Pass the Salt Please.

[Codski]

Well after getting my first aquarium and getting addicted to freshwater I started looking for a larger tank than my 45 gallon tall. I decided that if I could find the right set-up I'd try my hand at saltwater. Long story short after a talk with the LFS I placed an order in for a 75 gallon tank and bought an Eshopps R-100 refugium. Price $175 for both brand new. :dance: The catch, I'd have to wait a month for the tank to arrive. I figure this, it gives me time to break the news to my parents, get the stand built, and everything else figured out and bought. The tank is set to arrive October 24th. Here is what I have figured out right now for the setup.

Tank: 75 gallon 48"x18"x21"
Sump: Eshopps R-100
Overflow: Beananimal
Lights: RapidLED 75 gallon Kit
Heater: 300W Aquatop
Skimmer: Undecided yet
Return Pump: Mag 9.5
Powerheads: Either 2x Koralia's or 2x Aqueon's
Stand: Custom with a 2x4" frame sheeted to look good

Fish:
2x Clown Fish (possibly cinnamon's)
1x Flame angel
1x Snowflake Eel
1x Firefish
1x Goby
1x Kole Yellow Eyed Tang

Today I picked up lumber for my stand and plan to build it tomorrow as I don't have any college classes tomorrow. To explain Why I'm going with the stand design that I am I'll do some explaining. I plan on having the tank jut out of the wall. The tank itself will be used as a divider between My bed and desk in my Room. It will be viewable on two sides. I choose this route opposed to doing a peninsula style because of a few reasons. 1) I can hide the plumbing on the sides of the tank with the Overflow at one end and the return at the other. 2) I hate having powerheads take up viewing glass so this way I can place powerheads at either end to create current. After a quick sketch The plan looks something like this.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/Screenshot1_zps6587f110.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/Screenshot1_zps6587f110.png" border="0" alt=" photo Screenshot1_zps6587f110.png"/></a>

I went to the LFS to pick up my sump so I know what I need to do to get the sump to fit in the stand. While I was there I discussed... what else fishy stuff :lol: Then I turn around to look at one of the tanks I looked at hundreds of times while I was there and got a shock when a snowflake eel popped out of nowhere! I was standing next to the tank staring at if for like 15 minutes when I walked in and never saw him! He has to be close to 24" long. Just DROP DEAD gorgeous. I instantly fell in love with him. So... I had the owner hold him for me. :D I plan to build the inner frame of the stand tomorrow. I'll leave you with one more picture of the only eye candy that I've got for now..

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131003_224054_zps4799b92b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131003_224054_zps4799b92b.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131003_224054_zps4799b92b.jpg"/></a>



LET THE BUILDING BEGIN! :strooper: :mtool:

[Codski]

Well I started my stand yesterday but didn't get the chance to finish it. I finished the frame today and would have sheeted it too but its been raining here all day so the wood that I have to get yet would have been soaked by the time I got it here. So I decided to hold off for now.

In the mean time I figured I can start to cycle some rock in my sump. So I picked up a bag of live sand, 200gal worth of salt, two pieces of LR, a lamp, and a LED bulb for a light on my refugium. The lamp is a cheapo reptile lamp and a cheap LED bulb. I paid 18 for the lamp and 20 for the bulb so if it doesn't work out It wasn't very expensive, but It actually gives out plenty of light. Its rated at 3500K at like 30W if I remember right. So it should be ok for my refugium. I forgot to take pictures of the stand but it turned out pretty much exactly like my drawing. I'll take pictures tomorrow of it if I remember, but for now here are some pictures of the refugium.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131005_193354_zpsa10f4847.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131005_193354_zpsa10f4847.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131005_193354_zpsa10f4847.jpg"/></a>

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[acabgd]

I dont see the point of this light unless you wanna grow algae. You can cycle rock without light

[Codski]

Yep that was the plan! I going to be putting some chaeto in with the Live rock next week or so.

[FTDelta]

Eel will rearrange your rock work. Oh yeah - they're predatory and will eat fish.

[Eric45]

Hard to tell, but it doesn't look like there's much floor space in the sump for your skimmer.

[Codski]

Eel will rearrange your rock work. Oh yeah - they're predatory and will eat fish.

