Hello,
I've been out of reef keeping for one and half or two years now. Prior to that I had been keeping nano reefs (a 6 gal, 2 10 gals, and a 37 gal) for about 6 or 7 years.
After a series of power outages and crashed tanks, I decided I couldn't keep doing this. It was just too heartbreaking. But now, I've got the itch big time!
I stumbled onto this site from a link in Reef Central and the podcasts have totally inspired to go forward with my new reef system.
This time, I want to do it right. I want to start with a 120 gal tank, sump/refugium, a good size skimmer, MH lights, etc. But most importantly, I need to use a power generator! And best of all, my wife is totally on board!
We visited a local reef aquarium store in San Francisco and they had a dsiplay tank that had, for it's stand, clear plastic. We loved the look! You can see the sump/refugium very easily and would make an awesome demonstation for our guests.
The only thing holding me up right now are funds. I'm figuring the cost of this custom tank and hardware (less critters) will run between $4500 to $5500. That's a lot of moolah but it'll be so worth it! I can't wait.
Well, thanks for having me on your boards. I hope to start a tank journal soon. Maybe even start one before I get my tank. I can go through my thinking process and planning and see what you all think!
Jeff welcome to TR, I cant wait to see where you go with ideas and how you go about them. Good luck with your new rediscovered hobbie. glad to have you abord..
Great to have you on board, Jeff. Your tank idea sounds really cool.
This site has a lot of caring reefers willing to share their knowledge and experience
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
Thanks, guys! I was thinking about a 6' wide tank, 2' deep, and 2' height or there abouts. I was thinking of having a custom tank/stand built by TruVu. Here's an example of a the tank I'm thinking about having built:
This is obviously a display tank for an aquarium store but I totally fell in love with the all acrylic design, even for the stand.
What do you guys think about skimmer placement? In the above picture, the skimmer is placed after the refugium flow-wise. I'm thinking it'd be better before the refugium, that way none of the micro fauna will get skimmed away.
Jeff...welcome to TR and welcome back to reefing! I guess I'll be next in line to get "back on" the bandwagon.
I agree with you about skimmer placement. I would rather have it before the fuge or tandem/separate from the fuge system flowing back into a common chamber with the fuge output to be pumped back in to the display.
BTW... have you EVER tried working with acrylic yourself? It's not too hard.
I'm building a new tank this month... 34" wide by 24" tall by 20" depth. It will replace my 29 gallon bowfront seahorse tank and will just cost me around 100 dollars to to myself. That does not include the stand.
Here's my new clam tank that I recently built with help from a friend:
It's going to be a corner display with a 250 MH pendant over it. I'm building the stand for that one now.
Wow! Thanks for the pic of the new clam tank you're building. I envy you guys with DIY skills. Me... just like my dancing (2 left feet) I have 2 left thumbs. As my wife can attest to, my tool handling skills need major improvement before I can tackle any major home improvement.
Hi Jeff and to TR. I, for one, love it when people start their tank journal even before the tank. It makes me feel like a part of the project. And, I think that working through your ideas with a group like this will help you avoid mistakes along the way.
Can you help me out, I am looking for some sort of stand or fixture that I can suspend a normal HQI Hanging Fitting over the tank, like the one on the display tank above ?
Please I dont want to get into the whys of drilling the ceiling, in this case it just cannot happen, so if you can help out with links of already available solutions or come up with some ideas please let me know.
Thanks for looking.
hey jeff!! i live in san francisco too! i reconize that store, its Fish Fish & More Fish on lombard right? ...yeah just thought id let you know that they are expensive! but i guess if you really want that acrylic stand, you will probably have to talk to them about it. but they are pretty expensive expensive. you can probably get their equipment that they sell there cheaper online too
oohh and also, i do have to say i was very impressed with their tanks too. the one in the main window was my favorite.have you ever been to the academy of sciences in downtown SF? they have a 18 foot tall reef there and couple other reefs around too! its really cool
It was just too heartbreaking. But now, I've got the itch big time! 
to Talking Reef Community and Podcast.
to TR. I, for one, love it when people start their tank journal even before the tank. It makes me feel like a part of the project. And, I think that working through your ideas with a group like this will help you avoid mistakes along the way.
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