22 gallon bowfront

James LaFrance · Nov 17, 2016

I had a 125 gallon salt water tank before joining the military, but didn't want to be setting up and tearing down a tank every 3-4 years so I sold everything. I had an itch, and setup a 37 gallon fresh water planted tank. It satisfied me for a short time before I had to PCS. Now, almost 2 years after being at this Duty station, I got the itch again and set up a 22 gallon bow front saltwater water FOWLR. I designed and built the stand and canopy myself. The sump is 10 gallons. Currently there are 3 sapphire damsels, a potter's Angel, 2 black Ice perculas, a 4 line wrasse and a dwarf golden eel in the tank. I'm getting a Valentini Puffer this weekend.
edit: I'll upload some pics after I get home.

revhtree · Nov 17, 2016

Following!

James LaFrance · Nov 19, 2016

As promised (although a little late), here is the build progression of my tank. These pics are of the stand, I painted the whole thing with Killz to prevent mold or mildew from ruining the wood. It's humid most of the year here in Hawaii, so it was a big concern of mine. The stand is 30" tall, 24" deep and 21" wide.

James LaFrance · Nov 19, 2016

This next set shows the skin I put on the outside...mango wood! It's so beautiful, I didn't even stain it, just finished it with polyurethane.

James LaFrance · Nov 19, 2016

After finishing the stand, I put the tank on and got it decorated and started the cycling. I'm using an LED light from nanoboxreef, and until the canopy is finished I've got it suspended with a makeshift PVC hanger. The main rocks are live rock from a friend of mine, the decorations of course are fake, but my wife wanted them in there, and the mollusk shells are fake as well. The shell on the bottom, I found while scuba diving one day!

James LaFrance · Nov 19, 2016

After finishing the canopy, I put it on! A perfect fit! The octopus on the side I cut out with my CNC machine then filled it with some blue tinted resin. The idea was that the ambient light from the LEDs would shine through. It works, sorta! I cut the opening in the top as big as the light fixture for ventilation, and also added a removable door in the back to help get access. The saying on the front loosely translates to "My little ocean" and the palm trees were burnt in before finishing.