blfuller123
Premium Member
Any updates? I am really considering one of these now. I think I want a little bigger one though. 
A First Plywood Project...
- Thread starter Sean : EbN
- Start date
Sean : EbN
New member
Hello everyone,
Leon : Awesome Man!! Please show pics!! I know you'll do great. Ok... the top support...
I haven't actually done this yet but I bought some 1.5" (I think) angle steel that has various different sized perforations for different bolting patterns. This steel is similar to the type used to hang garage doors and openers. It is a 4' piece of "L" shaped steel. I plan to cut (2) 6" lengths of it and use stainless lag screws and washers to actually attach it to the top of the tank in the center. Then, after the glass is installed, I will pass the rod through the holes and secure with nuts and washers. I want to tweak it just right then I want to brush some epoxy resin over it just to keep it protected from the saltwater. Here is a quick pic I threw together... Blue = Tank Black = "L" Angle bar Red = threaded rod...
Jman77 : Thanks for the compliments! From what I can tell with a straightedge, the interior front "flange" of the tank is quite flat. I will try my best to apply even beads of silicone as well as even pressure when setting it. As for the flange bending, I have no doubt that without a center support (which I mentioned before and with more detail above) the top center "beam" will bow a good bit. As for the rest of the flange, I don't think it will move much at all due to the coating of fillets, epoxy resin and fiberglass roving. We'll just have to see how it goes!
bkiba : I hope everything works that way! I sure would hate to have gotten this far to have a leak around this flange! I'll cross my fingers.
blfuller123 : Updates... nothing quite photo worthy yet! I am working on getting the sump room tanks filled and running right. I had all the flow from the Gen-x Mak-4 going to the 40 gallon frag tank... TOO MUCH! haha I guess I should have known. I honestly thought that the OM Squirt coupled with all the plumbing parts would have slowed it down a bit more. I think I am going to tee off of this line to run the refugium also! This is a good thing so maybe I won't have to drill another hole for my chiller loop.
My friend, the electrician, came by on Saturday and we hooked up the sub-panel for the new tank. I used a Square D 100 amp 8 pole inddor commercial load center and fed it from a 60 amp breaker in my main load center. That should give me plenty enough power to run the new system. Thank god for conduit and commercial buildings... fishing that wire was a cinch!
I just need to make YET ANOTHER plumbing run to get some parts to tee off the frag tank feed to give the fuge feed. After that is all tested and tweaked I think its time to FINALLY tear down that 90 gallon!
I'll keep ya posted...
THANKS AGAIN for the Replies!
Leon : Awesome Man!! Please show pics!! I know you'll do great. Ok... the top support...
I haven't actually done this yet but I bought some 1.5" (I think) angle steel that has various different sized perforations for different bolting patterns. This steel is similar to the type used to hang garage doors and openers. It is a 4' piece of "L" shaped steel. I plan to cut (2) 6" lengths of it and use stainless lag screws and washers to actually attach it to the top of the tank in the center. Then, after the glass is installed, I will pass the rod through the holes and secure with nuts and washers. I want to tweak it just right then I want to brush some epoxy resin over it just to keep it protected from the saltwater. Here is a quick pic I threw together... Blue = Tank Black = "L" Angle bar Red = threaded rod...
Jman77 : Thanks for the compliments! From what I can tell with a straightedge, the interior front "flange" of the tank is quite flat. I will try my best to apply even beads of silicone as well as even pressure when setting it. As for the flange bending, I have no doubt that without a center support (which I mentioned before and with more detail above) the top center "beam" will bow a good bit. As for the rest of the flange, I don't think it will move much at all due to the coating of fillets, epoxy resin and fiberglass roving. We'll just have to see how it goes!
bkiba : I hope everything works that way! I sure would hate to have gotten this far to have a leak around this flange! I'll cross my fingers.
blfuller123 : Updates... nothing quite photo worthy yet! I am working on getting the sump room tanks filled and running right. I had all the flow from the Gen-x Mak-4 going to the 40 gallon frag tank... TOO MUCH! haha I guess I should have known. I honestly thought that the OM Squirt coupled with all the plumbing parts would have slowed it down a bit more. I think I am going to tee off of this line to run the refugium also! This is a good thing so maybe I won't have to drill another hole for my chiller loop.
My friend, the electrician, came by on Saturday and we hooked up the sub-panel for the new tank. I used a Square D 100 amp 8 pole inddor commercial load center and fed it from a 60 amp breaker in my main load center. That should give me plenty enough power to run the new system. Thank god for conduit and commercial buildings... fishing that wire was a cinch!
I just need to make YET ANOTHER plumbing run to get some parts to tee off the frag tank feed to give the fuge feed. After that is all tested and tweaked I think its time to FINALLY tear down that 90 gallon!
I'll keep ya posted...
