Complete DIY Custom 144x15x15

Status
Not open for further replies.
I quit flame polishing awhile ago. The acylic just gets too stressed. It eventually leads to crazing, IME.

My trick is fine steel wool to buff the edges, then some polish. Just be sure to get ALL the steel fibers off of the acrylic. It will rust and leave stains.

Great project there,
Chris
 
Well I spent a little time in the garage tonight... I was able to get through the rough sanding of the next display panel. I should be able to get it finished up tomorrow then all that's left is the bottom and top (not nearly as time consuming other than cutting out for bracing) then I can start putting it together!!!!

Here's another teaser on the progress. The piece on the bottom is actually a display side.

DSCN4295.jpg


DSCN4303.jpg


DSCN4302.jpg
 
That's.... AWESOME!
Are you gonna do one in a bedroom that goes all the way around and up and over the doorway...
You could do like those cat walkways that go all the way through the house, But with SW fish and reefs instead!
 
Not to mention a PITA to clean.

Anyways... Calvin, are you going to use black or clear sides where the overflows are located? Is that black plexi attached to that overflow the actual end of the tank?

Everything is coming out nicely. You did a great job on the room also. I especially like how you made the stand's edges round to match the support beam. It would look nice if you also did the same to the ceiling part above it. LOL.

Are you going to make a hood for the tank or hang the light fixtures above it?

I saw the skimmer your making. Is it fully functional yet? I want to make one for my 29g and need to plan it out first. I want to know how it works. Did you make a thread for it? What's it's diameter and height?

How much did it cost to build the tank and skimmer, (acrylic only)? I saw the WO42 in that link you posted, Is that $37.45 per cartridge or 12/pk box? Can't you just use a regular caulking gun?

I guess that's all the questions I have for now. lol Sorry. :rollface: You have excellent skills and a great imagination! Keep up the good work! :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12963816#post12963816 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dantimdad
That thing is going to be incredible!

I wish I had a space for it.

:)
Click to expand...

Thanks, yeah the basement has been a work in progress for about 3 years and only now have I finally decided on a tank and location. :D

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12963965#post12963965 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Doahh
That's.... AWESOME!
Are you gonna do one in a bedroom that goes all the way around and up and over the doorway...
You could do like those cat walkways that go all the way through the house, But with SW fish and reefs instead!
Click to expand...

Thanks and no. :D The logistics of building something like that are just not worth the reward. Maybe sometime down the road I could try to tackle something similar but not to that scale.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12964539#post12964539 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by arctictwist
That would be kool, but it would be hell to get the flow right!
Click to expand...

Ditto!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12964776#post12964776 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by leoslizards
Not to mention a PITA to clean.

Anyways... Calvin, are you going to use black or clear sides where the overflows are located? Is that black plexi attached to that overflow the actual end of the tank?

Everything is coming out nicely. You did a great job on the room also. I especially like how you made the stand's edges round to match the support beam. It would look nice if you also did the same to the ceiling part above it. LOL.

Are you going to make a hood for the tank or hang the light fixtures above it?

I saw the skimmer your making. Is it fully functional yet? I want to make one for my 29g and need to plan it out first. I want to know how it works. Did you make a thread for it? What's it's diameter and height?

How much did it cost to build the tank and skimmer, (acrylic only)? I saw the WO42 in that link you posted, Is that $37.45 per cartridge or 12/pk box? Can't you just use a regular caulking gun?

I guess that's all the questions I have for now. lol Sorry. :rollface: You have excellent skills and a great imagination! Keep up the good work! :D
Click to expand...

Yes, the black 1/2" you see the overflow attached to is the end of the tank. I had to weld the overflow to the end of the tank first as I wouldn't be able to get it in after... Can't stand a 12' tank up on end in a basement with 8' ceilings. ;)

Not sure what you mean by "do the same to the ceiling"? Above the tank also has rounded edges (entire house actually) but I'm not going to connect the tank to the top as I don't want the room to feel completely enclosed. Which leads to your next question; I will have a small canopy (140x12x4ish) which will sit right on the tank and full of fans to help pull out heat. The hole in the ceiling is a cold air return for the furnace so as much air as I can will be directed in that direction. For access I will install a pulley system to raise the canopy off the tank and suspend above it.

