45g DIY Cube Documentation

[Kentanner11]

so this is in addition to your 58g reef?

IMO I would put it on a layer of foam just to be safe. You can go to like a joans, or a michaels, or a craft store to get foam cheap. Tell them you are looking for seat cushion and it will be in that area.

 

[Milleme]

Originally I was going to redo my 58 gal. When I was drilling it for the external overlow it cracked. My mistake was cutting the slot square instead of making the corners curved. I accidentally set the drill I was using done to hard on the tank and the weight of the drill put enough stress on it to crack. So after a month of being ****ed off I started planning this set up to replace it. Which isnt neccesarily a bad thing because I think I will like this tank better.

 

[Kentanner11]

that sucks!

 

[Milleme]

Tell me about it..........

 

[Kentanner11]

I didnt even try drilling mine! I have a 55 in progress. Hey how old are you?

 

[Milleme]

Im 16. Do you have a thread for your 55.

 

[manderx]

got any pics of the overflow? looks like i'm going to make myself a very similar tank. probably 28x24 though, just to make it easier to squeeze vho/t5 into the hood.

 

[Kentanner11]

No I dont have a thread yet, getting around to it....

 

[Milleme]

Manderx, sorry for the delay.. Heres a pic of the overflow.

Kentanner post the thread here so I can find it when you begin.

 

[Milleme]

UPDATE

UPDATE

The tank is slowly but surely getting closer to being ready to set up. Yesterday I began building the stand, with the help of my dad. A frame for the front and back were built out of 1x4's and held together with 1/2" plywood. We joined several peices of pine together with biscuits and glue to form the top were the tank will sit. The sump will sit on a sliding drawer so that I can pull it out from under the stand for maintanence. We still need to put the doors on, attach the top, and sand and finish. So far it has turned out a lot better than I expected and is very sturdy!

The stand

Glides for the drawers (rated for 100lbs)

Question: What is every one using to seal the inside of their stands?

 

[Theexp]

That tanks looking great. I've always wanted to build my own tank. THis is like exactly what ihad in mind for my first tank, but i got a good deal on a 65. The Build looks great. I used some kilz primer to seal mine. You can check out my thread by hitting my read house
BTW i'm 17

 

[Milleme]

Thanx man! Building this tank has been a lot of fun although it does take that much more time to get it up and running. I cant wait to see it on the stand filled up....

Is the kilz primer water resistant? I am wanting something that will seal the inside completely.

BTW I was already subscribed to your thread... Nice build, I like all your DIY stuff!

 

[Kentanner11]

Kiltz is water resistant, Its really cool, cauz we spilled some and let it dry and it came up like a sheet of laytex, very stretchy and I doubt any water could get through.

 

[Milleme]

Sounds like some good stuff! I guess ill give it a try then, thanx.

 

[Milleme]

I made some more progress on the stand today. We put the top on, completed the drawer and made the doors. Here are some pics!

Full shot

Full shot with drawer pulled out

1 of 2 doors

All thats left to do is put the doors on and finish painting and staining. I am hoping to have this done by next weekend. So I can get the tank running by the weekend after that! (if im lucky)

Tonight I am also going to order a GenX PCX30 for my return pump.

 

[DB06]

A little off topic, but how do you like that Rigid Table Saw?

 

[Theexp]

Looking great. The quality of construction is really really nice. Have you tried the slides with the sump full? I have a set of big strong slides, that i was thinking about using for the same thing, but decided against it. But if it works well i might do it on a different project.

 

[Milleme]

DB06, I really like the table saw although it is really the only one I have ever used so I have nothing to compare it to. But I would recomend it.

Theexp, Thanxs! I havent tried the drawer with water in the sump yet but I think it will work.

 

[Milleme]

I cut a piece of black acrylic to put in the inside of the overflow box so you cant see into it when viewing the tank. But if I do this when i paint the back black or whatever you will still be able to see the 1/2" acrylic seams. My other option would be to cut a big enough peice of black acrylic to fit along the whole back wall of the inside of the tank.

Heres a pic of the peice I cut for the overflow. Let me know what you think would look best.

Today I am going to begin staining the stand. I am using Early American (same color as the cabinet). I will post picks when its finished in a couple days.

 

[serenity]

Great job on the tank so far. Keep up the great work!