My 250G shallow build

[JoshuaG]

Well I got a chance to upgrade after owning my 125G for under a year and went with it. New tank is 80x36x20, external overflow running SFS.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/d2dc2fa2.jpg

Here is the stand I had built with leveling feet.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/8e09bd7a.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/52b85688.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/7c45650e.jpg

And here is the first pic of the tank, now just a waiting game for it to be ready for pickup!!:celeb1:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/4c2fc3a8.jpg

[JoshuaG]

First part of the puzzle. The rest of the main parts will include 3 175-250W MH's with LED supplements and an ATB Flowstar 1500.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/26ea1902.jpg

[geaux xman]

looking good.

what glass thickness is that? who is the builder?

[jhentr]

Awesome size. Looking forward to the build. I hope to have something like this in the future. the 36" depth will be great for creating canyons.

[JoshuaG]

looking good.

what glass thickness is that? who is the builder?

1/2" front and sides and 3/4" bottom and back if I remember right. Local builder is doing it for me.

[ub32965]

Joshuag not to get off topic, but pm box is full.

[nixer]

where did you get those feet?

[hul kogan]

Oh, I'm in for this one. Following along! Love shallow tanks.

[JoshuaG]

where did you get those feet?

From amazon actually, but you can get them all over.

http://www.amazon.com/Level--Diameter-Level-Mount-Threaded/dp/B0029MRUKK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1303223483&sr=8-5

[KMP]

Dude - you got the bug :D

Same builder? Edit: Disregard, gray glass is signature...

[gotfin]

I look forward to seeing this tank progress!! ;)

[pawek]

With those feet put some shims next to them for extra security.

[JoshuaG]

Dude - you got the bug :D

Same builder? Edit: Disregard, gray glass is signature...

Yeah, Keith is the man;)

Here is a better pic, the old one didn't do the tank any justice!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/5c073379.jpg

[D5HP]

INSANE! Love the dimensions the tank is going to look incredible.

Scape ideas?

[JoshuaG]

INSANE! Love the dimensions the tank is going to look incredible.

Scape ideas?

Thanks! No clue on scape yet, just gna mess with the rock till I find something I like.

Here is a pic of the back so you guys can see the notch.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/6c1b2ea9.jpg

[JoshuaG]

Just got the tank home last night, hope to get plumbing done in the next week or so. Big thanks to Keith at Signature Aquariums (http://signatureaquariums.com/Signature_Aquariums/Home.html) for bringing it down and helping move it in, tank is amazing!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/e1332e3e.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/f6deeffa.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/8b5bf633.jpg

[j-dizzle]

Very nice!!! This is very close to what I hope to build in the near future! Subscribed.

[JoshuaG]

Any opinions on flow? I have two MP40's now, I could get two more for 4 total or I was thinking to maybe throw a couple Tunze's in the back corners and have the MP40's on the side.

[zac312]

Any opinions on flow? I have two MP40's now, I could get two more for 4 total or I was thinking to maybe throw a couple Tunze's in the back corners and have the MP40's on the side.

you should get a mp60

[Sully1882]

i put tunzes in the back side corners and they made a huge diff!

[JoshuaG]

I've been thinking about maybe 2 6205's in the back corners. Then I could add a couple of the Deco rocks as needed.

[JoshuaG]

Water test all done, no leaks!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/b4b4d852.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/386e59ca.jpg

[wes1333]

Looking good

[Michael B]

Looking great & also very similar to what I would like in size (subscribed)

[JothamTheSlayer]

Your daughter (assuming she is) looks like shes having the time of her life!

[Necidemos]

Subscribing myself. I love the dimensions....

[JoshuaG]

Thanks everyone! Yes, my daughter was having a blast, even tho the water was freezing!

