HOT SAUCE - 300L Mixed Reef

[HOT SAUCE]

Hi all

its been just a little over a year since i got involved in the marine tank hobby. I've been keeping fresh water fish for few years with mixed results and mostly because i just liked the idea of having a fish tank in the house and not because i was really interested in the aquatic life itself.
About two years ago i met @rigby who works just 50m down the road from my shop and he started telling me about his tanks that he had before but now was over it and would only have a tank again if it was very colorful and very big.. So he would come every now and then to the shop on business or just to visit and we would talk about tanks (i had a freshwater tank in the shop at the time with some gold fish).. slowly we decided that he wants a tank but he wants a marine tank with corals so we were gonna do a research and figure what he needs and get it on..
Few months later with the help of @Fraser W who is a walking encyclopedia of marine life he was all set up and around Christmas he decided that i also need a tank so we can all be in the hobby. he bought me a AQUARIA AWM37 Nano which became my first marine tank.... some pictures of the tank and its progress can be seen in my album or HERE...

Now back to present day... I spend the last one year learning all i could about corals, getting experience through the small nano (we had many ups and downs) and of course getting help from @rigby and @Fraser W while also preparing for a bigger tank.
bit by bit i started buying equipment and hardware that i was gonna use on the new build. i bought @Fraser W old fresh water tank which was made out of 10 mm glass.. a chiller from @Zandy a skimmer from another friend and so on and on.
Finally last December i felt it was time to start the new tank and shut down the nano (unfortunately i don't think i can keep two tanks due to work commitments)

this is how my new tank looks today... i'll post more pictures with details on the system and how everything came to life step by step

And of course i wanna thank @Fraser W and @rigby for helping come all this way

 

[HOT SAUCE]

the tank dimensions are 120 x 43 x 53 all 10mm normal float glass and was build by myself with black sillicone. it sits on a metal frame made by @Fraser W dad... when fraser got the tank we had to build it as the glass was still new and that was the first tank we build ... if he has some pictures of the tank with the tiger barbs maybe he can post them here .. but when he also got into the marine hobby (same time with me and @rigby) he decided to shut down the fresh water tank and concentrate on the corals .. who can blame him
few month later i bought the tank from him ... this are the first pictures of my new tank

 

[Dimi]

Hi Syro, looking great and well done. Must come see it if I ever get down there. So many delays in the project there

 

[HOT SAUCE]

i decided that i was not happy with the clear silicone and since the tank was not gonna be running for at least six or so months more i had enough time to rebuild it .. there are few pics of striping the tank down... and also my girlfriend helping me clean the silicone off the glass.

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[HOT SAUCE]

thanks @Dimi .. ive been waiting for you for few months now
im not using the reactor i bought from you at the moment but im using the pump for my chiller

 

[HOT SAUCE]

there are some more pictures of the tank build... it took me over a month to finish the tank as i was working on it in my shop during the day and not always had time ... or was just lazy

i drilled the side glass first... two 50mm holes for drain and two 32mm for return pipes

 

[HOT SAUCE]

because no one in Swaziland sells 10mm glass unless a special order is placed i decided to stick two 6mm sheets together with silicone for my bracing on the top (i dont have a bottom brace) and because i only had two G clamps i had to wait for one brace stuck properly before i could do the next one ... it took me a total of three days

 

[reef addict]

Looking good bud

 

[Gareth0508]

hope you put on some National Geographic for your fish to watch during the day! Some Finding Nemo for drama and Jaws for a late night horror… ha ha

Looking awesome bud!

 

[HOT SAUCE]

polishing the holes i cut in the glass



all the bracing are ready



starting with the overflow box... because i wanted the tank to be almost like a room divider naturally the overflow box will be on the short side

 

[HOT SAUCE]

@reef addict thanks mate

 

[HOT SAUCE]

hope you put on some National Geographic for your fish to watch during the day! Some Finding Nemo for drama and Jaws for a late night horror… ha ha

Looking awesome bud!

hahaha my fish only watch soccer ... even now they are watching the Capital One Cup

 

[HOT SAUCE]

at some point i decided that i'll build a smaller tank for one or another reason and my project was quicly converted into a bigger home for my gold fish ... i closed the wholes i drilled by sticking a piece of glass on the inside with silicone and was using a canister filter i bought from @Fraser W

 

[HOT SAUCE]

they say ''once you go marine you dont go back'' so soon after the gold fish found their way to someone's koi pond and i was back to the drawing board ... the challenge - removing the class i had covered the holes i drilled for the overflow and returns... after much thought and trying to stick blades and trace wire between the two sheets of glass i decided that it would be best to just try and break the glass i had stuck on the inside and then remove it piece by piece ... it was risky cos i could also break the main glass but i had no alternatives

 

[HOT SAUCE]

i had to try and put a blade first and then knock a metal ruler between the blade and the main glass causing the small broken piece of glass to lift and come off .. took me two days to finish





few almost invisible scratches there and there but im not worried since it will not be a viewing panel.. job done

 

[HOT SAUCE]

next up is the new overflow box and also gluing the return pipes and the drain to the glass.. i used a two part clear epoxy from pratley that is strong as steel and clear like glass .. also sticks to virtually anything .. really awesome stuff

 

[HOT SAUCE]

also my return is a 25mm and not 32mm so i had to close those wholes and drill another one for the return.

 

[HOT SAUCE]

some close-ups of the silicone work... its not Idol Marine quality but im content with my first attempt

 

[HOT SAUCE]

 

[HOT SAUCE]

i drilled holes in the return pipe so it will work as a spray bar and i'll be also able to change the direction of the water flow as the last piece of the pipe is not glued to the 90 degree bend