mlreef 450 gallon mixed reef build

mlreef

mlreef

Active member
I wanted to document my build as it progressed. My wife and I purchased the aquarium from a LFS in Milwaukee that had closed. The tank was built on 7/10/09, so it's about 2 1/2 years old. It's made of 1" & 1.25" Acrylic. The dimensions are 96" x 30" x 36" tall.

Some of the pictures below show the condition of it when we purchased it. It needed some light sanding, buffing and a little TLC.
 
I keep getting the error

"Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing or mismatched.

If this occurred unexpectedly, please inform the administrator and describe the action you performed before you received this error."
 
Hope these pics help.

450Gallon1.jpg


450Gallon16.jpg


450Gallon22.jpg


450Gallon23.jpg
 
The pictures that are below are after the rock was boiled and scrubbed. I have (14) 5 gallon buckets filled with rock, it's approximately 375 lbs of rock. I will be adding an additional 250 lbs of rock from my current 120 gallon setup and another 60 lbs from my 40 gallon breeder setup. I will have approximately 685 lbs of rock once the whole setup is complete.

450MixedReef006.jpg


450MixedReef005.jpg


450MixedReef004.jpg
 
DanSreef said:
WOW! What an awesome tank! ....and what a big job! I am tagging along to see how the build evolves! There are a few of us in the Elgin Area...if you ever need anything!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm sure I will always need something. Thanks for the support.
 
Crooks said:
How bad is it buffing a tank? Will you ever do it again?
Click to expand...

Buffing a tank is not that bad. It depends on the condition of the tank and how deep the scratches are. For the most part if you have patience you can do it.

I've buffed several tanks in my lifetime. So yes I would do it again especially if it's larger than 450 gallons. I'm always looking for bigger...
 
I wanted to thank Dave from AquaPros for helping me out with my large sand purchase.

450MixedReef015.jpg


450MixedReef014.jpg


That is 400 lbs of sand. I'm going for a 2" sand bed and a 6" sand bed in the refugium.
 
holy cow you got yourself an awesome project. i wish i had the money to go bigger but who knows maybe down the road i will. i wish i had pictures form when we tore down my current tank form the persons house we got it out of. but it was way to much work to think about pictures. especially since we took all the water from my 185 i had running and put it in the 210. it was a 29 hour project since it went up and everything the same day. but i would do it again if i got a bigger tank especially one over 400g. i always wanted to be able to swim in my tank. lol.
 
epaulette2 said:
holy cow you got yourself an awesome project. i wish i had the money to go bigger but who knows maybe down the road i will. i wish i had pictures form when we tore down my current tank form the persons house we got it out of. but it was way to much work to think about pictures. especially since we took all the water from my 185 i had running and put it in the 210. it was a 29 hour project since it went up and everything the same day. but i would do it again if i got a bigger tank especially one over 400g. i always wanted to be able to swim in my tank. lol.
Click to expand...

Let me tell you. I started with a 75 gallon tank and then went to a 300 gallon. My wife and I moved so we sold the tank. About a year later I had the itch again and purchased a 120 gallon. I had no idea how small a 120 is after having a 300 for 4 years. Needless to say I had to go bigger. I found this 450 and had to have it. I figured its 50% larger than my 300 so it was worth it to me to get because I was always looking for more room in my 300.

If you have the opportunity to go larger definitely do it.:itsme:
 
Lil BamBam said:
WOW!! This is a real BIG project.. I have always wanted a big tank and swim inside with my kids :D Looking good!!
Click to expand...

Thanks. It's a weird feeling when your inside of the tank looking out... Totally changes the perspective. By the same token it's also nice because then you can totally buff the entire inside without being cramped.

As far as the kids I have a soon to be 1 year old and he will have a little brother or sister in May. He loves watching the fish swim, he falls asleep to them. It's great bonding time.
 
Is it going in the house? That thing is going to weigh a lot (didn't want to say a ton because that would be an understatement)! have some special supports or are you putting it on a slab? Look forward to seeing the progress.
 
dalbright82 said:
Is it going in the house? That thing is going to weigh a lot (didn't want to say a ton because that would be an understatement)! have some special supports or are you putting it on a slab? Look forward to seeing the progress.
Click to expand...

It's going in my living room. I have to purchase engineered joists to reinforce the floor. I found them at Menard's for $60 bucks a piece. I'll end up using 6 of them. I'll take some pictures as I'm doing this right after Christmas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top