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Freeman's 125 (Some fish are in!)

35K views 212 replies 36 participants last post by  Freemananana 
#1 · (Edited)
It's the new year and that means a new project! I decided to recap my adventures over the past couple years in the hobby, more for me to view the progression.

My first tank was actually never stocked with fish. It was going to be a 5 gallon acrylic aquarium with glowlight tetras and neon plants. During my research process, I decided to use real plants and prior to stocking ended up ditching glowlight tetras since the tank was far too small.





5G Puffer Tank Journal
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/808978-5g-dwarf-puffer-tank-pic-heavy.html

My second tank was a 30G tall tank that was given to me by a coworker. I built that stand out of a couple 2x4s and scrap wood. It was a very budget build and ended up being a great learning experience overall.






Planted Community Tank Journal:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/796650-planted-community-tank-adventure.html

My next tank was a 75g tank with a DIY overflow and 55g sump. There were a ton of hurdles and it was, again, quite the learning experience. I ended up running this tank until I realized I was going to move! So I set out to give away/sell everything I could. I had never built a full stand like that and it turned out alright, but I know I can improve moving forward.







75G with 55G Journal:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/858145-freemans-75g-tank-rip-retired-sold-11.html

At the same time, I started a shrimp only 20g tank. I had previously housed my shrimp in my sump but wanted to put them on display.





Shrimp Stump Journal:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/12-tank-journals/944458-underwater-shrimp-stump.html



After selling my 75g and all the plants, I still needed something! I set up the 55g sump as an all in one aquarium to house a few tiger barbs until I moved. I eventually brought this tank with me to my new house.





55G Tiger Barb Journal:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...rb-species-tank-55g-diy-all-one-aquarium.html

That pretty much brings us up to speed. I’ve been kicking around the idea of a custom tank for a long time and it seems like the budget won’t be there for a few more years. So, in the meantime, I’ve been casually searching Craigslist for tanks. I stumbled upon an acrylic tank that met my requirements; 1- Large, 2-Cheap!

In comes a 125G (ish) acrylic tank. The tank measures approximately 72”x18”x24” (LxHxW). The tank is made from ½” acrylic with a 3/8” brace around the top. It had center overflows made from acrylic as well. The tank was quite dirty and will require a bit of work to say the least. But at less than $0.50 a gallon, it was a project I was willing to take.

I had it sitting upside down outside between a few chairs while I sprayed out some of the debris.






After that was done, it was time to start tackling those old overflows I don’t plan on using.





I taped the acrylic around the overflows just to give myself a visual indication more than protecting the acrylic. It took me awhile to sand these down.




Initial sanding out of the way and tape removed.





Wiped back. I’m not worried about the clarity here. I will cap the holes with 6”x12” pieces of acrylic held down with some Weld-on 16. Won’t be able to see them after the substrate is put down.






Here’s the tank full of sanding dust. I’ll clean it out some more, adhere the patches, and water test the tank.





I’m actually not sure if it will hold water yet. I imagine it will though. I plan on tackling a crack on the top center brace as well as the exterior overflow box.

The exterior overflow box will be something like this:




The idea is to cut a slit towards the top of the side of the tank and mount an external overflow box made from ¼” acrylic. I’ll have to support the PVC, but that won’t be an issue. I am still trying to work out a viable and pretty way to keep floating plants out of the overflow. Something I could not achieve previously.

If everything goes smoothly, and the tank holds water, I will be working on the stand in the next week or so. The plan is something similar to this:




I want to hide the side overflow with a cabinet of sorts. The stand will be about 40” tall, giving me approximately a foot above the sump to work in before I hit the 2x6” horizontal supports. I have a 55g and a 75g tank available for the sump. I am leaning towards the latter but it will require some work before being used as well.


The next couple updates should just be patching the tank, drilling the side overflow, making the overflow box, repairing the brace, and then testing the system. After that, I'll sand and buff the acrylic viewing panels, paint the sides that won't be visible, and start on the stand.
 
