# Gucci's Sneak Preview



## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Spent a few hours tonight playing with Google's sketchup. Came up with the approximate dimensions of my new tank and stand. It's not here with me so I had to go by memory. The stand is not accurate, it's been altered to suit my needs. Figured if I'm getting it re-welded, may as well customize it while I'm at it. I am considering adding a elevated area underneath to run my DSB and or a Frag tank. 
The sump that came with my tank is custom as well but I didn't get a good look at it so I couldn't sketch one up. I'll add one later.

Without further ado, here's a sneak peak at what I'm working on.

Details
Tank: Rimless 3-sided 1/2" starphire glass
Dimensions: 48"L x 28"W x 20"H
Overflow: External overflow w/ 2 x 1-1/2" drains & 4 x 3/4" returns
Filtration: Custom acrylic sump
Stand: Custom metal tube stand


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Ballin!

From all your other posts lately, I know this is going to be sweet. Can't wait to see it progress.

Is this a new tank, or is it from a used setup?


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

damn, thats a nice tank, cant wait to see this one take off


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

I wanna see it too, is going to be a great one!!!


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## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

Looks awesome D!!! I wait to see the progress! Let me know if I can help you in anyway.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

Very Nice, When are you expecting to get it?


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

ameekplec. said:


> Ballin!
> 
> From all your other posts lately, I know this is going to be sweet. Can't wait to see it progress.
> 
> Is this a new tank, or is it from a used setup?


Was my increased participation in the forums that obvious? lol
No the tank isn't new unfortunately. I was originally going for a cube but realized it would be extremely difficult to bring a 36" cube into my basement. I found this setup by chance actually. The original owner didn't even have it up for sale. He was selling some lights and through that I did some poking around and realized he mentioned in a build thread that he recently tore the tank down. Thought it didn't hurt to ask him if he would consider sellign it and we worked something out.



caker_chris said:


> damn, thats a nice tank, cant wait to see this one take off


I'm really stoked to finally get a chance to take the plunge into the salt water world.



explor3r said:


> I wanna see it too, is going to be a great one!!!


Thanks buddy, I'm looking forward to your build as well! We'll keep in touch.



Tbird said:


> Looks awesome D!!! I wait to see the progress! Let me know if I can help you in anyway.


Thanks Wil, I'll let you know if I need to borrow your muscles lol.



Kweli said:


> Very Nice, When are you expecting to get it?


The setup is in my possession but at my parent's house. I have to redesign the metal stand first or see if it's even worth it. I have a guy that can weld and powdercoat the stand for me. Just need to bring by the stand this Saturday for his opinion. If it's not worth the money/time, I will just opt to build a wooden stand.

I just feel that it's a waste not to use the already custom stand. The problem with it right now, is it's a little wobbly (left and right) and very tall. I can only see it being built that high because the tank is shallow (20" Tall). I think the stand is sitting around 40" tall or so. The combination of it being tall and wobbly is rather frightening . Which is why it needs to be reinforced or I won't be able to sleep at night.


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

oh yeah make sure that thing is solid. it would really suck to spend all that money, time and effort into something so beautiful only to have it come crumbling down because of a weak link.


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

Nice Gucci, good luck it looks nice so far 

who made your sump ? 

Chris, that's every reefers nightmare ! I actually, (once in a while if I eat too much before sleep) get up at the middle of the night after hearing a small noise thinking the tank is coming down LOL 
friends who stay over think Im crazy ...


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Big Ray said:


> Chris, that's every reefers nightmare ! I actually, (once in a while if I eat too much before sleep) get up at the middle of the night after hearing a small noise thinking the tank is coming down LOL
> friends who stay over think Im crazy ...


Haha, I've literally jumped out of bed more than a handful of times in the middle of the night like that too.


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## caker_chris (Apr 22, 2010)

Big Ray said:


> Nice Gucci, good luck it looks nice so far
> 
> who made your sump ?
> 
> ...


Clearly you need to reinforce your stand too if your that paranoid lol.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

caker_chris said:


> oh yeah make sure that thing is solid. it would really suck to spend all that money, time and effort into something so beautiful only to have it come crumbling down because of a weak link.


Yeah, I won't be skimping out on the stand. Like I keep hearing, the tank and stand usually end up being the cheapest part of a salt setup.



Big Ray said:


> Nice Gucci, good luck it looks nice so far
> 
> who made your sump ?
> 
> ...


The origins of the sump are unknown to me. I guess I could ask the guy I bought it from. I do need to repair it though. Some of the baffles came off on one side. I'll try to take some pics this weekend after I get it washed up. I'm going to need to pick up some weld on or bring the sump with me to my buddy's store and use his.



ameekplec. said:


> Haha, I've literally jumped out of bed more than a handful of times in the middle of the night like that too.


lol you guys are all scaring me now!


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

I heard some water gurggle and flowing one night... DASHED to the fish tank and discovered that it was just the bathroom making some weird noises....

Defiantly wont help you sleep if your tank is on wobbly legs.... Water volume is deceiving


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## explor3r (Mar 14, 2010)

If u need a hand building the stand i can help u..


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

explor3r said:


> If u need a hand building the stand i can help u..


lol thank you!

I've received so many offer from helpful members!! I will definitely keep you all in mind.  But I really don't like to bother people unless it's absolutely necessary. I do appreciate it though.

Hopefully the only help I need is to finish a couple cold ones while we kick back and enjoy the view


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I got two bits of dry rock whenever you get around to that point Gucci if you want it haha :3


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

Awesome planning, can't wait to see it up and running!


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Ciddian said:


> I got two bits of dry rock whenever you get around to that point Gucci if you want it haha :3


Thanks Cid, that's so sweet! You need to use it for your own salt setup! 



Fish_Man said:


> Awesome planning, can't wait to see it up and running!


Thanks! Neither can I! lol Soon soon...


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## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

I think I read somewhere on here you would need a scale??!! Well if I did,

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/p...older_id=1408474396672077&bmUID=1288364953467

I won't ask WHY you need one. hahaha

If I didn't, my bad. LOL


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Tbird said:


> I think I read somewhere on here you would need a scale??!! Well if I did,
> 
> http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/p...older_id=1408474396672077&bmUID=1288364953467
> 
> ...


lol thanks buddy.

That scale goes by the gram. I wanted one more accurate but I may pick it up for now and see how it goes.

You'll have to come over and see yourself what I need it for


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

Ill buy a bag of whatever you are weighing...


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

gucci17 said:


> lol thanks buddy.
> 
> That scale goes by the gram. I wanted one more accurate but I may pick it up for now and see how it goes.
> 
> You'll have to come over and see yourself what I need it for


Convenience stores and smoke shops have scales that go lower than a G.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

You really don't need that kind of accuracy - to the nearest gram would be totally fine. It's not like you're doing tightly controlled experiments. You're just tossing stuff in the tank 



gucci17 said:


> You'll have to come over and see yourself what I need it for


Well, maybe you're not just tossing stuff in the tank. Either way, I know you're weighing out a fine white powder.....


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

ameekplec. said:


> You really don't need that kind of accuracy - to the nearest gram would be totally fine. It's not like you're doing tightly controlled experiments. You're just tossing stuff in the tank
> 
> Well, maybe you're not just tossing stuff in the tank. Either way, I know you're weighing out a fine white powder.....


LOL I made a post like that on seahorse.org and they were PISSED hahaha 
then I had to clear it up that the white powder is only resins to neutralize ammonia in fry tank  haha


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

hahahaha

Yeah, I guess to the gram is good enough. I don't think my customers errr I mean corals would mind if it's a little off. 

Aren't the scales at smoke shops usually expensive?

I'll use the canadian tire one for now.


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## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

gucci17 said:


> lol thanks buddy.
> 
> That scale goes by the gram. I wanted one more accurate but I may pick it up for now and see how it goes.
> 
> You'll have to come over and see yourself what I need it for


LOL....Let me know buddy! LOL


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

I have one of those Starfrit scales. I use it to weight fish stuff such as if I'm selling half a bag of Dainichi  or a pound of ClorAm-X or even aquarium rocks. Let me know if you ever want to borrow it.

When you need a hand moving that tank, call me.
--
Paul


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Y2KGT said:


> I have one of those Starfrit scales. I use it to weight fish stuff such as if I'm selling half a bag of Dainichi  or a pound of ClorAm-X or even aquarium rocks. Let me know if you ever want to borrow it.
> 
> When you need a hand moving that tank, call me.
> --
> Paul


Thanks!

I just picked it up lol. Didn't realize how thin this thing was. I like it cuz it's less clutter.

Oh don't worry, I'll be sure to let ALL you guys know.  j/k


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Dropped off the stand to be welded because the frames were bolted together. Scary man...no idea how the original owner slept at night.

Although the guy who's doing my work said the stand is actually really solid other then the fact that it's not fully welded together. 

I opted to keep the stand simple and took out the idea of the second shelf as it would require more work. I figure if I'm going to spend alot of money on my stand, I would rather start from scratch. 

So the stand will be pretty typical except it's with a higher gauge steel than a retail metal tube stand.

They will weld some leveling nuts and powder coat it to any colour I like. I haven't decided yet but I figured either white or black. White would have been really cool if I created the stand from scratch.

I think I will eventually wrap or skin this stand to hide everything.


