New custom frag tank thread....

[TighTT]

While my wife and I are having a newly purchased home renovated, we moved into an apartment. Unfortunately my Elos 160 could not come with us so I decided to have a new, custom frag tank built. This new tank will serve two purposes:

First, to house my corals and inhabitants while we live in the apartment (roughly a year) while our house is being worked on.

Second, once the house is complete, it will be a full time frag tank (just a 6-line wrasse as far as fish go).

I decided on a size, 36x36 cube, 18 inches tall, star fire glass on all sides, center overflow. I contracted my LFS, Absolutely fish to have the tank made by their tank guy(s).

Here is the outcome:

For the stand, we went with a 38X38 custom built out of 2 inch square steel. We then powder coated it gloss black:

Then came to lighting...and how we would hang said lights. I knew I wanted to keep lighting simple...just strait LED's this time. I also didn't want to hang them from the ceiling, so a custom built light arm was in order. I wanted to build something strong, that would bolt to the stand, and would hold 4 radian pro's (two 30's and two 15's) with ease. So we used inch square steel and fab'ed up a custom arm...then powder coated it black to match the stand. In progress:

Time to bring everything to the apartment and set it up!!

Seen above is the royal exclusive speedy DC return pump we went with.



ATSS 36 inch sump/refugium installed with a temporary ATB in-sump skimmer:

Tank is wet...letting it cycle for about a month...

running the light cables:

Wired:

Lit:

Candy Basslet doing his thing...

New external DC powered Octopus skimmer:

 

[justindinh24]

In love with ur tank...

 

[heathd.hd]

Nice build!

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

The tank looks great! Thank you for sharing!! :)

 

[TighTT]

Thanks fellas! Up next are custom doors for the stand.

 

[Rob.D]

Great looking tank!

Do you have a specific reason for switching an external skimmer?

 

[TighTT]

Great looking tank!

Do you have a specific reason for switching an external skimmer?

Of all the skimmers I've used…which at this point is in the double digits, I prefer external hands down. I have sitting in my closet many internal skimmers: two ATB, two DC powered reef octopus, two Vertex bubble kings, and many more. I had high hopes for one ofter another and none of them live up to my expectations of what they will pull from the water column, as well as tune-ability.
My external skimmers, on the other hand, pull think goop from the water with ease, never overflow, and are easy to tune. I think the performance difference comes from two pumps being used (feed and air), but mainly the fact that they recalculate.