setting up my 100 gallon reef
 

these first couple of pics I have taken over the last couple of months setting up my 100 gal reef I am a full time college student and I work full time also to support my family so I don't have Lots of time or money to spend on my tanks recently I have given myself a good kick to the rear and started working on my tankthe stand is not even near finished I am going to wrap it in some nice oak, cut out some doors, and put a few clear coats on it. the tank I picked up at a garage sale for 25 bucks. it is 1/2 inch glass on all sides including the bottom. The skimmer is an asm g3 I got off ebay brand new for 165$ I have a N/O light that i will be using while I cycle the tank and build up my LR I also have a 35 gallon sump and I will be adding a fuge before I set the tank up I plan on adding water some time next week

step 2

Looking good so far. Can't wait to see it full of water.
What are the dimensions of the tank? It looks pretty shallow for a tank that long. Very nice! What are you planning to keep in your reef? 25$ was a steal for that tank :D

I am pretty shure that its 72" x 18" x 18" (I am at work right now so I cant be exact)
I am going to go with a mixed reef My plan is to build live rock up on aprox. 2 feet on each side and leave the middle couple of feet open for a nice sand bed ( you know kinda like a valley) I want to fill one side up with sps and the other with lps corals and sand loving clams and corals will have a nice sandy spot in the middle

as for fish some type of tang (I was thinking chevron or a powder blue) and some type of angel (most likley a potters) and a couple of athinas some firefish a mandarin (later down the road) a pair of papua clowns and other small reef fish. I was wanting to stick to having 1 or 2 "centerpeice" fish and lots of small colorful fish with my 35 gal sump and a 50 gal fuge I should be able to stock pretty heavy as long as they are small fish

Nice start... I would prob go with some sort of fixed base around the bottom of the legs in order to help prevent bowing out. Especially with the weight of the water in the tank. Also remember that the 18 gauge aluminum braces you have on the tank legs, unless attached from both sides will definately affect the stability of the whole system. Please keep in mind to add a styrofoam layer under the tank in order to accommadate any little variences in height from uneven boards. But I'm sure that you arent done with the stand. :D :p Don't mind me.

yea I am not near done with the stand I really just wanted to get it in the house to motivate me :D

Good way to get the motivation. :p

yea It has worked Ive done more work on that tank in the past 6 days than I have all year
I am going to finish the stand, plumb, and fill with water by wednesday (hopefully) :thumbsup:

:thumbsup: Cool. What's going on about the lighting issue?

I am going to go with the 3x250w MH retro kit its like 360 + shipping on ebay

For what it's worth, HelloLights is running a sale for free xm bulbs with the purchase of the aro ballast or retrofit kits.

http://hellolights.com/arocubicus250.html

http://hellolights.com/arocu25re.html

Update
 

just an update My 100 gal is coming along nicely I have my sump set up and plumbed and I just added water and sand on wednesday I am waiting on a shipment of liverock to start the cycle.
anyone have any tips on getting my overflow and my return pump right. I have a hob overflow with ball valves on the overflow pipes I just can't seem to get the overflow and return perfect.

need more overflow than return

How is the tank coming along? Did you get the flow problems solved?
That is 1" pvc right on the overflow box?
If I'm not mistaken, gate valves will restrict less flow than ball valves.
What size is your return pump?
A good rule of thumb is to have at least 1.5 times the amount of overflow capacity than you have coming out of your return pump.

yea It was just a stupid problem its all worked out now

well the tank started leaking yesterday.....its not really any big deal I was really expecting it thats why I havent added anything yet like I said it was a used tank that I got for 25 bucks It held water for 3 weeks before starting to leak I have drained the tank and I plan on re-sealing the entire tank. It just goes to show what kind of trouble you can save yourself by showing a little paitence.

:eek: Yikes! Started leaking after 3 weeks? You sure are patient. I would have leak tested it for 2 or 3 days max before starting to fill with sand/rock/saltwater/etc. But that would have just compounded the problem of a leak. Did you have it full of saltwater or just tap?

Well I wish you the best of luck with resealing it and setting it back up. I look forward to seeing it full of corals and fish one day. :D

when you reseal it do you have to take the whole tank apart or can you just replace the silicone on the inside?

I did have sand and saltwater in it so that sucks but I am soooooo happy It happened now rather than a year from now :eek: I learned great patience from starting off in this hobby with a nano. :D

Reefergirl: no you don't have to take the tank all the way apart, the inside needs to be clean and dry and you need to remove as much of the old silicone that you can. make sure to use aquarium silicone and seal all the corners very well let dry for 24 hours and you should be ready to go.