and away we goooo

[juiceguy]

i am finally getting my new tank plans off the ground. the tank will be made by AO, it measures out to be 82"x30"x27".....i was torn between the marineland deep 300g and a custom tank. the marineland's dimension is 72"x36"x27", the wall that the mrs. has allocated to me is 90" and preferred that i use the entire wall so i decided to go with AO. i prefer the look of an open top so there will be no canopy but i don't like hanging fixtures or pendants from the ceiling so i will be using a pair of zero edge lamp trees.

okay my equipment plans

water: spetrapure mr-pro 300g w/max-cap DI add on
skimmer: vertex alpha 250
controller: profilux ex
calcium: my deltec 601
phos and carbon reactors: my current Geo media reactors
sump: appprox 80g ...this is still up in the air
lighting: 2 sfiligoi 400w xr-6 pendants.....i am still debating this 1, i am not a fan of t-5 and although LEDS look great, i am not ready to jump in just yet.
i have seen the sfiligoi fixtures and they put out a ton of light so my thinking is spread out the light over the span and have some shaded areas for those corals that do not prefer light.

any advice would be great

i will post pics as things come along, right now i am still finishing up renovations and the tank will take 8-10 weeks so that leaves me time to make any changes.

 

[House of Laughter]

:bow:

Nice JG - can't wait to see this puppy in action.

House

 

[Alex]

did you get a starphire tank?

 

[Galantra]

Finally posted it! We will see who finishes first...lol what other items are you still missing? and what are you using for water movement?

 

[juiceguy]

i passed on the starfire....AO wanted $$$ for it and i just didn't feel it justified the amount.

i know i left a few things out
circulation: 3 vortechs
return pump: dart
chiller: leaning towards aqua logic trim line 1/3hp

 

[Bob 1000]

Can't wait until it's up and running Frank.. Sounds expensive,,lol... and nice...

 

[juiceguy]

Tobin......what isn't expensive these days lol. i told the mrs. i would renovate the basement myself so the $ i saved by not hiring contractors i would use towards the tank and also most of the equipment is coming off my 150

 

[grknyer]

Do those zero edge lamp trees only support certain types of fixtures?

 

[juiceguy]

the standard ones are made for regular size tanks(18"-24"w) but they do custom build them for different fixtures or pendants. if you call them and tell them the type of fixture you have, they will make the correct bracket for it.

 

[juiceguy]

after much thought on having a stand built or giving it a try on my own, i ventured on building my own stand for my tank.

combo of 2x6 and 2x8, 3 coats kilz

​

3/4" ply skinned

​

stained and polyd satin

​

added some deco trim

​

i just ordered 4 unfinished doors, hopefully that will be here before the weekend. now it needs something to sit on it but that is still a month away.

 

[Galantra]

Looks great how high is it? damn you make me feel i need to re-build my stand:banghead:

 

[juiceguy]

i think it came to roughly 35.5", i had to shim it a lot because of the basement floor pitch. when i laid down the tile, it was driving me crazy because of how the concrete was pitched but later i found that it was designed that way to provide drainage in case of flooding.

 

[Galantra]

Well it turned out great, looks like a pro stand I think you might beat me with who starts first. Everything got put on hold for me

 

[juiceguy]

thanks, i'm still a month away from getting the tank and by the time you get all the plumbing planned and ready......looks like mid aug-sept. one thing this hobby requires is patience, even in the build lol.

 

[pecan2phat]

Juice,
Have you compared Starphire or Low Iron glass to regular float glass when it's 1/2" or thicker.
The green in float glass is very noticeable.

 

[Alex]

where did you order the doors from?

 

[cali_reef]

How are you plan to cover up the lower trim and 1/2" Styrofoam under the tank?

I am testing a Vortex 200 for a 150 gallon system, their tank size rating is too high IMO..

 

[juiceguy]

pecan i have compared starphire to low iron and to be totally honest, what AO wanted for the starphire glass, just on the front panel, didn't justify it in my eyes.

Alex here is the link
https://securewsch01.websitecomplete.com/cabinetdoorsandhardw/shop/showDept.asp
i went with the unfinished oak panel, pretty reasonable price wise, i should get them tomorrow. i will post pics sometime over the weekend.

cali i am probably going to use a medium size crown molding to cover the lower portion........i'll wait till the tank is sitting on the stand to see what works the best. vortex 200? you lost me there

 

[Galantra]

are you housing any equipment under your tank?

 

[cali_reef]

pecan i have compared starphire to low iron and to be totally honest, what AO wanted for the starphire glass, just on the front panel, didn't justify it in my eyes.

Alex here is the link
https://securewsch01.websitecomplete.com/cabinetdoorsandhardw/shop/showDept.asp
i went with the unfinished oak panel, pretty reasonable price wise, i should get them tomorrow. i will post pics sometime over the weekend.

cali i am probably going to use a medium size crown molding to cover the lower portion........i'll wait till the tank is sitting on the stand to see what works the best. vortex 200? you lost me there

Starphire and low iron are similar types of glass, both are lower iron and Starphire is just a PPG trade name for their formulation.

Both are a significantly clearer than regular plate glass, http://corporateportal.ppg.com/NA/IdeaScapes/productInfo/glass/StarGlassTOC.htm