I know that I've been MIA for awhile now. I've taken a new position at my job, and it has been absorbing most of my time. But I am starting to get serious about finally doing this large aquarium build. The only thing that I currently have for this build is a 225 gallon display, and then a 125 gallon tank that I hope to turn into a sump. I am working on putting money back now. I have no idea how much this tank is going to cost to start up. My goal was to save a couple thousand, and just see where it got me into the build. The hardest thing for me is going to be getting the sump and stand built. I've never used a sump, so I've still not wrapped my head around the basic mechanics of how one works. I think that once I get all of that setup, the rest of the build will fall into place. I just wanted to start a build thread. I will post photos of progress as it happens. This will probably be a project that I will start on this Fall. I am sure that I will be asking you all for lots of advice.
Yeah! I was being supportive of the terrarium but I'm excited about this being a reef instead! What really helped me design my sump was looking at others set ups. I couldn't visualize it with just pictures.
That's what I've been doing. Just researching a lot of build threads and videos online. My family is moving out, and it's just going to be me and my dad here now. So I think it'll be something we can work on together. I think Dad is excited about it, and he's more mechanical. So that will help. It's just the right time to get it done.
So the very first thing I've got to do is build the sump, and stand. If I can get the tank inside and set up in the living room, I think that would really help in making this project happen. I am looking at plans for stands, and do you all think this would be a good design for a stand? http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/cioutlaws-225-gallon.19536/ My Dad is pretty good at building things like this. He built me some awesome wood planters out of scrap lumber we had lying around the yard. I think the concept is kind of similar to this. I like the idea of having a side door. That way you could always slide the sump in or out if you had to for some reason. My sump is going to be 125 gallons, so I might have to figure a little bit different design for the stand. I think that the 125 gallon is the same width and length as my 225 gallon display. I think the display is just taller. (I'll have to remeasure, it has been awhile). Also, I didn't know if I needed to do a separate compartment from the electrical to maybe help protect it from the salt. I am also working on a list of equipment, and I know that many of you run things like Apex, and automatic dosing systems. So I've got to make sure I leave plenty of room for things like that. The only thing I've ever had under my tanks is a canister filter, so this is all new to me.
