Eric's 280 Gallon Build

[Coloredrock]

280 (72”x30”x30”) Gallon Acrylic Refurbish...
It's in the house!
.

Equipment:
280 (72”x30”x30”) Gallon Acrylic
120 Gallon Acrylic Sump
Reef Octopus Classic 202-S Protein Skimmer
40-Watt UV Sterilizer
Flow:
For now, or till they die/too loud I’ll use what came with the tank(s) all in good condition.
2 - Jebao DCT 12000 Return pumps Max flow: 3170GPH; Max-head: 16.4 ft
Flow to play with…
2 - Jebao SOW (1057-5283gph) Wavemakers
Maxspect Gyre
Various Jebao Gyre’s/wavemakers to fill where needed
Lights:
36” Aquatic Life Hybrid w/2 Radion XR30 G4 Pros in the middle
2- Aqua Star Smatfarm G5 on the sides.

Need to finish cleaning it up... LEGO’s err plumbing arrived… of course I ordered a couple wrong sizes and not enough.. so that is next on the list.

 

[Coloredrock]

Removing scratches…
Hours of how-to YouTube videos.
Things that I tried:
Variable palm sander on low speed wet/dry grit 600, 800, 1000.. then I would get acrylic powder buildup in one “phase” .. and create another “soft scratch”.. and would have to start over.
What works for me:
Was a sanding block, misting spray bottle, and a lot of micro fiber towels (with the sanding block you can hear if something gets between the paper and the acrylic) …600, 800, 1000, 1500 horizontal, 2000 vertical, 3000 and a once over with Novus 3.. then 2. Over kill maybe… but for the price of the tank, 120-gallon funky sump, stand, skimmer, UV sterilizer, various flow pumps plus extras and good exercise it’s worth it.

 

[Coloredrock]

Filler up...
Get to add water as I work on the plumbing, it is peninsula on the right. Lights are up temporary.
Need to get a PAR meter and adjust..

I am most likely going to move move them to the right side of the tank and let the left stay a little "dark" until the next round of funding.. this is a slow build for me so its going to take some time (years) to get it it going.

 

[Sonthaily85]

nice!!!!

 

[Jimbo327]

Nice! So good to see you putting in the work to bring this tank back to life. Nothing beats sweat equity. Take your time and set it up how you want it. My pace is slow as well because of diminishing funds or refurbishing equipment. But you seem to have the bulk of your pricey equipment like lights and tank already. Looking forward to seeing this build.

 

[Coloredrock]

... Take your time and set it up how you want it. My pace is slow as well because of diminishing funds or refurbishing equipment. ....

Ya, The lights were from a RedSea 300xl the blew a front bottom seam lost a bunch... plus the wife was none to happy, nor were the kitchen cabinets. So back to acrylic with its problems!

I had a 180 for along time back in the MH days.. and t5's were getting popular. Was really never happy with the small tank size.. the 280 is going to be fun.

 

[Jimbo327]

Unfortunately, I think RedSea's flimsy wood stand was the cause of your seam blowing out. There is just no way those RS stands can hold that much weight for years. I think steel stands are the way to go. And if you are at 280 gallons, the last thing you need is all that water destroying your house, my wife would kill me too.