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#2 ·
Today I built my acrylic overflow out of some scrap 1/4" acrylic I had from a previous project.



Not pictured would be the lid. The scrap bits are for supporting the lid.



Try to ignore the filth on the tank. Drilling and sanding and not cleaning does that. The exterior overflow measures 16"x6"x4". It will house 3 1.5" downpipes and be connected to the main tank with a 15"x1" slot that will have some gutter guard to keep the fish out.



I haven't finished cutting out the slot, but you can see the drilled 1" holes.
 
#3 · (Edited)
My winter project tank (Running!)

Very little work today. I am clamping a portion of the overflow and letting the weld-on 16 dry until tomorrow after work. I did finish cutting out the slot. Not perfect, still a bit of clean up left. But after that is finished, I'll scrub the tank out and remove all the debris.



I decided to show some of my Google Sketch Up drawings I had made. Initially I had planned to drill the side with an internal overflow box. But it would either have to be extremely low or extremely deep to work in due to the 4" side brace there.



So I changed it up and made it an external overflow.



It is just a 2x6 stand that is missing quite a bit of the support. I will have a diagonal support as well for a tank this size.



I'll make a 2x4 stand for the 75g sump most likely.



The plan is to use some 45* elbows and not use 90* elbows at all. The baffles are just a brain storm. They will be 1/8" panes most likely. The plan isn't set in stone, but I'll be using foam as a mechanical filter and then some porous rocks for mechanical followed by a heating chamber and then the majority of the sump will be for the return pump and evaporation.



The return will go a long way, but I plan on using a larger than necessary return pump. Horizontal runs don't really detract from flow very much. I'll try and maximize tubing in the return as well. I'll likely make my own spray bar and do more experimenting with slots.



I added something similar to the initial drawing I had found in terms of the stand finish. I am planning on using spiral CFL bulbs but may opt for a lower powered LED and a shallower hood. I have a 24/7 I am going to use as well, primarily for the sunrise and sunset.



And the rear will be largely left open because it will be in a corner. Not sure how I'll do the framing yet, but I'm still brainstorming. The stand will be wrapped in 3/4" birch plywood most likely, since it is fairly cheap. I'll stain it to some what match the furniture in the kitchen/dining room/living room where it will be located.

 
#6 ·
I'll throw in my two cents...

I love everything I see, except for one thing. You only need one gate valve. In this pic, the drain on the left and on the right don't need them. The center, which would be a full siphon, does. If you are following Beananimal's (SP?) design, the middle pipe would need controlled. The left one takes care of the little extra that the center one doesn't. if something happens and the center one gets clogged a little, the left one can become a full siphon. Then, worst case and the left one gets clogged, the right one becomes a full siphon. The right one should be high enough that under normal operation, it never sees water.
 
#4 ·
Wow those are some serious plans! I really appreciate the thought and engineering that goes into something like that.

Looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. Looks like you have plenty to keep you busy for the foreseeable future!

Keep the updates coming.
 
#5 ·
I'm actually an engineer by day and this sort of stuff just interests the pants off of me! I've always loved designing things like this and it's even more fun when it is something I can do. Wood working has been a 'cheap' hobby for me that keeps me busy in the evenings and this new acrylic tank is very similar. Glass isn't user friendly in comparison.


For those who are wondering, Google Sketch Up is EXTREMELY user friendly! I highly recommend it. Plus, it is free. I think it is more fun than hand drawn sketches as well. The 3 dimensional models are super neat and it is easy to keep the scale accurate to see potential issues, like my overflow box idea.


The next week or so will just be water testing and hopefully everything goes smoothly. I do have some repairs to do on this old 75g I have lying around. It is drilled in the corner, so I'll have to patch that. But, if it still holds water, it will be a perfect sump.


I can't express how ecstatic I am to have another decent sized tank. I may (big MAY) opt for automatic water changes. But I would likely need a whole house water filter ran in line to achieve that since I am on city water. Anyway, I plan on stocking some rainbow fish, Denison barbs, rummy nose, cardinals, cherries, cories, etc. My family really enjoyed the community look most, so I'll be mixing some schools. I should have plenty of space with nearly 200 gallons of water to work with.
 
