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Clownfish are damsels...all of them. Good to see the tank doing better Bpb, I'm not out there often, but I'll let you know next time I'm coming, I love 90's!

not so sure about light LOVING but....blasto, welso, acan, scoly all seem to like a bit heavier light in my tanks... Just go to divers den and start poking around...I never considered chalice a LPS because of the Ca and KH uptake, but they do!

Sorry for your loss, I hate the "which experiment f'd it????" feeling

Tank is looking goood!

I really thought this thread had died this time!

That's the first time I've seen an ATO chamber built in to the sump. AWESOME. Idea STOLEN!!

Hi Kim, To deal with humidity issues you're on the right track with cement or green board. But above that I would suggest a silica rack. A simple mounted soap dish with silica packed into a filter sock should do. If you really want to go the distance look into fiberglass molding. It isn't hard to do; just puts off some pretty serious fumes. Great build thread!

Cement backer board is the perfect liner for the under the tank. Be sure you have a saw blade rated to cut it, and be sure you use outdoor or stainless screws. I would also paint with latex semi gloss to prevent salt build up and make it easier to clean. Also, consider a skim coat to ensure a perfect level foundation before construction or placement of the stand. (I actually knew a guy who built his stand in his driveway and couldn't understand why his tank was 2 degrees off level!!) It's probably not large enough a foot print to REALLY stress over, but I think it's nice knowing for sure that the surface under the tank is perfectly level. Going all out would be fiberglass lining the bottom "tub" of the stand. (I've considered a fiberglass built in sump much like a stand up shower, but haven't found the chance to build one.) This gives the chance for a catch tub and alarm that could shut down the system if needed and protect that wood floor. It isn't needed by any means but thought I wouid throw the idea out there. In construction we'd call this a shower pan, hot water pan, etc. Think about a liner a couple inches up along the bottom and walls. The sump and EQ then sits in that where a float is connected to an alarm. If that float floats we know there is a leak in the system and have an emergency to deal with. It's better than comming home at the end of the day to find warped wood. Have fun with the demo, Ty's right it's my favorite part too! I'd let ya borrow my skid stear but (unfortunatly) I don't think you need it! I saw a tank very smilar to those specs at the dome on Friday...was it in already??

The center of that arch bears no load, and the doubled 2X4's (if not 2X6's) on either side can handle a lot more; feel free to remove te 2X4 studs. The only thing they support is the cap and trim making the window in the arch. Once that is done call the electrician back and have a double gang outlet installed where the sump will be and a sinlge gang in the top of the arch for lights. You may incur some drywall damage to get the outlet in the arch, and the electrician may ***** about it, I can get you a trustworthy referral if you need. From there your design can really get started and the kiddos are safe. If you want a built in appearance on one side and cabs on the other you can still do that, but at least this way you can do it with green board or better yet cement board and not have to worry about moisture. You can also do it over metal if you choose. In this manor when you move out you simply are leaving a slightly larger serving pass as you had, but now with storage! I'd be happy to do the demo for you if you like, that's about a 15 minute job from cut to clean

best thread ever