SaltyScotty
Member
This thread is going to take a while to complete, trying to take our time (fiance and I) and think everything out before we go through with whatever stage of the project we are in.
So without further procrastination...we found a good deal on craigslist for a Marineland 220g with stand and lid...
The stand was a bit beat up, so a few coats of paint and some door knobs the kids picked out it is as good as new. I also sprayed the inside with a rubberized sealant. It reminds me of a rhino lining for wood.
Another craigslist find of two 35 gallon tanks and a little working, I now have a split sump design with a 14 gallon refugium, and an entire 35 dedicated to the skimmer, heaters, dossers etc.
I cut a couple of pieces of glass and created my baffles around the refugium, connected everything up and have a pretty neat flowing sump
Now the scary stuff starts...I ordered the Glass-Holes 3000g overflow kit along with 2 3/4" returns...
With the family being put to work we drilled holes into our tank...(yikes)
And by family...I mean the fiance on "cooling duties" the eldest on lighting, the next one one doing the photography...and a few spectators!
(well fiance was at work for the returns so the my biggest helper was put on water duty!!)
And now we have a monstrous overflow...
The dueling banjos of returns...
And the beginning of my plumbing fun!
Any help/guidance/knowledge/joking/or whatever anyone has to offer will be greatly appreciated. I will be calling everyone I know to lift this thing onto its stand so that I can start fitting my pipes this weekend and starting to check for leaks (while it is still in the garage).
And for my first DIY aquarium, and first saltwater aquarium outside of my nano, this has been quite the journey (and we're only getting started!!)
Thanks for taking the time to check this out, it might take a while between updates, but I will be posting as often as things are getting done around here!
Scott
So without further procrastination...we found a good deal on craigslist for a Marineland 220g with stand and lid...
The stand was a bit beat up, so a few coats of paint and some door knobs the kids picked out it is as good as new. I also sprayed the inside with a rubberized sealant. It reminds me of a rhino lining for wood.
Another craigslist find of two 35 gallon tanks and a little working, I now have a split sump design with a 14 gallon refugium, and an entire 35 dedicated to the skimmer, heaters, dossers etc.
I cut a couple of pieces of glass and created my baffles around the refugium, connected everything up and have a pretty neat flowing sump
Now the scary stuff starts...I ordered the Glass-Holes 3000g overflow kit along with 2 3/4" returns...
With the family being put to work we drilled holes into our tank...(yikes)
And by family...I mean the fiance on "cooling duties" the eldest on lighting, the next one one doing the photography...and a few spectators!
(well fiance was at work for the returns so the my biggest helper was put on water duty!!)
And now we have a monstrous overflow...
The dueling banjos of returns...
And the beginning of my plumbing fun!
Any help/guidance/knowledge/joking/or whatever anyone has to offer will be greatly appreciated. I will be calling everyone I know to lift this thing onto its stand so that I can start fitting my pipes this weekend and starting to check for leaks (while it is still in the garage).
And for my first DIY aquarium, and first saltwater aquarium outside of my nano, this has been quite the journey (and we're only getting started!!)
Thanks for taking the time to check this out, it might take a while between updates, but I will be posting as often as things are getting done around here!
Scott
