DIY Tank Build

I do have 4 or 5 mangroves growing in there now, and I added a bunch more LR. I'm hoping to have all my tanks reef tour worthy soon!

Thanks Bob, it's been in the planning stages for a long time. I have always wanted to build my own tank but I just finally decided to take the plunge. As for acrylic skills, it really is a lot easier than it's made out to be. I'll have more pics coming soon! The first corals and fish will be arriving this week. I'll keep adding cured LR over the following weeks until I can accomplish my own version of the volcano tank. I hope to have several places that the rock will be above water rather than one large pile.

Another thought on the rocks.  You can tell me to stop if you want... I just like the initial tank setup almost more than having the tank!

Anyways, I did a tower of rock by drilling it and using acrylic rods for support. It was really simple and is very sturdy. Something like that could help you set up your volcano and still give you better support than just simply stacking the rocks. Or you could drill and use zip ties.

First fish added today. He is a large Hawaiian Frogfish, about 4.5" long, bright yellow/orange and very very odd . I've tossed a few ghost shrimp in with him but he is showing little interest in eating. for now he seems content just crawling around the tank. BTW his mouth is HUGE! Posting some pics now.

I got him from a wholesaler in Illinois. I've been really impressed with their stock. He's also a little bigger than I thought, After "measuring" him as best we could he is about 5", maybe even a little longer. He could easily eat a 3-4" fish. he has been dubbed Kermit the Frogfish 

I thought I'd update everyone on the tank. I am almost finished curing a ton of new rock to finish building the volcano. I plan on putting some kind of small submersible pump inside the volcano structure to pump water up to the top so it runs down. I have decided that I want it to be more like a small waterfall than a trickle, so that may prove to be a little tricky. I think I'm going to try what LuckedOut suggested and drill holes in the rock and secure it with acrylic rod. I am also toying with the idea of suspending the whole volcano 4-5 inches above the sandbed, but that will present lots of challenges as well.

I am pumped to see your tank at the reef tour. It looks great!