Boomsons 90g no wait 120g build

This was my first fish tank EVER besides the freshwater my parents had when i was just a little kid. I have always wanted a Saltwater tank but being in the military I didnt want to start one since i moved around every 2-3 yrs for the lat 9yrs, but seeing as i only have 18mos left and i don't plan on moving afterwards i decided it was finally time. I did as much research as i could and purchased the parts within my budget. I had a few mistakes along the way (buying a 90g tank that turned out to be a critter cage...face palm) and i'm sure even more that i dont know about yet but i did the best i could and im almost complete. The following pictures are from the last 3 months with the last being from today.

To begin i bought a stand with a 90g tank from a mil friend and decided to resurface it...then decided to raise it 7 inches then decided to put a rim around the bottom to cover about an In of the tank (basically jsut the rim)








The first look at the 90g critter cage


3x6 posts in the corners and center of front and back with 1" plywood. The front and sides are actually put 1/4" higher than the bottom of the posts so they have no support on them, just for looks.




The lip wraps all the way around


Stand Complete

 

Found a 40g breeder for sale at petco furing their $1 per g sale picked it up got some glass cut at lowes and designed my sump to fit my skimmer and socks in first section...then a 16g fug...bubble trap then my return section which would also hosue a pump for carbon/gfo reactors.







During this time i started to do research on bulkheads since my tank (critter cage ) had already been drilled...realized my drilled hole didn't match any bulkheads for sale...noticed how thin the glass was...found out the manufacture...informed it was a critter cage...called my buddy to ***** him out lol...apparently he had it set up as a salt water tank for over a yr... but i was not willing to risk the chance of 90g flooding my brand new house. So i did some research and found a great deal at a LFS in LA for this baby...It was also the only sized tank to fit my stand that i had a few weeks of work into





Predrilled with one drain and 2 returns


Fit the stand perfectly

 

The girlfriend touch to the doors

Started the plumbing a few days later and ran with viniger and water for a few days to clean everything out...




Drain not complete waiting for bags and skimmer

 

Water Mixing station with BRS RO/DI

Skimmer lights Reactor installed and started to fill with RO/DI water...took a few days lol




Not as tight as it looks lol was able to adjust the pump opening...about an 1 1/2 inches on each side now.


A tighter fit than i would have liked but the reactors were an after thought...


If you notice the lights arnt centered bcuz of the tank mounts i ordered dont fit with the braces...Wall mount should be in, in a few days


Fiji Pink Live sand 130lbs up top and 45 in fug



Close ups


Me and my GF just pulling out the live rock form the packing boxes.


Where we are at today 30hrs into first cycle..

 

Wow!! Tank is awesome! You have done a fantastic job. Your setup looks like a pro's who has been doing this awhile! What are your plans for the tank?

Did you paint the walls in the garage? That looks really neat!

 

Me and my GF painted it...it was a bigger pain in the ass than we had initially though but htats what happens when u wake up Sunday and u have nothing to do besides go to lowes and find something to do lol...

Plans for the tank...well thats kinda where im at right now, im kinda leaving the fish aspect to my GF as long as they are compatible with the reef and she doesn't overstock or get aggressive fish...im currently researching corals but dont have any for sure plans, except a box puffer fish that she wants lol.

 

Fantastic start.

Really like the door handles.

Take the gf window shopping at Liveaquaria.com. LA offers a wide selection of fish and invert types with general tip on husbandry, min tank size....

 

trust me shes on that site non-stop lol