Crab Wizard's 75g Mixed Reef Peninsula

crabwizard89

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Hello everyone and welcome to my build thread! While I won't be able to write out the full build tonight, I wanted to at least get this thread started and will add more details in the coming days.

Background

I've been reefing for a little over 3 years now, but I kept freshwater tanks for years before that--mostly tetras and neocaridina shrimp (I'm a simple man). When I first got into saltwater, I wasn't sure about the commitment. It all seemed so much more complicated than freshwater and I didn't want to start with a large tank if I ended up disliking it, despite being recommended to start with a larger tank. So, I started with a 16g BioCube and quickly realized I should've listened to those telling me to start with a larger tank :face-with-tears-of-joy: I now knew I wanted a larger tank, I wanted more aquaria; I just wasn't sure about the overhead required to get a larger tank set up with a sump and all the equipment.

To satiate my wants, I "temporarily" upgraded to a 29g tank in the interim while I planned out and built my 75g. And by temporarily (what was supposed to be 6 months) ended up being a year and a half :expressionless-face: But, the wait was worth it! It gave me plenty of time to build a stand, acquire most of the equipment I wanted, and do lots of reading. While sometimes I wish I had just started with a 75g, being a new reefer and starting with smaller tanks taught me a LOT about stability, as well pests, nuisance algae, et al. When I finally got this tank set up, I felt very confident about starting (don't get me wrong, I'm still learning all the time and I know there's going to be some new challenges with this tank, I've already encountered things I wish I'd done differently).

Purpose

I decided to build a peninsula style to use as a room divider in my den. The den is an addition to the house built some time in the 50's and is kind of a long room, a little narrow at one end and was an awkward space to fill. It felt like a bowling alley! I decided a room divider would help break up the space, and allow me to section off the TV area in the den to truly make it a "den" and cozier, while also allowing me to view the aquarium from my living room. Since these are the two rooms I spend the most time in, it seemed like a great option (and truly, I'm quite happy with the layout- it does exactly what I was hoping).

My issue with most available aquarium stands is 1) they are typically made to be oriented against the wall rather than peninsula style, and 2) they're typically plain metal or shaker cabinet, or at most, a very sleek modern look. I wanted something that fit my aesthetic and matched better with my house, so I built it myself. This tank has now been up and running for coming up on 5 months, so it's a bit of a delayed thread.

(As a forewarning, my decorating choices and design style are certainly not for everyone. Some people love it, some people hate it. And that's okay! The important thing is none of you have to live with me and look at it everyday :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:)

With that, I present my 75g peninsula room divider:
front.jpg

side.jpg
den2.jpg


That's all for now, I'll get more detailed with the actual build soon. Thanks for reading!
 
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crabwizard89

crabwizard89

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Time to get into the mechanics of my tank build.

The stand itself is just a modified rocket engineer stand; the main stand is constructed out of 2x4's and 3/4" plywood, while the control cabinet and canopy are constructed from 1x1's and everything is sheathed in 1/4" plywood. The fabric for the cutouts on the panels is a cotton/muslin material for ventilation, and while I haven't had any problems with moisture wicking or salt creep as of yet, I plan to eventually swap it out with a similar-looking poly mesh type fabric (like what you'd use for patio furniture) to avoid any problems.
I have some pictures of the build process of the stand (happy to share those if anyone is interested), but I didn't really take any in-process pictures of building out the sump or running the plumbing.

General Overview
For access, the doors on the narrow viewing end are attached with soft-close hinges so I don't accidentally slam them when closing, while the rest of the panels are secured with magnets for easy removal. The canopy itself is also fully removable should I ever need to, but its cumbersome and involves removing equipment/wires and thankfully I haven't needed to do so as of yet. I had a little space available under the stand between the supporting legs on the narrow end and used that for some built-in storage.
open2.jpg

open3.jpg


Controller Cabinet
Overflow is a Bean Animal-style (not a true BA, but more or less that fits in the external overflow). I run a single return line from the sump, which splits into a dual line to feed the tank. Currently one return at each end, but will likely be changing it in the future so that both returns are at the far end of the tank. Pipes are held in place with pipe clamps for general support and to avoid too much weight pulling on the overflow box.

I tried my best to keep wires as organized as possible using cable wraps and velcro ties, but it is still a semi-rat's nest. I'm thinking of building my own removable controller board to better hide the wires, but that is a future project. For now, this works.

(the paper towel is just there to keep the magnet for my powerhead from sticking too bad--those things are strong!)
control-plumbing.jpg

controllercab.jpg


Canopy
Not a whole lot to write here, but here is an internal shot of the canopy from the controller cabinet to show how the wires are run and a better view of one of the returns.
canopy-interior.jpg


Sump
For the sump, I used a 20g long and the Fijicube baffle kit. Drains enter at the right (for shortest distance), filter through the skimmer and refugium, before the return. There's also currently a 5g reservoir for my ATO, but I measured it and have just enough room for a 10g acrylic reservoir and will likely upgrade that closer to summer when I expect to go through more water. Right now, my evap rate is roughly 5 gallons a week which is perfectly manageable.

sump3.jpg

sump-overhead.jpg
sump-plumbing.jpg


I'm trying to keep these posts manageable, so that's all for now. I'll be doing a breakdown of equipment and more detail on the tank itself soon, as well as lessons learned and upcoming modifications.
 

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