# 180 gallon project



## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

I will be purchasing a 180 gallon tank on Sunday. It needs to be resealed, but I am getting the tank for $70, so I figure its worth a shot. Its going to be a mostly DIY project for me, so probably will happen slowly, but here are a few ideas and questions.

First, with the resealing... I have been researching and think I have a decent idea of what I need to do. I understand that GE 1 seems to be the unanimous choice. I also understand that silicone does not stick to silicone and i will need to sut out the existing and replace. The one real thing I am unsure of, is I have read about sealing the inside corner as well as the outside corner edges? Can someone please give me a little clarification on kind of a good step by step resealing? Does anyone have any links to good resealing instructions? I have been doing research, but I figure I would ask and see if anyone out there has any really great info.

As the project goes on, I will keep updating. I will be doing:

Resealing
Demo of tank location, ripping out built in basement shelving
Installation of sump pump for water changes (does anyone else use a sump pump to do wc?)
Stand build

Anyway, thanks for any suggestions!


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

I like the footprint of that tank :thumb:

When you say it needs a reseal does it hold water or is the silicone just pealing away.

I am not sure sealing the outside corners will add any integrity to the strength or stop any leaks but would be mainly for cosmetics.

Good luck with your project :thumb:


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

i have not bought it yet, but he said it leaked. i was actually reading a good article today on sealing tanks and i think you are right that it would just be the inside. heres the link fyi:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/man ... arium.html
let me know if you think its good info. i dont really understand why he lines it with tape.

im very excited about the tank and dimensions... especially for 70 bucks if i can get it sealed correctly!


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## Dook (May 13, 2009)

HONDO said:


> i dont really understand why he lines it with tape.


that's so after you silicone, but before it dries you peel the tape away and have a nice clean straight line on the silicone. It just looks nicer.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

ok, that makes sense. thank you.


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

You do not need to do anything with the outside. Get yourself a razor blade scraper. Take your time and scrape away all the old sealant. Wash it so you remove all dirt residue. Wait for it to dry. reseal, but do not move the tank for 72 hours. This is how I have done it with no problems.


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## Isis24 (Dec 10, 2008)

A very important thing to remember is that after you've taken off all the old silicone, clean it well with a cloth and wipe it down with alcohol. Then, DON'T touch it with your oily fingers!! If you do that, the silicone won't stick. I made that mistake when I tried to reseal my 25G and had to start all over again :? Wear gloves


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

this is all great info. thank you guys very much. im kind of nervous... with this weekend being mothers day, i think my friend who had planned to help might bail until next weekend. i really want to get moving on this.

so is the unanimous choice for silicone the GE 1? Thats what I keep reading. Is this the best stuff to use?

also, I read somewhere that i need to smooth the beads of silicone once i put it on. i have seen using latex gloves and also to keep a little glass of rubbing alcohol to put on the tip of your finger to smooth it out. Is this necessary? Best way to smooth the silicone once i apply?


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

picked up the tank yesterday... heavy
so i think i have a good grasp on resealing, just have to give it a shot.

i have another issue to think about and would like some input. the tank has two built in overflow boxes. in general, is this good or bad??? i have never used a sump before and honestly dont understand it too well. i have been reading, but it just seems complicated. with two overflow boxes, two holes at the bottom of each, can someone please explain how this works and what i need to do?

if i wanted to, could i remove the overflow boxes and cover the holes?


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## Dook (May 13, 2009)

with a tank that size, sump is about your best bet for filtration, you should really think about educating yourself on them and going that direction. As for sealing the holes, I would imagine you could get a bulkhead to seal them if you chose to go that route, but again, educate yourself on sump filtration and you'll fall in love with the idea.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

thanks Dook. I have been reading all morning and its slowly but surely becoming more clear. i have a 75 that is running now, so i could always use that for a sump. there are also alot of other cheap ideas out there to build myself.

im going to research more and see if i cannot get to a point where im comfortable.

i will update tonight with pics on my new tank and where i will be putting it.

oh yeah... they spray painted the back of the tank... can i scrape that off with a razor blade? should i use some kind of paint thinner? whats the best route on that one?


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## nooberfish (Sep 25, 2009)

nice deal u got on that tank i would have picked it up in a heart beat also are u going to build ur own stand?


