The 180gal Family Project

nikkipigtails · 02-25-2008, 12:52 PM

My husband picked up our new tank (180gal) and cabinetry Saturday.

The tank was originally set up as FW and it's not drilled so we're going to have to make a lot of adjustments. We have a friend who ownes a glass shop who's going to drill it for us as soon as we decide what size bulkheads we're going to use. We're going to back-drill the tank instead of having to deal with acrylic. We also have a friend who does auto window tint and we'll have him "tint" the back glass with mirror or black tint, we haven't decided which (don't worry, he's tinting the outside, not the inside of the tank). We're going to take our time setting this up because we want to do it right.
We're going to use a 75gal tank as our sump and a 41.5gal QT tank that was custom built to sit next to the 180gal and look like an extension of the larger tank. Anyway, I have pictures to start. Any advice on the size of bulkheads? We're going to have 2 drains, 2 returns and 1 CL.

nikkipigtails · 02-25-2008, 12:58 PM

The trailer full of stuff...

The tank in the garage...

Olivia looking at her new "toy"...

BigAl07 · 02-25-2008, 01:03 PM

Love the pic of the lil one

Can't wait to watch this coming together

boozeman · 02-25-2008, 01:11 PM

she is too cute !!!

tank looks great...looking foward to the build

Tru2nr · 02-25-2008, 02:17 PM

looking like your gonna start off on the right foot thats for sure keep us updated

tbittner · 02-25-2008, 02:35 PM

I love the title! "Family Project"

I'll check out the pics after I get home later. Can't see them here at work.

rmlevasseur · 02-25-2008, 02:41 PM

ooooo, you are so smart! Call it a "family" project and get away with anything!!! I am so stealing this.

nikkipigtails · 02-25-2008, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmlevasseur

ooooo, you are so smart! Call it a "family" project and get away with anything!!! I am so stealing this.

LOL! It works too!! As do bribes and pouts (mostly from the kid).

vdituri · 02-25-2008, 04:06 PM

I like the sound of tinting the back glass.
My only concern if it was my tank would be the salt slowly corroding or dissolving the tint glue and causing it to pull away.

You are probably better off painting the back glass.

Great start though. Looking forward to more updates.

BigAl07 · 02-25-2008, 04:14 PM

That's a very good point Vic. I actually did this with a FW tank and it looked GREAT for about 3 months. Then it peeled off and it was in a way that I couldn't reach it. I had it looking bad for about 6 months until I finally tore the tank down due to broken glass (vacuum cleaner... don't ask).

nikkipigtails · 02-25-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vdituri

I like the sound of tinting the back glass.
My only concern if it was my tank would be the salt slowly corroding or dissolving the tint glue and causing it to pull away.

You are probably better off painting the back glass.

Great start though. Looking forward to more updates.

Thanks. I'll have to talk to our friend about salt vs. the tint glue. We didn't want to paint it because the sides are already painted and we've got to try to find a way to get it off and we thought that the mirrored sides and back would look really cool. Any ideas on how we can create that mirrored look without using the tint? I've seen mirrored backgrounds but they all look pretty cheap.

tbittner · 02-25-2008, 06:48 PM

Silicon mirrors onto the glass.

nikkipigtails · 02-25-2008, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbittner

Silicon mirrors onto the glass.

That means that we would have to drill the tank and the mirrors plus it would make the tank heavier. Not to mention how expensive a piece of mirror that size would be.

tbittner · 02-25-2008, 09:41 PM

Great point! I wonder is aluminum foil would work?

You need to talk Sasquatch into joining here. He visits the craft store quite frequently and has come away with some brilliant ideas.

Dentoid · 02-25-2008, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikkipigtails

That means that we would have to drill the tank and the mirrors plus it would make the tank heavier. Not to mention how expensive a piece of mirror that size would be.

Do small tiles of mirror, like a disco ball!

