"Diamond in the rough" My 120 Build....

[James404]

Any updates buddy?

PS..nice sig :wink1:

 

[henrystyle]

Great clean up job on the tank.
Stay old school bro. Still the best. I'm with ya!
Nice reflectors.

I tried almost every 250w & 400w SE bulb out there. (I have switchable ballasts)
The best IMO?
250w Phoenix SE 14k-- good mix of growth and color. (visual & coral coloring) long lasting bulb to.
250w Radium SE 20k-- Slower growth but the coral color will be crazy. From zoas to acros. Everything colors up nice.. Radiums last about 6-8 months. Excellent on a hqi ballast.

If your on a budget, there is a very good bulb only sold on ebay called Artemis. They make a good 14k bulb. I think its like $45 for 2 bulbs. Nice bulb to start off with.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pc-MH250W-...950?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item415dfdd6e6

 

[strgazr27]

Been a while since I updated so here is where I am right now. Been working hard to bring the Stan and canopy back from the dead so to speak. The canopy required almost a complete rebuild. I wound up using just the doors from the old canopy. Unsealed wood and salt water don't mix and the plywood that was used was basically mush. Just needs a final coat of antique white and it's ready. I added a cradle to carry the lighting which can be raised up allowing me to remove the canopy without having to mess w the lights. The lighting setup has also changed as I would not have enough room to run the LB pendants. The rail setup will allow me to run the T5 fixture ( Thanks Jer!) and than swap to the smaller 250w pendants when I setup the frag tank.

 

[strgazr27]

The stand required just slightly less work lol. I wound up installing a few additional braces to the inside of the stand for piece of mind. With close to 1800 lbs on it by the time it's up and running I feel better. I replaced all the rusted hinges w new hardware. The top moulding was in bad shape from water dripping down and getting caught between it and the tank frame so new moldings top and bottom were added. I gave the top of the stan an inside edge of the moulding 2 coats of tinted epoxy resin to fully waterproof both. The inside of the cabinet got a coat of primer and 2 coats of gloss white. Nothing but dry goods will be kept under there so waterproofing is not needed.Final coat of paint and cabinet lighting is all that's left.

 

[strgazr27]

Next up was the sump setup. Although I LOVED the Proflex I was not happy having to run my I-Tech on egg crate 7" off the sump floor. The skimmer is tall and just stuck out to far. I picked up a used 40B, $50 worth of acrylic and went to town with my table saw and router. I built my own filter sock holder as well as PH probe holders and ATO Float mounts. Contrary to some thoughts acrylic can be used w great results w a glass tank. Proper prep is the key. All baffles were cut slightly undersized to allow for a thick bead of sealant. I also lightly sanded the edges so the silicon had a better bite to the acrylic. This worked well in the last sump I built and have no doubt it will work fine in this one. Just need to add the probe holders and cut the opening in the Refugiums cover for the light. The baffle for the Fuge section is set at a 5? angle. This was a tip I got from Richie and helps prevent bubbles in the return section. The bubble trap section uses 1 inch spacing and a quarter inch acrylic was used for all the baffles.

 

[kenconnect]

Nice job bobby.

 

[Jaftica]

looks great, is the canopy going to have any kind of side vents? that fixture needs to exhaust that hot air.

 

[fishman1069]

Wow! Great job on the sump! I've always used acrylic for my baffles with no problems also.

 

[strgazr27]

quite a few updates coming... Stay tuned!

 

[Tonyscoots84]

im waiting.... everything is looking great so far

 

[strgazr27]

Here's a tease...500 watts of Ushio 20K love. Filling with RO now Tony!

 

[strgazr27]

Stand and canopy just need final coat of paint.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

very nice so far bobby... keep em coming i have to live off all these great tanks till i close on the house :sad2:

 

[E.intheC]

Looking great Bobby!

 

[Jaftica]

Looks Awesome!

 

[strgazr27]

Thanks guys! REALLY getting excited now. Hoping to have everything from the 57 in it by Saturday night hopefully!

 

[strgazr27]

Working on electric and finishing up the plumbing in the "new" sump room.

 

[kenconnect]

Berry nice and clean looking... Keep them pics coming...

 

[FMF0331]

Looking good bobby :d . I got more frags for you !

 

[strgazr27]

Looking good bobby :d . I got more frags for you !

Sweet! I may take 1 or 2 of those Plates from ya if you still have them. Especially the orang/red one.