I am fully aware of this, I have done lots of homework on snowflake eels. Currently the snowflake is kept with snails and larger hermit crabs and he doesn't bother them. When he was being fed he bumped into about 20 of them looking for food and not once did he nip or try to eat the snails or hermits. According to the LFS he has been in their tank for about 3 weeks now and hasn't touched a single snail.

As for the skimmer, yes the floor space is a little tight in the pump compartment but I should be able to fit a good size skimmer in the first compartment. its about 7" x 12".

[shellshocked]

Need to consider the noise produced by all of this. This is my pet peeve. So much so that I plumbed all my tanks to run to a central sump downstairs. Almost zero noise. Perhaps consider some sound deadening foam in the stand. Otherwise have fun and be patient.

[Codski]

Need to consider the noise produced by all of this. This is my pet peeve. So much so that I plumbed all my tanks to run to a central sump downstairs. Almost zero noise. Perhaps consider some sound deadening foam in the stand. Otherwise have fun and be patient.

Yes I have thought a lot about this, I figure the loudest thing will be the skimmer as long as I get a quite return pump. I usually run a space heater in the winter and a fan in the summer so that should also help drown some noise out. If its a small hum I should be able to get used to that, but if its terrible I plan to put some foam on the inside of the stand like you mentioned

[Codski]

Well I got most of the stand done over the weekend but its not quite finished yet. I'm rethinking about having both sides viewable due to the amount of work that it is.. haha Just need some convincing that its worth it in the long run.

Ive been thinking since I can't have any shrimp or smaller fish with my snowflake eel would I be able to keep a smaller lion fish in my tank? I've done a little research so far and don't see any problems with my stocking list but I figure I'd ask.
Also I've bee scanning the LR that's in my sump cycling and I never expected to see anything moving but to my surprise I seen several little bugs that look kind of like rolly polly's running in and out of the rock. Does anyone know if these are good or bad? I tried snapping a pic but of course as soon as I pull out the camera they all hide.

Anyways here are some pics of the unfinished stand. Don't mind the dusty car behind it, that's my next project. It needs an engine swap.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131007_142635_zpsc25f47d5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131007_142635_zpsc25f47d5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131007_142635_zpsc25f47d5.jpg"/></a>

I had to get creative with ways to mount the sheeting and still be able to support the weight of a door on hinges.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131007_162521_zps0ed23ea1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131007_162521_zps0ed23ea1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131007_162521_zps0ed23ea1.jpg"/></a>

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[Codski]

I got some decent pictures of the things that I'm talking about. While I was doing this I also noticed that one of the clams on my one rock is actually alive and I thought that they were all dead but I seen one that was opened and closed up all of a sudden. So thats pretty cool. Sorry about the picture quality all I have is my camera phone.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131008_212644_zps2d6c52d0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131008_212644_zps2d6c52d0.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131008_212644_zps2d6c52d0.jpg"/></a>

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[Codski]

Did a quick search for what's climbing all over my rocks and I guess they are pods! yey! So that's good news. I also confirmed that my clam is indeed alive and I'm not going bonkers, I watched it go from a slightly open position to a closed position again today.

[1SlickFish]

Somebody has a dirty car which looks like someone tried to steal it!?

[Codski]

Somebody has a dirty car which looks like someone tried to steal it!?

lol no the hand prints are from my dad and I pushing it in and out of the garage because we have too much crap in there. It dirty because its been sitting in the garage for a few months now waiting for when I have time to do an engine swap. The previous owner blew the motor (vr6) and we picked it up from him for $1200. The car has a bunch of after market parts. Cold air intake kit, racing suspension, stiffer sway bars, Borla cat-back exhaust system, and a shock tower cross-over bar. The car also came with the original set of rims, a set of 15" BBS rims, and a set of like new snowtires that were imported from Finland that are mounted on a set of 17" Borbert rims. Then we picked up an engine that was just gone through with transmission for $600. Should be a quick fun little car when its done and the best part is so far the cost is under $2000!

