New member and New tank project

[jchase1970]

Hello, I'm new to this forum, been reading on here for about 2 weeks but just registered. Also am new to salt water fish tanks. That said I am in the progress of installing one in my house and decided to make a build diary on here to get input from the members to help guide me abit.
So the tank is going to be built into the wall between the kitchen dining area and the living room.
kitchen side

other side

I was going to buy a used 150g tank from my LFS which had a nice stand and all the equipment, but it was made to be up against a wall and as I started on the project with that tank in mind I hit a few road blocks and have now decided to go with a new tank.
water pipes here????

Here was a big surprise as there is no sinks or baths anywhere close. The lines go up to the master bath. After this I was thinking about the thank and custom stand for the LFS and trying desprately to figure out how to make it work.
1st things first move the water lines.

Ok so this could still work will just have to cut a slot in the custom cabinet to allow pipes to fit. Well as I tried to continue I kept thinking about making that tank work. So I decided to make my own cabinet. I was thinking I would still use the used tank and maybe do something with the old cabinet like add a workbench in the garage? It is a nice tank, was used for 5 years as a reef tank has 2 corner overflows refug in the bottom, nice lighting.
The base

I am making the cabinet look like custom kitchen cabinets with toeboards set back. I also took advantage of the water line problem by adding a water valve under the tank and will also add a drain to make water changes easier. I will also install a ro/di unit under the cabinet.
The frame

Faced and making the countertop

Top done

A natural stain on the top to make it light, the cabinet will be a cherry finish. The middle board has a darker area but will be under the tank the back side got no flash and matches the side in the foreground.

So while letting this dry I called a add in the paper about a 180g tank and went to look at it, It was a nice tank was set up as freshwater but had alot of stuff with it but most was unusable for my purpose. Driving back I got to thinking about useing that tank from the LFS as the one I just looked at and it had corner overflows and I was wondering which side I shuold make the front the kitchen or the living room? Then I thought I am already making my own cabinet so why not just get a new tank and have center overflows that I can hide the plumbing in the walls.
I stopped by the LFS and talked with the guy there for a bit and he is pricing me a predrilled 150g and 180g tank for top center overflows that wont cover up any corners of the tank and should look really nice.
Ok a little advice here please? I can have either a 150g or 180g tank I don't know the price difference yet. Would the extra 30 gals be a plus? Will I be glad later on for having the extra space? or is 30 gals not enough to make a difference?
Well this is 3 days into the build so far and I will post more pictures as I go. I plan to finish out a false top cabinet to access and install LED lighting that I will make myself since I am an electrician. All things about the operation of the tank I will have to ask alot of questions so please be patient with me, lol.

 

[meowzer]

Well...I really have no advice on the build, but want to say WELCOME TO SWF.....and I will be following your build.....looks like a great project

 

[dragonzim]

Looks great so far. Go with the 180 if the price is right.. The extra 30 gallons does make a difference.

 

[skate020]

yeh the 30 gallons could be the difference of some beautiful fish, which btw, have to thought of a stocklist yet?
and wat is the length of the tank?
if its 6'+ you have a massive variaty of fish. the large angels should be kept in nothing smaller then a 6' long tank, and they are beautiful.
this looks like an awsome topic and something i may do in the future, and welcome to the boards

 

[saltwaterri]

Try you local craigs list I buy alot of stuff on thair. I have 3 tanks and they all came from craigs. I just bought another 155 gal bow with dual overflows 2 pvc sumps, a mh, aqua controller, bunch of stuff for $300.

 

[jchase1970]

I have looked on CL for my area and there are no large tanks at all on it
The tank will be 6 foot long.
Today I sealed the top and need to go set the nails and fill the holes in the cabinet so I can stain it. The LFS said he should have estimates in 2 days that will be tomorrow and I'll tell you what they are and get your opinions on the tanks so I can get something coming one way or another. I have thought about ordering one from glasscages and then drilling it myself and installing the overflows myself. But, if I can get this done reasonable from my LFS I will let them do it and support them on that. We had 3 saltwater only stores last year and now only 1 remains open, seems the hobby has suffered from the economy around here.
As for a stock list I have not put much serious thought into it yet. I prefer the inverts more then fish myself, my wife likes the fish more but I don't expect to have alot of fish so I will most likely pick them on how easy they are to have since this is my fisrt saltwater experience.
I'm looking at ro/di systems right now. Is a 5 stage 75gpd system about the typical setup? This I can get for around $250.
I should have the cabinet stained tomorrow but I wont be installing and doors until I get the tank and everything plumbed. But I will try to get a pick of it on here tomorrow. I am real please with the counter top, it is popular wood with a natural finish.
Also need to finish the electrical outlets under the cabinet. How many outlets do you suggest I install under there?

 

[melypr1985]

Originally Posted by jchase1970
http:///forum/post/3170397
Also need to finish the electrical outlets under the cabinet. How many outlets do you suggest I install under there?
I would suggest (depending on how much equipment you are going to be running) to have two banks of four plugs. Also, since this will be a large tank with large equipment I would suggest (if it's in your budget) to get a dedicated breaker for your tank. Make sure that either the breaker or the plugs are GFCI. This way if your wife turns on her hair dryer and blows a fuse it wont effect the tank and vise versa. If you find an electrician close to you that is looking for a side job it shouldn't cost you more than $250 including the parts to do it and it shouldn't take longer than a 2 hours or so. I do these projects on the weekends so i know.

(i never charge more than $125 labor + whatever the parts end up costing me BTW.)

 

[spanko]

Great build so far. Looking forward to the rest of it.

