RobB'z Reef
2500 Club Member
Hello all!
Hopefully the title is catchy, unlike this build thread... I promise this won't start out all that rad
So where do I start? I usually approach things with the end in mind as that's a recipe for success in my job, but this is for fun so we'll pitch that book in the trash to begin with. So let's start at the beginning. I was going to wait a while to start a build thread until i did the maths. My tank will be here in ten weeks and i realized I'm starting out with NOTHING! My last tank was 15 years ago and it was a 40g breeder and the only items I have left from that adventure is a bunch of testing equipment, more on that later. So caving in to that urge that never really goes away I thought why not jump back into the pool with both feet and get a 180? You're going to more likely witness a complete belly flop but that could be fun too.
So Monday I ordered my tank from Miracles, a 180 gallon starfire front, euro-braced and drilled for a Modular Marine 3,000gph unit along with said overflow from said vendor! Derek said 10 weeks... commoooon Derek!!
Where were we? Oh yeah the beginning! a new acquaintance here pointed out it might be a good idea to get my rock cooking before my tank gets here and I found that to be good advice. Need a saltwater mixing station I thought! better get right on that.
BAM!
Ok, some of you more observant people might point out that's not exactly a mixing station but it's a start! Ordering my RODI unit and plumbing from BRS tonight. Got a bit of work to do to get the area prepped however as i just moved into the house I'm in a few months ago, and at that time getting back into reefing was far from my focus. I pontificated for weeks on where I'd put my tank and finally came to the conclusion it couldn't be anywhere that resulted in a secondary hobby of home remodeling. I'd had my fill of that the past few years.
So i have a 7' section of wall in my basement with a mechanical room behind it! There's no where upstairs I would consider locating it without violating the secondary hobby rule. I know what many say about tanks in the basement but I have a compelling argument to refute that in this case.
view from future tank location
It's where I keep all the booze, nough said.
In keeping a good journal I think its good to see where you've been as much as it is about where you're going, even if I haven't figured that all out just yet.
This is where the tank will ultimately be set with the mechanical room on the other side.
I'll be locating my sump under the stand and everything else in the mechanical room, cuz reasons...
A view from a bit further back shows the space is usable for a few things but I have to keep access to the furnace in mind as I go. I'll be finishing the walls around it as i hate clutter and the unfinished look of things. We're finally settled and it'll get me to put those last few things away in their place to tidy up the area make it more serviceable.
I want this project to be a mix of ready to use equipment and some DYI as I really do enjoy that aspect. After wrangling with vendors for a tank/stand combo I realized the type of stand I'm looking to achieve was either too expensive from that vendor or they bowed out completely. So thanks to two super helpful and friendly people I met on here already I asked their feedback and experience on extruded aluminum frames for tank stand and they were extremely helpful. Thank you @Reef370 and @Reefer Reboot !
I started out designing the stand with sketchup and while it worked I found it to be a bit of a steaming pile compared to the CAD/CAM tools I was used to. I discovered that AutoDesk had a free for personal use version of Fusion360 and that was amazing! Very AutoCAD Inventor like. I'll be posting that design once I pull the trigger on it very soon. Another one of those handy things to have when your tank shows up. Also currently working on a custom design for my sump as well, well see how that goes. If it gets real I'll post that here also.
So throughout the next few weeks I'll post my progress on spiffin the joint up as well as do a detailed post or two on my mixing station (hurry up BRS will you?) and my efforts to make a stand come to life. Thinking a time lapse video there of the assembly process, worthwhile idea?? Anyhoo... I'm super excited to finally being able to get back into the hobby and start this project and learn and unlearn me some things along the way, not the least of it from you fine people of this community, you guys rock! I'm not sure how these formats are supposed to run as I've never done a build thread before but I welcome your feedback and please know it's ok to laugh at my efforts, I know I will be.
Rob
Hopefully the title is catchy, unlike this build thread... I promise this won't start out all that rad
So where do I start? I usually approach things with the end in mind as that's a recipe for success in my job, but this is for fun so we'll pitch that book in the trash to begin with. So let's start at the beginning. I was going to wait a while to start a build thread until i did the maths. My tank will be here in ten weeks and i realized I'm starting out with NOTHING! My last tank was 15 years ago and it was a 40g breeder and the only items I have left from that adventure is a bunch of testing equipment, more on that later. So caving in to that urge that never really goes away I thought why not jump back into the pool with both feet and get a 180? You're going to more likely witness a complete belly flop but that could be fun too.
So Monday I ordered my tank from Miracles, a 180 gallon starfire front, euro-braced and drilled for a Modular Marine 3,000gph unit along with said overflow from said vendor! Derek said 10 weeks... commoooon Derek!!
Where were we? Oh yeah the beginning! a new acquaintance here pointed out it might be a good idea to get my rock cooking before my tank gets here and I found that to be good advice. Need a saltwater mixing station I thought! better get right on that.
BAM!
Ok, some of you more observant people might point out that's not exactly a mixing station but it's a start! Ordering my RODI unit and plumbing from BRS tonight. Got a bit of work to do to get the area prepped however as i just moved into the house I'm in a few months ago, and at that time getting back into reefing was far from my focus. I pontificated for weeks on where I'd put my tank and finally came to the conclusion it couldn't be anywhere that resulted in a secondary hobby of home remodeling. I'd had my fill of that the past few years.
So i have a 7' section of wall in my basement with a mechanical room behind it! There's no where upstairs I would consider locating it without violating the secondary hobby rule. I know what many say about tanks in the basement but I have a compelling argument to refute that in this case.
view from future tank location
It's where I keep all the booze, nough said.
In keeping a good journal I think its good to see where you've been as much as it is about where you're going, even if I haven't figured that all out just yet.
This is where the tank will ultimately be set with the mechanical room on the other side.
I'll be locating my sump under the stand and everything else in the mechanical room, cuz reasons...
A view from a bit further back shows the space is usable for a few things but I have to keep access to the furnace in mind as I go. I'll be finishing the walls around it as i hate clutter and the unfinished look of things. We're finally settled and it'll get me to put those last few things away in their place to tidy up the area make it more serviceable.
I want this project to be a mix of ready to use equipment and some DYI as I really do enjoy that aspect. After wrangling with vendors for a tank/stand combo I realized the type of stand I'm looking to achieve was either too expensive from that vendor or they bowed out completely. So thanks to two super helpful and friendly people I met on here already I asked their feedback and experience on extruded aluminum frames for tank stand and they were extremely helpful. Thank you @Reef370 and @Reefer Reboot !
I started out designing the stand with sketchup and while it worked I found it to be a bit of a steaming pile compared to the CAD/CAM tools I was used to. I discovered that AutoDesk had a free for personal use version of Fusion360 and that was amazing! Very AutoCAD Inventor like
. I'll be posting that design once I pull the trigger on it very soon. Another one of those handy things to have when your tank shows up. Also currently working on a custom design for my sump as well, well see how that goes. If it gets real I'll post that here also.So throughout the next few weeks I'll post my progress on spiffin the joint up as well as do a detailed post or two on my mixing station (hurry up BRS will you?) and my efforts to make a stand come to life. Thinking a time lapse video there of the assembly process, worthwhile idea?? Anyhoo... I'm super excited to finally being able to get back into the hobby and start this project and learn and unlearn me some things along the way, not the least of it from you fine people of this community, you guys rock! I'm not sure how these formats are supposed to run as I've never done a build thread before but I welcome your feedback and please know it's ok to laugh at my efforts, I know I will be.
Rob
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