Just acrylic was 2 full 1/2" sheets (4'x8') of cell cast (my cost is about 250 a sheet) so that's 500 for the 4 12' pieces, the ends plus overflow box added approx 45 more so 545 in acrylic. I used 5 weldon 42 tips in the process, (you could use less if you had more room to do all the welds at once) they are 1.50 each and 1 cartridge of 42. Yes that's 37.45 per cartridge if you buy a full case (449.40 per case) else it's 49.94 per cartridge. The gun is designed for the cartridge shape (two tubes as it's a two part formula which is formed into one cartrige), so only the 42 gun will work.

Thanks for the feedback and questions. :D

Edit:

Sorry missed your skimmer question... Actually that is just a quick nano prototype which I won't be using, I just wanted to see if I could build one. I haven't had time to finish it but the outer tube is a 4" tube, the bubble diffuser is a 2" tube. The skimmer I'm going to end up building is a beckett recirc based on the MRC MR-4R which is rated for up to 1100 gallons so I think I'm going to end up switching to SPS. ;) The reason I'm going this large is to ensure I can skim 100% of the water from the overflow... I plan to dump the overflow directly into the skimmer to help remove all detritus before it can even get to the sump. Of course I don't plan on running the skimmer at full capacity but it will allow me to tune everything as my bioload increases over time. I ordered 2 becketts and the circle cutting templates for my router this week. So stay tuned for that build.
 
Last edited:
Honestly, I don't think that is a bad price to pay.

My latest project is looking to be around $650 in supplies and will hold 260 gallons. That is not even having to pay for the piece of 3/8" glass for the front.

And, I don't think mine will be nearly as cool. Just a 74x32x24 inwall. :)

If I had it to do over again, I honestly think I would do a 10' version of yours just 18x18 behind my 9' long sofa.

dantimdad
 
I think it would make more sense to "zone light" a tank this long.

IOW, make reef areas of rock and light directly over them with t5's. The open areas may not even need lighting depending on the spread or could easily get by with t8's.

Besides, 15" front to back could be covered by 4 t5's.

dantimdad
 
Yeah, I plan on using a 8x54w and 4x39w to cover the lighting needs. Total will be 588 Watts. Add in the Dart for the CL, a PW200 for the skimmer and something small for the return pump plus a 500w heater and I'll be about 1500w. Not too bad... I have a dedicated 20A circuit for the tank so I'll be fine.

Largest pain will be replacing 12 T-5 bulbs, at 300 bucks but even that can be subsidized with a few acrylic projects or selling some small frags/riccordia...
 
What a great thread. All your pictures, your videos... the detailed explanations and your ability to answer every question -- :thumbsup:

I have an idea about the joint line, but don't know if it would work or if you even want to deal with it on this project:

Since you have it bonded together, what about using a router bit that has the V-shaped tip? Clamp your straight-edge so the router can't wander, and run it right up the joint. Then fill that valley with 42 and sand it again. I don't know if that would work or not, but if you have scrap and feel the need to find out, let us know. :D

Glad I'm subscribed to your project. Keep up the good work.
 
Thanks for the idea Marc, don't think I'll try it on this project since I just finished sanding out the 2nd display sides over the last two days (don't want to re-live that). This 2nd side is very clean, I think it's just a matter of getting the material really filled and then really sanded back down, so as long at the 42 sands and polishes well it sounds like that could work! I'll probably try it on some scraps to see if it's a viable option as a fix if I have the stones to try something like this again down the road. :D

Thanks nanO352, I'll be documenting everything I can.
 
The build looks great so far! The proportions should look great. Do you have any idea how you're going to aquascape it yet?
 
I plan on using marco rock and building lots of islands along the length. It will have numerous CL intakes and outputs along the bottom which will need to be covered in rock work. :D

Thanks for the feedback.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
Tank stand on castors
Replies
4
Views
369
albano
albano
E
4x2x2 Acrylic reel tank and stand for sale
Replies
4
Views
304
ebe
E
D
DIY Stand Help
Replies
6
Views
437
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
D
Which sump would you choose?
Replies
5
Views
372
Devilphish
D
scuzy
FS: complete setup
Replies
3
Views
1K
ashburn
A
Back
Top