# 72 Gallon Bowfront FOWLR Build



## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

I freed up my 72 gallon bowfront for a FOWLR build. I moved all my stock and plants to a 55.

I don't have all my plans laid out yet. Probably a peaceful community. Definitely O. Clownfish for my daughter. Everything else is up in the air as of yet.

Today I painted the back glass. Four coats of Rustoleum satin black. Don't mind the sand in it yet. I need to take it outside and rinse it out yet.


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr

Also got my 700 gph glass-holes overflow kit and a 3/4" loc-line return kit today.


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr

Here's my alternative to eggcrate. I couldn't find eggcrate at Menards. And nobody seemed to know what I was looking for. I found this in our warehouse. Hopefully it will work fine. It's not quite as tight as eggcrate. It is a rubber product though. Will there be any issues with it?


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr

Sump:
DIY 3 chamber 20 gallon long

Skimmer:
Unknown, I'm still looking to get one from a local reefer

Return Pump:
Unknown

Powerheads:
One Koralia 4 and One Koralia 3

Substrate:
40-50 pounds of Agronite.

Lighting:
Looking for bulb recommendations and fixtures for around $125. Preferably dual linkable units. I was thinking this. 

AquaticLife 48" T5 HO 2 Lamp Fixture Marine AquaticLife 48 AquaticLife Lights AquaticLife T5 HO Light AquaticLife Light AquaticLife Lighting Dual Lamp T5 HO Aquatic Life

I'd still like to repaint my stand since there are quite a few chips in it.


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

Be super careful when drilling that tank if I am not mistaken if it is a marine land brand tank more than likely it is tempered glass. 

Tempered glass is very tricky to drill with out shattering.


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

I have read that. I have no idea of the maker and I'll take my chances I guess.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Most have the bottoms tempered, but you can drill all sides.


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

I hope so, Good luck man,

BTW wait until after you drill to eat the candy. ;-)


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

KG4mxv said:


> I hope so, Good luck man,
> 
> BTW wait until after you drill to eat the candy. ;-)


Too Late. My daughter already busted it open as soon as I opened the box!


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr

Also decided against any Odyessa lights. I don't feel like burning my house down.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

*r2


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

LOL

I miss companies like that,
Corby alarm keypads would also include a tootsie roll in the box. 

I was making sure you didn't eat it and have a sugar buzz while drilling the tank.


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Finished drilling today:

Back shot:

IMG_0874 by iadubber, on Flickr

Front: 

IMG_0873 by iadubber, on Flickr

3/4" return line

IMG_0872 by iadubber, on Flickr

700 gph overflow

IMG_0870 by iadubber, on Flickr

Still a bit dirty:

IMG_0869 by iadubber, on Flickr


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

*w3*rotating smile


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

I am glad that I was wrong.


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

I locally picked up two powerheads, 20 gallon long for my sump, and some rock.

Also ordered 40lbs of sand and 50 pounds of rock from reefrocks.net.

Last order of the day was for a CadLights TIA-1150 2nd Generation Conic skimmer


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Well not good news after ordering everything to finish my SW build. lastnight our CO detectors started going off. Had the fire department over and something is wrong with our furnace. I'm thankful we invested in CO detectors, if not, who knows what would have happened. We had no other warnings.

So we are going to see how much it will be to repair or replace our hvac at 715 am. If it's a full replacement I may have to sell everything I've been buying the last two months for th fowlr. but we are glad to be alive.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

*o2


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

It's a full replacement of our 1981 Whirlpool furnace and a/c. $4250 and about 6-700 back in rebates. Hopefully we'll be able to keep going on the FOWLR setup. My wife had to dip into 401k so we could pay it. All I really need to keep going on this build is some live rock once all my base rock and sand arrives from reefrocks.net.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

*W


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

I got my base rock from reefrocks.net. Ordered 50 pounds and got 55 so props to Steve. The sand is backordered. I need to figure out how to epoxy these together. I can't seem to find a decent way to stack them. I tried about a dozen different structures and don't like any of them. The two darker rocks are from a local reefer and the rest from Steve. 


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr


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## whitetiger61 (Aug 2, 2011)

looks pretty darn good just the way its placed in the pic..good luck on the build and glad your co2 detectors went off..and you and your family are ok

Rick


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

whitetiger61 said:


> looks pretty darn good just the way its placed in the pic..good luck on the build and glad your co2 detectors went off..and you and your family are ok
> 
> Rick


Here's what I ended up with the base rock in the tank. The live rock will probably go into the middle and make that higher. 


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Getting so close to filling it up! Ordered an RO/DI unit today.


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Dary421 said:


> Go slow and take your time.., do it right the first time.., not much room for second chances here


Yeah yeah 

Sand is shipping Friday after a week delay.


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr

Cadlights 1150 V2 Skimmer

Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr

Sump Construction: Two baffles done.

Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Very nice.!!


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

RODI was delivered today. Going to setup my mixing station this weekend. 

My sump is done and plumbing is test fitted. 


IMG_0990 by iadubber, on Flickr


IMG_0989 by iadubber, on Flickr


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Cleaned and glued all my piping today. I plan to fill tomorrow and leak test. My sand should be here Tuesday or Wednesday for a salt fill. then I will be ordering 10 pounds of LR rubble from PA to help seed the tank. Sorry the glass is dirty from moving around. 


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Here's it full of saltwater. Still a bit cloudy. Not happy with the Glass-holes overflow at this point. I'm waiting for an email back on how loud it is. Hopefully they'll send me a piece of enkamat to help. It's not my plumbing, it's in the box itself, a cascading sound.


IMG_1079 by iadubber, on Flickr


IMG_1080 by iadubber, on Flickr

Stats:
Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0
Ammonia = 4 ppm
Temp = 77.2
Ph = 8.4
SG = 1.023


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

*pc


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Got Enkamat from Glass-holes.com in the mail today. It really helped to quiet down the overflow. I think it did a wonderful job. I'll proabably end up getting spa flex when I can afford it. It's on the bottom of the list for now, but should almost eliminate any water sounds.

also have my Koralia 3 in there now, I just got the replacement washers for the impeller today. So it's in there along with the K4.

Live rock comes tomorrow. Along with uniseals and a marineland pump for my salt mixing station.

Light should be here Friday.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

*w3*pc


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Tank is on it's way to cycling. Light should be here today. 

Working on my water storage lastnight. I just need some clear tube for the pump output so I can close the loop on the salt barrel and circulate it.


Untitled by iadubber, on Flickr

Yes those tables held just fine with the barrels full of water for a week.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

*pc
*pc
Nice Job!!! Lookin good!!


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Got my Odyssea light. Overall for the price I think it is a steal. Until I want to get into corals it should suffice.

Moonlights:

IMG_1103 by iadubber, on Flickr

Actinics only:

IMG_1107 by iadubber, on Flickr

10k and actinics:

IMG_1106 by iadubber, on Flickr


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Very nice man!! That should do ya for awhile.*w3


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

added an APC 1500 battery backup yesterday


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## KG4mxv (Oct 25, 2011)

be careful most motors in filters don't like the square wave that most consumer UPS system use. 
make sure it does output a pure sine wave AC.


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Well, went to the LFS yesterday and picked up some food, a pair of Clowns, a Coral Beauty Angelfish, and a small CUC. The guy threw in a small head hammer coral to give a try.

All in all, I hate this tank now. I can't get a good picture for anything with the curved front glass. Nothing is sharp. I might look for a standard RR 75g and move all this over to that.

Anyways, here's some pics that I did get.

The bigger of the two clowns. These were both TR so I hope the colors start to pop more with a better diet and home.


IMG_1376 by iadubber, on Flickr

Smaller one:


IMG_1374 by iadubber, on Flickr

Small purple tip hammer frag:


IMG_1386 by iadubber, on Flickr

Coral Beauty:


IMG_1392 by iadubber, on Flickr


IMG_1389 by iadubber, on Flickr


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Coral Beaty Agelfish Dwarf Angels
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons 
Care Level: Easy 
Temperament: Semi-aggressive 
*Reef Compatible: With Caution* 
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025 
Max. Size: 4" 
Color Form: Blue, Orange, Yellow 
Diet: Omnivore 
Compatibility: View Chart 
Origin: Fiji, Indonesia, Vanuatu 
Family: Pomacanthidae 

Just a heads up.


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## iadubber (Nov 6, 2011)

Reefing Madness said:


> Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Coral Beaty Agelfish Dwarf Angels
> Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
> Care Level: Easy
> Temperament: Semi-aggressive
> ...


As said the hammer was given to me. We'll see how it goes.


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## rk772 (Dec 11, 2012)

very nice. love the black and white contrast.


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## All-Or-Nothing (Jul 4, 2015)

Really nice looking tank.


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