80 gallon Deep Blue (my return after an 11 year hiatus)
 

Hey all, after 11 years away I've decided to jump back into reefing. I got the bug again over the winter when my kids decided they wanted to keep neon tetras. My last build was a 58 gallon oceanic that I built into the wall of our old house. I actually built an entire living room in our basement just for that tank. Fast forward to 2017 and the kids are getting bigger, and we've been in our new(er) house for five years. I really can't believe it's been over a decade since I had a reef tank. Maybe it's the over 40 crisis but I'm ready to get back into it.

I fell in love with the dimensions of the 80 gallon Deep Blue frag tank. I always wanted a shallow reef back in the day and this tank is a great size for our living room. I decided to put my skills to work and build the stand so that the tank could be viewed on three sides. I've always dreamt of a peninsula tank.

I'm uploading a bunch of pics from my phone to document the journey. Thanks for reading!

I went with the 80 gallon aquarium masters which is the same dimensions https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d7c6ec2ee0.jpg

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Planning stages. Added the GFCI to the wall and tied into the box in the basement

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psdgwfd5pe.jpg


Took delivery of the tank. Tape on the wall is to give reference to the height of the tank and stand.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ps1ncmz74d.jpg

Had to make a new workbench to accommodate this build

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ps9k1izpex.jpg

Pocket holes and 1/4 inch birch ply

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psyvgebk2t.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ps1pcarrlp.jpg

Sweet. I was gonna have one built to the same specs because the corner overflow might drive me nuts. Too late now. :hmm4:

Cutting out the doors



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psag6ehb0c.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psjz0jkfa2.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psj15ti2nm.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ps9wd3dodn.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psmalqliau.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psq3jy67yo.jpg

Cord Management

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psch9rkx9x.jpg


This is where I'm at as of June 18th 2017. Plans are to paint it gloss white to match the cabinetry in the rest of the house.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...pse4kjoqq9.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ps0mjqhhum.jpg

Nice work! Can't wait to see it all come together. Keep up the great work!

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Thx. My trigger systems sump showed up yesterday.

Added some led's inside the stand.

Very nice sump!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Thanks. Just chipping away at it.

Amazing woodworking skills... forreal

Thanks! Best investment was the router. It made cutting out the door panels a breeze.

Update: Just ordered all the fitting to start dry fitting the plumbing.

That is sweet. I can't tell there is/are doors

Thanks! They worked out well. The magnets do a great job. I'm currently dry fitting the plumbing and working on a manifold. My goal is to have water in it by Christmas. We're about to gut the entire kitchen and have all of the floors resurfaced so I need to wait until that nightmare is over before I fill this tank. :(

You have done some fine work. I can only imagine the outcome of your reef over time, considering your attention to detail. Good luck on your kitchen remodel!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

Thanks! I just realized that I never posted pics of my RO/DI system in the basement. Will get some pics of that up soon. Just took delivery of the Trigger Systems 5 gallon top off reservoir. Still dry fitting all the plumbing and roughing out the manifold.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...pspulssyyy.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ps66e9iw34.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...psatxefha5.jpg

Is it just me? I can't see any pics??

I see them after reopening the thread. Tank & stand look great!!

Yes, very odd. I had the same experience

I thinks it's just you Fishhunt. I can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That Sump is awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very nice build!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk