Sandman's 187g Tank Build

So after 3 months in the hobby I have decided to upgrade to a larger tank. I have for the most part researched every aspect as far as equipment is concerned, although I am sure I have missed something. I am still working on my sump design, and will post what I have shortly.

I want to thanks bvysochin for selling me this beautiful tank and stand. And sisterlimonpot,reefer87, and bvysochin for helping me lug this thing onto a trailer. Great workout by the way...

Current Tank: 60g non-reef ready tank

New TankTank: 60Lx24Tx30W-187g
Sump/refugium: 48x18x24-90g Design soon to come
Skimmer: SRO external 3000
Return pump: TBD

Pics to come!

Ok, so the tank has been sitting for some time dry and has various types of algae dry on the glass. I filled the tank with water and 2g of vinegar and let it sit overnight.
The stand is also in need of a paint job, which is will receive with tender loving care.




The lights are 6x48 ATI retrofit fixtures, and 2x250MH

looks a lot better now that you can see through the glass. I see you took out those pieces on the bottom, were they a pain ti get off?

They actually began to float once I put water in. Two were still attached, and they came off with ease. They were siliconed down.

I am going to replace them once I have them cleaned off. It's starboard, and I like the idea of having a safety net in case of a rock slide, lol. I would much rather keep the water IN the tank if possible.

Nice jump! I started with a 12g nano and jumped to a 135g.

Also, its alot cheaper and easier to get free NSW when you are starting something a new system.

Cant wait to see more. keeps us updated. let me know if you need any help at all.

Ok, so I wiped the tank down after 24hrs of soaking in vinegar and water. The tank came clean for the most part, but I will still have to clean a few walls that still have an algae film on them.


I removed the starboard- this will be placed back in the tank when it has been cleaned. I will silicone it down.

This is the tank after the first cleaning




Took 1.5hrs to drain 180g with a garden hose...

Looks good! Thats a huge tank by the way you need an avatar there is no personality in the defult pic

What I found out AFTER I scrubbed the tank is that I should have used muriatic acid which was suggested by both Sisterlimonpot and TMZ from Reef Central. What I also found out was that using a power head in the water during the vinegar soak is counterproductive.

According to tmz, "the acetic acid is miscible (it diffuses throughout the water by molecular activity). Actually circulating will likely weaken it more quickly as excess Co2 in the tank will blow off more quickly if the surface is agitated and raise the ph" (tmz, Reef Central 2012)

I am now going to soak rags in vinegar and rub the algae off the best I can. I will also us a plastic blade to scrap and try to prevent any scratches in the glass.

Reference:
Reef Central Thread about Vinegar usage

Lol i hate it when that happens you do something that take like 5 hours then after you come across a way to do it in like 1/4 the time!

At least some of us learned something from your experience. Keep up the good work!

I always found TMZ to be a very helpful person. He also has vast amount of knowledge when it comes to this stuff.

dwolson2 wrote:At least some of us learned something from your experience. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, there is a lot of work left, but this is the fun part!

sisterlimonpot wrote:I always found TMZ to be a very helpful person. He also has vast amount of knowledge when it comes to this stuff.

He has always been very helpful. His set up is something to model after as well.

Nice tank! Looks like I am going to stay in this house for a while longer so I am starting on my new to me tank and need to clean it up also.

Cruzer wrote:Nice tank! Looks like I am going to stay in this house for a while longer so I am starting on my new to me tank and need to clean it up also.

Nice! That is something I need to talk with my landlord about as well. I plan to stay put for at least another year if not two. Moving a tank is not something I am looking forward to.

Last night I drove down to Inglewood and met a guy in the dark behind a store and picked rock out from the back of his truck. I will start the curing process tomorrow if all goes as planned. It was/is full of spiders!!
The pieces were smaller than I had invisioned but I can put rods in them to keep them stable.

How many pounds is that?

It's about 100lbs. A lot of it is really light airy pieces which is good, goes further.

Sandman wrote:So after 3 months in the hobby I have decided to upgrade to a larger tank. I have for the most part researched every aspect as far as equipment is concerned, although I am sure I have missed something. I am still working on my sump design, and will post what I have shortly.

I want to thanks bvysochin for selling me this beautiful tank and stand. And sisterlimonpot,reefer87, and bvysochin for helping me lug this thing onto a trailer. Great workout by the way...

Current Tank: 60g non-reef ready tank

New TankTank: 60Lx24Tx30W-187g
Sump/refugium: 48x18x24-90g Design soon to come
Skimmer: SRO external 3000
Return pump: TBD

Pics to come!

Hey Luke, just saw your thread, sorry don't check this forum much.

Looking good!! That rock should look awesome when you have it all in there.. Remind me to give you some clear acrylic rod, it's not super thick so you'll be able to manage drilling the rock, 3/8 iirc.

Not sure if you ever saw this, but heres a shot we had from 3-21-11, when we had the tank set up for approx. 4-5 months..

Thanks, some acrylic rods would be great! I meant to ask you about them when I was at your house and I forgot. You sent me this pic the first night I saw the tank, and its beautiful. This is a great pic.

Im going to set that rock up in a 44g brute tomorrow and put a skimmer on it, so I should be able to use it by the time the tank is ready for water.

Thats exciting.. I remember doing the aquascaping part was quite frustrating.. you'll have fun though, you're going to be amazed at what you can do with the deep depth..

Might not be able to make the meet this time around, as I work.. wish it was on set days so I could plan my schedule in advance.. (for instance.. 2nd monday, or 1st sunday, etc..) If anything, I'll try to swing by and drop off some rod.

I'm really lookin forward to the aquascaping; I plan to set I up on the ground before I put it in the tank. This way I have a plan and don't spend hours in the tank.

