fmfa0801 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Intro I know this is "nano" reef but I started on here with small tanks and just really liked the information, help & website. This is my first large reef tank. I have been doing this for 4 years. I started out with a 14g biocube w/LED CADlights 34g w/LEDs, 1.25g cube & i now have a custom 50g rimless ran by 6 PAR38 LEDs.The Tank:I picked up a 240g 8x2x2 acrylic tank off craigs list for $250. I had to drive 2 hours to pick it up. It has 3/4" acrylic on the sides and back with the bottom, front and euro bracing 1/2". The tank has normal scratches but nothing deep. I am in the process of sanding and polishing the whole thing. Hardware: 240g acrylic tank 8x2x21,350 GPH pumpVortech power head12 PAR38 LEDs 20k w/40 degree optics hung by SS wire & track lightingSumpCustom stand Livestock I already have: 2 grade A picasso clowns3 RBTA1 green carpet1 mystery wrasse1 blenny1 pistol shrimp1 skunk shrimpSPS Here is my current set up That I will be switching over to the 240g. Its a 50g rimless with 6 PAR38 LEDs. LEDs, rock, sand & all livestock will be used for the new tank. Link to comment
JNA_DESIGN Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I would take it to a acrylic shop and have them professionally touch it up... Used acrylic tanks are nothing but trouble IMO. Sweet tank tho, dimention wise. Link to comment
Justind823 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Wow sounds like an awesome project. Thats a nice sized nem youve got there btw Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 The only down fall I see is it scratches easy and I gotta remove them. And come on I couldnt pass up this tank for that cheap lol. What do you think this tank cost brand new? Wow sounds like an awesome project. Thats a nice sized nem youve got there btw Its 3 close together. One big one about the size of a big grapefruit and 2 smaller ones about the size of a baseball. I had 2 but one split. Link to comment
Justind823 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Its 3 close together. One big one about the size of a big grapefruit and 2 smaller ones about the size of a baseball. I had 2 but one split. Oh I see...you dissapoint. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Trust me I been looking for one huge one. I found a couple on craigslist that are the size of basket balls but I dont have the money! Link to comment
JNA_DESIGN Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Id just feel weird about the seams... Who knows how old the tank is and what someone did with it... But to each there own, I would just flip out with a 240 gallon tank blew up on me. Had a 75 gallon do it before and I was never the same Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 I hear you. Had a 55g middle support break and it was loud. The glass didnt break but the tank bowed like 5" on each side Link to comment
JoelRHale Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Nice find! Some day I want a huge tank like that. You should use the 50 as a fuge. How awesome would it be to have a rimless macro tank below that huge reef? Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 I thought of using the 50 rimless as a frag tank and have it showing threw the stand below but I dont wanna mess around with running both tanks into 1 sump. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 My plan was to use the 6 PAR38 LEDs I have already and buy 6 more (for 12 total) That would cost $500+. Could I make a LED light that would be better and the same price that is dimable? I have no clue how to make a LED light but am very mechanical. Link to comment
MGDMIRAGE Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Sweet dimensions on that thing, can't wait to see it buffed out and filled up. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Thanks . Its sitting in my garage doing a leak test as we speak Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 My plan was to use the 6 PAR38 LEDs I have already and buy 6 more (for 12 total) That would cost $500+. Could I make a LED light that would be better and the same price that is dimable? I have no clue how to make a LED light but am very mechanical. There is no way you could make an 8 foot long LED fixture that could cover 2 feet front to back and 2 feet deep for 500 dollars... My LED light for my 40 breeder cost about 500 to put together and I doubt it would have good coverage front to back on a two feet wide tank without raising it extremely high. A quality DIY job for a tank that size would run about $1200-1500 to put together I'd wager. Expensive? Sure. But remember you'd be able to light the tank for about 360W and you wouldn't have bulb replacement costs. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share Posted September 26, 2011 Next I have to cover the stand. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 Update: Just about finished sanding and polishing the tank. I ended up using 400 grit followed by 600, 800, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 & 3,000. Before I went from 400 grit to 1,000 and think that it wasnt buffing out all the lines from the 400 making it foggy at the end. Link to comment
reefone Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 nice set up and great deal on the tank. i hope u plan on using more then 1 vortec in that tank. lol ive got 4 mp40's in my 8' 240g. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 I have a MP10 and looking for a trade plus cash for the MP40 bc the acrylic is to thick for it Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted September 29, 2011 Author Share Posted September 29, 2011 I added more support Link to comment
reefone Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 now u have enought support and dont need to worry about the stand colapsing or anything. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Sealed the stand today and now just gotta drill two holes for the drains and move the tank & stand inside my house Sealed the stand today and now just gotta drill two holes for the drains and move the tank & stand inside my house Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 I bought a 8month old 55g tank today on craigslist for $30. Going to make it into a sump. Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 I got them today in the mail. There not "nano" size but it doesnt matter in my 8' 240g. There are VERY quite & push ALOT of water. There are 3 settings: small : 530gph, adjustable duration 10-20s medium: 2116gph, adjustable duration 5-15s large : 3968gph, adjustable duration 2-10s How the controller works is you set the duration for each size. Then it goes through each setting (small, medium, large) and repeats. You can not set just one setting which I though you could do. It creates alot of flow. Im happy for what I payed for (2) $192 shipped from Hong Kong. After I get my 240g set up and transferred I might make 2 wave box and ditch the controller for a single on/off one for a wave motion. I dont know until I get to that point. Link to comment
cruzH20polo Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 those look like monsters! Link to comment
fmfa0801 Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Still have more sanding using the Mircro mesh up to 12,000 grit. Then make my baffles in the 50g sump, DIY LED and skin the stand. Dinner I made tonight 2lbs crawl dads and 1 1/2lbs live mussels Link to comment
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