My DIY Reef aquarium

[Marquis]

Originally Posted by Mrc8858

It definately is easier to clean but were talking about a small tank at home not a whopping 2400 gallons lol plus with that setup all your rock is in the middle so less risk of scratching..you can go either way though, all just a personal choice

It was fun snorkling lol i miss that tank

[Mrc8858]

I bet lol...id be curious how much that'd cost to build haha

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by FishGeek97

Hey everyone, i'm a newbie to the sw hobby and am on the journey of building my own tank. i'm trying to recreate this tank i found on the internet, with a few tweaks of my own. I hope you'll help me, as i have or will have tons of questions. but for starters, here's the pic of the tank i want to recreate:

What A great set up. Certainly not your traditional home aquarium Great concept.

1 suggestion, if you are trying to make a continual flow to come out of the volcano, you can use a powerhead in the center of the rocks and nobody will see any pipes. You can also put the powerhead on a timer so that it "Explodes" at particular times. If you want to get really fancy, have your return pipe from the sump go through the tank and volcano so you have a continuous flow. (You'll probably need to have a secondary return as well as the water pressure will probably be too much for a single return.)
Good luck with this project.

[kdpuffer]

Just an idea on making the volcano, of you used PVC pipe and split it you could have multiple outlets for the water. Then use spray foam and cover it in concrete (or better yet use sikatop, a concrete type material that doesnt leach and is food safe) concrete and sikataop can be dyed to any color you want, the foam is easily sculpted with a steak knife or drywall saw and it weighs much less than rock. If done right it looks authentic too.

[kdpuffer]

Oh and another thought would be to plant moss and some tropical plants, that would look very cool.

[Gpsdrew]

How many gallons will it be?

[80Juwel]

Fantastic looking tank. The evaporation will be horrendous!

Good luck mate.

[FishGeek97]

Originally Posted by Gpsdrew

How many gallons will it be?

It will be 75g, 48"x24"x12"

[FishGeek97]

Originally Posted by Andy Sager

What A great set up. Certainly not your traditional home aquarium Great concept.

1 suggestion, if you are trying to make a continual flow to come out of the volcano, you can use a powerhead in the center of the rocks and nobody will see any pipes. You can also put the powerhead on a timer so that it "Explodes" at particular times. If you want to get really fancy, have your return pipe from the sump go through the tank and volcano so you have a continuous flow. (You'll probably need to have a secondary return as well as the water pressure will probably be too much for a single return.)
Good luck with this project.

Yeah thanks for the idea, and i never thought about pressure problems, thank you so much! tomorrow i'm contacting my lfs to see if he knows where i can get some good glass sheets

[Marquis]

Can't wait to see the build so i can get some ideas please take lots of pics

[FishGeek97]

Ok I will, I'm waiting on a reply from my lfs about the glass sheets. Do any of you guys know where i can get a built in corner overwlow?

[FishGeek97]

Ok, I still haven't gotten a reply from my lfs. Does anyone know of an online dealer for glass sheets?

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by FishGeek97

Ok, I still haven't gotten a reply from my lfs. Does anyone know of an online dealer for glass sheets?

If you are looking for Glass, look up Glass Manufacturers Wholesale/retail in the yellow pages in your area.
If you are looking for Plexi, look in the YP for Plexiglass Wholesale/ retail. Plexi comes in 4' x 8' sheets which you may need to buy to make the cost economical. You might even be able to get them to cut the sheets to your specific dimensions (for a fee.) You'll want to keep any scrap pieces to make braces and patches, etc. You would also get their recommended Plexi Glue there as well.

FYI: The LFS is not the place to ask this kind of question.

Good luck

[FishGeek97]

Thanks Andy, I have no idea why i didn't think of yellow pages! Do you know where to get a corner overflow?

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by FishGeek97

Thanks Andy, I have no idea why i didn't think of yellow pages! Do you know where to get a corner overflow?

What can I say, I go "Old School" almost every time. Just let my fingers do the walking.....
If you're going Plexi, Make it yourself. They are easy to do. (BTW, another great thing to use your scrap pieces for. )

You can even pick up a plexi heater strip at places like Home Depot or Lowes or the manufacturers and bend your plexi instead of making so many seams. I've used mine to make all kinds of pre-filter boxes, filter boxes and sumps.

Search on

[Marquis]

Originally Posted by Andy Sager

What can I say, I go "Old School" almost every time. Just let my fingers do the walking.....
If you're going Plexi, Make it yourself. They are easy to do. (BTW, another great thing to use your scrap pieces for. )

You can even pick up a plexi heater strip at places like Home Depot or Lowes or the manufacturers and bend your plexi instead of making so many seams. I've used mine to make all kinds of pre-filter boxes, filter boxes and sumps.

Search on

This plexi heater how thick of plexi can it bend?

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Marquis

This plexi heater how thick of plexi can it bend?

I've just been using mine on 1/4" but you'd have to ask the plexi guy or read the package as to how thick it can handle. Mine is just a heating strip and I've had it so long that I can't even remember what the package it came in looked like.

[ilostnemo]

Originally Posted by Mrc8858

After looking closer at the pictures.. that is an acrylic tank

No its starphire glass

[FishGeek97]

Hey everyone! So, I found out that i'm going to be relocating to louisiana soon, so i won't be able to build my tank for a while. But i will keep you updated, and you can be sure this build will happen, but not right now. I'll hopefullly get the build going late summer/early fall!

[FishGeek97]

Hey Guys! I'm planning on making the tank out of starfire glass. What thickness should it be for a tank of 75g, 48"x24"x12"?