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Hi everyone...i am newbie here who started just early this year with a help of a nice bro from here too..currently just having a small nano tank and i thought why not go for a bigger one haha...so i planned to build a rimless 3.5ft tank with a cabinet on my own and wanted to share this long journey with all of you...feel free to correct me if i am going in the wrong way... The build of the cabinet below Manage to build the cabinet successfully which took me about a month because was doing it onli on my off days...will say it was tuff as i was doing this the first time and the onli help was youtube haha....stay tune for my tank overflow build ,sump and pipping...i hav a short video on my cabinet structure build , anyone knows how can i upload it...thank you

(Continuing the build series...) Keeping it all very chill. I think one of the questions I have answered most on this forum is 'do I need a chiller?' In trying to remain positive and not add too much expense I typically advise that it's not absolutely necessary to have a chiller and there are other ways to get by. But in all honesty the truth is that you really need one. As we live on the equator unless your ambient room temperature is 27 you need one. I also have learnt that a chiller is something that you should never undersize. A poor undersized chiller will be on literally all the time generating more and more heat as it is fights valiantly yet unsuccessfully to keep your display cool. So in having a modest 500L system I went with the Healia HS-66a which is rated upto 800L. The chiller is placed outside of the house on a small balcony. If possible this is a good idea as all the heat the chiller generates is dispensed outside. The chiller comes on every three/four hours during the daytime and then only for no more then 20mins. (And note this is to chill a tank which sits in a room which has literally no AC). The point is the thermal mass of the water stays relatively constant and so it doesn't need much to nudge it in the right direction. I plumbed the chiller in such a way that my little 40L salt water mixing barrel/ATO can also use the same chiller. I simply turn the two (blue) valves which switches the tank input (to the chiller) and output (from the chiller) OFF, and then I open the two corresponding (red) valves that connect the mixing barrel to the chiller and switch on the pump in the barrel. This allows me to chill the water prior to mixing in the salt. (Tip: It is best to mix salt at cooler temps unless you want a dirty mix as the chemicals can perciperate). I ask ALEXA to set a reminder for 30 mins and also have an inkbird controller that sounds an alarm if the Main Display water temp gets too high, incase I forget to switch back to allow the tank to chill. Within the barrel there is a 'strong' (4m head pressure) 4000L/hr pump inside (I picked up second hand for just $8). Within the barrel there is a T plumbed off the pump, one side goes to the chiller and the other acts as a closed loop within the barrel, circulating the barrels contents. On this leg of the plumbing there is another ball valve that effectively creates additional head pressure as needed, and in doing so forces more of the the water into the chiller. This comes super handy when mixing up salt. When preparing for a water change I chill the water (typically of an evening) down to 25 and throw in a set weight of salt to get the salinity to 1.026. I leave this to mix over night and chill it once again in the morning and double check the salinity. For water changes I simply drain 40L from the main system and then orientate the valves so that the input to the chiller from my barrel is open, along with the output from the chiller to the main display. All other valves are closed. This basically pumps the water from the mixing barrel through the chiller and into my main display. Once the barrel is empty, it gets a quick clean and refilled with RODI as it serves as my ATO reservoir during the rest of the week. For major maintenance I disconnect the chiller from the tank and run RODI with Vinegar OR citric acid through the chiller via the mixing barrel and pump. You'll be amazed how dirty things can get in the chiller. Once done I drain everything in the barrel and rinse the chiller through with a small amount of rodi before reconnecting. I am planning in the near future to get the GHL system to control automatic water changes. Whilst I don't think I need to do too many water changes overall, i still intend to have a regular water change even if it's just amounts to 20% a month after all water changes typically solve 80% of your reefing problems. So I do intend to keep them going all be it 'little and often'. The latest GHL firmwear comes with a some auto water change options that I need to explore ... no doubt this will make for a new future project! Until then hope this helps and happy reefing! Sent from Singapore Reef Club mobile app