Grand Delusion

i think you did a nice job. i wouldn't have used 2x2. i'm a carpenter and i know how bad the lumber is now a days. you could have wrapped the stand in 2 layers of 3/8 or 1/4 plywood first, that would carry alot of weight. other than that your good. i think the sump looks good, just make the ref on the side so the total flow doesn't go through it. or put it at the other end and feed it with a smaller amount of water.
gl
mark

Thanks Maks69, I guess I should have explained the stand a little better, I used 2x4's mostly, and used 10 2x2's for the curved section. I didnt think I could make plywood curve enough to make it work. Although I thought about soaking it for a day. Just decided to take a easier approach. Oh, and the sump design... I agree. I dont know why I drew it up that way, thinking back to my 150 mix, I had the sump and refugium in 2 different tanks, refugium was about 18 inches higher, and I used a prefilter with the u tube, with flow from tank divided and restricted. Yeah I had problems with that over time. U tubes getting air. I will never use overflow boxes with u tubes again.
Oh and looking back at what I wrote I sort of said something that didnt come out right about Melevs handy work, saying i wanted something solid and functional, what I probably should have said was I would like it solid and functional like what he does but just do it with a glass 55 tank and some cheap acrylic. I just want the sump to last without the seals giving away.

The placement of the tank and the stand is gorgeous. With the rounded front pane do you find that your view gets distorted? I remember seeing a post on reefcentral of a guy who built an 8ft tank that curved around the viewer. Sorry, but I can't seem to find the link. Your tank fits so perfectly in it's place.

The front view is magnified by I guess 30%. Makes me want to stick my pecker in there. Just kidding... but honestly, when I was looking at a 92 gallon corner, I realized a 54 was the fit I needed for the spot. The corners were 28 inches, and the tank was 27.5 so I decided on the 54 instead of excessive carpentry needs.
I am real proud of the final outcome of the tank, but I still need to tackle the ominous task of keeping this tank as clean as possible, capable of handeling sps and clams, with no additional rock in the main tank. Who is the expert on this subject?

I like the woodwork and the textured wallcovering solution. While it isn't strong (against an impact) it will definitely hold up well against drips over time. And it looks good.

Rounded tanks are tough to photograph and equally tough to view livestock long term. The magnification and deflection can bother some people's eyes, including mine.

To maintain the livestock you hope to keep, it'll be important to maintain water quality. If you don't want to add more LR, there are only a few options - the most obvious one would be regular water changes. Fresh carbon in a Phosban reactor (weekly) will help with clarity and absorb some stuff from the water.