Nover's 150gal set-up

Nover05 · Jul 22, 2020

A quick history of how I got into reefing. Saw a few tanks within a few weeks of each other a few years back and caught the bug. All 3 tanks were absolutely gorgeous and quickly became something I had to learn. I fiddled with a smaller 5 gal, then up to a 20 gal, then had to leave the hobby for a little while. Now I am back and happen to own one of the tanks that gave me the bug those years ago. My buddy had to let his tank go (the one in the pictures) and I was in the right place at the right time. However; life being life, he had to put it on the back burner so it took a little abuse before finally being drained on the spot.

He had to let his tank go so he gave it to me and I have been holding on to it just waiting for the right time. The time is meow. While he had it, it was very well established. It was one of the tanks that got me into the hobby, and now I have the chance to breed life into it.

My biggest fear was that in the whole time I had this tank, all the times I moved it, all the time it just sat in my garage, surly it would be damaged. Looking at it, you would think that it's never gonna come clean. It's sitting outside soaking with stuff peeling off the glass, and I'm still having a hard time believing it will come clean. So, today I put water in and GUESS WHAT

it holds water!!!

Now that the worst part is over, it holds water, let's get to scrubbing!

I plan to update this build thread often, I know how you reefers love a good build thread. I must forewarn you, this build will take me a few months. It's going to be a nice slow process with lots of research and second guessing and going back and... yeeeeaaaaa. But I thank you all for joining me on this ride, and I thank you all for the advice, knowledge, heads up, opinions, and just genuine interest. It's what makes this hobby so much more fun.

Webslinger · Jul 22, 2020

good luck... a razor blade is your friend

Nover05 · Jul 22, 2020

Webslinger said:
good luck... a razor blade is your friend

or 10 in this case XD

Nover05 · Jul 25, 2020

Well it's taken me 3 days, lots of elbow grease, a lb of citric acid powder, but she's clean. Water held fine, and all the seals for drains are going to be replaced so that will help in the long run. Still have a little rubbing to do on the outside, but that's ez-pz, so I'm not worried about that. The only problem is the teeth at the top of my overflow. Gotta fix those, can't have that.

My next step is preparing the area I want to put it. I am pulling the carpet up to give myself a better and more solid foundation. Also, cleaning any type of water off a hard floor is a lot easier than soaking up salt water out of carpet. The inside of the walls I plan to paint black to give more focus to the tank and the things in the tank. I also plan to put a door or curtain, something there to block out any outside light during lights out times. Since it's an enclosed area, I've dabbled with the idea to put fans and exhaust in the top corners, while leaving the tank open on the top. Personally I like open tops, and have heard that they can be both beneficial and detrimental, so I'm still deciding. (any input would be appreciated) I expect this to be the longest part of the project. Getting this area just right, with the tank, and all accessories, is going to take me a bit but is going to be a lot of fun. Thanks for tagging along!