First big tank, let's do it right this time (75g)

Recently retired my 29g tank that had a 10g sump. It was my first reef tank and made some mistakes along the way, mainly due to poor planning. My numerous modifications were primarily jerry rigged due to learning things the hard and and also working with a stand not designed for sumps, and also have incredibly limited space.

I just picked up this used reef ready Marineland 75g and am ready to start this journey and do things RIGHT!

Here's the tank as it was when I picked it up from the previous owner.



The inside of the stand was in pretty rough shape due to salt splash and creep. I cleaned it reall well and laid down a layer of Rustoleum glossy protective enamel paint. The goal is to be able to take a damp cloth and clean up any messes easily. The oil based paint will also help protect the wood from moisture.

Here is the inside of the stand before:







Here it is after:





I'm going to do one more layer just to ensure a good seal and get a even coat.

 

Looks good. Great upgrade.

 

Congrats, looking good. Ironically, my 1st tank was a 75 and I am now in a 29. You will absolutely love the fish options that a 75 will give you and set up the rock work is going to be a blast.

 

Can't wait to see more!!

 

I'm looking forward to it! I felt like with the 29g, once I had all the rock added there was no room left. Also with a 10g sump it was so incredibly cramped. I can't wait to have a 20g sump and have plenty of room for skimmer, refugium etc!

Thanks guys for stopping by!

 

Looking good, I just started with the same tank. I'll be following along.

 

Did another coat of the enamel paint and it's looking good. Now I have some peace of mind that the occasional splash or spill won't immediately soak in to the wood and damage it. It will also make cleaning up dust and salt creep a simple wipe with a damp cloth.

Now on to the frustrating stuff. Doing a preliminary wet test in my garage, I noticed a slow leak from the overflow bulkhead fitting. It was about 1-2 drops a minute. I hand tightened it best I could and got it to where it's just barely oozing out, almost unnoticeable. Experience has taught me that even though it's not dripping, this could potentially be a salt creep nightmare. On my next day off I'm going to drain everything, remove the bulkhead, clean everything, then put it back. That will at least eliminate the possibility of a bad seal. Will update what happens!

 

Well, I came home after being at work for 36 hours and the entire bulkhead is dry. Maybe the wetness I was feeling was leftover from the previous dripping / leak. I will keep an eye on it and see what happens. Going to let it continue to run w/ freshwater in my garage while I am working on the sump!

 

After many conversions with people here on R2R and in person, I decided that the existing stand was not structurally sound enough to continue the build. There's no way that I could put 800 pounds on that flimsy stand and sleep well at night. Fortunately there are enough build threads on here for endless inspiration and I went to work. I only have mediocre carpentry skills and I'm impressed with how this came out.

If you're interested in the build I copied, check out this thread:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/i-dont-think-something-is-right.314092/

 

Bought some nice crown molding for the top trim, also added some 1x3 on top to hide some of the plastic trim of the tank. Also threw on the first coat of Waverly chalk paint, next will be a satin polyurethane to protect the wood from spills and splashes.

Really excited over how this is turning out considering I have little to no carpentry skills!

 

Stand looks awesome!

 

Nicely done

 

That look great!!!

 

Thanks everyone! Hopefully I'll have more pics soon!

 

can you share some photos of the inner framing on that stand? I am planning on building a stand for my 75 also. I like the taller design you went with and the whole thing looks awesome!
Just trying to decide on how i want to go on the inside frame

 

Just plopped in a block of frozen mysis shrimp and did my first dose of AquaVitro Seed. Let's get this tank cycling!

 

Great job on that stand dood. When I first looked at it i was thinking that it looked a little flimsy for a 75 gal tank... but before I said anything I noticed you ditched it and started over. Well played sir, well played. I will definitely be following along.

 

Nice job on the stand.
It looks great, and I think you'll be able to sleep now!

 

I didn't take any pics of the inside, but good news! I followed this thread here on R2R, so check it out to see how I built mine! https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/75-gallon-stand-build.119132/ Credit to @shovelrider for the inspiration!

 

Home from deployment. Glad to be on solid ground! The tank has been cycling for two months now and the chaeto has been growing strong. I've had a Blue Damsel in there for a month and he's doing fine. I am not sure if I will keep him, I may decide to trade him back to the LFS.

While I was out to sea my wife bought me the digital Vivar Spectra 165w lights which I am so excited about. I just need to build a nice canopy to conceal them.



Also while I was out to sea she bought me a new activated carbon filter and sediment filter for my RODI unit. Still waiting for the DI resin to come in, though. As you can see it needed to be replaced badly!