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Coral Vue Hydros

The Tank of Monte Cristo


Lee Van Reef

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Lee Van Reef

Hey guys!

New stand, new tank, New Thread!

 

FTS 7/21/2012

image-7.jpg

 

For now, here is progress on the new stand:

 

tankstand.jpg

 

I will update the thread later with more info/pictures!

 

Update 6/24/2012:

Alright, I promised more info and here it is.

 

Equipment:

  • 40 breeder drilled with corner herbie overflow
  • 20 gallon sump
  • 6 bulb 36" tek light
  • Reef Octopus NWB-110
    [*}Quiet-one 4000 return
  • 2 koralia 750 gph pumps
  • 200w Hydor heater
  • Apex Lite Controller System

 

So essentially, Its the same tank as my old 40 breeder, but with some key differences. The stand and display tank are brand new, and the reason for this is to accommodate the new plumbing. I'm moving the overflow to the corner, reducing the drain size from 1 1/2 to 1 inch and dropping it through the bottom of the tank rather than the back. This is with the intention of making it quieter and more efficient. I am also cutting back to one return line that comes up through and over the overflow box.

I'm restarting the tank as well. I bleached the rock and I am in the process of dechlorinating now. I will be actually using aragonite sand now and a very thin bed composed of 40 pounds of natures ocean live sand.

 

This tank is going to be a completely different approach than my previous incarnation of the 40 breeder. I want this to be a softy/lps dominated tank with lots of movement as well as some macroalgae. The fish selection is going to be composed of high color, but smaller reef fish. Probably a pair of anthias with my clownfish, a blenny and a few others.

 

So that's it for now will have more pics soon!

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Lee Van Reef
Whoa! Nice stand, way too classy. :)

Muchas gracias B)

 

nice stand is right. will be following.

Awesome, thanks!

what relevance does 420 have with this ??

Well when you ask your roommates for a tank thread name their minds wander. It was this or " #### where are my fish!"

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Lee Van Reef

Stand stained and ready for a clear coat of some conversion varnish.

tankstand3.jpg

 

Debating whether to put a hood on the tank or not. Any input on that?

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Stand stained and ready for a clear coat of some conversion varnish.

tankstand3.jpg

 

Debating whether to put a hood on the tank or not. Any input on that?

 

 

i like em topless :D

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Lee Van Reef
Topless ones are hot :lol:, but you always have to worry about what you put inside them :o

lol alright guys

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Lee Van Reef

Stand should be receiving a clear coat today, assuming the humidity in the area isn't too high. Damn Tropical storm :X

 

Other than that I'm receiving a shipment from Bulk Reef Supply. Mostly getting "refills" and a few other things I need/needed

 

6/26 Shipment

175 gallon bucket of Red Sea coral Pro salt

Replacement filter kit for RO/DI filter (finally!)

Refractometer (again, finally!)

TDS meter

Replacement ATI bulbs for t5 fixture ( 3 Blue+, 2 aquablue, 1 purple plus)

1- 3/4 inch bulkhead

2-1 inch bulkheads

1- 45mm glass hole saw

1- 35mm glass hole saw

 

Hopefully the tds meter and refractometer will help me keep better track of water quality and salinity, which is something I haven't been great at in the past.

 

Still need to drill my new tank, build an overflow and set up the plumbing, but that should all be done this weekend.

 

I'll post some pics of the boxes in a bit once I'm out of class lol

(research methods in psych is boring as hell)

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Lee I'm following this build. Looks great. I really wish I had the skills to build a furniture grade product like this... I'm almost crazy enough to try. I don't have any sort of good saw though. Not necessarily opposed to buying one, as it would round out my tool kit. Can you provide any more details on the stand itself (construction wise) and what you think the feasibility of someone with no experience building one?

 

Also, you have the best avatar on this site :D.

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Lee Van Reef
Lee I'm following this build. Looks great. I really wish I had the skills to build a furniture grade product like this... I'm almost crazy enough to try. I don't have any sort of good saw though. Not necessarily opposed to buying one, as it would round out my tool kit. Can you provide any more details on the stand itself (construction wise) and what you think the feasibility of someone with no experience building one?

 

Also, you have the best avatar on this site :D.

Thanks!

As far as construction goes, It's very straightforward. The frame is built using 2x4s and in some ways is way over engineered. The frame is then skinned with a layer of 3/4 maple plywood which is is cut with 45s on the edges so it creates a clean corner with no ply showing through. After that it was simply trimmed with this chair rail molding my dad had left from a project he did a few years back. The same molding is used for the top and the bottom, just inverted. The stand is then sanded carefully and lightly. If done to heavily you will wear out the top veneer on the plywood. Then stained heavily by brush and wiped off with a rag. A neat detail that is difficult to see is that after wiping it, we went back and "feathered" some stain on with a brush in order to create areas of heavy stain and light stain and creating a genuine hand finish look. After dry it's given a base coat of conversion varnish, then sanded heavily and given a minimum of two more coats. The inside will be painted with water resistant black paint.

 

Quite honestly, My dad has been building kitchens and cabinets by hand for over 20 years and I've been working with him on most of his projects since a young age. The experience factor does come into play, but not more than being calculated, precise and patient. The required toolset could be a bit of hindrance. This unit in particular was ripped on a 8 foot table saw and put together with brad nailer, a pinner, and drill.

The biggest issue that someone with no experience will run into is in the finishing process. The stand is stained and cleared in a paint room with a full wall exhaust fan. This is due to the conversion varnish used for the clear and how painting with a paint gun works( overspray needs to be accounted for, etc.) . But this can easily be replicated with some careful hand applied clear coat.

 

So yes, it is feasible but it will take a lot more time and effort on your part for a furniture quality finish. Just plan everything carefully and don't skimp out on the little details (puttying holes, getting a smooth sanded finish before staining etc.).

 

P.s. I thought the avatar was pretty awesome too :lol:

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Lee Van Reef

Got my shipment in and everything seems in great shape like always from BRS. The red sea coral pro salt looks nice and i love the new refractometer and tds meter. Apparently my water leaving the tap was at 248 tds :blink:

Changing the filters on the ro/di was painless until i reached the DI resin and that was a bit of a mess but all in all everything went well.

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Lee Van Reef

Tank stand is done and just needs to be moved to its final home in my new apartment. For now here is a picture of it in my house with the new tank.

tankonstand.jpg

 

More pics tomorrow!

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