THANKS AGAIN for the Replies!
mille239
Premium Member
When setting the glass, I don't know if you planned this already... (if you did, disregard this) but put the aquarium face down and allow the weight of the glass to apply even pressure to the silicone around the flange... no additional clamping will be needed and it assures even pressure
Sean : EbN
New member
Hello everyone,
mille239 : Thanks for the reply! That is exactly how I planned to do it. I may set some sand bags equally placed just to be sure that it is well bonded.
Just thought I'd give an update... I FINALLY took down the other tank! Woooo HOOO!
I finished up all the frag tank & fuge plumbing yesterday and decided to work late last night to move all the rock and leftover coral. Everything seems to be working well. I'm having micro bubbles but with new plumbing that is expected. I decided to dig out some old filter socks to help filter out some of the detritus from the moved water. The old system was a 90 gallon tank with a temporary 15 gallon sump. I had to mix up about 65 gallons of saltwater to add to the new set-up as well as all the water I could salvage from the old set-up. I threw out all the sand from the in-tank DSB, that was a shame! The sand was in great shape being just about 2 years old and was teaming with life. Just like me to tear a tank down just when it is perfectly aged. Oh well... gotta keep my sights on the future!
Speaking of the future... I got my Euro-Reef RC500 skimmer and I can't wait to set it up!! This thing is incredible. Like I said before... I never indulged in a complex fancy skimmer before so I think I made up for lost time with this one! The construction and size is VERY impressive. Can't wait to hook it up.
Now for some pics...
The fuge tank... I didn't use any sand in these tanks YET. I didn't want to foul the sandbed with a lot of detritus from the previous set-up. Here you can see it with some of the leftover live rock and a big, unhappy Colt coral. Also a 250w PFO halide ballast to run on the frag tank. I still have to build a shelf up near the ceiling to mount all of the ballast enclosures to.
The "frag" tank filled with most of the rock from the 90. It also has a few Katrina survivors. That OM Squirt is a GREAT product! Get one!
The sump! It seems to be running well except for the micro bubbles but those should fade with time. You can see the filter bag on the overflow pipe from the frag tank. It is really helping with the sediment.
Another sump area view. In this pic you can see where I used a tee and elbow just under the shelf, to split the return line to feed the frag tank and fuge.
A shelf shot... showing off that awesome skimmer! It fit very well on that ledge where I planned it to go. It will be nice and easy to work with and clean at that height.
Another view of the skimmer as well as a look at the load center panel with the start of the electrical conduit work.
Continued on the next post...
mille239 : Thanks for the reply! That is exactly how I planned to do it. I may set some sand bags equally placed just to be sure that it is well bonded.
Just thought I'd give an update... I FINALLY took down the other tank! Woooo HOOO!
I finished up all the frag tank & fuge plumbing yesterday and decided to work late last night to move all the rock and leftover coral. Everything seems to be working well. I'm having micro bubbles but with new plumbing that is expected. I decided to dig out some old filter socks to help filter out some of the detritus from the moved water. The old system was a 90 gallon tank with a temporary 15 gallon sump. I had to mix up about 65 gallons of saltwater to add to the new set-up as well as all the water I could salvage from the old set-up. I threw out all the sand from the in-tank DSB, that was a shame! The sand was in great shape being just about 2 years old and was teaming with life. Just like me to tear a tank down just when it is perfectly aged. Oh well... gotta keep my sights on the future!
Speaking of the future... I got my Euro-Reef RC500 skimmer and I can't wait to set it up!! This thing is incredible. Like I said before... I never indulged in a complex fancy skimmer before so I think I made up for lost time with this one! The construction and size is VERY impressive. Can't wait to hook it up.
Now for some pics...
The fuge tank... I didn't use any sand in these tanks YET. I didn't want to foul the sandbed with a lot of detritus from the previous set-up. Here you can see it with some of the leftover live rock and a big, unhappy Colt coral. Also a 250w PFO halide ballast to run on the frag tank. I still have to build a shelf up near the ceiling to mount all of the ballast enclosures to.
The "frag" tank filled with most of the rock from the 90. It also has a few Katrina survivors. That OM Squirt is a GREAT product! Get one!
The sump! It seems to be running well except for the micro bubbles but those should fade with time. You can see the filter bag on the overflow pipe from the frag tank. It is really helping with the sediment.
Another sump area view. In this pic you can see where I used a tee and elbow just under the shelf, to split the return line to feed the frag tank and fuge.
A shelf shot... showing off that awesome skimmer! It fit very well on that ledge where I planned it to go. It will be nice and easy to work with and clean at that height.
Another view of the skimmer as well as a look at the load center panel with the start of the electrical conduit work.
Continued on the next post...
Sean : EbN
New member
... the rest...
