ReefBum's 225G Peninsula Tank Build

ReefBum

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Well, this past summer I decided to add a second display tank to my finished basement. I already have a 187 gallon SPS dominant tank, but I always wanted to try a peninsula tank due to the really cool viewing options. I ended up going with a Coast To Coast Custom Aquariums tank with the following dimensions: 72"L x 36"W x 20"T. I think width is very important with a reef tank since it opens up many more aquascaping options and I felt 3' would be great for a peninsula tank. I also really liked the idea of a lagoon style tank so I thought 20" tall would be pretty neat.

So I hemmed and hawed on where to put it and decided to move the pool table and put the end of the tank up against the wall with the pictures. You can see the 187 gallon tank off to the right. The room in the top center of the picture is where I have my sump and equipment for the 187g tank. And the plan was to hard plumb the 225g peninsula to that room as well, although the tank would have its own sump.

Room-With-Pool-Table-Against-Wall.jpg


But I was going to have to go through another room, the one with our furnace, to get to the sump room. Here is the room with the peninsula tank marked off on the floor. The plumbing will go through the wall off to the right.

Room-No-Tank.jpg


And here is the furnace room. The tank plumbing will go through the wall behind the furnace and the wall to left with the screens.

Furnance-Room.jpg


Ending up here in the sump room.....my work bench will have to be moved as well :(

Future-Home-of-New-DB.jpg


The tank was ordered the beginning of the summer. Here is a progress pic.

Tank-At-Early-Stage-of-Build.jpg
 

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I’ve been following this on IG and it looks amazing. Great work

we are just now designing our forever home, and making enough free area in the main floor for an 8’ long peninsula. I’m sure that’ll get downgraded a bit as we progress, but a peninsula is my dream tank.
Looking forward to watching this progress
 
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ReefBum

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About 3 months later I made the trek from my home in Vermont down to Coast To Coast Custom Aquariums in NJ to pick up the tank. It was a 6 hour drive so I left pretty darn early ;)

Early-Morning-Road-Trip.jpg


Patrick, the owner of Coast To Coast, loaded it into the Uhaul cargo trailer I rented for the trip.

Loading-Tank-With-Patrick.jpg


Tank-Loaded-at-CTC.jpg


The next day was move in day so the movers showed up to transport the tank from the UHaul to the finished basement in the back. There is a bit of a dip on the side of the house but the guys navigated it just fine.

Moving-Tank-Out-of-Uhaul.jpg


Tank-Going-Down-Hill.jpg


And into the house.....

Tank-Into-House.jpg


After a few more maneuvers, the tank made its final approach to the stand.

Final-Approach-of-Tank-To-Stand.jpg


The final resting spot :)

Tank-On-Stand.jpg


More details to come about the tank and the custom stand.
 
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ReefBum

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I’ve been following this on IG and it looks amazing. Great work

we are just now designing our forever home, and making enough free area in the main floor for an 8’ long peninsula. I’m sure that’ll get downgraded a bit as we progress, but a peninsula is my dream tank.
Looking forward to watching this progress
Thanks! Good luck with your peninsula. They are awesome!
 
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ReefBum

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Sorry I have been lax on updating this thread. For this custom tank I went with a custom wooden stand. I know aluminum framed stands are a popular option these days but I assumed they would be more expensive versus just wood, especially if I wanted to have it skinned with wood. Nonetheless, I reached out to the guy who built our house, Steve, and got him on board to build the stand. He is a great guy and a very talented carpenter. Earlier this summer he swung by to deliver the materials.

Steve Arriving With Materials.jpg


The stand would have to be assembled in our basement since it would not be possible to move it inside fully assembled. The stand will be 36" wide and I believe the door is only 32" wide.

Once the materials arrived I sprung into action and applied one coat of primer and two coats of the finish coat.

Painting Panels.jpg


A couple of weeks later Steve came back and assembled the stand.

Steve Assembling Stand.jpg


Panels were installed on three sides of the stand and on one side the panels opened up as doors to give me access underneath. As I mentioned, there will be a room on the other side of the wall for nearly all of the equipment, but I will be keeping the light ballasts and controllers and power bricks for the re-circulating pumps underneath the stand.

Steve Assembling Stand With Doors.jpg
 
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Here is a shot underneath the stand with extra supports to strengthen it. Note that the supports are not bending under pressure from the weight of the tank....the picture itself is a little funky :)

Inside Supports.jpg


Once Steve was done I broke out my paint brush again to apply the finish coat.

Final Coat of Paint.jpg
 
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As you can see in the prior picture, there is no trim at the top of the stand. The plan was to wait for the tank to be placed on the stand and then have Steve come back to put on the trim. I didn't want to risk having the tank movers knock off the trim during the move.

Steve Putting on Saddle.jpg


And here are some shots of the finished product. I think it came out great.

Final Stand pic 1.jpg


Final Stand pic 2.jpg


Final Stand pic 3.jpg


Final Stand pic 4.jpg


Final Stand pic 5.jpg


Final Stand pic 7.jpg


Stand Saddle Close Up.jpg


Final Stand pic 8.jpg
 
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ReefBum

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It also matched the white stand of my other tank in the room. It was not exactly the same style as the other stand and I was fine with that.

Screen Shot 2020-12-02 at 3.09.38 PM.png


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And the silver/white lights over the new tank were going to match the silver light fixtures over the current tank. How about that :)

New Tank

Lights Over New tank.jpg


Current Tank Before Water

Screen Shot 2020-12-02 at 3.11.50 PM.png
 

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That's a beauty! Love the stand!
 

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I know it's going to be an amazing reef once you get done!
 
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So here are some more pictures and details of the tank. One feature I really like on my tanks is euro-bracing. I know rimless tanks look really sleek and cool but IMO they can be problematic for a SPS dominant tank due to the high flow required. I don't want to worry about water splashing over the side. I also think euro-bracing helps, to some degree, to keep fish from carpet surfing. I am not a big fan of putting a nylon net over the tank since I like open top tanks.

Tank pic 7.jpg


Tank pic 2.jpg


Tank pic 16.jpg


Tank pic 5.jpg


Tank pic 8.jpg
 
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ReefBum

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The tank also has Starphire glass (1/2") on the three viewing panels, two 1-1/2" drains and two 1" returns. Overall, I am really pleased how it looks on the stand and how it fits in with the rest of the room.

Tank pic 13.jpg


Tank pic 15.jpg


Tank pic 14.jpg


Tank pic 4.jpg


Tank pic 1.jpg


Tank pic 12.jpg
 
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