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## teemee (Aug 29, 2009)

wow - can't wait to see what you do with this!
have you thought about what's going to go in it, yet?


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

teemee said:


> wow - can't wait to see what you do with this!
> have you thought about what's going to go in it, yet?


I can't wait either lol

I'm hoping my stand will be ready this weekend. Once that's done, straight into the house it goes.

I still need to clean the tank and sump up. Has anyone ever tried using a steam cleaner? It'll probably damage the acrylic and silicone.

I think I might actually repaint the room it's going in.

Opps...totally missed your question. I have many ideas on what will go in but I'll save that for later


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

I ran my tank for 48hrs with water and a bunch of vinegar... with pumps and everything. Previous owner had it covered in coraline and other calcium deposit worms.....

After 48 hrs (with a heater) stuff started to come off easy...

Make sure you give it a very good rinse before adding the saltwater though (remove all vinegar remains)

This has the dual purpose of testing for leaks, testing equipment, all while cleaning


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Kweli said:


> I ran my tank for 48hrs with water and a bunch of vinegar... with pumps and everything. Previous owner had it covered in coraline and other calcium deposit worms.....
> 
> After 48 hrs (with a heater) stuff started to come off easy...
> 
> ...


I would love to do that but the tank isn't setup yet. It's a bit heavy to haul around and it's sitting on a skid right now. Think I may have to just spray/mist vinegar all over and wipe it down. I would prefer to let it soak, coraline wipes off like butter after sitting in vinegar/water. We'll see...


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## shiver905 (Nov 2, 2010)

GLAD to see your planing everything out,


Im shure its going to be a great one.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Quick update...

Here's the room










You see the stand on the left? I was actually supposed to be in the centre of the connecting wall on the right of it. I just can't get the stand level, so I think I'm SOL.

This is where it may have to stay










There's actually about 24" on the right of the stand, probably closer to 20" of actual usable space. I think I may have to build a cabinet of some sort and store everything inside. Any ideas?

I might actually pull out the stand a little more so the corner of the closet on the left lines up with the corner of my tank. It might give me enough room to work in the back if I really need to.

*I just realized I forgot to take exact measurements of the stand so I can get plywood cut tomorrow...gooooosh...I hate being in a rush. I should probably get a measurement underneath for my sump to sit on as well.*


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Nice tank!!! What are the dimensions on that? I think it would be ni e if you pulled it out from the wall a bit - definitely more tank to see.

I think you mentioned before, but what fixture are you going with?


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## bigfishy (Jun 19, 2009)

nice nice! 100 times better than mine! *Jealous*


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

ameekplec. said:


> Nice tank!!! What are the dimensions on that? I think it would be ni e if you pulled it out from the wall a bit - definitely more tank to see.
> 
> I think you mentioned before, but what fixture are you going with?


Thanks Eric. It's 48"L x 28"W x 20"H. Went with a shallow tank look. Yeah, I'm not sure why I didn't do that the first time.

Looking at it, I wonder if I can put it back in the original spot and just pull it out more. I guess it's not a big deal if I can walk behind it.

I'm planning on using a Sfiligoi XR6.

Lol thanks Alex. What setup did you end up going with?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Did you buy the XR6 yet? I think a friend of mine had one for sale since I switched him to T5HO.

Edit: if not, I can talk to Tim for you to see if he can get you a deal


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

ameekplec. said:


> Did you buy the XR6 yet? I think a friend of mine had one for sale since I switched him to T5HO.
> 
> Edit: if not, I can talk to Tim for you to see if he can get you a deal


I do have one but not sure if I'm going with that or all T5's yet. I want to see how the coverage is first. I may even build my own LED fixture for fun once I have it all setup. We'll see....

The next biggest thing I need to worry about right now is the skimmer. I may need to find something temporary until I hear back about testing units or whatnot.


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

Nice the tank looks awesome !! I like the external overflow alot !!! gives the tank such a nice look 

by the way, who did you get to build the tank ? miracles ? 

congrats.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Big Ray said:


> Nice the tank looks awesome !! I like the external overflow alot !!! gives the tank such a nice look
> 
> by the way, who did you get to build the tank ? miracles ?
> 
> congrats.


Thanks Ray. One thing I overlooked with the external overflow was the additional 7" it stuck out. It made moving the tank quite the workout. My back is bad enough as it is! lol We tried the turning the tank so the overflow was on top but that was throwing the balance off. It was alot easier to carry it with the overflow on the bottom but had to watch the steps which meant carrying the tank above the waist so it didn't hit any of the steps and crack. I'll tell you what, it'll never leave the basement now lol. Atleast not with me moving it.

This tank was originally built by Aquarium Obsessed for a reefer. He decided to downsize to a smaller tank due to a busy work schedule so I took it off his hands.


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