Tbelt's 180 gallon build

umm i have a 29 gallon on hardwood floorings but i think pergo isnt as strong..If you put it on the pergo make sure that u put felt under it though.. I dont think i would put tile down there cause if u ever sell it its gonna look kinda weird for random tile being down but idk were u are putting it now lol..ima say just make its level and i think there is a weight limit on the pergo boxes when u buy them but im not sure so look...its not hard to put it in shouldnt take too long just the time to do it. I think she did that one purposly to hold u back lol...jk.

 

Finally got some decent weather and made some progress. Worked on the sump yesterday. Made an area in the sump to hold sand by siliconing 2 small walls in the middle area. Cleaned and checked all the pumps, heaters, powerheads ect. I also put a moisture barrier in the base to help with small spills, to protect the carpet a little.

If all goes right today I should be able to put the sump into the base and then the tank comes inside. Just a little cleaning and they will be ready. Looks like we will be holding off on the new floor for now. I will get some pics as soon as the camera comes back. I let some freinds use it to take pics at a family reunion. I should have some up later today.

Thanks for looking

Tony

 

thats kewl more money u can spend on fish tank haha...glad it all worked out for ya. when u think are are u gonna fill it up?

 

Next weekend when I get back from Vegas.

 

TBELT, I like the pergo with the tile around the tank idea. There is going to be some water on your floor from time to time and their's no way around that. Putting tile down around your tank would be very easy and you wouldn't have to worry about water on your floor.

 

I agree. Still thinking about it but really do not want to lay down a floor right now. This would be the best time. Will think it over this week.

 

yea its gonna be a pain in the @@s to do do that with a 180gallon fish tank there..id do that if your gonna than set up your fish tank..

 

Just got back from Vegas. 2 very long non stop flights from/to Tampa. Did alot of reading on sumps and refugiums. Not sure if i like my layout anymore, or if it will even work. The way it is set up now, water enters at one side by having 2 inlets that flow through socks. Then will overflow into a compartment that will hold sand,rock and plant life for Nitrate reduction. Then it will go through a "baffle" to reduce bubbles into a compartment that has the skimmer and return pump.

Also getting nervous about the flow through the sump/refugium and return pump keeping up or not pumping enough. The overflow in my 55 has a float and helps keep the drain flow constant. It just works perfect. The new overflows I have don not have the float to vary the waterflow as needed. Maybe it is in the way the new overflow tubes have a bend at the top.

Maybe I read too much and now I am confused. Anyway the corner overflow boxes I am having built (decided not to do myself) will not be ready until next week. So I cannot do much till they are done anyway. Plenty of time to re-evaluate. Going to look into this a little more and get it right.

This seems so much more confusing then when I set up the 55. That was a piece of cake.

 

Well ran into another minor setback this weekend. The main pump for the skimmer took a dump. I was testing the skimmer and the pump made a noise and then nothing. Got one ordered but will not be here till later in the week. Also still waiting on the corner overflow boxes that are being made. They should be ready on Wednesday. Bottom line the tank cannot come in until the skimmer pump comes in. It is much easier to work on the skimmer without the tank on the stand.

So I worked on the stand..



The stand is inside and the sump is fitted in. I also put down a thick layer of plastic on the bottom of the stand

I installed the doors on the stand and decided to go with the pictures of corals and stuff in the lower doors.



I also put 2 drawers in the stand on the left side to hold stuff.



Also started the plumbing for the return pump.





Getting what I can done while waiting on parts. I also painted the trim around the bottom of the tank the same texture as the stand and canopy.




I keep the tank on a trailer to make it easier to move around. Sounds crazy but I can move the tank wherever I need it by myself.

Thanks for looking. My new target date for water is the 16-17 of March. I am taking that week off from work to complete the setup.

Hope to move the tank into the house this weekend to finish the plumbing work.

Tony

 

super professional look! I'm never buying a stand again after seeing how good yours looks and others in the DIY threads.

Anyway you can put a T on the plumbing and add a ball valve or 2 so you have 1 inlet pipe come through the sock (lessen the GPH in fuge) and 1 inlet enter in the skimmer section.