90 gallon budget build/DIY

[bemrocs]

This is my project.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3aGlN-PsI/AAAAAAAAAC4/BB7i_tJfePE/s800/2010-03-29%2019.31.59.jpg
just testing to see if these pictures post.
many more to come!

[bemrocs]

Testing done. Its time to sart my build!

My first fish tank was a 40 something gallon true vue acrylic aquarium. Truth be told it wasnt the most successful endeavor. Impatience, overstocking and tap water scuttled the whole thing. however, since then i have tried pretty hard to educate myself in the proper husbandry that my tanks need.

I took a hiatus from salt to try out planted tanks for a while. It was a blast! The constant growth and diversity of the plants I grew gave a sense of accomplishment that I've hadn't encountered in saltwater. In a short time I went from fancy guppies to selling German Blue rams(my favorite freshwater fish) to my LFS. I turned a decent profit on those little suckers until the stores started to ask for them from their wholesalers.

Lucky for me, in that time I built up a considerable amount of store credit! This allowed me to trade it for a 55g long tank, quiet one return pump and other misc stuff that I needed to set up a reef of my own! This time it will be different i told my self. I would set up a tank that truly would house the critters that i wanted to keep. No more rubbermaid sump or faulty HOB ovderflow for this attempt.

My planted Aqua
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3cxX6tu5I/AAAAAAAAADQ/9HYpR_qXmnI/s800/2009-11-26%2013.30.24.jpg

drilling was quite an experience:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3YJqX6d7I/AAAAAAAAACk/6Sff5X6Whrw/s144/2010-04-12%2014.57.22.jpg

as was making my ghetto overflow:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3XU7CdJkI/AAAAAAAAACc/UdNq70g5EB0/s800/2010-04-13%2022.23.50.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3WP_TC44I/AAAAAAAAACU/XYCGcYGiYQM/s800/2010-04-14%2011.18.40.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3WP_TC44I/AAAAAAAAACU/XYCGcYGiYQM/s800/2010-04-14%2011.18.40.jpg

[bemrocs]

OK, so hopefully these will be embeded and not linked:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3cxX6tu5I/AAAAAAAAADQ/9HYpR_qXmnI/s800/2009-11-26%2013.30.24.jpg
This is my new BFF. it was so easy to construct the stand using this. Ive never built anything out of wood before so dont laugh too hard :o
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3TZfF88QI/AAAAAAAAACA/XgZk3ux3Es0/s800/2010-04-27%2015.12.33.jpg\

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3S0dEfWdI/AAAAAAAAAB0/UH-dGnV3uu4/s800/2010-04-27%2016.12.44.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3SerRd5lI/AAAAAAAAABs/6brfS2BpGy0/s800/2010-04-27%2016.37.33.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3SI1sSpOI/AAAAAAAAABo/PlHePVt8EmI/s800/2010-04-27%2020.01.27.jpg

Im actually far ahead of these pictures, but I am slowly catching up to my current spot. I'll post more as I have time! Enjoy, and feel free to comment criticize as you see fit.
Thanks

[bemrocs]

ok! more to add...

my sump.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3RP5YZrqI/AAAAAAAAABg/HR549xFiFxE/s800/2010-05-19%2013.14.35.jpg
This is a glass 55 long. The first chamber is the return/skimmer middle refugium, then return and lastly is RO/DI top off. The return is three 1in pvc lines from the back left corner of the above DT. I made it Bean animal style with the center line as my full siphon.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3Q-a-r9WI/AAAAAAAAABc/yqrmlNNNIQQ/s800/2010-05-19%2013.14.50.jpg
The left most line is the open chanel while the right is the emergency.
As the Euro Reef is recomended to run around 6-7inches deep I have it raised up on a stand I made of PVC pipe and glass. Its a little pathetic but I kinda like it:lmao:

This is the Return/auto top off reservior. I decided on a quiet one 6000. I went for a little more flow than usual, mainly because I built such a beefy sump. I think I chose correctly. my cheato ball thats in the sump now(not in pics) doesnt even sway so its not over kill.
A lot of the tanks that I Builds that I read while trolling this site seemed to struggle with top off reservior placement. I've Decided to section off a chamber for RO/DI water.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3PR5_PGdI/AAAAAAAAABA/huSpQYkRbzQ/s800/2010-05-24%2016.24.53.jpg

Lastly, my LFS has amazing rock. sadly this pic doesnt how it.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_VZZstVL-IvQ/S_3OwWyadDI/AAAAAAAAAA4/pdAbwQQAtUU/s800/2010-05-24%2016.25.15.jpg

Thanks for tuning in! more to come as always!
-bem