My new big tank build!

[eric.tech]

Well I finally was able to get my hands on a 200+ gallon tank! I picked up a used 285 gallon acrylic tank locally that’s in great shape, came with a steel stand and some other goodies. My plan is to use a 125 gallon I recently picked up as my sump in the basement. Once it’s up and running, the contents of my 75 gallon reef will be transferred over! Oh and support the floor in my 100 year old house I’ll keep this thread updated as I go.

 

[YNRA]

Good luck! Can't wait to see what it looks like.

 

[1ocean]

Looks like you got a lot of polishing on your hands with that tank.
But in the end it will be worth it...

 

[eric.tech]

Looks like you got a lot of polishing on your hands with that tank.
But in the end it will be worth it...

It will for sure. Have my rubbing compound and a hand held buffer ready to go! May be some sand paper involved too depending on the scratch lol.

 

[eric.tech]

Little update on the progress so far. I was able to round up a few friends to help me squeeze this in the house. The tank was easy, but for the stand, we had to remove a door. It’s in the house and now the big project has begun: pouring reinforced concrete footings to support the floor under the tank! Before someone says I shouldn’t have to support the floor unless it’s an old farm house, well I have that 100 year old farm house I also need to break up some old concrete where the coal pit was, and level it out so my 125gal sump can be down in the basement. Buy an old house they said..... it will be fun they said....

 

[count krunk]

Where the coal pit was, dang that's old! Good looking build so far.

 

[eric.tech]

Where the coal pit was, dang that's old! Good looking build so far.

Yea man! There’s even an old concrete frame in the ground from where the outhouse was! The house used to be the old telegraph company. Lots of character which is why we bought it!

 

[count krunk]

That's awesome! Old homes do usually have a lot of cool features

 

[eric.tech]

Update from the old farm house, I’ve got the floor supported and the concrete poured and cured. There 5 support posts total due to the wonderful positioning of the HVAC system. 8.5 80lb bags of concrete, 4 40lb bags of self leveling concrete, and a very sore back, the floor for the sump is done! Next in that area is clean up. have to get the dirt from the crawl area near that away from the concrete edges, put up a barrier to block it, and start my sump construction. The things we do for our reefs...

 

[count krunk]

Hey it's stiffening up your house as well!

 

[eric.tech]

Little update on the tank. Slow going as I have many other projects I’m working on around the house, but it’s getting there.

All plumbed up, just have to use soft plumbing for the 57w UV light.

the 125g sump is about ready to go

Last I need to patch up some cracked concrete in the basement, clean up all the dust around the area and it’ll be ready for water!

 

[1ocean]

Little update on the tank. Slow going as I have many other projects I’m working on around the house, but it’s getting there.

All plumbed up, just have to use soft plumbing for the 57w UV light.

the 125g sump is about ready to go

Last I need to patch up some cracked concrete in the basement, clean up all the dust around the area and it’ll be ready for water!

looks like you did a great job cleaning up the old tank and polishing it

 

[eric.tech]

Oh yes, about a week’s worth of buffing the acrylic out. Got my $35 worth out of that ryobi palm buffer! Soooo much Novus #3 lol.

 

[1ocean]

Oh yes, about a week’s worth of buffing the acrylic out. Got my $35 worth out of that ryobi palm buffer! Soooo much Novus #3 lol.

I never used the stuff..yet to redo a tank but I got my hands on a partially used bottle of Novus 1. I used it on the outside of my 140 and now cleaning the outside of the tank is so easy. The water drips wipe right off with a micro-fiber cloth.
So now every once in a while I re-apply it to the outside.
The outside of the tank is now super smooth and the cloth seems to glide over the tank..

 

[eric.tech]

It’s good stuff for sure! Novus 2 is a polishing compound and Novus 3 is a scratch remover, but it’s not super aggressive.

 

[biecacka]

Eric, did you use any special techniques while using the hand buffer? I just received my Novus kit and am picking up a hand buffer tomorrow to take a few scratches out of my tank.

corey

 

[eric.tech]

Eric, did you use any special techniques while using the hand buffer? I just received my Novus kit and am picking up a hand buffer tomorrow to take a few scratches out of my tank.

corey

Cory, I just made smooth and even passes when moving the buffer around. When the buffer is in operation, try to keep it flat on the acrylic, not tilting it. If there are rounded edges or corners, be very careful with the buffer or do it by hand. After a few passes with the buffer, I would then wipe the panel down with a micro fiber towel. I did not buff it until the compound was dry as it makes wiping it off quite the chore.

Make sure to pick up a random orbit buffer as mine (cheap ryobi random orbit palm sander) worked like a charm. A traditional high speed buffer can burn and leave swirl marks. I would also make sure to grab a couple extra bonnets/buffing pads if you have a large surface to do.

One other thing, make sure to grab at least Novus 2 and 3. This stuff is not as abrasive as the deep cut automotive compounds so if you have some deeper scratches, it will take time and a lot of Novus. I had a pretty deep scratch that I used sand paper on and it came out great, but now there’s a slight distortion in that area as I did not sand the entire panel. If I did it again, I would have used my random orbit sander and worked my way through the entire panel or at least a larger area. With the Novus, just be patient and keep the buffer moving. Hope this helps!