ETR's 75G FO Tank

EricTheRed

EricTheRed

No, I'm not a communist..
A few weeks ago I picked up a used 75G RR tank and stand. The stand was pretty rough and had water stains that warped some of the wood. There was also 5 years of salt creep on the inside of the stand that required a power sander to remove! (I tried to chisel off the salt but that hardly made a dent.)

Here's a couple of pic's of the stand as the refinishing progressed...

img_2381.jpg


See where the salt water ruined the finish...

img_2382.jpg


Sanded the outside and inside down to bare wood...

img_2383.jpg


Refinished and stained to match the stain in my home...

img_2384.jpg


Water damage....gone

img_2387.jpg


I painted the interior with an exterior latex paint for easy cleanup and added protection. I had the color matched to the stain (well, as close as they could get it...)

img_2385.jpg


More to come soon....
 
I was originally planning on a FO tank, but I received my shipment of rock and can envision the coral placement already, LOL. I guess I'll have some serious decisions to make very soon about this tanks direction...

I ordered 50 lbs of dry rock from reefrocks.net (for $1.70/lb..shipped) I was a little nervous ordering rock sight-unseen, but this stuff was awesome. This rock stacked so easy I didn't even need any puddy or rods to support it.

Here's a pick of everything laid out...

img_2408.jpg


I had them shave some of the larger rocks shaved so they would have a very flat surface. I used these as the bottom base. They lay flat on the tank floor and won't be susceptible to anything burrowing beneath them or shifting if substrate gets beneath them.

img_2410.jpg


Here's a full shot and some close-up's...

img_2411.jpg

img_2412.jpg

img_2413.jpg

img_2414.jpg


There are lots of caves and crevices for the fish to manuveur around. This scape is my first-run. I think I'll stare at it for a day or 2 before making it official.

What you think...?
 
I told you that you would love that rock even without seeing what you were buying. Let me know when you want to bring it over to start cycling it, unless you plan on just cycling in the tank since you seem so far along already with the stand. It's looking good too, cant wait to see it stocked up!
 
FishBeard said:
I told you that you would love that rock even without seeing what you were buying. Let me know when you want to bring it over to start cycling it, unless you plan on just cycling in the tank since you seem so far along already with the stand. It's looking good too, cant wait to see it stocked up!
Click to expand...

You were right, I love this stuff, thanks for the lead!

I'll cycle it in the tank. I have some live sand and a bottle of MB-7. I'll also take a spare piece of LR out of my 90 to help seed. I hope to have water in here by Sunday. I'll be cycling with a raw shrimp...
 
Very nice Eric. Looks really good. I love how the stand came out and that rock is beautiful. I would think that rock was 5,6,7 bucks a pound if I hadn't seen the price. Now the question is, do you still want that piece I'm supposed to drop off?
 
Cubbies said:
Very nice Eric. Looks really good. I love how the stand came out and that rock is beautiful. I would think that rock was 5,6,7 bucks a pound if I hadn't seen the price. Now the question is, do you still want that piece I'm supposed to drop off?
Click to expand...

Thanks Geno! I was actually still planning on using that piece against the back of the tank in the corner. I think it would look cool. I'm in no rush, so whenever you're passing through, thanks!
 
Alright...the tank has been cycling for 4 days. I used a shrimp instead of live fish. I thought it was funny that the thing actually cooked a bit and turned opaque in the warm water. On the downside, the shrimp makes the tank stink (and it's in my office where I work all day!)

I decided to use crushed coral as my substrate since this will be a FO tank. I went with 40lbs of dry Florida and added 15lbs of "live". Since I used dry rock I'm expected this to be a very long cycle. I also added a small piece of LR from my reef tank to help get it going.


Only new pick is of the shrimp and substrate (not terribly exciting, I know!)

img_2416.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top