[JoshuaG]

Just a quick update, I have about 200 pounds of dry rock, a mix of Florida rock and Fiji. All of it was dry. I had some issues on the last tank with very high phosphates, even when I had no fish in the tank. I believe the Florida rock has phosphates inside it and after reading a few threads on RC where people had the same problems, this was the general consensus on how to solve it. You take muriatic acid and mix it in a 1/10 ratio with RO water. Give it a good couple minutes in the mix and it will eat away the top layer of rock and hopefully release quite a bit of the trapped junk. Here are a few pics I took, I hope it helped!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/b31ea86d.jpg

Here is the reaction after dropping a few rocks in.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/0e6b2b58.jpg

After several minutes, gunk is pretty nasty!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/574c57b5.jpg

All cleaned! The bucket you see here is the rinse water, just RO. Even that got pretty dirty. I plan on doing another rinse before adding it in the tank.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/1d2d3118.jpg

[rkaires]

Very nice! The tank dimensions are great. Looks like its going to be an awesome build.

[silentscream]

Nice work Josh :thumbsup: Looking forward to your build progress!

[JoshuaG]

Thanks Bob and Justin!

One problem with glass tanks and external overflows is not being able to notch the back panel with teeth. Well, I'm sure you can but I don't want to know how much it would have cost. On my old tank that had the same overflow, I kept having snails and fish that would get back there, so here is what I decided to do. My first thought was to have Tap Plastics do it but they wanted an arm and a leg. With my limited tool set I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I figured I would give it a try.

72 teeth that needed to be cut out, lol.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/2dc1e4c8.jpg

Would have been much easier with a router, which I lent out, or a table saw, which I don't have. But this actually worked out pretty good.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/0d927914.jpg

And all nice and pretty. Only took about an hour but my arm is killing me :rolleyes:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/1997a298.jpg

Now I just have to figure out someway to mount it in the overflow box.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/e78c282b.jpg

[KMP]

Josh, maybe (2) "L"s for the corners (one inverted) and a "T" for the center made out of plastic to put behind the teeth to wedge it in. Just need to cut it to just the right size. That would also enable you to pull it out and clean out anything that gets wedged between the plastic and the glass sides.

Second thought, you could probably not worry about the "T" or "L" - just cut pieces of plastic the right size, put one on each corner the height of your teeth and one in the center. For the center, I would leave a gap at the bottom so it doesn't trap gunk.

[JoshuaG]

Josh, maybe (2) "L"s for the corners (one inverted) and a "T" for the center made out of plastic to put behind the teeth to wedge it in. Just need to cut it to just the right size. That would also enable you to pull it out and clean out anything that gets wedged between the plastic and the glass sides.

Second thought, you could probably not worry about the "T" or "L" - just cut pieces of plastic the right size, put one on each corner the height of your teeth and one in the center. For the center, I would leave a gap at the bottom so it doesn't trap gunk.

That is exactly what I was thinking of doing. I had these acrylic rods from Tap, so for now cut them to size and wedged them in there. I'm thinking it might actually hold, I used 4 supports and the piece is very solid now. The only slight concern I have now is the extra pressure being put on the overflow box.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/cd6c575f.jpg

[gem]

Hey Josh.....wanna cut another one of those for my overfllow? :p I have the mini version of that tank. Same builder. So far, only a peppermint shrimp went for a ride. I may see how this goes and may add teeth. We'll see how many of my critters take the waterslide ride first.

Looking great Josh!

[elmexotics]

beautiful tank. can't wait to see the completed setup.

[KMP]

there you go - brilliant minds think alike :D

you might want to put some down low; or, get some other pieces cut. i could be wrong, but would since those supports are only at the tip that when the water begins to flow it might kick the bottom out. regardless, its all trial and error - roll with it!

[kdino1]

this is an awesome build, i cant wait to see it with life

[James404]

Great build, do you foresee any issues with the leveling feet putting point loads on your tile (ie. cracking)?

[JoshuaG]

Great build, do you foresee any issues with the leveling feet putting point loads on your tile (ie. cracking)?

I'm hoping not, each foot will have around 400 pounds on it and it's on a concrete sub, should be good to go.

[JoshuaG]

Messed with the scape tonight, going to stare at it for a week or so see if it's what I really want. For the first try though I really dig it.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/f600359d.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/e3f0c96f.jpg

[JoshuaG]

Hey Josh.....wanna cut another one of those for my overfllow? :p I have the mini version of that tank. Same builder. So far, only a peppermint shrimp went for a ride. I may see how this goes and may add teeth. We'll see how many of my critters take the waterslide ride first.

Looking great Josh!

