Cali Kid Corals

250 gallon deep marine land

Scarbird

Scarbird

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I am looking to buy a new system to replace my 72 gal bow front.
This will be a mixed reef tank, need lots of room for fish.
I saw a nice 250 gallon deep 60" X 36" X 27" with 2 corner overflows, stand and canopy for around 4k.
This is a big purchase so I intend to do lots of homework.
Any tank purchase advice will be much appreciated.
Also, I am contemplating purchasing tank only, building a very strong stand that meets my needs and having a cabinet builder do the finish work and canopy, thus matching my home decorum.
The stand and canopy in the store are approx 1700$ anyway.
Will this cover the cabinet builder cost? Thoughts?
 
Scarbird said:
The stand and canopy in the store are approx 1700$ anyway.
Will this cover the cabinet builder cost? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

That probably won't do it if you go directly to a cabinet shop to get the work done. Check with Neptune's in Milpitas. I think they have access to a pretty good stand builder if I recall correctly. Get a quote from him and go from there.

When I put together a stand and canopy for my 65 gallon tank and I had $600 in Cherry lumber alone. I had over $800 in materials and hardware when it was all said and done. If I had to pay a cabinet maker to build it I probably would have been looking at around $2200 or better. My goal was to match existing furniture in the house too.

~Charlie
 
It's safe to say a custom stand and canopy will typically run you close to double what a stock stand will run you. Do you plan on doing any extra custom work with the stand, like crown molding, special lumber or really nice hardware? That will run the cost up as well.

Those DD tanks are awesome!
 
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the DD tanks are nice. I really like the depth perception and added room for fish, a little less confining. Anyway the Monterey stand is great but I would like the canopy to be taller so my AI SOL led's will not be so close to the surface.
Also I have a sink adjascent to where the tank will be (the room used to be a mother in law unit). The idea is to have a wooden bench to the right of the tank with an opening lid so I can extend the sump (I like huge sumps) under the bench towards the sink. This will allow easy water changes since behind the sink is an old hot water heater closet where my ro/di, kalk, alk, calcium and salt water mixing reservoirs will be. Under the sink will reside my spectrapure dual media reactor which can return right into the extended sump. Plus a nice spot to sit and observe the tank from the side. I was also considering cutting into the sheetrock adjacent to the tank and adding cabinets with doors that match stand, canopy and bench. Inside the cabinets will be my AI controller, reef keeper lite modules and controller, thus seperating electrcity from all the watery stuff below the tank.
Currently, most of my electrical gear is stuffed below the 72 bowfront. Very crowded.
Lots of learning to do! I'm spending a fair amount of time these days checking out other builds.
Fortunately, as reeflove aptly put it, the journey is what matters most.
I was so excited 8 years ago to get the 72 bowfront, I didn't spend much time for advance preparation.
This time will be different........
 
Piper said:
Scarbird said:
The stand and canopy in the store are approx 1700$ anyway.
Will this cover the cabinet builder cost? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

That probably won't do it if you go directly to a cabinet shop to get the work done. Check with Neptune's in Milpitas. I think they have access to a pretty good stand builder if I recall correctly. Get a quote from him and go from there.

When I put together a stand and canopy for my 65 gallon tank and I had $600 in Cherry lumber alone. I had over $800 in materials and hardware when it was all said and done. If I had to pay a cabinet maker to build it I probably would have been looking at around $2200 or better. My goal was to match existing furniture in the house too.

~Charlie
Click to expand...
Charlie that is a cool boxer! We have two at home as well. How did you get him/her to lleave the Groucho glasses on?
I'll see what Neptune's has to say. It seems like my brain storming might require a little more than an aquarium stand. You think a stand builder would suffer all the foolishness I have in mind?
Fortunately I'm not in any big hurry. My wife is adding to her list of compensatory demands on a daily basis. Essentially, whatever I do toward this project will cost me double.
John


Attached files /attachments/sites/default/files/Mom's Pictures 468.JPG
 
IIRC, if you don't use the Marineland stand then they won't honor their warranty, not sure if that's still the case. That said if you were going to do it yourself with the building of all the "pretty stuff" then I'd say go for it, but if you're going to get a cabinet maker to do the finish work you might just well easily exceed that $1700 price.

BTW where are you getting the tank? When these guys came out I was drooling all over them, unfortunately no stores could get one because their supplier (which does most/all of california) refused to carry the line as it competed with their line of tanks.

I do love the deep dimension tank though as it's also glass so if things get too messy a few swipes with a razor blade and all coraline is gone! I've been living with my 48" x 36" x 24" tank for a while, but it's acrylic *pout*
 
that is still the case, as is with most major manufacturers now.

Its not just an issue with Central Pet not wanting to stock them due to their own lines, it also has to do with the huge cost in shipping them from back east.
 
Glass is the only way to go fo a reef tank. I have zero scratches in over 4 years and I have 2 little kids messing with the front of the tank every day :) .
I would not have it any other way.
 
sfsuphysics said:
IIRC, if you don't use the Marineland stand then they won't honor their warranty, not sure if that's still the case. That said if you were going to do it yourself with the building of all the "pretty stuff" then I'd say go for it, but if you're going to get a cabinet maker to do the finish work you might just well easily exceed that $1700 price.
The main thing is the canopy needs to be taller for my AI SOL led's.
BTW where are you getting the tank? When these guys came out I was drooling all over them, unfortunately no stores could get one because their supplier (which does most/all of california) refused to carry the line as it competed with their line of tanks.
I contacted Marine Land "US Aquatics" and they replied that my LFS would need to order for me.
I do love the deep dimension tank though as it's also glass so if things get too messy a few swipes with a razor blade and all coraline is gone! I've been living with my 48" x 36" x 24" tank for a while, but it's acrylic *pout*
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you are farmiliar with the 72 gal bow front tru vue, but it is very difficult to reach the bottom front for cleaning and placing frags, etc... with the 250 deep I can just reach right down from the edge. 27" , no lip.
 
JAR said:
Glass is the only way to go fo a reef tank. I have zero scratches in over 4 years and I have 2 little kids messing with the front of the tank every day :) .
I would not have it any other way.
Click to expand...
Amen!
 
Beautiful dogs! The one on the left looks a lot like an English Bulldog I have years ago. She always looked more like a Boxer than a Bulldog. Tall and slender.

Scarbird said:
Charlie that is a cool boxer! We have two at home as well. How did you get him/her to lleave the Groucho glasses on?
Click to expand...

Frag glue and Staples :) She actually tolerated me holding it on long enough to snap a pic. She has been around young kids her entire life and has proven to be a very tolerant dog.

Scarbird said:
I'll see what Neptune's has to say. It seems like my brain storming might require a little more than an aquarium stand. You think a stand builder would suffer all the foolishness I have in mind?
Fortunately I'm not in any big hurry. My wife is adding to her list of compensatory demands on a daily basis. Essentially, whatever I do toward this project will cost me double.
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not. after looking at your requirements I think your best bet would be Neptune's if you want to try a stand builder. I do not have any first hand experience with them but looking at their work I would bet the builder has cabinet experience. He does very nice work.

You will most likely need to find a cabinet maker for what you're after though. I would say you're easily looking at $4OK or $5K or better. I had a set of custom cabinets built, uppers and lowers on a 7' wall, for an addition I did a few years back and I think I paid around $5K installed if I remember correctly. It wasn't anything too elaborate either.

~Charlie
 
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