Firehousereef440- Upgrade from 75g to 220g

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

RacinJason said:
Awesome build, really cool stand and canopy!

Thank you!

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

At this point in the build is where we had to make a decision about the tank. As I mentioned earlier, the original aquarium sprung a leak. I was thinking about completely tearing it apart and basically rebuilding it from the glass up. After a little debate and reasoning with a few other crew members it was decided to search for a new aquarium to take away some of the stress and anxiety I started to feel during the build. I put a lot of pressure on myself trying to complete this for everyone. Some even saying I was crazy for doing this at the firehouse. Especially because everyone started to realize the financial commitment I was making. I wanted to try to complete as much of this project by myself as possible without putting the burden on anyone else. Once they noticed how much time and money I was spending they wouldn’t let me take it on alone. I never really told anyone the total amount, they just started collecting across the shifts. You have to love an amazing crew! They still don’t really know. I just appreciate any support. The stand sat alone for a little while.....

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

I started working on some of the components while our new tank was being built. This is where @customaquariums comes into the picture. This was a great experience working with Ted and Mark from Custom Aquariums. With the stand already built and the plumbing in place for a 7’ tank we had to decide on a custom builder. There are a lot of builders available. Of course price as well as quality were a big part of the decision. After watching videos of how they put the aquariums together I decided to contact them for a quote. Not only was the process easy, they were very patient with me while I gave them specific instructions and measurements as to what we needed. The other great thing is that they both were available to talk to on the phone. This helps take out some of the confusion that may occur through email with some of the specific details. Just to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Reefpuck · Jul 12, 2019

Looking like a fun build. Excited to see it filled up soon.

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

See this Instagram photo by @firehousereef440
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuO66K2lt3G/?utm_source=ig_web_button_native_share
See this Instagram video by @firehousereef440
https://www.instagram.com/p/BueB3X7lPIi/?utm_source=ig_web_button_native_share
I started working on the light rack and canopy arms while the aquarium was built

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

Reefpuck said:
Looking like a fun build. Excited to see it filled up soon.

Thank you!

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

This is how the canopy and stand came together

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

The aquarium was finished a couple of weeks ago. Shipping was pretty straight forward with a few hiccups with the shipping company. Nothing to do with Custom Aquariums. It still showed up in great shape. Great packaging from Custom Aquariums! Everyone was very impressed with the build quality of the aquarium!

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

Our shift had to work the Fourth of July but that didn’t stop us from having a good time!

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

We also had a little time to set the tank in place.

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

To bring everything up to date, we actually have water in the aquarium.... the rocks were placed in just for the water displacement. They still have to be aquascaped

JJ440 · Jul 12, 2019

Thank you to everyone who is following along so far! As you can imagine there is still plenty of work to do! We appreciate you sharing this journey with us and helping us learn along the way!