Let me see if I can get my router back and I will let you know, I would not want to do it again with the chop saw:wildone:

[JoshuaG]

And the cycle has started, just finally got it filled up and salt added:)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/34d8f01c.jpg

[redneckgearhead]

Now the hard part, the waiting. Love the rock work!

[d3hree]

looks great. I too love the rock work.

[silentscream]

I guess I'll start posting in here rather than on the local forum.

Who did the sump? Looks like a truvu with the center brace removed?

[JoshuaG]

I guess I'll start posting in here rather than on the local forum.

Who did the sump? Looks like a truvu with the center brace removed?

Ha, no worries;)

I'm not sure the maker of the tank, I got it from my buddy then had Keith add the baffles and router the top brace. Then I removed the overflow boxes in the corner and patched the holes.

[socalireefdood]

Nice tank! thats really nice built quality tank, i love it. just my 2c if you have a flat rock like a plate rock it'd look super cool hanging off the left side! great setup im def tagging along

[D5HP]

I love how open that tank is with the rock placed that way. This tank's dimensions are essentially the same as my dream tank so I'm really looking forward to seeing this one develop.

[BDean]

Very Nice setup ya got their

[biecacka]

how many times did you rinse the rock after the acid bath
corey

[JoshuaG]

how many times did you rinse the rock after the acid bath
corey

Just swished it around in the bucket of RO right after then once again before putting it in the tank.

[biecacka]

ok thanks!
corey

[didz04]

Following this thread really like the dimensions some amazing shallow setups on here.

[tonyespinoza]

nice work!

[JoshuaG]

Thanks everyone! Here are the Lumen Bright pendants I will be using. Large one in the middle and two mini-wides for the sides. Will be running 250w radiums.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/d80506c6.jpg

[KMP]

scccwwwheeet!

[tfp]

very nice build!

[JoshuaG]

Thanks fellas:)

So I have started my cycle and with the amount of fish I have sitting in QT I need the tank to be ready for a decent bio-load once it's complete. I decided to dose ammonia! There are quite a few success stories with it and since it's basically the "shrimp" method minus the stench, I think it will be perfect.

Here it is in a nutshell, there are also quite a few threads in the reef chem forum as well. Just search for "fishless cycle".

http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/fishless/fishless.html

Here is the ammonia I picked up from the local ACE hardware. That was the hardest part, finding the correct ammonia to use. You want to make sure it's clear and unscented. A good test of that is to shake it, if it's foamy at the top do NOT use it.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/9748ce8d.jpg

Here is a calculator to use to get the right amount, you want to get around 3ppm.

http://www.stanlee.plus.com/AmmoniaCalc.htm

This will still take 30+ days, but now when that time comes I will be able to put all my fish in with no problem. That is my hope at least:)

[hul kogan]

Interesting...I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes for you. I might have to look into it.

[chrismck97]

good luck

[JoshuaG]

Lights are hung! Still have a few things to clean up, but for the most part it's complete. Rack is made with 80/20, really easy to work with. They are fully adjustable, I can move them up/down and left/right with ease.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/cfa9a492.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/6b6ecd8e.jpg

[silentscream]

You've been doing your homework I see, that 80/20 is nice stuff! I've been waiting for an excuse to use it... the problem is I have nothing to build at the moment.

[KMP]

that's pretty dang cool - talk to me - what's 80/20?

[Pallobi]

scccwwwheeet!

Agreed! Very sccccwwwheeeeeet! Lol

[Paolo Piccinell]

Awesome piece!

tag on...

[JoshuaG]

Yeah Justin, I have been wanting to build something with it for a long time, finally got the chance!

Kenny, it's basically like an adult erector set. Some people have even built stands out of it with no problem! Check them out, so many possibilities.

http://www.8020.net/

http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale

Here you can see the movement up and down. The black tabs on the front bar slide in the grove for the left to right movement. I think I'll eventually trim the back bars on the wall as I don't need them that big.

I used 15 series which is 1.5", I prob could have gone with the 1" but I wasn't sure at the time how it looked in person.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/dc47166c.jpg

[KMP]

Thanks-

I've never seen that and really like it! Awesome solution for hanging pendants! Would it be possible to put a bolt through the eyelets on the fixture and the tab on the bar v. hanging by cable? If you can, you could conceal the wires easier. But, that would also mean the two smaller pendants would be higher than the middle.

