hatfielj's 187g SPS Build

hatfielj · Sep 4, 2017

They generally recommend a foam mat (that they also sell). However, I'm not sure I want to use one. I don't have pics of this yet, but there are two small gaps between the tank and the stand at two of the corners. I think it's probably due to an uneven thickness in the plywood or something like that. I am going to try shimming under the plywood (between the stand and the plywood, not the tank the the plywood) to see if that flattens it out. Hopefully that's all it needs.
Tank is not full of water yet though. I am waiting until I can move it into it's finally resting place once the drywall is up. Plus, the sump won't be here for another 4 weeks unfortunately.

Antics · Sep 4, 2017

Another user with a CustomAquariums build also had the corners poking up from the stand. They were told by CustomAquariums to use the foam they sell in order to fix the issue.

Here is a link to the other build.

hatfielj · Sep 4, 2017

Thx for that link!

BigAsh · Sep 11, 2017

I had an issue with the top of my stand and I used "table top epoxy" on it. That made it pretty darn flat. I also purchased and used the foam mat from custom aquariums.

aquavista99 · Sep 12, 2017

I have the same problem with really big pictures. Let me know if you have better luck with another photo sharing service.

Amazing progress on the new reef too!!!

hatfielj said:
Also, if anyone has any suggestions for a better photo sharing service, I'm not quite happy with the one I'm using because I can't resize the images (vgy.me). It's free and easy to use, but the pics are coming in too big?

I

hatfielj · Sep 17, 2017

Lot's of work done on the tank room this week. Drywall is complete, painted, trim installed and ready to go. Also started working on building the bench where sump and equipment will rest. Pics to follow!
I ended up starting some additional work on the room that I had not intended on needing to do at the start of this project. The old basement walls next to the tank are a major eye sore. These 130 year old walls are unfortunately due for some major work. They need to have all the old mortar, parging, and top coats removed, then be re-pointed with new mortar. It's a lot of painful, monotonous work, but it has to be done and it has to be done now, not after the tank is installed. SO, I started working on it this week as well. I have a long way to go, but it's going quicker than expected. The result will be a much nicer appearance and no more of the constant crumbling wall debris! It should really give the space a much more finished appearance and not detract from the tank as it does now.
Again, pics to follow (I'm at work and have to figure out a way to get them on here from my phone)

hatfielj · Sep 17, 2017

The result was so nice and neat that I just HAD to do something with the ugly wall next to it. The amount of hammering I had to do to get the old material off the stone was insane. It's a work in progress

It's coming alone though. It will look so much better when it's complete, but to me is already looking better.

hatfielj · Sep 17, 2017

And for reference, this is what the walls look like to start

hatfielj · Sep 17, 2017

Oh and I almost forgot! I have a 100 gallon rubbermaid set up now to house the live rock that's coming in this week. It will be cooking there until the main tank is fully ready to go. And I got a nice little present in the mail from the fedex man! My BK 200 supermarin. Such a thing of beauty!

hatfielj · Sep 19, 2017

I received my live rock today! 175 lbs! I have to say that this is hands down the nicest rock I have ever seen in my 11+ years in the hobby. I'm quite relieved actually because i bought it not knowing if the company was reputable. I purchased it through live rock n reef. It came directly from Golden Marindo importers in Jakarta Indonesia. Its their "gmp premium." It was air freighted here and I picked it up as soon as it landed. It is so full of life it's insane! Very excited about all the great shapes. Should make for a very cool aquascape when the time comes.

Found an interesting hitchhiker. Looks like a tiny lobster?

Second Shot · Sep 19, 2017

That is nice looking rock. The hitchhiker looks to be a pistol shrimp. I like mine even though I rarely see it, just hear it lol

aquavista99 · Sep 19, 2017

Yes indeed, very nice live rock!

hatfielj · Feb 6, 2018

Ok, this thread is finally about to get going again. I’ve been waiting on my sump from Advanced Acrylics for the last several months. It FINALLY arrived last week and I’ve been working feverishly to get the system up and running ever since. This is where I’m at as of tonight as far as the equipment room goes. Quick preview, more to come

aquavista99 · Feb 6, 2018

Very nice update indeed. Amazing sump!

CoralWealth · Feb 7, 2018

everything looks great!

hatfielj · Feb 14, 2018

Ok! Finally a real update! I’ve been doing nothing but working on getting this tank running for over a week now. It’s pretty much done now. I still need to build the water mixing station, but otherwise it’s fully operational. I transferred the live rock and a few fish from my stock tank yesterday. I’m not going to be getting any coral for probably another month or so since we’re going out of town in a couple weeks.

Anyway here are some pics of it running tonight. I’m super excited to finally be able to do a build like this. I’ve always wanted to have a tidy tank room like this. Everything is laid out so it’s easy to work on.
I still have to figure out how I’m going to attach the egg crate inside the frag tank/refugium. And I still need to go get a CO2 tank. Otherwise it’s all operational!!

justingraham · Feb 15, 2018

Looks suave

Jreed983 · Feb 15, 2018

hatfielj said:
Ok! Finally a real update! I’ve been doing nothing but working on getting this tank running for over a week now. It’s pretty much done now. I still need to build the water mixing station, but otherwise it’s fully operational. I transferred the live rock and a few fish from my stock tank yesterday. I’m not going to be getting any coral for probably another month or so since we’re going out of town in a couple weeks.

Anyway here are some pics of it running tonight. I’m super excited to finally be able to do a build like this. I’ve always wanted to have a tidy tank room like this. Everything is laid out so it’s easy to work on.
I still have to figure out how I’m going to attach the egg crate inside the frag tank/refugium. And I still need to go get a CO2 tank. Otherwise it’s all operational!!

Looks great so far! I'm still new to this so what are the royal exclusive controllers for? I assume the RD3 pump and the skimmer?