Alrighty then! So here's the deal. I have THE BEST FIANCE IN THE WORLD!

I've been off and on in the fishkeeping hobby as far back as I remember, since getting a nice 20g for Christmas when I was in about 4th or 5th grade. In the 90s I got back into it with a 60g freshwater and then the saltwater bug hit me and got a nice little 30g up in running.

Well a divorce, moving away to finish college and a bunch of moves locally left me with nothing but fond memories and some various equipment not including a tank.

Last Christmas after bluffing me out BIG TIME with comments like, i think fish tanks are a waste of money, my fiance surprised me with a 75g tank and a bunch of little supplies to start a saltwater tank telling me to follow my dream!:love!:

I was ready to slam a stand together and get water and fish in there ASAP! Well last time I was in the hobby, the internet really wasn't too available for the beginner you relied on the LFS staff and the occasional hobbiest you'd run into on fish shipment days.

Once I started reading some forums and posts, I learned a few big things:


It ain't cheap
You gotta go slow
Do your homework and get lots of advice!


Well after 1 year and about 3 weeks, my stand is practically built (time and money slowed it down) and I've been able to stockpile some things and am about 3 weeks away from getting it "wet"! :up:

My basic plan is for a 75g FOWLR to start and then maybe a reef down the road. I will be running T5 lighting, an 18g sump under the tank in the stand, DIY external overflow, and a DIY recirc skimmer modeled after the Deltec AP600. I am going to have about 75-100 lbs of rock (mostly base rock with a little LR) and a SSB of about 2 inches.

I know I'm crazy for going heavy in the DIY, but it looks fun and will save a lot of bucks for the critters!

Will keep you posted with pics soon!

Brian

Hi bbl_nk and welcome to TR.

I know that waiting this long must have been tough but the time and research were well spent and will enable you to have a very successful tank.

Brian,

Welcome to TR.

Last Christmas after bluffing me out BIG TIME with comments like, i think fish tanks are a waste of money, my fiance surprised me with a 75g tank and a bunch of little supplies to start a saltwater tank telling me to follow my dream!:love!:
Man, you just got to love a woman like that. I know because I've been married to one, like that, for 20 years.

You've found the best reef forum junkies on the net.

Dick

Carmie, thanks for all the advice you give and the work on the podcasts. I haven't been able to sit in on a live show yet but always get them from iTunes later.

Dick, Thanks! I feel lucky. Lets just say its a two-way street as the nice big diamond ring I put on her finger for Christmas is helping keeping momentum moving :)

I am hoping to have some pics up soon!

OK, I know not everyone is a CAD engineer, but Google SketchUp is a great tool to mock things up. It takes some time to learn, but can be fun and let you get a chance to see it before you put saw to wood.

I made a model of my tank stand before putting it all together. It is desinged for as many simple cuts as possible since I am limited to power hand tools. I wish I didn't live halfway across the country next to my Dad since he has an awesome woodworking shop with table saws, power mitre/chop saw, band saw, planer, jointer, drill press and more that would have made this project come out much better!

So far I am pleased with it. Some minor imperfections but mostly ones that I only see that drive me nuts! Painted in black to help hide some things :)

Here is the link on Google 3D Warehouse. (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=9ccb02348fe0f799de74b82043f0bbf2):up:

PS - If you don't want to install SketchUp, you can view the model through Google Earth and the 3D Warehouse Network Link (http://earth.google.com/intl/en/3d.html).