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

yes, i am planning to build my own stand. i have never done this before either, but i am researching simple/strong builds. i am interested more in stability and strength than looks. i can always dress it up later.

if i end up not spending much getting the tank fixed up, and i can find a good deal, i am not opposed to buying one but my plan is to build.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

if its already drilled, then thats one less thing you have to worry about.
it would be perfect to run a drilled tank with a sump and your 75 would be a good size 
for it. 
as for the black background, do you really have to remove it? are you 
planning to do other things for the bg?

do you have any other plans for the sump? ie: refugium, grow out or planning to 
put plants in there? 
if its just mainly for filtration, you can go with 2 baffle plates.
1 to hold the media, and the other for the pump. make sure you 
leave as much space in the pump chamber to accomodate evaporation.
the more room there is, the less top off you have to do.

stand can be easily made w/ 2x4 and should cost you that much.
make sure you have room to install or insert the 75g. 
there was a guy on cyphos.com who made a very nice stand and after it was all done and painted, he had to hack a square opening for the sump. lol.

sumps are very easy to make and they are very easy to maintain.
i would never use any other type of main filtration for tanks that are 75g and up.


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

HONDO said:


> i have another issue to think about and would like some input. the tank has two built in overflow boxes. in general, is this good or bad??? i have never used a sump before and honestly dont understand it too well. i have been reading, but it just seems complicated. with two overflow boxes, two holes at the bottom of each, can someone please explain how this works and what i need to do?
> 
> if i wanted to, could i remove the overflow boxes and cover the holes?


We have a 210 with that arrangement and use a 40 gallon breeder for a sump/ refugium. Make sure you read up as much as you can on DIY sumps for FW and get as large a pump as you can with your choice of overflow volume.

I plumbed using the AGA megaflo kits for the overflows. You might want to check them out. :thumb:


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

so a 75 wouldnt be too tall for the sump?
the background on the tank now is blue spraypaint... it is not well dont. it looks horrible. i want to remove it and just paint the back and sides black.

i was at a lfs today looking at those overflow kits. they were 60 bucks, but i would have to get two (one for each overflow) then a pump... starting to get pricey. for a 2 overflow 180 with a 75 gallon sump, what kind of pump would i be looking at?


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

For a pump I would look a a Mag 24 :wink: . I had a Mag 18 & a Mag 7 and still was not enough with two 1" overflows. Our head might be different as the 210 is a bit higher so YMMV. Mebbe look at the Dannermag Hy-Drive line, I am using a Supreme HyDrive 3200 and it is very effecient and pretty quiet.

The reason I used a 40G breeder is so I could fit it under the stand and have plenty of room for other junk. That 75G tank will work just fine though the 40 left me some "head" room under the stand.


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## TheBanker (Jun 14, 2008)

i have a 7x2x2 210 with a 75 gallon sump. my tank wasn't reef ready so i drilled a hole for the overflow. With one 2" bulkhead i run a mag 24 pump wide open with no problems and i get a good amount of flow in the tank. And since i built my own stand i made the height exceptable for the height of the 75 gallon tank and made a extra door on one side of the stand to slide it out if i ever need to. Just some things to consider, the bigger the sump the better imo.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

thanks for the great info.
i wanted to go ahead and just share a few pictures.

heres a shot of the tank from behind: 









best i could do for a front view... too close to the wall and its heavy:









from above:









view into one of the two overflows:









sorry for all the junk, but heres a shot of the area in my basement where the tank will go. i am removing all the shelving. its about 9 feet wide and 3 feet deep. it was made for a large tank:


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## nooberfish (Sep 25, 2009)

niiiiiiiiiiiiice


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## jamesN (Nov 15, 2005)

I have the same tank and run a 30g wet dry with a Mag 12 pump. Good for just over 5x turnover rate which is all you need.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

each of those overflow has a drain and a return hole.
im sure if you do some research, you can make some out of 
pvc pipes/fittings. you might also want to check ebay for those 
kit.

awesome deal on the tank btw.


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

HONDO said:


> i was at a lfs today looking at those overflow kits. they were 60 bucks, but i would have to get two (one for each overflow) then a pump... starting to get pricey.


Once you start working in that weir you will be surprised how little room you have in there. You will need to use thin wall pvc and even then it is tight in there.

When you take a look at the AGA kit they do a lot of the work for you and with the bulkheads, plumbing pieces and loc line wye return it might not be such a big hit in the pocket when you take that into consideration.


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## HONDO (May 4, 2008)

been a while since i have updated, but its been a crazy summer.

anyway, working hard on the basement. instead of a "man - cave", i am calling it my 
"man - sion" ha

anyway, carpet is all up, floors are now a clean painted concrete. all shelving in the space where the tank will go is removed. this pic is before walls were painted. working on that as we speak, will post some pics once that is done.










still need to reseal the tank.


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## RayAllen (Dec 19, 2008)

I also have a Reef Ready 180g 6x2x2 with dual overflows. Do not let the process scare you. It is a much more efficient way to filtrate your water. What is great about sumps is you can hide all the ugly heaters and equipment you do not want seen in the main display.

I run my tank with a Mag 18 with 2 1" drains. I have the Mag 18 dialed back just because I do not want it to sound like a toiled flushing. It can be very loud.

Make sure you add a ball valve to your return line so that you can adjust your return line flow if needed.

Good Luck with your progress.


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