[Michael B]

That is such a neat light fixture - all looking good

[bmullikin1]

80/20 makes a great heat sink for leds as well, much better than u channel.

[Didac]

very nice tank!!!! good luck ....

[Dr. Fish]

Love it!!

That rockscape is beautiful.

[epleeds]

Do you have any better pics on how you piped the external overflow. I am going to be setting up something similar and would like to see how the pipes are fitted.

thanks

[jmking33]

Sweet tank.....love it.....keep the pics coming

[JoshuaG]

Do you have any better pics on how you piped the external overflow. I am going to be setting up something similar and would like to see how the pipes are fitted.

thanks

Sorry I don't have any pics of the back. It's pretty straight forward though, just ran them down with 45's so they weren't hitting each other then brought them out with the 90's.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/386e59ca.jpg

[JoshuaG]

Updated shot of the tank, finally got the sand added in.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/16a6d644.jpg

[silentscream]

Dayum, that is one sparkling clean tank. Coming along nicely!

[JoshuaG]

My daughters picked out a few pieces to put in, I'm sure you can see them in the pic:wildone:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/7b25ed69.jpg

Here are some other pics I took this week.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/572d08e6.jpg

Anyone have an ID on this hermit? That is about a 4" shell!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/e4a4bdf7.jpg

[JoshuaG]

These little guys have been in QT for about two weeks, they are TINY. Can't wait to get them in the display!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/95ec25b7.jpg

[Genin]

Awesome so far JoshuaG. Gotta love the blenny in spongebob's home.

[qwuintus]

Where'd you get the Spongebob items!!! Those are awesome :)

[jg2269jg]

Hey i just read this thread and the tank looks great it feels weird to read the whole thing in one day i feel like i cheated and took the wait out.. Great tank and love the scape very open and the tank looks amazing. joshuaG if you have time can you pm me what you used from 8020 i am setting up a 200 gallon and have been looking for a way to hang the lights and so to say but i may have to copy you. You have done a great job and thanks for sharing. Jeff

[JoshuaG]

Hey i just read this thread and the tank looks great it feels weird to read the whole thing in one day i feel like i cheated and took the wait out.. Great tank and love the scape very open and the tank looks amazing. joshuaG if you have time can you pm me what you used from 8020 i am setting up a 200 gallon and have been looking for a way to hang the lights and so to say but i may have to copy you. You have done a great job and thanks for sharing. Jeff

Ha thanks!!

Here is a quick list of what I used for the light, these are just the listing names from my purchase on ebay.

8020 Inc T Slot BLACK Nylon Tool Hanger 15 S 2100 N
8020 T Slot Aluminum Corner Connector 15 S 3364 N
80/20 T Slot Aluminum Corner Bracket 15 S 4302 N
8020 T Slot Hardware Bolt Assembly 15 S 3439 (25 pcs) N
80/20 T Slot Aluminum Joining Strip 15 S 4307
80/20 T Slot Aluminum Extrusion 15 S 1517-LS x 72 N
8020 T Slot Aluminum Extrusion 1502 LS Lot 7 (4pcs)

[JoshuaG]

Where'd you get the Spongebob items!!! Those are awesome :)

We found the house at our LFS then ordered the rest on Amazon!:)

http://www.amazon.com/SpongeBob-SquarePants%C2%AE-Pineapple-Aquarium-Ornament/dp/B0026GXXMS/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1310601104&sr=1-3

[JoshuaG]

Awesome so far JoshuaG. Gotta love the blenny in spongebob's home.

You almost don't see him at first, he just blends right in. My daughter came running up stairs the other day all excited, his name is now Bob!

[Rickyrooz1]

Great start, I really like your rock work.

[leedoherty]

Looks stunning love the shallow look

[JoshuaG]

Thank you!

I've slowly been bringing in my old coral that a buddy was holding for me. Still quite a few more to go, it's starting to fill in!:)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/e67f3060.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/515623a7.jpg

[D5HP]

Looking good! I actually like sponge bob stuff...it shows you want your family to enjoy the tank as well! I also like that there is some serious face sucking going on between Bob and a snail in that picture :)

[Supernova26]

These little guys have been in QT for about two weeks, they are TINY. Can't wait to get them in the display!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/95ec25b7.jpg

What is the fish on the right called? Looks super nice.

