80 Rimless Build

Centerline · 02/06/2015, 11:12 AM

Hey Folks,

Last year I scored a rimless 80 as temporary tank to hold me over while we were remodeling our house. I got it all setup and cycled, and move a BUNCH of stuff over from a 10 year old 180 that was being replaced and all was well - until it sprang a pin hole leak. I was working about 70 hours a week at the time and simply didn't notice until several days had passed. By that time the salinity had dropped so far that most of the corals had died. It really sucked as I had been collecting Tyree corals for years and killed many irreplaceable specimens. It was depressing enough that I drained the tank, broke everything down and took a break from the hobby.

In December I decided to stop licking my wounds and give a rimless 80 another shot. I set the tank up on December 24th and it was cycled and good to go by January 11. Below are the details of the new build and some thoughts on fool (myself) proofing the setup as much as possible.

The tank and stand.

Deep Blue Rimless 80 & Deep Blue Series 2 cabinet.

First off I really like the 48x24x16 format. The tank seems solidly built and the glass is quite clear. Its not starphire but its pretty dam clear.

The stand itself looks great but unfortunately its just a typical particle board cabinet. The stand has a nice access door on the left hand side and enough room to fit a 40 breeder in it as a sump.

My overall impression is that for the price of the tank and stand a few simple changes could significantly enhance the overall value.

1) Make the overflow pipe adjustable. For some reason they have a fixed overflow and this means you have to adjust the feed from the return pump rather then the height of the pipe. Seems like a small thing but if you like a lot of turnover like I do you have to use an inline valve to adjust the flow. Otherwise you will get a lot of noise and gurgling.

2) Its pretty hard to tighten the through fittings as the pre-drilled holes don't line up well with the cutout in the stand.

3) Consider using plywood - for the price of that stand its hard to believe that .5" plywood would impact the net profit that much. By the pallet .5" red oak plywood is about $19 a sheet.

4) Consider stainless hinges - the ones that come with the doors are fine - typical Euro style adjustable hinges. But we use these in a humid and corrosive environment and the hinges (nor the MDF) are really suitable.

If this tank / stand combo were a budget item I would say "you get what you pay for".

Below is a picture of the tank post-cycle on January 11

Centerline · 02/06/2015, 05:24 PM

I didn't want to fool with a long drawn out cycle so I started off with 2 40lb bags of CaribSea Reef grade sand and 4 10 lb bags of their live sand. This gave me about a 2" sand bed - deep enough for pods and sifters but not to deep to become an issue if maintained.

For Live Rock I purchased 20 lbs of Florida live rock from a dealer I know in Tampa (drove over and picked it out myself) and 40 lbs. of BRS dry branch rock.

Florida Live Rock

I put the FL rock in my sump for a few days while I was fooling with the branch rock and proceeded to epoxy the branch rock into a structure that would allow me to cover it with SPS in due measure.

BRS Branch Rock

Cobbled together with epoxy

A couple of days later I added another rock structure out of thinner branch rock.

And then the cleanup crew

Centerline · 02/06/2015, 05:37 PM

joeyg09 · 02/20/2015, 05:07 PM

Tank looks nice. I really want to go with a rimless tank. I currently have a 40g breeder and of course I want to go bigger. Budget and space is always the issue though

bluekoi · 02/25/2015, 01:24 PM

Gees, that's an awesome tank. I'm going to have to get busy with my branch rock and attempt to make a rock sculpture like that!

coral102 · 02/25/2015, 07:59 PM

Very nice!

Dhokahai1 · 02/27/2015, 01:11 AM

I would at least keep it on an island from the other rock as it has a tendency to overrun a tank. Same applies to GSP but I personally like GSP so wouldn't suggest staying away from it, per say ????

gradeAcoral · 03/11/2015, 06:40 PM

Nice tank. I like what you did with the rock work. Show us some pictures of the sump if you can.

