I finally completed the sump and it has failed two leak tests. Thank whoever created Weld-On 16 . I think it was my clamping the pieces together because both leaks were right in the lower corners. Next week I will try again and see how far I get before the water leaks. It is roughly 50" x 18" x 16" and I still need to add baffles and determine how big the areas will be for the skimmer, return, and refugium. I found a few layouts I like but just need to decide if the return will be in the middle or not. So far I am thinking (from right to left) Skimmer, Refugium, Return. My only concern is that the light from the refugium will cause that nasty growth on the inside of the skimmer. I also ordered bulkheads for the sump from BRS. The refugium area will also have a few extra pieces of LR in it along with sand when it is all said and done. Sump before leak test Skimmer in place
Nothing every seems to go as planned but so far no leaks in the current water level. Due to the damaged bulkhead I was unable to fill the tank but so far. BRS was out of the bulkhead I wanted and I got tired of waiting and ordered a different type. They are supposed to arrive today, but the weather may be a determining factor. While waiting I got a little antsy and curious as to how the tank will look with some rock and sand in it. With that said please enjoy the sneak peak of the tank with water, rock, and lights. The eggcrate and PVC standoffs will be covered by sand and not visible when the tank is fully set up. Once I play around with the aquascaping a little more I will cut away the excess eggcrate so the Blue Spotted Jawfish will have lots of places to dig. I think the current aquascape gives loads of growth for corals and also gives fish nice swimming lanes. It's hard to tell from the picture but there are 5 rock structures. Heavy duty zip ties make creating these structures a breeze. This go around I wanted to have less rock in the display tank and rely on my skimmer to be the workhorse. Tank with lights on (old bulbs) - 3 x 400W Radiums - 20,000 K