My 180 Slow Progress Report

casper1875

casper1875

Member
So here's the story. I started with a 75 and my son bought me a Powder Brown tang. I got a great deal on a 180, but it needed some work. That was in April of 2008. Tank was dirty and needed a good cleaning.

Stand needed a complete makeover. Very weak construction and mold.

Had a friend build a new stand and repair the canopy (I'm not going to use the canopy now). Last year bought a Oceanic Model 3 sump.
 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
I had to put this in the basement. Could not put much money into it, so I did the best that I could.
Walls before

Walls after

I then bought a protien skimmer with a huge footprint.

I had to change the sump, added a baffle because the skimmer needs to be in 8 to 10 inches of water. My sump was setup with about 4 1/2 inches.
 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
Put up a fake wall made out of rolling blinds that you use on your porch. This was my test run with tap water to see if the tank would hold water.

Started working on plumbing and was overwhelmed. Nothing fit under the tank. I only had about 1 inch of clearance space for the skimmer.

My Durso Standpipes came in and I installed them.

Thanks to a lot of help from here, I started working on my plumbing. Even got my husband to help.


 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
Plumbing installed and time for second test with tap water.


Had some issues. Again with help from here plus my husband's handy new tool he made. All leaks are gone. I started working on cheap furnishings. This is what I came up with so far.
My son gave me the loveseat and it's really comfortable and the hanging table was a yardsale item I bought a few years ago for 5 bucks and no place to put it.

I got this great coffee table from craigslist for $25

 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
I wanted to hide the ballast so I picked up a $60 book case with doors. I cut out the back and put a gap inbetween the 2 doors for air circulation.

I bought some base rock from e*bay and thanks to Mr_X and some acrylic rods it's very sturdy.



What do you think?
 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
I am now in the process of over working my ro/di. I have more wrinkles to iron out, but so far I'm very happy with it. There really is no one here that understands why I love this hobby so much. My friends, family and co-workers all think I've lost my mind. There are only 2 places that I can go and find people like me, here and the lfs. The people there are very nice, but here I read that most of you are like me.
I don't post very often, but I do read most of the threads. It's a great place to learn.
Everyone keep up the good work. I'll work on getting some more pictures of the plumbing and my lights later on.
 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
The tank and stand are level but the floor is not. The water is not even in the tank. Will it be alright? The basement floor slopes down. I put shims under the stand to level it out. I did not think about the floor being so far off.

Any thoughts?
Thanks I'm glad that all of you like it. It means alot to me.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
If the stand and the tank are level the water in the tank should be level. I suggest you get a longer level, that small one is not giving you a good reading overall.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Hi there,
That looks great. You have done a lot with that room down there. It looks like you are going to have a really nice setup when you get it all done. It will be a nice retreat.
Shim it anywhere you can and make sure to get them under the load bearing areas cause that is where they matter the most. ie, the corners, any center bracing. Think of the solid areas of the stand like legs on a table. They are the points that transfer the weight down to the floor. No real need for shims under the door areas or where the back is open. Looks like you have it shimmed pretty good.
Like spanko mentioned, the water inside the tank will tell the real story on being level. Water always seeks its own level, so you'll get a chance to see how acurate your levels are. I think it is important to have the tank level, in your case with two OFs one on each end of the tank. It needs to be level or you will have an uneven balance on your drains. It will also effect the surface skimming.
Keep it up, it looks great.
 
cydab

cydab

Member
i would like to suggest that you should guild some kind of platform with self leveling concert for the tank to sit on for one it will support the tank a lot better then the shims and esthetically it would look less obvious that the floor under the tank is not level, this may sound like a lot of extra work but better safe then sorry. other wise looks great keep us posted
 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
My husband does not think I need to. I tried to talk him into it. I have it now to about an 8th of an inch off. I know this is alot of weight, and it really scares me. I was going to sell the 75 after I have this setup but now I'm going to hang onto it. I hope I never need it.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
looks good casper, the tank and the room. what kind of lights are those?
 
casper1875

casper1875

Member
Thank you. The lights are Outer Orbit HQI/T5HO it has 3 - 250 watt halides.
I'm going to fill the tank because I've come this far. It has taken a very long time to get this water mixed. I will see how level the water actually is and if it's not good then I'll buy a few more rubbermaid trash cans and go from there.
If it's alright I'll try to find something to fill in around the shims and help to seal them from any water.
Would it work to mix some concrete and work it under the stand to fill in around the base of the stand? I won't be able to move the stand without messing it up, but when the time comes my friend could make another stand for me.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Originally Posted by casper1875
http:///forum/post/3161444
Thank you. The lights are Outer Orbit HQI/T5HO it has 3 - 250 watt halides.
I'm going to fill the tank because I've come this far. It has taken a very long time to get this water mixed. I will see how level the water actually is and if it's not good then I'll buy a few more rubbermaid trash cans and go from there.
If it's alright I'll try to find something to fill in around the shims and help to seal them from any water.
Would it work to mix some concrete and work it under the stand to fill in around the base of the stand? I won't be able to move the stand without messing it up, but when the time comes my friend could make another stand for me.

If you go with the shims, then stick with the shims IMO. Also, trying to make a stand to fit the floor will be nii impossible.
As far as sealing it, maybe a big bead of silicone. But I just don't see a reason. it isn't like you will have water on the floor all the time. Once the tank is filled, the spills will be small and only from you putting your hands and what not in the tank. Nothing to get in a tiff over. Short of having a flood due to plugged up plumbing, I would bet more water gets splashed around you kitchen sink. Again, JMO.
If you do seal it, you may cause more issues then it is worth. If water does make it under, then it will have no where for it to go causing more issues. At least with the shims you will have some air flow.
 
i<3reefs

i<3reefs

Member
Looks really nice, and I like the room. What length is that aquarium? I'm curious to find out if you placed a layer of foam between your aquarium, and the stand?
 
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