[roni]

looks like a multibarred angel. definitely a sweet fish :)

[D5HP]

I think it's a potters.

[silentscream]

Dude, love the potters angel.

[roni]

I think it's a potters.

ugh, i'm brain dead. thought it said left. both very sweet angels.

[JoshuaG]

Thanks everyone! The potter and multi are still doing great, went thru one treatment of prazi, will do one more and then release them into the display in the next month or so. Want them to get a tad bit bigger:)

[JoshuaG]

Also, this is the new home for my blenny. He sleeps there every night, I turned on the light real quick to snap a pic. Yes, that is the Krusty Krab!:wildone:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/0b8d516d.jpg

[Neogenocide]

I love this tank....I'm definitely going to keep a few of your ideas in mind when it comes time to upgrade.

[Mangodude]

Progressing nicely! Keep us up to date! :thumbsup:

[silentscream]

Josh, what are you doing for supplemental lighting?

[CyclistMT]

I haven't caught up on this thread for a while so I just saw the Sponge Bob deco for the first time. But I gotta say, once I say the Krusty Krab with the blenny, it pushed me over the top. I'm totally laughing out loud over here and in a good way! :lmao:

I love it! I honestly can't believe no one has done this before. It's awesome! Great tank!

[JoshuaG]

I haven't caught up on this thread for a while so I just saw the Sponge Bob deco for the first time. But I gotta say, once I say the Krusty Krab with the blenny, it pushed me over the top. I'm totally laughing out loud over here and in a good way! :lmao:

I love it! I honestly can't believe no one has done this before. It's awesome! Great tank!

Thank you!:thumbsup:

My buddy saw the pic and he was all "Look it's Plankton!"

[JoshuaG]

Josh, what are you doing for supplemental lighting?

Nothing right now, just the 20K radiums. I eventually plan to add some LED strips when my budget allows it:)

[JoshuaG]

Just added the two angels to the tank, they hid for a couple hours and next thing I know they are just hanging out with everyone else! Here is a short lil video

<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid10.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa137%2Fg6t6o%2Fd703d286.mp4">

[fishnerd]

Nice Josh

Now we have to place our next order:)

[JoshuaG]

Added another fish, a Margined Coralfish from DD!

<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/bd872a4e.mp4">

[D5HP]

Added another fish, a Margined Coralfish from DD!


WOW! Great fish selection so far...the margined is one of my favorites!

[silentscream]

Nice addition, one of the many pleasures of owning a larger tank- more fish options.

[JoshuaG]

Thanks! The video above was during a water change, the fish so far is very mellow, just out cruising around while the rest of the fish hide. A very picky eater tho, will only take food if it literally is ON the sand bed. Will ignore a mysis that hits him in the face, but eat one that is laying on the sand bed.

[JoshuaG]

Two new fish coming in from DD tomorrow, can't WAIT!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/431350dd.png

And this lil guy, Black Velvet angel.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/f4ba4162.png

Which will turn into this!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/5d784fe3.jpg

[JoshuaG]

A nice pic I snapped last week!:)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/599d5db3.jpg

[JoshuaG]

Couple more fish coming in:)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/ce4e2832.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/a9fc8121.jpg

[silentscream]

Nice fish selection, seems like you're focusing more on fish than corals?

[Brentley25]

Love the Black Velvet angel.

[JoshuaG]

Yeah Justin, I still like the coral and have 60+ frags in the tank right now, maybe once the fish even it out I'll go back to buying more coral;)

[jhentr]

Nice build and awesome fish selection. Love the velvet angel/poma.

[shannonpayne86]

Fish selection is stunning mate.

[jpsika08]

Congrats, the tank and setup are great!
My kids would go bananas if I had the same Sponge bob assortments in the tank, they are incredible! (I'm actually a sponge bob fan myself LOL).

Thanks for sharing :)

[JoshuaG]

All angels are in the tank, my Black Velvet is battling a bout with what I believe is lymphocystis, I'm hoping he can fight it off.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a137/g6t6o/546cd3e3.jpg