 

[jchase1970]

Ok, sorry for no update for awhile but nothing has happen
My LFS said a couple of days for the tank estimates 3 weeks ago and a couple of days again 2 weeks ago. I acme across some tank deals on CL and bought a used 125g display tank and a used 75g tank to use as garage tank/QT.
I need some advice on my overflows for my display tank. The tank is build in the center of a wall so I have a plumbing chase on both sides of the tank. I am thinking about using clear 1 1/2 pipe on boths sides for the returns but this doesn't give me much surface area. What will be the down side of this? I'm guessing it will be louder with more water rushing in? Any problems with cutting vertical slits in the pipe to increase the inflow under the surface area?
The 75g is ready to setup and I want to get this tank going asap. Please guide me in what I need to purchase for this tank. I have a ro/di unit coming already so,
Question 1) how much salt is used in making the water. The 75g has a 20g sump with it and he had a 1/2 bag of salt that he gave me with the tank.
Question 2) what type of test kits do I need?
Question 3) my LSF has only 1 type of live rock on SWF there are several types but the basic descriptions are the same for a layman like myself. Is there an advantage of 1 type over another. Is one type lighter so I may get more rock per pound? Is one type generally more pleasing to look at? I think I have seen mention before to use atleast 1 pound live rock per gallon of tank size, right?
Question 4) Live sand. I see most people don't like alot of sand in the tanks but again This is my first time so for this 75g tank is 40lb of sand enough I think the tank is 3ftx1.5ft or close to that.
Well this might get me going for now, any extra suggestion you can though my way will be great!

 

[melypr1985]

If your going to use the 75 gallon as a QT then it shouldn't have sand in it or live rock. If you end up needing to medicate the fish in your QT then the meds will likely wipe out your live rock and sand. Plus without sand, it makes it easier to vacume out the poo and uneated food and such that ends up on the bottom of the tank- thus keeping your water quality higher and more stable.
the 125 sounds great! Good luck!

 

[jchase1970]

Well in that case I will just use a smaller tank for a QT because this 75g set up is too nice for a QT only. I was wanting to do fragging in it and I want to get my LR for my 125g in this tank and have it here and ready to go when I get the 125 ready which is taking way more time then I wanted.
After all is said and done I would like to have this 75 set up with inverts only in it no fish. I do want it to look decent even though I said it is in my garage, my garage is not for parking in. I have a pool table and workout equipment in there.

 

[melypr1985]

Well, just a thought but..... there are lots of people that have turned a large tank like that into a "show fuge" where you have it plumbed into you display but the tank is in a different area than the display. It serves the same purpose as a regular fuge but also allows you to do other things in it. You could put a frag rack in it, have live rock and sand and whatever micro algea you want along with your inverts. You would need a light over it of course but with it plumbed into your larger system, your adding water volume to the 125 and the tank itself is a filter. Again that's just an idea. If you look around there are a few people on different forums that have done this that may give you some good ideas of what it looks like.

 

[gill again68]

Tagged. Will watch a bit. Love the commitment.
Thats how possums get run over, they lack commitment.
or Daniel son... Karate do....ok...Karate no do....ok...Karate eeehhhhh...squish like grape!

 

[socalnano24]

So the first thing I saw when I saw your cut was, hmmm hopefully that wasn't a load bearing partition wall, did you look at the existing structure at all, since you didn't add any new jams or headers after cutting out all those studs?
Otherwise the project looks exciting, should be interesting to watch it come together.

 

[jchase1970]

SocalNano24 - it's not a load bearing wall, but thanks for being concerned about it.
melypr1985 - That would be an idea solution, but I don't think there is anyway I can plumb the 2 together. I would really like to just to increase the overall gallon size as you said.
Maybe instead of building a tank to fit my house, I need to build a house to fit my new tanks

 

[socalnano24]

haha, whew, these hole in the wall builds always make me nervous!
Typical salt is about 1/2 cup per gallon I believe. So it takes ALOT of salt for a big tank. Most end up getting 3 to 5 gallon buckets of salt for making salt for a set up thats that size.
Check the brand and try to find if its decent or not. Some salts have additional trace elements that are already in good proportions with the salt content.
You should try to draw up a diagram of your water outflow and return diagram so that people have a good visual of what your thinking then its easier to provide feedback (mspaint is good for this)

 

[jchase1970]

1st pic
black lines are the tank, blues are the wall, greens are the cabinet and reds are the returns. My tank is centered in the wall not flush with the wall on 1 side.

2nd pic
fig A is the return in the tank
fig B is the same return but with slits in the top to increase water flow

I plan on using a clear plastic for the overflows in the tank with 1 1/2" bulkheads so to keep it simple 1 1/2" pipe for the overflows. I could use adapters and increase the overflow pipe in the tank to a larger size to increase the surface area flowing into the overflow. This could be a easy mod to do later if the 1 1/2" pipe is giving me problems.

 

[goobe]

looks exciting ill be forsure tagging along

 

[socalnano24]

Nice diagrams! I'd probably try and corrugate the top of your pipe like you have shown. It should provide more aeration that way.

 

[jchase1970]

I have been looking for a glass hole saw to drill my tank with because glassholes.com has had it posted on there site that they would be closed from 11-22 to 12-15, I searched several places in town that I would have thought for sure would of had some but none did. Then I found a place local to get them but they were much nicer quality (heavy duty bits) with a much high price. I searched on ---- and found some but those too were more the glassholes so I decided to just order it from them and wait this after the 15th before it would be shipped. But much to my surprise, an hr or so after my order I received a email from glassholes saying my order has been shipped, woot. I guess they are checking the new orders even while on vacation.