BenaPilot's 75 Gallon Build

[benapilot]

Let there be light!!

 

[revhtree]

Looking good!

 

[benapilot]

Here are a couple videos of my progress:

 

[French27]

Do you anticipate the performance of the H2Overflow being affected by your power heads at all? This is the first I have run across the H2Overflow, and it has me intrigued to say the least. Nice setup you have going here. Following along.

 

[benapilot]

Do you anticipate the performance of the H2Overflow being affected by your power heads at all? This is the first I have run across the H2Overflow, and it has me intrigued to say the least.

I'm not sure. Right now I have the return locline pointed right at the overflow. I should set my Gyre up in there and see what it does.... stay tuned!

Nice setup you have going here. Following along.

Thanks! It's an exercise in patience. Part of me just wants to set it all up real quick, but I know taking my time will be well worth it. Part of the enjoyment for me is this build process.

 

[Fin]

Nice job on the sump. I will be building a new one from scratch soon and I would like to get one of those kits like that, but for a larger, custom sized sump. I have been on that site before and I never saw that. Thanks for posting your pictures.

I have always liked 75 gallon tanks. That is what my first reef tank was 16 years ago. Looks like you did a good job on resealing it.

Following along to see this one mature...

 

[Erick Merfeld]

Nice setup so far! I have a 75 as well. I have also been looking at that baffle kit but heard acrylic bond is not near as strong as glass. You will have to let me know how that sump works out for you!

 

[jetmaker]

Here are a couple videos of my progress:

I use the h20 over flow as well awesome.

 

[jetmaker]

Do you anticipate the performance of the H2Overflow being affected by your power heads at all? This is the first I have run across the H2Overflow, and it has me intrigued to say the least. Nice setup you have going here. Following along.

No

 

[benapilot]

Not much progress... life just gets in the way sometimes!
I finished up the canopy, used General Finishes High Performance water based finish. 4 coats.



I got a little carried away with the sandpaper after the first coat and exposed some of the bare wood. I actually like it and did more. Kind of a distressed look.




This front panel is magnetic and comes completely off. As does the top.




Here's the back and inside of the canopy with a couple coats of gray primer. I'll just keep it that way.



We're headed to Hawaii for spring break next week. Aloha!

 

[French27]

I like the grey primer! It really makes it easy to see in there. Great update!

 

[benapilot]

Between a busy work schedule and vacation, I haven't made much progress on the tank... I did order a Kalk stirrer from Avast Marine that will need to be assembled soon.

I did a little "electrical" work today: labeled and mounted a few power bricks, and installed a wire channel over the sump. Everything is mounted with Velcro strips.

Next, I think I'll work on the skin for the stand.

 

[benapilot]

I started on the lower cabinet panels yesterday. Made some good progress.
These will be magnetic, so I'll be able to pull them completely off. They'll also have doors for quick access.

My wood working skills are improving, however, I did make a couple mis-measurements, but nothing outside an easy fix with a table saw and a little sand paper!





I learned from someone else to router the ends that butt against each other to hide imperfections in matching the panels together:





These are just loosely leaning against the stand. The plan is to have them seamlessly meet on the corners (here's where my miscalculations bit me!):

 

[benapilot]

Nice setup so far! I have a 75 as well. I have also been looking at that baffle kit but heard acrylic bond is not near as strong as glass. You will have to let me know how that sump works out for you!

Thanks for following along!
I've been running the system in my garage for a couple months now and haven't had any issues with the sump baffle kit. There's not a lot of pressure on the baffles, so having a solid bond on the acrylic is really not that necessary. The first set with the filter socks pretty much stands on its own. The only baffle that will be under any kind of pressure will the the adjustable one that divides the skimmer section from the return section. I plan on having the return section water level only about 1/2" lower so the pressure will be at a real minimum.

 

[benapilot]

More progress.....

Finished the front and sides (minus the doors) and attached the magnets.









I also got a couple Sunblaster T5 fixtures from amazon ( http://amzn.com/B00AKKUEV0 ). These will hang on either side of my Hydra 26s. I haven't decided yet on what bulbs to use- probably an Aquablue Special and a Coral+??

 

[fry_school101]

Nice build! Love the use of magnets for the stand.

 

[benapilot]

Nice build! Love the use of magnets for the stand.

Thanks! I got the idea from another build somewhere on here.

Update:

I built the cabinet doors yesterday and got a couple coats of stain on them. I ordered some glass to go in the doors. "Reed" is what the glass design will be- frosted glass with vertical ribs.

 

[benapilot]

I finished the doors! Drilled and installed the hinges and hung the doors.
At first I was planning on just using plywood for the doors, but got an idea when I had to custom order a mirror. Glass panels! I went to the glass shop and saw a pane of glass they called "reed." Perfect!

I also got multi-color LED light strip for under the cabinet.

 

[hybridazn]

Awesome! Build is coming along great!

 

[Marktheshark83]

Wow. I love the stand. I think when I decide to upgrade from my 30g. 75 is what I want. Perfect size