#10 ·
Today was a fairly short, yet productive one!

Starting with the dried, and very strong, overflow box. This 1/4" overflow box feels pretty good.



I moved the tank to the back porch to start my clean up. Can you tell I have a 3 year old daughter? This half price shop vac does some serious work! Cleaned up all the dust from grinding and sanding in seconds.



The plan was to go to town with a couple packs of Mr. Clean magic erasers. I read this on a reefing forum as a suggestion for acrylic tanks. I've ever heard it is reef safe! So I may keep these handy for algae clean up as well.



Front pane cleaned up. The can of spray paint is for clarity clarification. It isn't super clear, but it cleaned up pretty well. I will water test it before I move to 1000/2000 sand paper and polish.



The mist obstructs the view. It does need to be polished at the very least.



Here it is nearly cleaned up. There are a few spots that need to be cleaned up before it can be called 'done', but it was getting dark and was good enough for now.



Some more clarity shots.



The bottom is the most damaged panel and with the mist cleared away, it is fairly clear. There are a couple larger scratches, but nothing overly concerning.



Tomorrow brings capping the bottom and attaching the overflow! After that, filling it (if I can find a darn exterior level surface) and water testing.
 
#11 ·
Well, it is tomorrow! Actually, the day after tomorrow most likely. I had ordered a 12"x12"x1/2" piece of acrylic and it came in. This is to patch the old overflow in the center.



5 seconds later on the table saw and I have my 6"x12" patches.



I took them outside, applied a generous amount of Weld-On 16 (enough to create a layer between both pieces when pushed together). I set some brake rotors on top to sandwich them down.





Not exactly pretty, but pretty sure it will be enough and it will be covered by sand.



I also had some Weld-On 4 that I used to repair the hairline crack in the brace.



After letting the crack setup, I patched over it with some spare acrylic.



The whole reason this is upright in these photos is so I can attach the overflow box.



After about 12 hours, here it sits.





I'm going to wait a few days before I water test it. Still looking for a spot I can lay this down on that is outside of the home. It MAY end up being the garage, which is less than ideal. I'd much prefer the porch. But the porch is sloped toward the yard for runoff that gets inside. Regardless, that is where I sit.

I was at a few fish stores looking for some loaches and saw a rope fish. I really do enjoy their weird eel-ness.
 
#13 ·
Thanks! I imagine it will be a lengthy, multi day, process for me. I need to go to an autobody store and find some 1000+ grit sand paper since my local hardware stores only had more abrasive sand paper available. And I'll pick up some novas polish as well. I only need to polish 2 panels and I don't plan on doing the brace, bottom, overflow side, or rear. So I'm hoping the 24 sq ft that I have to polish isn't bad! [(6'+2')(1.5')(2)] [(length+width)(height)(front/back)]. I'm still thinking of how I want to do the backing on this tank. Probably just paint it black with krylon. Any suggestions on what I should do on the inside of the overflow box? It may not even be visible though.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Thank you!

I hope your 125 is in slightly better condition than mine is. This restoration is taking a hot minute! I made the mistake of picking up plant deals along the way and my 55g holding tank is fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuull now!

I'm installing the 1/2" square joint bracing right now and I will fix up my overflow leak this weekend as well.

EDIT: Some update photos.

Here's the half inch stock I'm using to reinforce the inside of the tank and deal with my leak.



I actually water tested this old, gross, 75g tank I got for free today. It holds water LIKE A CHAMP. The interior silicone looks pretty darn good. The overflow leaked a little bit, but that's not what I was worried about.



My only concern is the corner behind the overflow is chipped.





Worth noting that this bad boy is definitely 3/8" glass and is incredibly heavy. I plan on cleaning it up, repairing the cracked portion of the bottom trim (weldon works with polystyrene) and gluing in baffles. Due to the cost of 1/4" plate glass ($20 a baffle locally) I am going to tweak my design to use lighting diffuser to hold the foam in place and only have 2 baffles or so to get water to flow through the bio media and over top the heaters.

EDIT: 1/15/17

Cleaned up the sump! I scraped off most of the old silicone for the overflow and started to prep the tank for use. I'll be siliconing a plate over the overflow holes here as well.



Here's the 125 bracing I put in.



Ugly bubbles, but weld-on 16 is said to do that and this will be covered by the stand trim.



Here's the half in bracing I've been putting in around the seams and half inch plate.

 
#18 ·
I've pretty much finished the seams now and I'm just waiting to let it cure.



A little heads up for the next project.



It is the next thing I'll be working on. It probably won't be pretty, but it will get the job done! Tomorrow I will fill both of the tanks (1/2" plate siliconed in place on the sump not shown) and begin another leak test. If things go well, I'll start buying some stuff for this tank and start the stand.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I'm actually going to wire them up and run them on my current tank. Plus work out the spread/height so I can plan the canopy of the 125. Also hoping to dial them in somewhat over the course of the next month. It's not the logical next step, but it is the one I am taking. I may have sold my Finnex planted+ 24/7 preemptively. I didn't think it would go so fast.

EDIT: 5:04 PM local time

Just a reference photo. I have had luck with 13-23w CFLs in the past and want to transition that to LED bulbs.



I have to make a temporary light for my 55g since I sold my 24/7. So I started with a frame. It will need some modification moving forward.



Added the ceiling bulb receptacles.



Nice and easy wiring access on the back side.



Ran some 16 gauge wire with the lights ran in parallel.



The receptacles have two screws on both the positive and neutral.



Shazam.



These 9w LEDs will be ran on my 55g until my next set of lights get here and I can start working with the timer. I will have to rewire this setup for the 125 obviously, but that isn't a big deal. I think the receptacles were $2 each and the extension cord I used was $3, so less than $10 for the light setup minus bulbs. I will be using different bulbs for the 125 as well. This is more of a 'feeler' type of thing.

I've picked up some fish and started my quarantine process.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Today is a pretty big day! It's the start of another water test. First off, the 75g sump I received for free! After removing the corner overflow and patching it with 1/2" plate and silicone, it is holding water to the rim!



Next came the very tense process of filling the 125 again.



Looks like success thus far!



Clarity really isn't that bad all things considered. I can read boxes through it before sanding and polishing.



Overflow is holding wter as well. This should be about the 'running' level of the tank.



Front of the tank. I don't believe there is any bowing despite the picture.



A picture of both sides. Doesn't appear to be bowing. I will take a straight edge to the front and rear panels to double check though.



Anyone have any idea what this brand/sticker is? I was thinking it may be the tank manufacturer.



And that's all there is for now. I'll be letting the tanks set for a week or so. I'll probably get antsy and order some pieces.
 
#24 ·
I will preface this post with a statement: My plan has changed and these weren't the lights I ordered.

I ordered some 18w Par38 bulbs due to only having a 18" depth to the tank. These showed up:



They are 13w bulbs. Not sure if it would have mattered because my main issue is my 24" width and the spread of these bulbs.



Plugged in and compared to a 9w LED bulb. It is obviously much narrower, which I expected. Not a whole lot of par data to be had from viewing light. But I am worried about the spread at my width and depth.



Giving myself a 12" hood (small) and mounting the lights near the top of that, you can see the spread wouldn't be very good at the surface.



Moving the lights back to reflect the depth of the tank and the spread isn't bad at the substrate. But there isn't a lot of extra spread. So dimming the lights would leave more dark spots.



So I have decided to go with a different lighting setup. On the plus, my tanks are still holding water in the garage.



:grin2:
 
#25 · (Edited)
Today comes with a whole slew of packages at my door, some good news and some bad news. I made the classic mistake of picking up some fish without researching them. Needless to say, I returned them for credit. The good part is I bought a big net!



About two days ago I ordered some Ken's Fish Food. My last bag of tropical flakes ended up as a kids toy slung across my living room. I bought a variety of foods since they were all only a couple dollars a piece.



I also ordered some 20 ppi foam mats that were only about $10 each. I'm going to use them in the sump.



And I bought a DJ audio rack to use instead of a large power strip. I'll segregate it to the side of the stand and tuck my wires up top.



And my return pump came in! It's incredibly powerful and the flow adjustments are exactly what I wanted. I hope I can get enough flow out of it at my minuscule 6' of head height.



I'll pick up lumber for the stand tomorrow and some more parts and pieces.

EDIT: Just some ideas. I have changed the sump layout due to cost. Glass panels run $20+ a piece so I decided to cut a few of the baffle out and use light diffuser and large pieces of foam. The only portion segregated will be the bio media so the water passes through it. I'll suspend the bio media with more lighting diffuser and some poret foam as well. With this flow pattern I can also roll out some filter floss on top of the bio media to filter some of the finer particles. The placement will make it easy to change. I'll place the two 300w heaters (possibly a 3rd) on the bottom pane before the return pump. The whole thing will be topped with some lids of unknown material. I doubt I'll do glass since it doesn't need to be clear. I'll probably experiment with corrugated plastic since I have sheets lying around (white).



It's a pretty basic idea and I think it'll work just fine. I also am changing the lighting up a bit. I've purchased a 72" LED light that I will run along side my Finnex 24/7 to achieve a sunrise/sunset as well as decent coverage on my 24" wide tank. I will supplement it if necessary, but the par data I've found says the 72" LED will be enough for low light at 24" to substrate by itself. So I'll mess with the spacing to get the visual effect I want. This also allows a 12" hood, which will be more visually pleasing than a 24"+ hood on a 18" tall tank.



The plan for the stand is to make it 40" tall with the 75g sump sitting on 2x4s instead of 2x6s. That should give me 10" of space between the top of the sump and the bottom of the horizontal support. I am going to try and do some more research on a removable center support for the stand so I can place the 4' sump under it. That or try and wiggle it into position with a center support.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Thanks! I've got plenty to do now that some things have come in and I had a day to go shopping.

Lol, you are probably not looking forward to buffing out all those scratches....
Don't worry, I have to polish the car today. :(
It's not the work that I'm worried about, it's messing it up! I am probably going to do the buffing by hand since I'm only going to do two panels.

I started with the idea of more of a varied community tank. What I really wanted to get the beginning was a rainbow shark, since I had never had a tank big enough for one before. So I was looking at a semi-aggressive community, which included golden Gourami, Dennison Barbs, and clown loaches. As I got along and realized that rainbowfish existed and that my water from the tap has perfect parameters for them, I switched direction. If I recall correctly the clown loaches can grow huge: up to 1 foot! Somewhere along the line I decided that I wanted smaller fish, so that I could have more of them. Your plans sound great! I envy your skills in building! And I have always wanted to do a Herbie, external overflow. I didn't have the space for a sump on this build, so I have to look at all the equipment inside the tank.

I wish you well with it, and I am cheering you from the sidelines! :grin2:
Rainbow sharks are cool and I've been debating one or a red tail. But I'm just not sold on them being good in a community environment and I'd hate to chance it. Clown loaches do get big! They are great fish though, from what I've been told. So hopefully I can pick up some small ones and keep them for a few years and trade them in if I have to. Don't envy my skills too much, they aren't that great. I just enjoy the process. The external overflow is pretty convenient and the herbie/bean animal is definitely the way to go. If something changes, a sump is amazing!

Amazing project, thank for sharing.
Thanks and not a problem. Posting updates is fun!

Nice update. Are you also building the stand?

If so, this might become the "Spring Project".:grin2::grin2:

I'm enjoying following this build. Love this type of DIY big project.

Looking forward to seeing the end result. Has the makings of something special.
I am building the stand. Just picked up all the lumber today to frame it out. Still not sure how I'm going to wrap it. It may end up being a spring project as well. For us, here in Florida, winter hasn't even arrived! Big DIY projects are my favorite. I enjoy trying new things and researching possibilities. I hope it turns out as well as I have envisioned.

