My Reef Journey Begins!

Brew12 · Aug 23, 2016

Well, what I expected to be a project to really get started on over Thanksgiving week got accelerated. I was hoping to start with a 75 gallon or 90 gallon tank since a 48" tank worked perfect for where I wanted it.
And then Craigslist happened. Someone was moving and had to sell their system. It was too good a deal to pass up. Heck, I almost feel bad that I got everything for so cheap. I almost didn't jump at it but I figured I could re-arrange a bunch of furniture to make it work. It was listed as a 120 gallon, 60"x18"x26". Except that it wasn't. It is actually 72"x18"x21". Ooops.

So here is my system so far.
120 gallon dual overflow tank
55 gallon custom sump
Aquamaxx Cone 2 skimmer
Custom LED system
2) Vortech MP40's
2 other powerheads with wavemaker controller
Danner Supreme Aquamag 12
Apex Lite controller with no probes but with an extra power strip
Neptune DOS metering system
2) GFCI 4 gang power units
Custom stand and hood

So the actual size was one issue. The other? The system is a mess. Spent a few hours cleaning it and so much more work to do.

Joey waid · Aug 23, 2016

Awesome. A lot of cleaning to do too...

Brew12 · Aug 24, 2016

Successfully leak tested both the tank and the sump. Operationally tested all the pumps and powerheads. So far so good. Have both tanks soaking in bleach water to help with the smell. Started sanding down the stand to get it ready for a new coat of paint.

All in all a productive night.

Joey waid · Aug 24, 2016

Is the tank glass or acrylic? If acrylic do plan on sanding and polishing?

Brew12 · Aug 25, 2016

Its glass. Has a scratch in it but I should be able to buff it out.

Joey waid · Aug 25, 2016

Brew12 said:
Its glass. Has a scratch in it but I should be able to buff it out.

For some reason I only thought there was fillers for glass. I did not realize you could buff glass... I learned something new again. I am jealous, it's going to be awesome!!

Brew12 · Aug 25, 2016

Joey waid said:
For some reason I only thought there was fillers for glass. I did not realize you could buff glass... I learned something new again. I am jealous, it's going to be awesome!!

I sure hope it it, because it is going to take a ton of work. Jewelers rouge and non gel toothpaste along with a good buffing wheel are supposed to work to take scratches out of glass as long as they aren't too deep.

Joey waid · Aug 25, 2016

Brew12 said:
I sure hope it it, because it is going to take a ton of work. Jewelers rouge and non gel toothpaste along with a good buffing wheel are supposed to work to take scratches out of glass as long as they aren't too deep.

Cool, I have tried to polish watch crystals they won't budge. I have never tried aquarium glass. I have tried to polish pinball top glass. I hope it works. Please keep us posted I would love to know....

Brew12 · Aug 26, 2016

Ever have one of those rough days at work where you are exhausted and want nothing more than to come home, make a drink, and relax? Yup, that was me yesterday. Heat index of over 100F and had to work outside most of the day. That's rough on a desk jockey like me. So, I'm backing into my driveway into my normal spot and *crunch*. Yup, there went my 55 gallon sump. Backed right into it. I forgot I had left it out when I leak tested it and had it soaking in a bleach solution to disinfect.
Not a big deal, just frustrating. Was thinking about cutting it apart to redo the partitions anyway. The incoming/skimmer section were way bigger than I would have preferred and I would have liked a bigger refugium section. If this is the biggest problem I have with this build I will be in great shape.
No real forward progress because of the long day at work. Won't get much done today because of the HS football game (son is in the marching band). Hope to get back at it over the weekend once I finish the honey do list! Did I mention that this tank and equipment were dirty?!?!?!

steve&mari · Aug 26, 2016

Vinegar works great for cleaning up the nasty gunk. Sorry about the sump but if rest goes well as you said not too bad then lol. Hopefully everything goes smoothly now going forward and we see it pop to life soon. I'd love a 6ft tank lol.

Brew12 · Aug 26, 2016

steve&mari said:
Vinegar works great for cleaning up the nasty gunk. Sorry about the sump but if rest goes well as you said not too bad then lol. Hopefully everything goes smoothly now going forward and we see it pop to life soon. I'd love a 6ft tank lol.

Thanks Steve. I'd actually love to have a 4ft tank, it would fit my space much better!

Just couldn't pass on getting all of that for $1k. I'd still come out ahead even if I threw the tank, stand, and canopy away. It will be awhile before it comes to life. The stand needs some work to make it looking nice again. I might spot clean the tank with vinegar and will definitely use it to clean up the powerheads.

steve&mari · Aug 26, 2016

That's a pretty good deal glad you found it. Craislist can have a way of doing that to plans lol. I'll just look to get a idea then bam gotta grab it because too sweet to pass on lol.

Brew12 · Aug 28, 2016

Not a whole lot going on so far. Just time consuming stuff trying to get the stand ready. It is completely cleaned, sanded and mostly painted. Need to paint around the bottom edges and a little touch up on some places that don't look quite right. Using an acrylic paint to try and make clean up easier. Hope to get the base in the house tomorrow then really start working on cleaning the tank itself.

Brew12 · Aug 29, 2016

Less progress than I had hoped this weekend. It looks like the previous owner had a spill that wasn't cleaned up correctly and required way more work than expected to get the bottom section of wood trim to look nice. Had I known ahead of time I would have just pulled that section of wood off and replaced it.
But, the work is done and the base may make it into the house tonight.

helen ann · Aug 29, 2016

Nice ... Watching and Following along on your journey!!!

Brew12 · Aug 29, 2016

helen said:
Nice ... Watching and Following along on your journey!!!

Thanks! Hope you don't mind travelling really slow as this will take awhile. Being my first tank I am doing absolutely everything I can to make sure it is done right the first time. It's taking awhile just to absorb the huge amount of knowledge available here not to mention the different opinions. But, if you see anything I'm doing wrong or would recommend doing something different please speak up! Not much going on yet to object to (I hope) but that should start changing next weekend. My goal is to get the tank in place and start adding water and rock next weekend.