aaaaaaaaaannnnnnyyyyyywayyyys. I finished sheeting my stand tonight. I decided to not go with using the tank as a divider. I'm going to put it up against the wall like everyone else but I figure this will be better especially with the snowflake eel. I still plan on doing the plumbing off to the side so I can push the tank up against the wall as much as possible. I also really like the idea of the overflow at one end and the return at the other end. I think this lowers the amount of water that has already gone through the sump from re-entering the sump over and over again. This should also allow me a clear view inside the overflow to check for obstructions or fish at a glance. Here are some pictures. The tank comes the 24th! Getting really excited! :bounce1:

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131009_194155_zpsa094f4bd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131009_194155_zpsa094f4bd.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131009_194155_zpsa094f4bd.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131009_201311_zps4e210884.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131009_201311_zps4e210884.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131009_201311_zps4e210884.jpg"/></a>

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[rito]

Awesome! Great foresight and fantastic handy work. Any mods to that riding mower? JK :lmao:

[Codski]

Awesome! Great foresight and fantastic handy work. Any mods to that riding mower? JK :lmao:

Thanks! and believe me you'd be surprised! lol I don't think we own something that doesn't have something custom attached :lol:

[Codski]

Well I put a single coat of Cherry stain on the outside yesterday and let that dry over night. I've got two coats of polyurethane on it as of right now with the second one drying. I might do a third coat depending. I'm pretty happy with the color. I was going to try to match the stand to my bed that I made but that didn't end up happening :lol: So now my room will have three different colored pieces of furniture in my room that I made. My bed which is golden oak with several coats of poly, my tv stand which is walnut with several coats of poly on it, and my stand which again is cherry with several coats of poly on it. :lmao: oh well What can I say? I do love how different stains make the grain pop in different ways..

Looking back I do wish that I would have made my stand out of solid oak like my tv stand and bed but that would have been crazy in cost and would have taken several months for me to complete. I also don't have many wood working tools in my garage to as where I made my bed and tv stand in high school shop class so we had larger planers, jointers, lathes, C&C mills, and even a C&C router table. I'm sure my shop teacher would love to have me back for a while as I was easily his favorite student, but I just don't have the time anymore with college and work. :sad:

I will post some more pictures of the completed stand Later and hopefully I will get it moved into my bedroom and into place tonight or tomorrow. So stay tuned!

[Codski]

I've been doing some research and I think that I'm going to be going with the reef octopus nwb110 skimmer. Hopefully I can pick up some more hours at work so I can afford all of this stuff! haha Such is life I guess. The main things I want to buy as soon as possible are my return pump and lights. I think I've decided do ditch the Deep sand bed in attempt to lower costs a little bit. I think my dad might have a stroke soon from yelling at me all the time about me spending my money. lol

Anyways here are the pictures I promised, I'm going to wait for the poly to finish drying overnight and get things in my room ready to move around for tomorrow. So the plan is to sand the poly down with a brillow pad to a nice finish and move it into place. Then drain my sump and move my sump into the stand.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131012_181018_zps7e3d6a09.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131012_181018_zps7e3d6a09.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131012_181018_zps7e3d6a09.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131012_181041_zpsaf15bf64.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131012_181041_zpsaf15bf64.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131012_181041_zpsaf15bf64.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131012_181027_zps3888ac7a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131012_181027_zps3888ac7a.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131012_181027_zps3888ac7a.jpg"/></a>

I forgot to mention that I added some life to my refugium! I added two small zebra hermits and 2 snails of unknown variety.. I added them on Friday.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131012_181440_zps5760940d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131012_181440_zps5760940d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131012_181440_zps5760940d.jpg"/></a>

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I also bought a 32 gallon trash bin and hid that away in my closet and mixed up about 20 gallons of Saltwater and put a little pump in it for now to keep it stirred up.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131012_184510_zps1041bf17.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131012_184510_zps1041bf17.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131012_184510_zps1041bf17.jpg"/></a>

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[Codski]

Well I try to make a little progress every week. I got the stand into place with the sump in place as well.

But the most exciting news.... My tank should be here next week Thursday!!!
:bounce1::bounce1::celeb1::celeb1::bounce2::bounce2::bounce3::bounce3:

I should be able to pick it up Friday and get it into place. I'm Going to try and order my hole saw next week too, as well as get some plumbing done.

