really like it too.
My lights came with a lunar light (the little white type)

 

[impulse-ive]

Thanks I'm pretty much done with it. I'm going to redesign the sump and add some anemones in a few months but than that i just have to keep it clean. the lights came with the tank...some guy on craigslist was getting out of the hobby. Now my 12yo wants a nano. He has the fever.

 

[meowzer]

Sp the light is a 24w T5...hmmmm...do not know if it can support an anemone,,,you may want to go to the anemone section...post what exactly you have and ask there
also you should only put 1 anemone I believe...

 

[mantisman51]

Meow, I believe it is a 4x24w. Smallish, but it could handle most medium light coral. I have a large rock anemone in my 125g under 5x54 w T5 HO-with 1 blue actynic and he's moved to the bottom of the tank.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by mantisman51
http:///forum/post/3068792
Meow, I believe it is a 4x24w. Smallish, but it could handle most medium light coral. I have a large rock anemone in my 125g under 5x54 w T5 HO-with 1 blue actynic and he's moved to the bottom of the tank.
LOL...Well that sure would make a difference.....he only said 24w...so I was thinkin....hmmmm...only 24watts....big difference between 24 and 96

 

[bulldog123]

I have this same tank as well,Oceanic right. I could not find a canopy for mine because the stand is laminate so I built one. I have a 250w mh(sunpod)and 4x24 t-5s(nova) on mine. I was keeping a gbta under just the t-5s for about 2 months before I added the mh. I have to say the bta has exploded. I dont think I would try just the t-5s after seeing the difference.
BTW I still have the glass top. I would build a canopy so you can add fans and lift the mh up without letting the light out.