Merediths 75g upgrade

melypr1985

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Hi. I currently have a 40g mixed reef with custom sump. I love my setup in almost every way. There are two things i hate about it. 1. Hob overflow 2. Not enough room for everything i want

I have a buddy that sold me a 75g with stand 40 breeder sump, 48 tek 8 bulb tek T5, skimmer, return pump and some miscellaneous stuff I cant think of them names for. Its a great deal, but its not reef ready. He agreed to drill the tank for me if I buy the overflow kit.

There is a little more to this story so far but i have pictures and will explain as I post pictures. I hope this helps somebody not make my mistakes and maybe even prove that anybody can do this with a little effort, research and a possitive attitude.

Here is my current tank with the evening sun shining in.
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melypr1985

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Here is the new tank with the stand and sump. Im going to pain the back and the trim black. One thing i didnt like about the 40g is that, despite the great growth of coraline algea i can still see the plumbing in back. So, here i go doing a pretty poo poo job of painting. Lol. There are drips everywhere and i ran out of paint and had to buy another different brand. I think this is the biggest reason it turned out poo poo. I guess its hard to see that in the pics, but trust me. Dont worry there is more to this story that will make the drips look like the stuppidest thing to worry about.

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melypr1985

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After the paint dried, I found that USPS didnt dissapoint (for once) and my package from glass-holes had arrived just two days after placing the order. I ordered a 1500gph overflow kit with hole saw and got free shipping. The kit came and didnt dissapoint either right down to the complimentary candy. So i stared at that for a few days until my buddy came over today to drill the tank for me. (There just isnt enough xanax in the world for me to drill it myself without having a crazy bad anxiety attack). Anyway! We got the tank out in the yard, turned on the water hose and got started. I near fainted from holding my breath during the first one but nothing bad happened. Then I must have jinxed it hy grabbing my phone for a picture cause all of a sudden durring the second hole, the drill bound up and stopped. So he readjusts and keeps going. The drill binds up again and POP! The tank cracks diagonally from top to bottom! CRAP!

edit: I should probably mention that the reason it bound up and cracked in the end is because he was putting unequal pressure on the drill and caused it to drill the whole unevenly- meaning one half of the hole broke through the other side of the glass and the other half did not. This sucks and it happens all the time to people who have experience doing this as well as those who do not. We just weren't lucky this time.

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melypr1985

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At this point I'm about to cry because i cannot replace this tank anytime soon. Luckily my friend is smart and doesnt want that to happen (I'm a really ugly crier) and feels bad for cracking the glass. Hes a great guy really and heres why. He works at the LFS and knows a guy who builds aquariums for the store. We are hoping this guy will replace the back glass with a new panel and custom ghost overflow and also drill the holes for the two returns. AND maybe even new stainless steel trim- which would look pretty cool I think.
In hindsight, the crappy paint job was no big deal. Im praying this glass guy will help me out for a case of beer and a pizza. In the mean time I'm going to start working on the stand and sump. I have my design for the baffles all worked out and a guy curting them for me out of acrylic. Why acrylic? Its cheaper! $45 custom cut for me. I know I know, its a small risk with the silicone but I will take it. Besides the same glass guy could possibly cut my baffles out of the cracked piece after removing it. Not sure, but maybe. So here is my sump plan, its not fancy but it gets the point across. :)
 

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melypr1985

melypr1985

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Im really hoping I dont have to wait 4 weeks to get my tank repaired. More than that I dont want to have to replace the tank with a new one! I just cant do it after buying the whole set up like I did. Please wish me luck, Im gunna need it. Ill keep this updated as i work. Next will be the sump and stand. :)
 
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melypr1985

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Got a small amount done today with the stand. I still have a long way to go with it, obviously, but at least there is progress.