02/06/2015, 11:12 AM	#1
Centerline Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: St Augustine, Florida USA Posts: 5	80 Rimless Build Hey Folks, Last year I scored a rimless 80 as temporary tank to hold me over while we were remodeling our house. I got it all setup and cycled, and move a BUNCH of stuff over from a 10 year old 180 that was being replaced and all was well - until it sprang a pin hole leak. I was working about 70 hours a week at the time and simply didn't notice until several days had passed. By that time the salinity had dropped so far that most of the corals had died. It really sucked as I had been collecting Tyree corals for years and killed many irreplaceable specimens. It was depressing enough that I drained the tank, broke everything down and took a break from the hobby. In December I decided to stop licking my wounds and give a rimless 80 another shot. I set the tank up on December 24th and it was cycled and good to go by January 11. Below are the details of the new build and some thoughts on fool (myself) proofing the setup as much as possible. The tank and stand. Deep Blue Rimless 80 & Deep Blue Series 2 cabinet. First off I really like the 48x24x16 format. The tank seems solidly built and the glass is quite clear. Its not starphire but its pretty dam clear. The stand itself looks great but unfortunately its just a typical particle board cabinet. The stand has a nice access door on the left hand side and enough room to fit a 40 breeder in it as a sump. My overall impression is that for the price of the tank and stand a few simple changes could significantly enhance the overall value. 1) Make the overflow pipe adjustable. For some reason they have a fixed overflow and this means you have to adjust the feed from the return pump rather then the height of the pipe. Seems like a small thing but if you like a lot of turnover like I do you have to use an inline valve to adjust the flow. Otherwise you will get a lot of noise and gurgling. 2) Its pretty hard to tighten the through fittings as the pre-drilled holes don't line up well with the cutout in the stand. 3) Consider using plywood - for the price of that stand its hard to believe that .5" plywood would impact the net profit that much. By the pallet .5" red oak plywood is about $19 a sheet. 4) Consider stainless hinges - the ones that come with the doors are fine - typical Euro style adjustable hinges. But we use these in a humid and corrosive environment and the hinges (nor the MDF) are really suitable. If this tank / stand combo were a budget item I would say "you get what you pay for". Below is a picture of the tank post-cycle on January 11 Last edited by Centerline; 02/06/2015 at 11:26 AM. Reason: Added image

02/06/2015, 05:24 PM	#2
Centerline Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: St Augustine, Florida USA Posts: 5	Substrate and Live Rock I didn't want to fool with a long drawn out cycle so I started off with 2 40lb bags of CaribSea Reef grade sand and 4 10 lb bags of their live sand. This gave me about a 2" sand bed - deep enough for pods and sifters but not to deep to become an issue if maintained. For Live Rock I purchased 20 lbs of Florida live rock from a dealer I know in Tampa (drove over and picked it out myself) and 40 lbs. of BRS dry branch rock. Florida Live Rock I put the FL rock in my sump for a few days while I was fooling with the branch rock and proceeded to epoxy the branch rock into a structure that would allow me to cover it with SPS in due measure. BRS Branch Rock Cobbled together with epoxy A couple of days later I added another rock structure out of thinner branch rock. And then the cleanup crew

02/06/2015, 05:37 PM	#3
Centerline Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: St Augustine, Florida USA Posts: 5	Good pick of tank with rock structures

02/27/2015, 01:11 AM	#7
Dhokahai1 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 0	I would at least keep it on an island from the other rock as it has a tendency to overrun a tank. Same applies to GSP but I personally like GSP so wouldn't suggest staying away from it, per say ???? __________________ baki marzi hai teri

02/20/2015, 05:07 PM	#4
joeyg09 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Harrisonburg, VA Posts: 14	Tank looks nice. I really want to go with a rimless tank. I currently have a 40g breeder and of course I want to go bigger. Budget and space is always the issue though

02/25/2015, 01:24 PM	#5
bluekoi Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 63	Gees, that's an awesome tank. I'm going to have to get busy with my branch rock and attempt to make a rock sculpture like that!

02/25/2015, 07:59 PM	#6
coral102 Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 368	Very nice!

03/11/2015, 06:40 PM	#8
gradeAcoral Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: New Jersey Posts: 11	Nice tank. I like what you did with the rock work. Show us some pictures of the sump if you can.