Edit:Small update.

I don't have a truck, so I tend to rent the $15 Uhaul trailers when I purchase larger quantities of lumber. For half a dozen 2x4s, I can put my seats down in the Fit and put them inside. But I picked up a dozen 2x6s, some 2x4s, some 1x2s and a sheet of plywood that I had them cut down to 72"x48" while I was in the store.



Here was my hectic brainstorm this morning before I went to pick up my rental trailer. I forgot to do this math last night.



I finally got around to making cuts right before dusk. I have a cheap Harbor Freight table saw and a compound sliding miter saw. Nothing fancy, but it makes the job a whole lot easier. I still don't have my garage setup post move, so I do most of my construction on the back porch. Also, due to size of the stand, it would have to be made here since it won't navigate through my kitchen from the garage.



And everything stacked up and ready for assembly tomorrow.



There are 4 84" boards for the horizontals. The extra foot is for the overflow bow to be hidden by the stand. There are 4 39" boards for the upright spacing. There are 12 29" boards for the upright supports. And there are 8 21" boards for the braces between the horizontals. I plan on topping the stand with a 3/4" plywood sheet for now. I'll work on getting the system running before I skin the whole thing. I'm still in the air on how I want to wrap the stand.

Tomorrow I will assemble what I have and hopefully put together the canopy as well.
 
#34 ·
Another day and some progress. I started by draining the tanks because I had thought I'd get around to buffing the tank. I learned that the output on my pump is closer to 1.25" than 1.5", at least according to the 1.5" spa house I picked up.



I set the 125 on top of the 75 to bring it up to a more manageable height to buff. I did not get around to buffing it today though, so I'll likely start on that tomorrow.



What I did get around to today was building the stand. I used a cheap square, wood glue, and 2.5" screws.



And here's the finished product THUS far. This is the skeleton structure for the stand. The tape measure is where the 75g sump will end for reference.



I marked the height of the sump as well in this photo. This leaves me 12" before the horizontal and 18" before the plywood. Plenty of height to work in and enough recess to mount cords and lighting.



I left a 3/4" gap below the upright mounts to attach a piece of plywood. This will give me an even place to put the sump that is as low as possible. A small area to hang tools, place food, and possibly some extra equipment.



The center beam is removable. It only needs to come out to place the sump inside the stand.



And there are several braces under the top plywood with some more bracing between them.



I'll be working on painting the stand to make it water resistant as well as polishing the tank.
 
#36 ·
Until I get that 180g! Haha! It should be stout enough to make up for some imperfections in the wood and my skill. I really wanted to support the acrylic tank well since I've had to reseal the corners and I really don't trust my skills 100%. This is my first time and I'm sure there are defects. So I'm trying to overbuild where I can to make up for that. I do have to shim one side though. I placed it in the proposed location and it's not perfectly level.
 
#37 ·
Looks great. I went overkill on the supports for my stand also. Are you an engineer by chance? The engineer in me kept telling me that more support was better! I ended up with a stand for a 37 gallon that weighs about 75lbs. It's probably strong enough to hold up a car lol.
 
#39 ·
A couple quick things. I've been working on the tank and there isn't a lot to show! It's just time consuming.

I did pick up a 16ft LED strip for under the cabinet. It's strictly white and has 300 LED chips. It should go down the back of my 6' tank, around the 2' side, and back up the 6' side to give me light everywhere under the stand at the click of a button!





I also bought a beamswork LED pent light, 72". I'll raise it 6" off the top of the tank and supplement the spread with my 24/7. This will also give me a sunrise/sunset with the 24/7 I have and plenty of par for my needs.



So, I started to polish the tank. It's tough to really tell, but I believe this is the side POST buffing.



There were a few scratches I missed. I only bought the 2oz kits. So when I did the inside, I missed a few scratches that I ended up seeing after I did the outside. This was due to the blurriness of the acrylic. I ended up running out of the Novus 2. The only thing I could do was fill the tank and decide if it was good enough for me.