Yet another skimmer/panel view that also shows the Sequence Reeflo Dart and Hammerhead with the ball valves and OM's just suck on them to keep them out of the way.
Me next to my new baby... Hmmm what to name her?!? JK How could I love something that produces such a foul substances
A "cute" little light switch that I had to have for the sump room. They sure are milking that Nemo thing huh?!?
That's all for now. The 90 is completely torn down and cleaned out and SOLD! Now I can work on the BIG stand! We're getting closer...
Let me know what you think! LATER!
Yet another skimmer/panel view that also shows the Sequence Reeflo Dart and Hammerhead with the ball valves and OM's just suck on them to keep them out of the way.
Me next to my new baby... Hmmm what to name her?!? JK How could I love something that produces such a foul substances
A "cute" little light switch that I had to have for the sump room. They sure are milking that Nemo thing huh?!?
That's all for now. The 90 is completely torn down and cleaned out and SOLD! Now I can work on the BIG stand! We're getting closer...
Let me know what you think! LATER!
blfuller123
Premium Member
I was with you all the way until I saw the nemo switch cover. It is really looking good!!
Tampa Aquarium Service
Premium Member
Your gonna love that RC-500. I put one on a clients new 280 gal FOWLR tank. It started pulling junk in less than 10 min. I'm putting in an order for another this week for a 450 I'm setting up for another client.
John
John
Sean : EbN
New member
Hey everyone,
blfuller123 : C'mon man! Nemo ROCKS! Well maybe just a little. Keep in mind this tank is in a public place so people will get a kick out of the cute little details! Thanks!
donta42 : I already built the tank or did you mean a TANK? Building stuff is so much fun... you always get new ideas and learn new tricks. I love DIY!! Thanks!
John : I set it up a few days ago and I already love it. Not much of a load to pull out though with only those 2 tanks on it, no fish and not many corals... YET! The ER people have been great!
So I got THE call this morning... THE GLASS IS IN!! Whooo Hooo! I think I'm going to pick it up on Wednesday and silicone that sucker in!
Went to the Home Depot today and bought all the lumber to make the main stand and the side walls around it. Also bought some track lighting and some other decorating doo-dads to try to come up with some ideas on how we want to finish the whole thing out. I'm not very creative with trim work so it might take a while to get that "finished" look.
I was surprised that it only took me a couple of hours to build the stand, my layout in my brain seemed to work out right the first time. Hmmm... that's weird!
So here are some pics...
Also let me say... the green floor is GONE in a few more days!! The new color scheme should be clean and modern not green and DINGY!
I'll have more pics tomorrow as I finish the surrounding wall construction and maybe even hang the robotic light box!!
LATER!
blfuller123 : C'mon man! Nemo ROCKS! Well maybe just a little. Keep in mind this tank is in a public place so people will get a kick out of the cute little details! Thanks!
donta42 : I already built the tank or did you mean a TANK? Building stuff is so much fun... you always get new ideas and learn new tricks. I love DIY!! Thanks!
John : I set it up a few days ago and I already love it. Not much of a load to pull out though with only those 2 tanks on it, no fish and not many corals... YET! The ER people have been great!
So I got THE call this morning... THE GLASS IS IN!! Whooo Hooo!
I think I'm going to pick it up on Wednesday and silicone that sucker in! Went to the Home Depot today and bought all the lumber to make the main stand and the side walls around it. Also bought some track lighting and some other decorating doo-dads to try to come up with some ideas on how we want to finish the whole thing out. I'm not very creative with trim work so it might take a while to get that "finished" look.
I was surprised that it only took me a couple of hours to build the stand, my layout in my brain seemed to work out right the first time. Hmmm... that's weird!
So here are some pics...
Also let me say... the green floor is GONE in a few more days!! The new color scheme should be clean and modern not green and DINGY!
I'll have more pics tomorrow as I finish the surrounding wall construction and maybe even hang the robotic light box!!
LATER!
hey Sean, this is an awesome project you've got going!
you've given me so many ideas for my next tank, I've already played around with some designs in CAD, even though that will be years away.
the stand looks beefy, the only suggestion I would make is to laminate some 2x4's to each of the middle front supports. you have the room and it would not hurt to add just a bit more support to that long span. other than that it all looks great.
I forget if you mentioned this but how are you going to skin the stand?
you've given me so many ideas for my next tank, I've already played around with some designs in CAD, even though that will be years away.
the stand looks beefy, the only suggestion I would make is to laminate some 2x4's to each of the middle front supports. you have the room and it would not hurt to add just a bit more support to that long span. other than that it all looks great.
I forget if you mentioned this but how are you going to skin the stand?
perpetual98
New member
I agree, that stand isn't going anywhere. I've got a couple 120G tanks and both of those stands are just 3/4" plywood on edge.