I envision what I will build with the depth, but I'm sure that will change a few times.

Today the tank received a thorough cleaning with a bucket a vinegar and a rag. I also used a NEW acrylic scraper to clean algae that wouldn't come off with the rag alone. The result was a tank that looks fantastic!!

There is silicone on the bottom that was holding down the starboard; I am thinking about leaving it put? Any feedback? I tried scraping it off today with a razor but I think I can just add more on top to secure the starboard.

Nice progress. Looks like a new tank. I would try and scrap as much of the old silicone as possible. Not sure how well silicone will adhere to it self since the old stuff is already dry.

There is silicone on the bottom that was holding down the starboard; I am thinking about leaving it put? Any feedback? I tried scraping it off today with a razor but I think I can just add more on top to secure the starboard.

I personally would leave it, it wont hurt a thing, you will never see it unless you go bare bottom, nobody will even know it's there, the only people that will know are those that read this, and may never let you live it down... oh and rest assured that I will remind you ot that everytime I come over...

I see you went with more wood supports underneath. You can never go overboard with being overly cautious.

reefer87 wrote:Nice progress. Looks like a new tank. I would try and scrap as much of the old silicone as possible. Not sure how well silicone will adhere to it self since the old stuff is already dry.

Thanks! My goal was/is to make it look new. Today I prep the stand for paint which I plan to do next weekend. Thanks for the advice!

sisterlimonpot wrote: I personally would leave it, it wont hurt a thing, you will never see it unless you go bare bottom, nobody will even know it's there, the only people that will know are those that read this, and may never let you live it down... oh and rest assured that I will remind you ot that everytime I come over...

haha, thanks!

sisterlimonpot wrote:I see you went with more wood supports underneath. You can never go overboard with being overly cautious.

I figured why not be safe, i would be very upset with myself if I broke the bottom of the tank out. I probably went overkill but figured why not.

Just a quick question. Have you measured your door frame yet to see if it will fit?

Excellent question!!
Don't you have a sliding door in the living room??

reefer87 wrote:Just a quick question. Have you measured your door frame yet to see if it will fit?

OH CRAP!! Naw, J/k.. I have a very large slider in my dining room. I haven't measured it but its much larger than the one we already made it through. That is a great question.

So, today was fairly productive. I pulled the stand apart, sanded all surfaces with 150, then 220. I then caulked all seams; this gives a nice finished look once painted. I will be able to paint to stand next weekend.

As you can see in the picture of the canopy, I believe if I leave it as is I will be subject to a lot of light pollution. To fix this I have decided to replace the board (gap on right) that holds the hinges for the front "door." I will replace that board with one that will be flush with the next to block out as much light as possible. I will also move the 1"x12" board to do the same. I will be replacing the hinges with piano hinges-anyone have any suggestions as to where to acquire a sturdy hinge?

home depot or lowes

I tried both, and the options were limited. The options were also very flimsy.. It might be overkill, but I feel it is a nice touch and give extra support to the canopy.

Got my new rock curing! Skimmer is goin nuts!!

That's the cleanest its been in months. Lol glad to hear its working for you.

dwolson2 wrote:That's the cleanest its been in months. Lol glad to hear its working for you.

Its working wonders right now. Already has sludge in the collection cup. That rock has been sitting outside for years, and that skimmer is completely necessary to curing it properly and in a timely manner. Thanks again for the loan!

I scrapped the sludge that was in that cup out with my hands, my wife almost lost her dinner...

To fix this I have decided to replace the board (gap on right) that holds the hinges for the front "door." I will replace that board with one that will be flush with the next to block out as much light as possible. I will also move the 1"x12" board to do the same.

Unless the board that you're replacing is warped and you want to replace it, why not just add a lip that is attached to the hinged board to block out the light, that way it will seal the light out completely, you won't be able to get a light tight seal and be able to open the cover just by making the board wider, the cover will catch on the frame.

I will be replacing the hinges with piano hinges-anyone have any suggestions as to where to acquire a sturdy hinge?

Rockler carries them, check here

sisterlimonpot wrote:why not just add a lip that is attached to the hinged board to block out the light, that way it will seal the light out completely.

Can you please elaborate on this? I like sound of the idea, but cannot quite figure out how that would work. What kind of lip?

Thanks for the link, that's perfect

I sketched it up quickly, you should be able to pick up what I'm laying down...



And just in case you need to see the light penetration, this will allow you to smell what I'm stepping in...


The blue is your actinics...

Thanks for the diagram, makes complet sense now. I like the actinic!

I thought that it added to the explanation

I have decided, or better yet, my wife and decided on a paint color for the tank stand. I picked up the Mats for the project and will paint tomorrow!! I will post pictures once I have it complete.

sisterlimonpot wrote:

To fix this I have decided to replace the board (gap on right) that holds the hinges for the front "door." I will replace that board with one that will be flush with the next to block out as much light as possible. I will also move the 1"x12" board to do the same.

Unless the board that you're replacing is warped and you want to replace it, why not just add a lip that is attached to the hinged board to block out the light, that way it will seal the light out completely, you won't be able to get a light tight seal and be able to open the cover just by making the board wider, the cover will catch on the frame.

I will be replacing the hinges with piano hinges-anyone have any suggestions as to where to acquire a sturdy hinge?

Rockler carries them, check here

This referral was great, it pointed me in the right direction. This company does not offer the finish I am looking for, but they were very helpful. Thanks again.

What color has your wife picked out?

It's called Polished Leather from Behr. It's a dark brown with red tones. It's similar to a cherry/ walnut color. I am going to paint the inside a different color; something like a aqua color.

sounds nice. with the way you were talking about the amount if time you are putting into the preparation of getting the wood ready, I can't wait to see the paint job..

Stand is painted, I'll post pics soon!