02-25-2008, 12:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
nikkipigtails Elegance coral Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hillbilly Hell, AL Posts: 1,113 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	The 180gal Family Project My husband picked up our new tank (180gal) and cabinetry Saturday. The tank was originally set up as FW and it's not drilled so we're going to have to make a lot of adjustments. We have a friend who ownes a glass shop who's going to drill it for us as soon as we decide what size bulkheads we're going to use. We're going to back-drill the tank instead of having to deal with acrylic. We also have a friend who does auto window tint and we'll have him "tint" the back glass with mirror or black tint, we haven't decided which (don't worry, he's tinting the outside, not the inside of the tank). We're going to take our time setting this up because we want to do it right. We're going to use a 75gal tank as our sump and a 41.5gal QT tank that was custom built to sit next to the 180gal and look like an extension of the larger tank. Anyway, I have pictures to start. Any advice on the size of bulkheads? We're going to have 2 drains, 2 returns and 1 CL.

02-25-2008, 12:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
nikkipigtails Elegance coral Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hillbilly Hell, AL Posts: 1,113 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: The 180gal Family Project The trailer full of stuff... The tank in the garage... Olivia looking at her new "toy"...

02-25-2008, 01:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
BigAl07 Reef Addict (hopeless) Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 8,844 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: The 180gal Family Project Love the pic of the lil one Can't wait to watch this coming together __________________ Allen Allen's testimonial . . ."Let Me help you help YOURSELF" (Click Here) with a SW set up there is one basic fundamental rule that we ALL should follow *When in doubt... wait it out. This means take it slow and let the tank "develop" and don't rush it. Time is your friend Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Reef Balls & Cakes Debt Free & Change your Family Tree!!

02-25-2008, 02:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
Tru2nr Achilles Tang Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 839 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: The 180gal Family Project looking like your gonna start off on the right foot thats for sure keep us updated __________________ My Addiction Chronical...a.k.a my slowly building reef tank Mistakes Have been made in the past.....still trying to clean up from them in the present....mistakes will be made in the future.....so what do we do?...... we party until we make another mistake!!!!

02-25-2008, 02:35 PM	#6 (permalink)
tbittner Watch this Ma! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern VA Posts: 5,089 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: The 180gal Family Project I love the title! "Family Project" I'll check out the pics after I get home later. Can't see them here at work. __________________ Terry My chronicle 120g with 300g sump/refug, Outer Orbit HQI/T5HO 24-Hour Light System: : 48" 250W HQI 4x54W Lots of fish. 150g predator tank full of killers. 450g tank is IN the HOUSE!

02-25-2008, 02:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
rmlevasseur Neon dottyback Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 611 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: The 180gal Family Project ooooo, you are so smart! Call it a "family" project and get away with anything!!! I am so stealing this. __________________ Robert http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...ufas-tank.html

02-25-2008, 04:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
BigAl07 Reef Addict (hopeless) Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 8,844 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: The 180gal Family Project That's a very good point Vic. I actually did this with a FW tank and it looked GREAT for about 3 months. Then it peeled off and it was in a way that I couldn't reach it. I had it looking bad for about 6 months until I finally tore the tank down due to broken glass (vacuum cleaner... don't ask). __________________ Allen Allen's testimonial . . ."Let Me help you help YOURSELF" (Click Here) with a SW set up there is one basic fundamental rule that we ALL should follow *When in doubt... wait it out. This means take it slow and let the tank "develop" and don't rush it. Time is your friend Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Reef Balls & Cakes Debt Free & Change your Family Tree!!

02-25-2008, 06:48 PM	#12 (permalink)
tbittner Watch this Ma! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern VA Posts: 5,089 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: The 180gal Family Project Silicon mirrors onto the glass. __________________ Terry My chronicle 120g with 300g sump/refug, Outer Orbit HQI/T5HO 24-Hour Light System: : 48" 250W HQI 4x54W Lots of fish. 150g predator tank full of killers. 450g tank is IN the HOUSE!

02-25-2008, 09:41 PM	#14 (permalink)
tbittner Watch this Ma! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern VA Posts: 5,089 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: The 180gal Family Project Great point! I wonder is aluminum foil would work? You need to talk Sasquatch into joining here. He visits the craft store quite frequently and has come away with some brilliant ideas. __________________ Terry My chronicle 120g with 300g sump/refug, Outer Orbit HQI/T5HO 24-Hour Light System: : 48" 250W HQI 4x54W Lots of fish. 150g predator tank full of killers. 450g tank is IN the HOUSE!

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