One of the goals was a clean, modern look. To achieve this I wanted to keep the top open and clear of any pipes and wires going over the back for a clean open top look. The stainless steel stand helps with this goal too.

Before even taking it home, I took it to my local fish store (LFS), Preuss Pets to have it drilled. Five, 1-inch holes were drilled in the back of the tank. The top center hole is for the internal skimmer box. The return is at the top right. The other 3 holes are for the close loop.

The back of the tank was painted black to match the overall look and help blend the plumbing and the overflow box. I used appliance enamal spray paint for this. In retrospect, the LFS sells a black decal made to apply to the back of tanks. I think this would have been a better way to go. But it hasn't caused me any problems now that its done.

Rather than a sand bed, I opted for a bare bottom tank. I decided to use black flecked corian material for the bottom to protect the glass from rock slides. The corian has worked out well and is not noticable to anyone who isn't looking since the tank is near packed including the bottom with corals.

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