Riley's 100% DIY in wall tank (i pwn) :D

Dreadful · #1 05-28-2013, 03:59 AM

So I've been working with a 37g tank for the last couple years or so and I finally decided its time to go bigger.. a lot bigger

The project began roughly a year ago when I discovered a good deal on a nice sized sump and I then slowely began aquiring equipment.

I have never taken on a anything like this before and it's fair to say I have made some mistakes.. but all in all I'd say things have gone fairly well. This is my tank story..

This window in the wall between my kitchen and living room just seemed so boring to me so I decided it was the perfect place for my new aquarium!

A nice heavy duty stand was constructed as I know how heavy this **** can get :0
(Mistake #1 I think I picked a ****ty skimmer :P)

I then constructed my sump and coated the inside of the stand with waterproof membrane as it's going to get quite humid in there!
(Mistake #2 I wish I'd left more room for the skimmer in the sump and less for the return pump. also the silicone job wasnt the greatest..)

I then constructed my tank and water tested it.. thank god with no leaks as I am living in a second story condo

Today she is just about ready for water! I've had the sump circulating itself for the last few months to get a head start. I just finished my ATO and everything has come together really well.

I'd just like to mostly finish off the cabinet before I add any water.. Doing any nailing or anything like that after filling it up just seems like a bad idea.. and would certainly be stressful to inhabitants

That being said I'm hoping for it to be running this weekend! Woot!

WarDog · #2 05-28-2013, 04:42 AM

Where's the 'like' button?

Dreadful · #3 05-28-2013, 04:46 AM

Haha thanks!

There's still a few things I'm unsure of though..
I haven't even begun to think about lighting. I know I wanna do a reef setup so i know it has to be good lighting.. pretty sure I want LEDs but I know those are going to be a pretty penny.

Secondly, water changes..

I have very limited space so I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to make it work

spit.fire · #4 05-28-2013, 05:06 AM

Gotta ask... Why is the water level for the skimmer so high?

Dreadful · #5 05-28-2013, 05:12 AM

should it not be? xD

spit.fire · #6 05-28-2013, 06:13 AM

What kind of skimmer is it?

Dreadful · #7 05-29-2013, 02:53 AM

Nautilus TE Eductor

As mentioned before.. I am ashamed of purchasing such and oldschool skimmer. I know I need something better but I'm just going to see what happens at this point. >_>

spit.fire · #8 05-29-2013, 03:31 AM

Most skimmers need between 6-10" of water to function properly

Dreadful · #9 05-29-2013, 04:28 AM

interesting.. maybe thats why it isn't really "skimming" lol

I'll read over the instructions again to see whats suppose to be going on!

FishyFishy! · #10 05-29-2013, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreadful

interesting.. maybe thats why it isn't really "skimming" lol

I'll read over the instructions again to see whats suppose to be going on!

You can always build an egg crate stand for the skimmer to make it sit at the proper height out of the water. But it's definitly not a typical skimmer section with that water height.