Crab Rangoon Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 My name is Randy, and I worked for River City Aquatics from their original opening back in 2004 until the end of 2010. Many of you know me from my time at RCA, but few of you recognize my handle. I had an abysmal thread for my last tank; dubbed Crab's Cube; a Marineland Deep Dimensions 150g cube that never really got enough updates to call it a "build thread." Fast forward to now, my girlfriend just bought a house and we've moved, so it's my one chance to upgrade / buy a tank without her disowning me - so I might as well make this one count, right? Previously, my ideal tank (keeping a reasonable budget in mind) was always the Deep Sea Aquatics Neo 185. I wanted wide, no center braces / cross braces, a single centered overflow box, thick glass and quality minimal silicone seams - it had all of those. Too bad it's been discontinued for a while and replaced with a similar tank that I'm just not interested in. I tried my luck at the used tank market in Austin, DFW, SA and Houston - but for a whole month I struck out. To be fair, I'm a picky guy and this may very well be the last tank I buy for quite some time. I have every reason to be reserved and inflexible about something that is going to sit in my house for years to come, not to mention cost me a bunch of money. AGE is out of my budget, and some other brands custom prices just didn't reel me in - until I discovered Planet Aquariums, with whom I quickly pulled the trigger. They seemed agreeable to all the details I wanted in the aquarium, their quote seemed perfectly aligned with my budget, and they were willing to give me everything I wanted (rather than trying to change my mind / sell me something else). I was able to order the tank through Jake at RCA instead of one of their DFW-area dealers, so we quickly got the ball rolling & the tank ordered. Details on the tank: - 60x30x24" - external overflow box centered on the back - internal portion of overflow ~24x3x5" - rimless & trimless - 3/4" glass walls - PVC bottom - powdercoated metal stand I've already purchased a Royal Exclusiv Alpha 200 cone skimmer for the tank, as well as sourced a custom sump. I'll be buying some Tunze 6095 pumps with a 7096 controller, and a 6215 Wavebox with 7092 controller soon. From my 150g I'll be reusing the Eheim 1262 pump, a 36w Turbo Twist UV sterilizer, and possibly a Precision Marine SR40HL substrate reactor. I'll continue to use LED lighting, just unsure exactly which lamps I'll be using for this tank. I plan to transfer all the liverock & livestock from my 150g into the new tank, which I'll detail later. I only kept a moderate amount of liverock in the cube, and I don't really intend to add any more rock when transitioning to the next tank. I really enjoy having a lot of open space allowing for strong broad flow, and plenty of swimming space for the fish. I may try to drill some of my rocks in order to stack them with rods to hold them in place - and if I go this route I'll probably use a small bit of dry rock to achieve the shapes I'm wanting. That's all for now, more details coming soon. tl;dr version: I ordered a new tank. More details, photos, and updates to come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Sounds good. Can't wait for your updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayou Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 This sounds awesome! Planet aqarium is great, very good quality, fair prices and EASY to work with. PICS PICS PICS PICS!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Cob Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 sounds like a nice build, looking forward to this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+olaggie01 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Glad to hear you got the ball rolling Randy. You won't be disappointed with PA. They do quality work and within a reasonable time line. I like the dimensions as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Thanks guys, I can't wait. Today I'm picking up my liverock and livestock to move them into the temporary holding tank (rigid pond-liner tub). Unsure of exactly how I'm going to be lighting the holding tank, but I assure you it won't be "up to code" or remotely "safe" As long as the fish stay fat & happy, that's all that truly matters anyway. Fingers crossed I'm able to find a solution for running my skimmer in it for extra peace of mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 So it took about a month between the deposit being made to the final product being ready for pick-up. I had a few hiccups in my schedule, so I held off a couple weeks before having it's delivery date scheduled. After much anticipation, it has arrived! Well, at least it has arrived at River City Aquatics. I'll have it home plenty soon, though! Really excited, it looks GREAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Cob Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 solid looking tank, bet you are super stoked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibs Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Awesome looking I am definitely following along on this one. Good luck with the build man looks like your off to a great start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 The tank is finally home, which was no easy task. Jake and Francis brought it down from RCA, but I have NO IDEA how the heck they got the entire crate with tank & stand lifted up into the pickup. They disassembled the crate on the truck & it took four of us to get it into the house. There was only about 60 seconds of actual lifting involved, and even with all my years of experience in moving / delivering / installing tanks I can say this weighed nearly twice what I was expecting So now step one is complete, the tank sits in it's room awaiting some vinyl to cover the back. Once that's done I can move it back against the wall to it's final resting place. Please forgive all the sweat & handprints on the glass, it was unavoidable haha. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+olaggie01 Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Looks great Randy. I think you'll really like those dimensions. Somedays I wish I had that extra 4-6" of height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myvirtue Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 awesome thread. does planet aquarium have a website? tried to google it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdavis735 Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 That's a very nice tank Randy. I can't wait to see it setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark V Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 What are te advantages of a metal stand vs a wood stand? I've always been used to wood stands when I was in the hobby years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted September 15, 2012 Author Share Posted September 15, 2012 awesome thread. does planet aquarium have a website? tried to google it. I wish they had a site or Facebook page, but I couldn't find anything about them beyond threads on Reef Central regarding their tanks. I was able to eventually source an email and phone number for them, but it's apparently only for wholesale inquiries, and they refer you to an LFS in your area. RCA is who I ordered mine through, I'd suggest contacting them to get a quote or more details - everyone at the shop seems pretty pleased with the outcome! That's a very nice tank Randy. I can't wait to see it setup. Thanks - I'm dying to see it come to life as well! We're still hashing things out with both a foundation warranty repair, and a warranty repair to our hardwood floor. I really can't fill it up and get it going until both of those are taken care of, it's really torturous for this thing to be sitting here empty for so long! What are te advantages of a metal stand vs a wood stand? I've always been used to wood stands when I was in the hobby years ago I don't care much for the styles of aquarium furniture / cabinetry offered by the industry and I'm way too picky to have a company custom produce a stand for me. Going with a metal stand allows me the luxury of setting the tank up now, and finishing the exterior later! A wood stand, even only a structural frame, would be quite a bit heavier than this is. I plan to have a local builder produce an exterior for the stand in the near future, which will attach via clips or magnets. The front and end panels will be completely removable, so I'll still have full access to get in there when necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Good looking tank! Good idea on the stand, having removable access panels is priceless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Update on why I'm not updating: the foundation repair is being dragged out by the company responsible, until they claim responsibility and uphold their warranty I will not have any definitive timeline. This has been going on for long enough now that I am pretty reluctant to say if/when I'll be able to set it up this year. Fingers crossed that this doesn't turn into a legal battle, further delaying the happiness of my spouse & my fish, but it really looks like that's where it's headed. I hope that no members have to deal with Level Best for their own home As soon as I'm able, this thing will get up and running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo662 Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Sorry to hear that...that really sucks! Hopefully it'll all get resolved sooner than later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Update on why I'm not updating: the foundation repair is being dragged out by the company responsible, until they claim responsibility and uphold their warranty I will not have any definitive timeline. This has been going on for long enough now that I am pretty reluctant to say if/when I'll be able to set it up this year. Fingers crossed that this doesn't turn into a legal battle, further delaying the happiness of my spouse & my fish, but it really looks like that's where it's headed. I hope that no members have to deal with Level Best for their own home As soon as I'm able, this thing will get up and running. BOooooo. As a favor to you, and any other members, I don't mind setting up other people's tanks in my house and keeping them for an indefinite period of time. JKJKJKJK or am i.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Good luck! Let me know what you think of your tank as you get it set up. I've been looking into a similar fashion for my next one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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