caragol
Member
So, the plan is to run a 29g softies/LPS reef with two locally raised clowns. I will be maintaining it pico-style, which in my head means frequent heavy water changes vs sumps and skimmers and dosing. We'll see how it works 
I may end up giving in and adding a HOB fuge, for now I will probably play it safe and add some Chaeto in a dish in the display. Everything in the display is from my misc collection from old tanks. I'm using all dry rock and sand from old tanks, and a handful of old equipment which I will be replacing as I go forward.
I opted to build my own stand due to cost/ease of access. I don't like doors as I have to lock them from my toddler, so I've got a false front that pops in and out with clasps. The stand is exclusively 2x4s with some spare plywood and a couple of 1x2s for trim. It is WAY overbuilt and heavy, but it is stable and level, which is cool.
I started with a standard 29g tank from Meier and painted the back black with Krylon Fusion, my favorite.
Then built the top and bottom pieces and checked the size.
The legs are actually three pieces, two outside to hold the weight, and a third inside to stabialize, this is very overbuilt, but saves me from complex cutting which I don't have the tools for, or accurate measurements which I just can't seem to ever pull off.
With the cap, loosely together, no glue or screws yet...
With the bottom trim and sides
No pics of the front panel before it was painted.
Here is the tank inside the house with water, sand, and rock painted flat black with Rustoleum oil based paint. Front is on, then off for comparison.
A better view of my stack of rocks, I usually just create a mound like this:
With sample lighting... waiting on my Par38 LED bulbs from Coral Compulsion http://www.coralcompulsion.com, got some with blues/whites/violets coming that I chose to order. Jimmy was cool enough to offer loaners, so I took him up on a single bulb (since I really wanted to go ahead and play with positioning, but don't need two yet). The heavy duty bendy arms he sells are amazing. He was also cool enough to give me a couple of pieces of rock rubble to help kick my cycle along since I'm otherwise moving forward with exclusively dry rock.
The right side is a 20k from Coral Compulsion, but not as blue in real life as pictured it's actually very crisp and white. The other side is an old fuge bulb just to see it, though I pulled it out fast since it will only promote pest algae.
Waiting on the cycle, setting up my auto top-off and quick change water gagetry next.
-Anthony
I may end up giving in and adding a HOB fuge, for now I will probably play it safe and add some Chaeto in a dish in the display. Everything in the display is from my misc collection from old tanks. I'm using all dry rock and sand from old tanks, and a handful of old equipment which I will be replacing as I go forward.I opted to build my own stand due to cost/ease of access. I don't like doors as I have to lock them from my toddler, so I've got a false front that pops in and out with clasps. The stand is exclusively 2x4s with some spare plywood and a couple of 1x2s for trim. It is WAY overbuilt and heavy, but it is stable and level, which is cool.
I started with a standard 29g tank from Meier and painted the back black with Krylon Fusion, my favorite.
Then built the top and bottom pieces and checked the size.
The legs are actually three pieces, two outside to hold the weight, and a third inside to stabialize, this is very overbuilt, but saves me from complex cutting which I don't have the tools for, or accurate measurements which I just can't seem to ever pull off.
With the cap, loosely together, no glue or screws yet...
With the bottom trim and sides
No pics of the front panel before it was painted.
Here is the tank inside the house with water, sand, and rock painted flat black with Rustoleum oil based paint. Front is on, then off for comparison.
A better view of my stack of rocks, I usually just create a mound like this:
With sample lighting... waiting on my Par38 LED bulbs from Coral Compulsion http://www.coralcompulsion.com, got some with blues/whites/violets coming that I chose to order. Jimmy was cool enough to offer loaners, so I took him up on a single bulb (since I really wanted to go ahead and play with positioning, but don't need two yet). The heavy duty bendy arms he sells are amazing. He was also cool enough to give me a couple of pieces of rock rubble to help kick my cycle along since I'm otherwise moving forward with exclusively dry rock.
The right side is a 20k from Coral Compulsion, but not as blue in real life as pictured it's actually very crisp and white. The other side is an old fuge bulb just to see it, though I pulled it out fast since it will only promote pest algae.
Waiting on the cycle, setting up my auto top-off and quick change water gagetry next.
-Anthony
