Hoopsdaddy's 165g build

[hoopsdaddy]

First, I would like to say thanks to everyone who has been so helpful so far as I have been working and gathering to get ready for this weekend. Tomorrow my wife and I are taking down the 75 and setting up the 165g w/50g sump. We have been getting ready for a while. Hope you all join in and continue to give the great feedback. I will hopefully start posting pics this weekend. I have the camera ready. It will be a little slow going as I still have several things on order and several things still to get, but I am off this week and I can't wait any longer.

 

[yote]

You do the work,Have your wife take the pics,and post them.
Good luck with it.

 

[Hornet]

Good luck with the set-up.

 

[Piggy]

Good luck. Take your time and things will go smoothly.

 

[hoopsdaddy]

Ok, here we go. I have some picts for you to look at. The first ones are of my 75g that I have had up for about 3 yrs. Tomorrow I will post some more picts of how the weekend went.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

 

[RyanG]

I really like that stand! got a cool ratan look to it. Very nice.

 

[kvcgsxr600]

Have you had that Vlamingi in there for three years? I ask because I have one in a 75 as of now and was wondering how long they can live in there before you must upgrade.

 

[hoopsdaddy]

Have you had that Vlamingi in there for three years? I ask because I have one in a 75 as of now and was wondering how long they can live in there before you must upgrade.

Almost 2 years in this tank. He is really starting to get thick. He was about 3" when I got him. Probably...7" long and 1"-1 1/2" thick now. He is very cool. He eats right out of my hand and will follow me around as I clean the tank. One of my fav's and has really made a tang fan out of me.

 

[kvcgsxr600]

Yeah mine was super small when I got him, he is starting to get a little aggressive with his tank mates though, even the bigger ones. It took him getting stung by the rabbit fish for him to stop picking on him. Mine is just now about 2-3". Very cool fish though and yours is very pretty, I can't wait for mine to finish changing colors.

 

[hoopsdaddy]

I really like that stand! got a cool ratan look to it. Very nice.

If the story on this tank is true.....
It was made in Japan by a man in the military. He set it up as a SW tank and caught his own fish to put in it. He brought it over to the US with him when he and his family moved here. Finally selling it to my friend an older gentleman who used it for breeding angels. Sold it to me for $100. I set it up as a cichlid tank for about a year. Got married, sold the house, gave all the fish away, and the tank sat in my garage for about six months while I waited for inspiration. Then finally it came in the form of the mandrian goby:shock:. Next thing I know($$$$$ one is born every minute) I have a reef tank set up. It stayed that way until yesterday.

 

[RyanG]

Too bad you are in Texas or Id purchase that stand in a heartbeat.

 

[dustin_P74]

that really is a cool stand

 

[hoopsdaddy]

Yeah, the only thing we don't like about it is that the panels around the tank block about 25% of the viewing area. Makes the tank look a lot more like a 50long.

 

[hoopsdaddy]

Ok, thought I would give you all something to watch today. Going to do some water tests in a few minutes but thought I could post some of the build to let you know how things went. Some of the first shots are about 6 weeks ago when I first go the tank.
165 DAS Custom

[/IMG]
The stand in its original condition.

[/IMG]
Man I get messy when I work.

[/IMG]
Table top for the tank.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]
The "I hate silicone" sump.

[/IMG]
First leak test. I dont see any water either. That's the point. Yeah no leaks!!

[/IMG]
I love furniture dollies.

[/IMG]
My wife loves the trash can look. I think I may get her some more. She thought I said tank in the bed room not tank on the bed. Sure hope it doesn't snore.

[/IMG]
The tank is in place.

[/IMG]

 

[daugherty]

looks great

 

[hoopsdaddy]

Tank in place

[/IMG]

 

[hoopsdaddy]

Some more shots of the set up for those of you wanting to follow along. Would have went faster if we both hadn't have gotten sick. 12hr bug of some sort. Anyway all better now. Back to more interesting things.

[/IMG]

Little cloudy at first.

[/IMG]
Then the skies parted and there was light. In the form of 400W of IceCap power.

[/IMG]

lots of light reflecting off of the particles in the water looks much better today.
He looks very little in this tank. Hopefully he makes the move OK.

[/IMG]
Clowns say hello!!

[/IMG]
A couple more picts and then I have a couple more corals to move.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

Thanks for following along and keep the feedback comming. I will post more picts tonight.:D

 

[daugherty]

looks great

 

[hoopsdaddy]

In the full tank shot that has a 14 on the bottom right hand corner, that is a total of 150#'s of live rock. Thought it would go much further than that. Needless to say the wonderful wife said you need to get on liveaquaria.com(free plug) and order some more tonight. God I love her!!!! So I did what I was told to do. Hope she says that again in a couple of weeks when she thinks we need some more coral.

 

[sicklids]

where'd you find a wife like that? i gotta find me one!! all mine says is, "it smells like a fish tank in here!", and stuff like, "you spent that much money on rocks?" haha!! i love'r though, she cooks supper and chases the kids around!!!