It's tough to tell from the photos, but it looks GOOD. It's hard to tell it is the same tank. The trouble with the photos is the back panel isn't polished at all. It's actually pretty scuffed up. But I plan on painting it black, so that doesn't matter to me. The viewing panels (front and one side) are pretty clear. They aren't perfect, but considering the tank looked like this:



Just a few weeks ago, I'm not too sad. For $80, these two tanks have turned out pretty well so far.
 
#42 ·
I did pick up a 16ft LED strip for under the cabinet. It's strictly white and has 300 LED chips. It should go down the back of my 6' tank, around the 2' side, and back up the 6' side to give me light everywhere under the stand at the click of a button!



Where'd you get the 16' led and how much did it set you back?
 
#44 ·
@SingAlongWithTsing, note sure if my edit quote will work for you. See the post above.

I do have an update from today.

I stared by picking up my planned substrate, soil with a pool filter sand cap. I'm just using some topsoil that meets the qualifications that I've found. I have a ton of O+ left that I plan on using as well. I wanted to go with pool filter sand over blasting sand for a few reason, mostly the color. I also felt like trying something new. I have some salt and pepper marble I've used in the past as well. I plan on using it, in mesh bags, to form some hills.



I took a trip to the local rock yard!





Tons to choose from, I went with this stack:



The rock was $0.20 a pound, not a bad price from what I've seen at fish stores. I bought about 200 pounds of it. It may be tough to tell, but the largest rock I took was a little over 18" long. I may not use all of it, but I picked some stones with interesting shapes to me. I'll combine it with some manzanita to form a scape that appeals to me.



After scrubbing them in the drive way with some bleach solution, I hosed them off, then I put them in a bucket to continuously fill and dump.



I was outside for a few hours, dumping and filling the bucket while I worked on other things. When I was finished for the day, I filled it up and put a ton of Prime in it. Probably 300-400 gallons of prime worth. I'll let it soak over night and repeat the process.



I also found some eggcrate while I was at the hardware store. $12 a panel was a fair price for 2'x4' sections, so I bought 3. Here's a panel to hold up the sponge mechanical media I have picked out. There is also 2 1/4" panels to seperate the bio media. The last chamber will be the return section to house the pump and the heaters.



Just a close up. It's pretty basic.



Last thing I started was painting the back panel and overflow side.



I still have a lot to do, to include drilling the overflow. I'll probably tackle that tomorrow along with the canopy and lighting arrangement.
 
#45 ·
Hey great tank I picked up a 75 gallon acrylic Tank for $130 and I picked up a stand and canopy that's a foot longer then the tank, but I only paid $20 for it. It needs a little work and has to e modified so i can get the 40 gallon breeder sump in it, but its very well made. I love the work you done on yours so far but have you considered the height of the baffles and the amount of water that will drain into sump in a power outage?
 
#46 ·
Not a bad deal! I picked this one up, with the 75g glass tank, for $80. But it needed quite a bit of work. Reinforcing a stand isn't a big deal. The trouble is getting a sump that is as wide as your main tank under the stand. That is almost impossible. I struggle with sumps that are 6" less wide. For instance, my 75g will BARELY fit under the stand for the 24" wide 125g. It has the footprint of a 180g.

On the topic of sumps and power outtages, I see this a lot. The baffles are an inch from the top, so the sump can overflow and fill to the rim if it needs to before it will overflow. With that said, when I fill my tank and sump up, they are in the same state as if a power outage had just occurred. It's almost impossible to not plan for a power outage. The level in the sump will decrease slightly when you turn the return pump on. My overflow box is quite small as well. I'll do some videos of the plumbing when it is running.

I've done some weir math and my sump, with a 1.5"x18" weir can flow more than double my return pump's max rating. My 1"x14" main tank weir will limit the flow more so. I have 1.5" drains all around that can handle the max my return pump can offer as well.

What I do worry about is how I'm going to set up the return. I'm not sure if an a single output, a spray bar, or loc-whatever fittings are the way to go.
 
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