Nope. I build stands as part of my living and I rarely use dimensional lumber for support. I always use plywood, I'll laminate two sheets if needed for the strength. That's why I asked what Sean was going to skin the stand with. That is a long span, with a lot of weight going on it, I don't think adding a couple of more pieces of wood is such a crazy idea. Depending on how it's skinned the front may get additional strength and it may not. I'm sure Sean knows what he's doing since everything has been top notch so far.
Sean : EbN
New member
Hey guys...
jthnhale : Thanks for the compliments! It has been a lot of fun thus far but I can't wait until its over! I drew this one up in SketchUp and it was my first time using a CAD program and it was easy as pie. Here are a couple of shots showing the main tank and my many holes for drains and CL returns...
As for the stand, I feel that it is quite strong although I did mean to put a "fire block" between the 2 front center vertical 2x4's. I built it exactly how you would frame a wall so "fire blocking" (putting horizontal pieces of 2x4 between verticals at middle height) would make sense. I think I'm just going to do it on the front section though. It will be skinned only on the front since that will be the only visible panel. The skin will probably be 1x? that will be fitted and biscuit jointed. That will be tacked on with glue and finish nails so I doubt it will lend much to the strength of the tank.
Thanks again,
jthnhale : Thanks for the compliments! It has been a lot of fun thus far but I can't wait until its over! I drew this one up in SketchUp and it was my first time using a CAD program and it was easy as pie. Here are a couple of shots showing the main tank and my many holes for drains and CL returns...
As for the stand, I feel that it is quite strong although I did mean to put a "fire block" between the 2 front center vertical 2x4's. I built it exactly how you would frame a wall so "fire blocking" (putting horizontal pieces of 2x4 between verticals at middle height) would make sense. I think I'm just going to do it on the front section though. It will be skinned only on the front since that will be the only visible panel. The skin will probably be 1x? that will be fitted and biscuit jointed. That will be tacked on with glue and finish nails so I doubt it will lend much to the strength of the tank.
Thanks again,
Sean : EbN
New member
69vette & perpetual98 : Thanks a lot for the "defense on the stand" HAHA I know where most people are coming from on this. Better safe than sorry right?? I've never built a stand that failed and I've built a lot more tank racks for retail usage than I have personal aquaria. I will insert a few "fire blocks" and that should take care of any sideward bending with the vertical front 2x4's. Thanks again guys!
mille239 : Thanks! The bit I used is the TC1 Tile Bit from Rotozip. HD sells them in single packs and Lowe's I think has 3 packs and singles. I used the same bit to drill 1 1.25" hole in a 1/4" tank and 3 1.25" holes in a 3/8" tank as well as a 2.5" hole on a 3/8" tank. Bit is still working like new! Some people have said that they just bought this bit and chucked it in their Dremel and had the same results. Here is a pic of it...
Just run the water and zip right through it! Not beautiful but cheap, easy and DIY!
Thanks for the replies everyone!
mille239 : Thanks! The bit I used is the TC1 Tile Bit from Rotozip. HD sells them in single packs and Lowe's I think has 3 packs and singles. I used the same bit to drill 1 1.25" hole in a 1/4" tank and 3 1.25" holes in a 3/8" tank as well as a 2.5" hole on a 3/8" tank. Bit is still working like new! Some people have said that they just bought this bit and chucked it in their Dremel and had the same results. Here is a pic of it...
Just run the water and zip right through it! Not beautiful but cheap, easy and DIY!
Thanks for the replies everyone!
Wow! I've been doing woodworking for a long time and wouldn't have considered a plywood fish tank before reading this. It's inspirational!
One question, though. Does the top provide enough bracing at the center to keep the front from bowing, or is there more construction coming to take care of that ?
I'm starting my first saltwater aquarium with a 75g show. I have built the cabinets, etc and my wife gave me the tank for Christmas. I hope to put water in the tank in early March.
This definitely goes on my to-do list. It will take me a while to learn how to maintain the tank and then quite a while after that to justify a larger tank......But some day......
Matt
One question, though. Does the top provide enough bracing at the center to keep the front from bowing, or is there more construction coming to take care of that ?
I'm starting my first saltwater aquarium with a 75g show. I have built the cabinets, etc and my wife gave me the tank for Christmas. I hope to put water in the tank in early March.
This definitely goes on my to-do list. It will take me a while to learn how to maintain the tank and then quite a while after that to justify a larger tank......But some day......
Matt
Carl_in_Florida
Active member
The second post on page 2 address the bowing concerns.
And here on RC, you ren't allowed to talk about a building project unless you are going to start a thread and post pictures of the ongoing construction.
(OK so you are but we still like pics)
CArl
And here on RC, you ren't allowed to talk about a building project unless you are going to start a thread and post pictures of the ongoing construction.
(OK so you are but we still like pics)
CArl
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