lol

LOL... thats my dad. He was just wondering why I was taking pictures in the middle of everything!

Parents thinking their kids are crazy is par for the course my friend.:lol:

So a bit of an update with my slow progress. I got the stand all skinned and the top cut out to size with the hole for the overflow and return. Now just gotta get it all primed and painted.

A few questions:

is it a must to paint the inside of the stand with the Mold and Mildew resistant paint or any indoor semigloss paint will do?

Also, I'm now thinking about the Live rock and base rock. I want to have a good start but don't want to dish out 600 bucks just for rock. I'm thinking of mixing LR and base rock. Is there a ratio that works well?

I was thinking of ordering 50lbs Bulk Fiji Dry Rock from bulk reef supply and adding about 10lbs of live rock from LFS. Would this be a good mix to seed the base rock and get curing the LR as well as cycling the tank?

Also, I was out at Rona to pick up the silicone for installing the sump baffles, but couldnt find anything. Can someone point me in the right direction please!!

Photobucket is acting up.. so no pics for now :(

Are you planning on adding live sand too? If so, that ratio would be fine. It will all seed from the sand plus the 10 lbs of live rock.

Make sure to have a nice solid sand.. the worst thing would be in a couple of years after being split on with salt water and chemicals. You Don't want it to break down or rot.

It looks good so far!


PS

Get those pictures working!

Looks like you have a VERY nice start to your Reef!! With everything you have I seen no reason why you couldn't keep SPS (Lacking tank maturity, wasn't stopped people before) I would definetly start out with softies and "easier" corals.

Curious why you rebuilt the stand? The halides will do just fine.

As for your test kits and suppliments make sure you find the expiry so they arn't leading you in the wrong direction.

As for the Ratio / LF to Dead rock there isn't any amount you need, The more you use the less of a cycle you will see. I would do 20% but take a look on canreef in your area maybe you'll be able to pick up some for a cheaper price. 3lbs/ pound isn't uncommon.

Good luck, you are definetly in the right place for information and to point a finger in the right direction.:mrgreen:


EDIT: ======= As for the silicone - I would go to your LFS (local fish store) I have never had luck @ HD,Rona.

I really liked the stand it came with perhaps your new one will be even nicer. One heck of a nice setup to purchase altogether! Don't try those radiums out you'll never be happy with LEDs later on =)

I've always used this stuff with no problems:
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...s/IMAG0081.jpg
Only one I've ever seen at a hardware store that says aquarium safe.
I have heard of some having it go a bit yellow but I've personally never had that happen. Get it a HomeHardware for $9 for a 3 tube contractor pack.

So photobucket is not back with a new site layout... so here are the pics of the stand build thus far!

Left side - Big opening for me to be able to work on the skimmer and whatever else will go on this side of the sump

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/DSC_2480.jpg

Full open front for easy access to the sump and fuge area

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/DSC_2481.jpg

Right side - Big opening for me to access all electrical stuff.. I'm thinking about making a small electrical cabinet on this side to keep it all almost completely away from water. It depends on how much space is left after I hook up my external pump and other things.

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/DSC_2482.jpg

Another view

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/DSC_2483.jpg

Installed the braces on top for the added support

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/photo1-7.jpg

Here is the top, made out of 1/2" MDF with the cut out for the overflow and return pipes

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/photo2-7.jpg

Right side with top on with 1/2 moulding work done - Ran out of the moulding pieces.

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/photo3-7.jpg

Left side with top on with complete moulding work done.

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/photo5-6.jpg

Another view showcasing the front and left side.. ofcourse not all finished yet with the mouldings.

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/...f/photo4-3.jpg

Hey Ashr, yeah I'm definately plannning on adding live sand too. I want something more on the granular side rather then plain sand just so its not going all over the water column with the flow in the tank.

I think my stand is pretty solid. 2x4s are hella strong so I hope I won't have this guy breaking on my within a year or a couple of years for that matter. All the glue and screws should do the trick. Thanks for the comments and compliments! I thrive on them!!:mrgreen:

Thanks Hazratty! The fellow I bought this tank from had it all set for an SPS only tank but decided to sell it all due to personal reasons. I lucked out there! :biggrin:

I'm rebuilding the stand because, the original stand was only good for a 20 gallon tank as a sump. That left me no space for a fuge as well as hooking up the iwaki would also be a problem in that stand. so I decided to build a new one with potential to upgrade to a 120 (4x2x2) tank!

I'm thinking of keeping a single halide for now. I want to venture into building a DIY LED light once I set this tank up and cycling. Yeah, I still have to check the dates on the test kits.. I hope they are still good or else.. that'll be another big blow on my small pocket!

I thought about buying used as well... However, I fear Algea and the use of copper. But I'm still keeping my eyes out.. if I do find something and am assured of its quality then I might just scoop it. As for now, I'm saving up as much as I can to get the maximum amount of LR from LFS that I can afford.

I called industrial plastics today and they have aquarium safe stuff available, so I'm gonna check them out next week!!

I liked that stand too.. infact its on hold for someone who contacted me for it just by looking at my journal.

I don't know about never being happy with LEDs... I've never had either so I can't say.. but for now I'm sticking to Radiums until I start and finish my LED build!