sweet lookin setup kien, just one question...i see there is no center bracing(very observative of me) any issue of that thus far...everyone stand i see has both a front and back center brace and i wanna redo my stand under my 100g and really dont want the center braces allowing access to a neater sump design... anyway, any problems with yours.

That is one concern that I definitely had with the stand. I followed the same plans that just about everyone else on the web uses to build their stand, found here. The guy who came up with the plan says the centre supports are not needed. I've been keeping an eye on it since I filled it and I am getting no deflection at all. I realize that this doesn't mean I will *never* get any deflection though. At any rate, I am not as worried as I used to be. I think it helps a lot that I used a 2x6 for the top supporting rails (actually a must if you are running 72 inches) and on top of that there is a thick 2" slab of very rigid MDF that the tank rests on. I do have 2x2s cut already that I might put in, each 12" from either side so that the long span is no more than 48 inches. I don't plan on putting a centre brace right in the middle of my 72" span though.

If you build your own stand, be sure to use wood glue. It makes the whole thing much sturdier.

centerbraces are not needed, My 150g stand has no center legs. Ive built a few other 6' stands for others with no center legs. But then, shallower tanks, like a 12" tall frag tank, They need more legs on the stand

Sorry to hijack your thread kien.....my 150 sits on a 76" stand only supported on either end with 2 x 6 as a top rail. (My 150 is only 5' long). I don't think there's a concern with 2 x 6. My very first tank was a 90 gallon (4') and all I did was stacked cinder blocks 3 high on either side, slapped a piece of wood on the cinder blocks and that's what the tank sat on - NO top rail at all. Hope this helps.

Sweet! I am a lot less worried now and won't be employing those 2x2s, thanks guys! :-)

The wedding was only a day :-)

One thing I have learned is that you *never* have all the fittings/parts until you are actually done! I have lost count of how many times I've been to Rona, Western Pump and Red Coral (for parts). Also, I now have a bunch of extra fittings that I ended up not using :-)

I returned $110 worth of plumbing yesterday and I still have a boxfull of plumbing from a different store that I have to go return....

So I am having a heck of a time trying to decide what to do about my flow..

I know that at the end of the tank where the returns are I am going to put at least one koralia 4 in a corner and direct the flow diagonally into the tank. What I can't decide on is what to do at the other (overflow) end of the tank. I want to use one or two Votech mp40s but I only have 3 inches of clearance on either side of my overflow box. This means that if I were to install a Vortech it is going to have to sit right beside the side panes of glass with its flow blasting down the sides of the glass as illustrated below..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1248898269

My concern is whether or not I am going to get enough flow through the centre of the tank. Tank is 24" wide. If I used Koralias I could easily point them more towards the centre of the tank. I don't want to put a vortech at the other end of the tank because this is a peninsula viewable on 3 sides. A koralia at that end I can tuck away in a corner but a vortech.. probably not.

I think you above illistration will work just fine... why? because I assume most of your rockwork with be down the middle of the tank, so unless you want direct flow blasting your rockwork/corals at that end of the tank, I think you will be just fine with 2x mp40's positioned like your pic. Remeber Vortechs have a nice wide flow pattern... plus you will have your 2 returns (which I assume are adjustable for direction) and the K4 at the other end of the tank, which you could mount in the middle...

Don't worry about the flow with the MP40W's the control you get has a very broad range to suit almost anyone's needs. I have a single in my 72 bow in short pulse mode at approx 50% power I'm generating a 2" wave and it's aimed directly at my rock work. The width field on the MP40W's is amazing,

BTW your setup is looking really good! nice pics.:popcorn: