New 75 gallon build with DIY stand

[dirk0529]

Well it appears im starting a build thread.

I have a 75 gallong marineland reef ready tank.
Reef octopus 152s
Reef octopus vario 4
Maxspect gyre 150 and 250 with controller
Trigger emerald 26 sump
Reef radiance dm165+(i think its the +)
Using instant ocean for salt.
Tropic eden meso flakes 4 bags.
100lbs of rock from reefcleaners

What I need:
Heater and controller
Ground probe
Light upgrade(need to use old phone to control light as of now)(leaning toward reefbreeder 48”)
Kessil h160 for refugium
Possible apex controller in future



May have missed something

Plan going forward:
I have all lumber for stand. I will attempt to build it this week based on RE design. Not going to skin it but will paint with kills complete to seal it.

From there i will set up tank and plum the return and drain. I will probably use flexible vinyl for this.

Once plumbed in goes the sand and rock. From there ill start making water and mixing salt.
I will bring everything up to temp and probably use the shrimp method to cycle the tank. From there I will probably add a pair of black clown fish as the first inhabitants.

Thats as far as this plan goes for now. It will be a mixed reef mainly softies and lps with a possibility of sps and a clam mush later on.

Ill take any feedback anyone has on equipment,process, cycle, or anything for that matter im hear to learn and succed this time around. Also hopefully stop me from making a stupid mistake.

Some questions I have:

For the diy stand i tried to get the straightest boards I could without spending 3 days in the store searching. How much bow,cup, warp etc is to much or is it not a huge issue?

I will be putting plywood on top and bottom. No center brace.

Wpuld the reefbreeder 48” be ok or would the 36 be sufficient?

I plan on using the finnex titanium heater and controller any one have issues with these?

As far as fish go I would like some clowns, a tang, a dwarf angle, and not sure what else im open to suggestions. No wrasses or chromis. Im thinking light fish load with focus on corals.

Also what are thoughts on hermits for being part of a clean up crew? I had them in my first tank and found them to just be a PIA.

Im sure ill have more questions but this is just the start.

Thanks all.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

Looks like a great start. Don't forget to include the pictures. I'm also working on a 75g in-wall tank.

 

[dirk0529]

Well got the stand sections cut tomorrow start assembly.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Sounds like a good start! I personally like hermits, but I only keep a few in the tank.

 

[dirk0529]

I found a few sites that suggested so many per gallon so that what I got. Not sure of the number but it was almost certainly way to many. I might be alright is I stick to smaller and only a few 3-5 hermits.

 

[dirk0529]

Today was a good day for progress.

The stand is built 2x4 for the bottom and for extre insurance 2x6 for the top. This was the second time for 2x6 top and boy do they warp no matter how straight i think they are . I hope this is ok i may put some metal cornors on the out side to give some peice of mind.


I also noticed the stand as built has some wonble to it. Not sure if this is the base if off or the floor. The floor you see is where its going.

I also painted the back of the tank with some nice rich blue.


No the bright spot is not painted to pretend the sun is out.

Tomorrow or next week will be putting the plywood on the top and bottom.

Does anyone thing the stand should be tweaked because of the slight wobble and some issueswith the 2x6 being warped.

It was much worse the first time. This is what put me off for a few months the last time. Am i over worying?

Thanks again.

 

[Red_Beard]

How much is "slight"? I built a couple stands almost identical to that, one for a 75 and the other for a 90, had about 3/16 or so wobble from the garage floor. The weight of the tank streightened them out pretty good once i got the them filled up with water and sumps under them. If you get too worried about it, you could always shim it level beforehand, just make sure to use fatter shims if you aren't on a concrete slab so you aren't creating crazy pressure points on your sub floor.

 

[dirk0529]

I am not sure how much it is off yet. I am planing to see how it fits once the tank is about half full with water. From there I will level the stan to level the tank. Hopefully the tank will sit flat on the stand but a little at a time. Im also worried about the brade on the top inside I may have to move that over to fit the plumbing. We shall see.

Update for today. Had to get differnt plywood since a 2x4 precut sheet was to small. Will try and put the plywood on this weekend and seal the stand. Ill keep everyone posted

 

[harthag12]

The reefbreeders light comes in 32" and 48", personally I'd go 48" so there isn't shadowing at the end of the tank, but depending on what you want to keep you could make either work.

 

[dirk0529]

Ok id like to light as much of the tank as possible. Have the most versatility to keep anything I want.
So ill get the 48” light. Im leaning toward this vs the kessile for ease and price one light vs 2 to 3

 

[Mastiffsrule]

How much is "slight"? I built a couple stands almost identical to that, one for a 75 and the other for a 90, had about 3/16 or so wobble from the garage floor. The weight of the tank streightened them out pretty good once i got the them filled up with water and sumps under them. If you get too worried about it, you could always shim it level beforehand, just make sure to use fatter shims if you aren't on a concrete slab so you aren't creating crazy pressure points on your sub floor.

+1

The stand is looking good, as well the plan. I did the same thing when I built mine. Pulls every board at Home Depot, checked for warp or crowns, still had it. Once filled a lot of it may should come out.

Keep the pix rolling

 

[dirk0529]

Thats reassuring mastiffsrule im glad someone else had the same issues and most go away once weight is added. Doing this on my own this feed back is much appreciated

 

[Salty Lemon]

More pictures!!!!!!! ;Woot

 

[dirk0529]

Next update got the ply wood on the top and bottom of stand. Did a sand of the plywood edges they where cut slightly longer than the stand. Also sanded the frame of the stand to clean up some tool marks and other surface issues. Also sanded the top of the stand plywood to remove any high sports from the screws.

Need to get the tank on the stand and mark for the plumbing. I hope the holes miss the bracing on the left side but im almost certain they will hit.

Ill move a brace lower and the top brace to the right once i figure out the plumbing.

Heres a picture.



Posting from phone typos are probable.

 

[Uptowngirl]

Nice! I’m following along. Once I get out of this apartment and into a house I’m gonna upgrade to a 75 gal. I’ll probably build my stand just like this

 

[dirkdirk]

Its a very solid stand just take your time and look up how to make consistent cuts with a miter saw on youtube helped me a lot. I would probably go for 2x4 on top instead of 2x6 due to the warp all my x6 had. I was able to make it work with some pulling and pushing and clamps. I also would remove one of the inner cross bracesfrom the top depending on where your overflow is(assuming its a reef ready like mine).

Like you i was in an apartment and rental house so mever gotto setup this tank ive had it for about 4 years now. Got a great deal on it about 100 bucks off on sale from a lfs. The chasier didnt belive me when i told her the price they almost never went on sale.

Ive been busy the last few days. I will get the tank onthe stand mark the holes to be bored in the top playwood and then design my plumbing. I think I will just use 1” flex vinyl in black if I can find it locally if not just the clear unless there are other suggestions not involving pvc(dont feel like doing that work quit yet. Maybe down the road but probably not its not in a living space. I will be getting a reefbreeder light soon hopefully before the tank needs light. I also think I may get some live rock from tampa bay, kb aquatics or live rock and reef unless i hear otherwise it would be 10-20lbs ro seed the tank with stuff(some good some bad I know). Im not in a huge rush to get fish and corals in but I do think the more diversity the better just my opinion not meant to start a debate about live vs dry ive seen the thread. Just looking for inout good or bad about the live rock suppliers.

On e plumbing is done it will be time to seal the tank with some exterior primer and paint.

Once complete ill need to let it cure for a bit to make sire the sump wont stock to the paint. Probably a week min maybe a full cure at a month. Then its time to get everythi g together and wather in the tank slowly but Surely ill get there.

 

[dirkdirk]

Quick update. Sorry no pictures. Will be sealing and painting the stand today.

I may have a new light option. With the anouncment of the red sea reefled If they are comming out soon i think ill be a test subject and get 2 for my tank. These look promising and the pricepoint seems perfect.

 

[mich2599]

How do you like the silicone work on that tank?

 

[dirkdirk]

I have not done a very extensive look at the silicone but it does look ok. I will take a closer look them I add water to check the tank and stand level in the coming weeks.

 

[Captain Quint]

You're doing a great job and we're enjoying the build follow! Thanks for sharing.