Bgrae001
05/27/2013, 09:29 AM
Greetings all. I have decided to get back into the hobby after a few years off. I used to have a 54 gal corner plumbed through the wall into my garage. My youngest son decided to feed the fish a years worth of food while I was deployed to Afghanistan so we decided to take it down at that time. I just finished remodeling the house and my wife said to me that she hated to admit that she missed the reef tank!! So with that being said I pulled the old 130 gal out of storage.
I bought this tank when I was stationed in Germany and I never put it to use. I just finished doing a leak check on the tank and it holds water. I'll be starting on the stand in a week or so. I'm planning on drilling it for overflows. I'll be posting pictures as it progresses. I decided to use left over hardwood from the floor for the stand over 2X4 construction. I have a 55 gal sump with an ETSS downdraft skimmer. I'll also be using an UV sterilizer and a calcium reactor. I decided to place the sump in the stand instead of plumbing it through the wall this time. I had a lot of issues with the old tank due to the heat in the garage last time (even with a chiller). I will however; be running some plumbing through the wall so I wont have to carry water into the house for water changes. I'll post pictures of that as well.
Wish me luck with the drilling, last time I attempted this I broke my tank, but, I was impatient too. This time I'll be using a drill stand to keep the bit square to the glass. I am also planning on ditching the 400w MHs and trying my hand at a DIY LED setup supplemented with 2 48" VHOs.
I'm glad to be back and I look forward to seeing how the hobby has changed in the last 5 years.
I bought this tank when I was stationed in Germany and I never put it to use. I just finished doing a leak check on the tank and it holds water. I'll be starting on the stand in a week or so. I'm planning on drilling it for overflows. I'll be posting pictures as it progresses. I decided to use left over hardwood from the floor for the stand over 2X4 construction. I have a 55 gal sump with an ETSS downdraft skimmer. I'll also be using an UV sterilizer and a calcium reactor. I decided to place the sump in the stand instead of plumbing it through the wall this time. I had a lot of issues with the old tank due to the heat in the garage last time (even with a chiller). I will however; be running some plumbing through the wall so I wont have to carry water into the house for water changes. I'll post pictures of that as well.
Wish me luck with the drilling, last time I attempted this I broke my tank, but, I was impatient too. This time I'll be using a drill stand to keep the bit square to the glass. I am also planning on ditching the 400w MHs and trying my hand at a DIY LED setup supplemented with 2 48" VHOs.
I'm glad to be back and I look forward to seeing how the hobby has changed in the last 5 years.