TRe's 82g build

[leighnorton]

Tre man those are some awsome pictures! Loving the dog in the background! Stand looks awsome... I wish I had the time, money, space and nice weather in England to build something like that! Keep those pics coming dude I wana see the finished version! =)

 

[TRe]

lol i wanna see the finished version too! and strout i already have the tank! i drilled it this past weekend... ill go take a pic now

 

[TRe]

heres the tank... you can see the sump sitting on the right

 

[strout]

Tank looks really nice, and its going to be fun watching you put it together.

 

[Lotus]

Even the spammers like your thread.

 

[TRe]

lol i saw that!

 

[strout]

The tank looks really nice, is that the sump sitting next to it? What kind of dog is that, I am guessing a pit.

 

[TRe]

made a little more progress this weekend! ive got the canopy built, got the styrofoam for under the tank and sump.... im about to paint the inside of the canopy with killz to keep the moister out and hopfully reflect some light too! ive still got to make the doors and put the trim pieces on both the stand and the canopy, stain the the stand/canopy and get the plumbing going... ive thought all week about my plumbing and im pretty sure ive got a solid game plan as far as that goes! most likely wont get the auto water change setup till after the tank see's water but who knows!
btw yes strout thats the sump and yes its a pit

 

[TRe]

almost forgot about the best part...THE PICS!

before painting everything with kilz i made sure to caulk every single seem!

heres just the frame for the canopy before the skin

heres the canopy skinned, one door open. there is another door on the other side of the canopy since itll be viewable from that side too

put the tank on the stand just so i could take a few pics and get started with the plumbing... i will be putting unions on every connection so i can plumb it, than take it apart and set it back up inside the house (also allow's me to switch out pumps, sumps ect. later with out any hassle)

 

[TRe]

im getting a new skimmer pending the sale of my current one... i will be going with either the msx or octopus extreme (both the same exact skimmer) probally the 160 but maybe the 200... as far as lighting im considering going with a 6 bulb tek fixture otherwise ill be running 2 x250w mh's .only consern with the MH's is the heat in the smaller tank. until now ive had success without using a chiller and i dont plan on getting one!

 

[strout]

Had to show you ours Her name is Harley and is just turning 5, I think in this pic, she was about 2 1/2

 

[strout]

Stand is coming along nicely, you are moving right along with it.

 

[TRe]

heres my pit junebug with one of the kids

 

[Lorna]

boy those twins are getting big, and a very cute dog too.....

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Just a quick question from a wandering mind....why go rimless if you have a canopy?? :O lol just had to ask.

Anyways, looking good so far!

 

[TRe]

well someone else had this tank custom made and it never saw water before he sold it to me... i feel alot safer with a canopy to make sure my mystery wrasse doesnt go carpet surfing! plus its nice to have that option to go topless if i want
btw i will be euro bracing this tank cause i just dont feel comfertable go totally rimless lol

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Bahhhh, no guts no glory!! Jk, i understand. I was just curious, i'd personally never cover a rimless tank myself.

 

[TRe]

yea i considered trading my mystery wrasse so i could go topless but... i cant!

 

[TRe]

made some more progress this weekend! only problem is the tank is on my back porch and i cant get good pics at night and i worked on it till the last minute of daylight so you just have to take my word for it!
i painted the inside of the canopy with kilz (white)
put trim pieces on both stand and canopy
finished attaching hinges for canopy (needed shorter screws)
made doors out of 1/4" oak ply
stained canopy & doors
bought a new skimmer (msx160)
got started with the plumbing

my list of things to do next are:
drill holes in side of house for auto water change
baffles in sump
euro brace the display tank
stain stand
actually glue all the plumbing together (ive got most of it dry fitted)
setup the auto water change
granite coutertop on stand (i plan on making a 18" countertop on the side of the stand thats in the kitchen that matches the kitchen conter tops and i'll put a few bar stools to sit and watch)
theres alot more still to do these are just the things first on my list to get this baby up and running

 

[strout]

Wow, seems like you got alot done and can't wait to see pics of the results. Seems kinda dishearting though when the to do list is still longer that got done list, just keep plugging away at it and you will get there. Looking foward to seeing what you come up with for your auto water change.