Follow my Fiancée and I as we go through the highs and lows of building a dream setup.
Disclaimer: Even though it is extremely taboo to discuss in public, I will be posting costs as I do this build. My reasoning being that I want to inspire others to take risks and go the DIY route. These costs might be great finds or a terrible ripoff.
Finally bought my first house, which means it is time for my dream tank!
The Vision: AN IN-WALL WINDOW TO THE OCEAN!!!!
$175
I had been planning on using a 120g RR tank for the past 2 years, and have moved that hoss 3 times! I always wanted larger but weight is an issue and I got one helluva deal on it. also hadn't come across any large bowfronts I could afford. I have been on Craigslist for the last year searching for deals to try and save as much as possible.
upon purchasing our house I found out the room I want to use, is slab on grade, thus making weight less of a concern. So I started looking at other options than the 120g. @TheRealChrisBrown hits me up with a possible lead for a tank, AND IT HAPPEND TO BE A BOWFRONT at a great cost too!!! What luck!
The tank has one broken brace that needs repaired but holds water just fine.
I am upgrading from a 58g tank meaning that almost all of the hardware I have will not work on the new setup, this makes my wallet cry.
(here it is in "limp mode" after the move just keeping corals alive until the new tank is setup)
had to get them out of the cooler...
The Room:
before
gotta get rid of that 1970s paneling!
well that is a sad attempt of insulation, that needs to be fixed.
I plan on just blocking off that old window, that way when resale happens I can easily revert the space.
I was borrowing my dads truck and had to get it back to him so I had to move the tank. So my buddy and I put our big boy pants on, and moved that beast into the house onto the stand I built. 2x4 doubled up on the frame and 6 main legs ( I might add 2 more mains this weekend just to be sure)
added a few extra single braces for good measure
Lizzie then got to cleaning all of the encrusted duster skeletons and coralline algae off. She could go swimming in this!
lumber and hardware cost $60
Next Step: I am extremely wary of any inconsistent force applied to the bottom of the tank. I don't want a pressure point to cause cracks or cloud the bowed glass, so I will be leveling MDF board onto the stand with mortar or bondo (better chemical resistance). Then I will seal the entire stand.
Disclaimer: Even though it is extremely taboo to discuss in public, I will be posting costs as I do this build. My reasoning being that I want to inspire others to take risks and go the DIY route. These costs might be great finds or a terrible ripoff.
Finally bought my first house, which means it is time for my dream tank!
The Vision: AN IN-WALL WINDOW TO THE OCEAN!!!!
buuuut reality and $$$ will make this a challenge.
The Tank: 175 gallon RR oceanic bow front
$175
I had been planning on using a 120g RR tank for the past 2 years, and have moved that hoss 3 times! I always wanted larger but weight is an issue and I got one helluva deal on it. also hadn't come across any large bowfronts I could afford. I have been on Craigslist for the last year searching for deals to try and save as much as possible.
upon purchasing our house I found out the room I want to use, is slab on grade, thus making weight less of a concern. So I started looking at other options than the 120g. @TheRealChrisBrown hits me up with a possible lead for a tank, AND IT HAPPEND TO BE A BOWFRONT at a great cost too!!! What luck!
The tank has one broken brace that needs repaired but holds water just fine.
I am upgrading from a 58g tank meaning that almost all of the hardware I have will not work on the new setup, this makes my wallet cry.
(here it is in "limp mode" after the move just keeping corals alive until the new tank is setup)
had to get them out of the cooler...
The Room:
before
gotta get rid of that 1970s paneling!
well that is a sad attempt of insulation, that needs to be fixed.
I plan on just blocking off that old window, that way when resale happens I can easily revert the space.
I was borrowing my dads truck and had to get it back to him so I had to move the tank. So my buddy and I put our big boy pants on, and moved that beast into the house onto the stand I built. 2x4 doubled up on the frame and 6 main legs ( I might add 2 more mains this weekend just to be sure)
added a few extra single braces for good measure
Lizzie then got to cleaning all of the encrusted duster skeletons and coralline algae off. She could go swimming in this!
lumber and hardware cost $60
Next Step: I am extremely wary of any inconsistent force applied to the bottom of the tank. I don't want a pressure point to cause cracks or cloud the bowed glass, so I will be leveling MDF board onto the stand with mortar or bondo (better chemical resistance). Then I will seal the entire stand.