Build thread for my 55G upgrading from a 30G (formerly Upgrading)

very nice job! I'd be proud too!

 

Looking good.
I have never understood why everyone builds a shelf on the bottom though and lose the extra 3.5" or more of clearance that comes in handy for getting the skimmer in and out of the sump. This seems very common but I did it different by placing a sheet of marine plywood on the floor, rotating the 2x4's flat and then sealing the entire bottom so it holds water in case of a minor flood. I gained extra clearance and had more cubic feet of usable space.

 

Got some more work done today. Here are some more pictures. I got almost everything done. I need to finish the door on the cabinet, and finish up the sanding. Then start sanding.

 

I haven't updated this thread in awhile. I got the stand completely done, the tank has been drilled, the sump/fuge has been build, and all the plumbing is complete. I got the tank setup and the plumbing completed on Sunday other than the tubing to the return pump/jet. I finished that tonight and put the last of the water in the tank. I have about 58lbs of rock in there now, and the return pump is running. I had a slight leak on the return pump to return jet line. I got that taken care of and everything looks good. I picked up one of the Seachem ammonia tab testers. I am going to grab a fresh shrimp at the deli tomorrow evening and toss it in to start the cycle. I am heading to Canada for a week and a half fishing trip in about a week, I figured the ammonia tab would be easy for the wife to monitor and as long as she sees it spike I can check nitrite and nitrate when I get back in town. I will post some up to date pictures of the setup tomorrow. I really like the sump/fuge setup. I also like the fact that the sump can handle the extra water if I were to lose power for some reason. No more over flows, not that I ever had one, but I was nervous about it.

 

Ok so here are some more photos of the setup.











My daughter noticed some stringy stuff coming off one of the new rocks this morning. It looks like spider webs, but really long. Not sure what it is. I rinsed all the rock off in RO/DI water and left it dry in the sun before putting it in the tank. I also notices there is a nasty white slime/foam at the top of the first bubble trap in the sump. I am guessing this is from the new setup and once I start running the skimmer it will disappear. Anyway I am picking up a shrimp tonight after work and hopefully starting the cycle soon.