I also have pictures of some of the equipment that came with this set up. The skimmer, which is missing a very important piece (hes looking for it). The light, which is twice the bulbs i currently have and minus the blue leds. The di canisters there are going to be fitted with these special cartriges that let you run media like carbon and whatnot. My friend is still looking for the cartriges too along with my mag9 return pump. I really gotta get him moving on that. Hmm. Well enjoy!
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melypr1985

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Sooo, question. I know i need to seal the stand. But with what? I havr some thompson's water seal. Its oil based and takes like 3 days to dry. I used it on my sons swing set. Would i be able to paint over that? I woukd like to paint the inside of the stand and stain the outside. I figure the right kind of stain will seal the outside. Right?
 
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melypr1985

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While everyone is contimplating answers to my question..... I picked up my baffles today. They are 1/4 inch smoked acrylic. I could have gotten clear, but the smoked is cool and cheaper. This guy is local and has done work for me before in my custom sump for the 40 gal. Hes great. Anyway! I just stuck them in there with painters tape for a dry fit. Just to be safe. Looks pretty good and i love the huge refuge. Only thing, I wish I would have told him to make the filter sock holders one piece instead of two. It was too late by the time I thought of it. Lessons learned.... all the time.
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melypr1985

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The Stand as it started...
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The Sump is finished and leak tested. Yay! I bonded all the acrylic pieces to each other first then used silicone to attach it to the glass. Worked pretty well.
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melypr1985

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The recently painted stand. We just finished the doors also, but they aren't in the pictures.
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melypr1985

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The new tank is Reef-ready so No DRILLING! YAY! It came from a friend who keeps discus. I'm not too sure about the effects of freshwater algae on a reef aquarium, but I filled the whole tank with water and vinegar, soaked it and scrubbed everything I could reach. Now it's been rinsed and is sitting out to dry. I just hope that anything I missed wont effect my fish and corals.
I have 120lbs of live rock soaking in a Rubbermaid tub with a power head.... I've ordered 80lbs of Fiji Pink live sand and everything is pretty much ready! I just need hinges for the doors of the stand. I'm going to wait on my friend's day off at the LFS to come help me do the switch over on Tuesday. Wish me luck!
 
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melypr1985

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The switchover is going to happen on Thursday now. I'm sad, but that gives me a few more days to finish up with the doors and some last minute tweaks in the sump. This whole business makes me nervous and excited at the same time! Yesterday I painted the back of the tank black. I think I did a better job on this one and I left the back of the corner overflow clear so I can see into it if I ever need to. It looks pretty good (I don't have pics so you'll just have to trust me on that lol)
 
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melypr1985

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Its happening!! Yay. Im taking pictures as we go though not well.

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melypr1985

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Ill post more tomorrow when everything has had a chance to acclimate and open up.
 
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melypr1985

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Everybody is out and about today. One anemone decided to go for a walk, but it turned up on the bottom side of the rock he was on. So far so good with all the other livestock. I just hope my luck continues. My only problem is my skimmer is so LOUD. Im working on a way to insulate my stand some and knock down on the noise.

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How is the anemone doing now? The tank is looking good! :)
 
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melypr1985

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Thanks! I'm really happy with it. I did manage to quiet down the skimmer and insulate the stand to quiet things down further.

Both anemones decided to go for walks. I have no idea where the bigger of the two went (they are both about the size of a half dollar). I think it went down the back side of the rocks and I can't see it. The other one just let go of the rocks and ended up on the sand bed. I put that one in a "bowl" in the rocks so it wouldn't be blown away. It attached again pretty quick and walked around to wedge itself between some rocks and the bottom of the overflow. It looks pretty good so I'm not too worried. I'm just keeping a close eye on my powerheads just in case the bigger one reappears in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
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melypr1985

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Aaaand i have diatoms. Must be those new tank blues. Ill get the water tested but I'm just going with the "this is normal" routine. In the mean time i have some pictures of some of my favorite corals. You can see one of the roving anemones in the last one. The other is still not visible. Enjoy!

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Diatoms just mean you're that much further out of cycling. Tank looks good - and more importantly, you didn't give up after the first setback!
 

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