Here is a picture of the sump and stand in place in my room.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131015_191618_zps7ce42d14.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131015_191618_zps7ce42d14.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131015_191618_zps7ce42d14.jpg"/></a>

[Codski]

well, the tank didn't come in when it was supposed to and then the next week I didn't have any money. So I finally picked my tank up. I brought it all the way home, pulled the card board off and saw a chip in the corner. :headwallblue::headwallblue:

Now.. I know a chip is a chip, but I'm nervous about them replacing it. I know that it didn't happen in transit, plus it looks like the manufacture tried putting a bead of silicone over it. So hopefully they realize I didn't chip it. But before I go through the work of arguing and hauling it back.. Do I even need to worry about this chip? I mean its not very deep but I know there is a lot of pressure put on tank glass. Also the glass isn't tempered if that matters.

<a href="http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/cczaikowski95/media/20131107_192037_zps09d66615.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/cczaikowski95/20131107_192037_zps09d66615.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20131107_192037_zps09d66615.jpg"/></a>

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[Good_GReef]

That's a pretty good sized chip - if it were me, I would take it back and push for them to replace it quickly. You paid good money for that - I would be ticked every time I looked at the tank, and it's your baby. That's a bummer

[rfgonzo]

Your in College (New tank + Chip = Return) Or that could be why you got a 75g + sump for $175? Since your in school and i'm assuming $ is tight I would make sure you get your $ worth. Good luck and keep us posted

[reefinder]

Get you a new tank now, don't hesitate

[Codski]

Yeah I figured I would just ask but I planned on taking it back today to get it replaced.

rfgonzo- I got such a good price because marineland had a large 50% off certain tanks sale at one of the expo's that the owner of the LFS went to. Part of the reason that it took so long to get too. And yes money is always tight with me. I have a bad habit of spending it. :lol: The lady at the LFS is normally super nice and will take back almost anything. But I'm not sure what she will do about a tank. I know she has several in stock so I shouldn't have to wait for a replacement at all. Hopefully..

[Codski]

Well good news! I took the tank back yesterday afternoon and they replaced it no questions asked! This time I made sure to look it over before getting it all the way home. So I got it home and it is sitting in its place for now.

Should I fill it up with water and leave it? Or does it not really pay since I plan on drilling it anyways? Next step is to order the glass hole saw from BRS and drill the tank. This build is going a little slower than anticipated due to college and work being slow right now. Hopefully I soon my hours will pick up and I can finish paying my tuition and then stick more money into the build. But as of right now its bit by bit. Which might not be a bad thing.. Looks like for christmas I'll be telling people to get me gift certificates for the LFS haha! :lol:

[Codski]

Well I just placed an order in at BRS for some loc-line and a glass hole saw. Yey forward progress!

While doing some research I came across ReefBreeders Photon 48. I'm really liking what I'm reading and am highly considering buying those instead of DIY fixtures. Fully programable, no building, built in fans, and cheaper! Plus I still get the customization of lenses which I like. Does anyone have any opinions on these lights?

Here are some pictures of my tank in place! I have some old fake coral decorations from my beginnings of freshwater so I threw those in so I'd have something to look at for now. :lol:
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Here is the View from laying in bed. It should be a real nice view once everything is in place.

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[Codski]

All I can say is I'm very impressed from BRS. Their sipping was really fast, I placed my Order on Saturday after 4 pm and received my package Today (Wednesday). I picked the cheapest shipping available too. The items I received are as followed:
2x loc-line round nozels
2x loc-line 6 segements
1x loc-line bulkhead piece
1x loc-line Y piece
1x 45mm glass hole saw
All were packed very neatly in a box bulging with packing peanuts. The products themselves seem like very good quality, even the hole saw, which surprised me a bit. Overall I'm really happy with my order and I plan on ordering from BRS again in the near future.

Now that I have the hole saw I plan on drilling three 45mm holes in my tank this weekend for my beananimal overflow. Also I plan on doing some research on getting some glass cut or buying a sheet of acrylic to build my the overflow box.

Two questions regarding the overflow. Firstly do I drill the three holes all at the same height or do I need to place a certain hole up or down from the rest? Secondly for the box, is it better to cut teeth or just run a flat edge all the way across. I know that the edge gives you more surface skimming but I was wondering if the teeth did something better? Also I plan on running my box coast to coast but on the side of the tank.