Nuts has my vote....

PM ya with a option if you are interested Steve.

Ok ok, I guess I better explain something here before I am flooded with PM's.

As far as skimmers, Ca reactors, Kalk reactors go, I either have all the parts sitting in the garage, or I have them almost built.

I do have a complete Co2 reactor set up ready to go, but I am not going to use it on this tank. I want to use the Co2 tank on my fresh water setup, and I actually think the balling is a better method the more I read about it.

and finally the point of this build for me was to get an actual estimate of what it would take to set up a tank for a person who is new and realy has no DIY skill or contacts. Sure I could sit and wait for deals all year, but my rules for myself are, I will buy a used unit only if it is advertised when I am ready to purchase. ( I am going to cheat and build the stand though as I have a spicific thing in mind for this tank that you can buy in stores) but so many people have wood working skills this might be realistic anyways.

So there were no used skimmers listed the other day, and I don't want to build one (garage is to messy) so I bought a new one. another example, I decided to look for a power head last week, I looked on the board and found a used 6060 tunze with a magnet.. I called the guy and am picking it up. If I looked for a couple of days and there wasn't any new ones, I would have boughten a new one. So I am kinda employing a tempered impulse buying habit here.

Lights are the only thing that are driving me nuts with these rules as I am to damn picky in my lighting.

Steve

Hmm... this is comming from some one who is squirting about 5 different solutions into his tank a few times a day for the last couple months and for what? ;)

Steve

No, no, no, it's some every day, some twice a day, others every other day, with shaking in between, so, uh, ya.....point taken :)

Ok, so on with the build. I wanted a sump system as a 27 gal is kinda small and I want all the space I can get in the tank for rock and critters. On the same line I don't want a overflow taking up some of the space either so I am doing an external overflow. The only problem with this is I have to trip some of the back of the tank away.

So after reading the trials and tribulations of the Calgary crew with cutting glass, I went to pick up the dremmel bit they say is good...

Let me tell you it sucks the big one.. after 10 min I cut about 3mm.. so into the garbage with that idea.

so I decided to do it old school.

this is the prep work, removing the trim and silicone
http://www.members.shaw.ca/s.l.s/new...k/trimgone.jpg

then I got out the new and improved better than sliced bread glass cutter

http://www.members.shaw.ca/s.l.s/new...ork/cutter.jpg

Oh almost for got, I first tried to cut the trim with a exacto knife... don't try this.. I spent the next 10 min trying to stop the bleading and trying to decide if I needed to go get stiches or not. I was mad so I grabbed the dremel with the grout bit and bam ready to remove a chunk of trim.

so then i used a felt and drew my cut out area (lot of good this did I didn't stay on the line anyways) and scribed close to the line with the glass cutter.

here is the result befor cleaning up the cut.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/s.l.s/new.../finnished.jpg

I did find something that the diamond dremmel bit I bought was good for, smoothing out the edges.. I got about 10 min of smoothing in and I figure another 10 or 15 min and I will be good to go.

Steve

I am moving on to lighting now, I had already decided to go MH and T5, but what kind of MH. SE throw out a lot more light than DEs do, when both run on a HQI ballast, but I have the problem if a narrow tank. I am thinking of only using one bulb in a pendant and mount it to the top of my hood so there is room for the T5s and to allow the pendant to cool properly. so I have to look at something that will be small enough to fit on the hood in a manor that will give me the best light spread.

so for position I am thinking the bulb should run front to back. now a SE reflector is longer than the hood will be deep so I could go with something like a Lumenmax 2 reflector SE and have 4 inches hanging off the back of the hood, or I could go with a reef optrix 3 DE and have it sit centered perfectly.

I am one who will always pick more intensity, but in this case I am letting looks win. The tank is only 18" tall so the intensity of the DE will be enough and the size will make it simple to mount to the hood.

I was going to put two pendants in the hood, but never got a reply about some questions from the guy who is selling them, so I will buy new ones so I get exactly what I am looking for.

Steve

If you're willing to go with DE then take a look at the new Lumenarc Nano pendant (10" square):

http://www.reefbuilders.com/2008/10/...mini-look-fat/

hmm, it isn't released yet, and is only 1" smaller than ther eother ones.. but I will ask about it.

Steve

Ok, so another day another few hundred bucks :mrgreen:

I ordered a tunze nano, some silicone (black and clear) some 3/4" bulkheads, a filter sock, and a fragging kit (needed to get over that 150 for the free calender :mrgreen:

I also picked up a used tunze 6060 tonight.

I ordered the glass to build my overflow, thats probably going to come to about 30 bucks as it is getting 3 holes drilled in the bottom.

so new running total
1) two 27 gal tanks 75.00
2) Vertex 100 skimmer 244.00
3) water proof endcap sets for T5s 28.00
4) 3, 3/4" bulhead kits, tunze nano, two tubes of silicone, fragging kit, and filter sock 220.00
5)used 6060 tunze with magnetic holderr 80.00
6) glass for sump 30.00ish
7) calander FREE :mrgreen:
8 Dremmel bit 11.00

I did look at some lights today, still not sure which way I am going to go.. weather it be DE or SE.

Steve