crvz's hole in the wall

Very Nice and impessive work there on the LED's....your tank dimensions are awesome but do you think the Lumenbrights will give you a full front to back coverage ??

That's one reason why I went with the mini- wide pendants. There will probably be a few inches at the front and back of the tank that wouldnt be suitable for high light corals, but for my aquascaping plans I don't think it will be an issue.
 
Nice work as always, Chris.
The light rack is fantastic - how will you protect from splashes?

Height? ;) I havent really put much thought into making doing anything for it other than just the intent of having it about 16" or so off the water.
 
That's one reason why I went with the mini- wide pendants. There will probably be a few inches at the front and back of the tank that wouldnt be suitable for high light corals, but for my aquascaping plans I don't think it will be an issue.

Love the light rack. As far a scaping, do you plan on doing the pillar style again?
 
I'm going to go with "not enough clamps."

2010_10_16_stand_clamped.jpg
 
Love the light rack. As far a scaping, do you plan on doing the pillar style again?

Not entire certain what I want to do just yet, but it will be deliberate in lieu of just piling rocks on one another. I'll probably elevate rocks a few inches off the floor or the tank, as well. I have some ideas in my head, but I havent taken them anywhere.

Need... More.... Clamps! Haha, nice pic. :)

Thank you. I have started gluing the stand together, but the beams are perfectly square so I've needed a little bit generous use of clamps and a couple shims. When I mocked everything up it was nice and level, and I hope when I'm done it will still be. So far the two short sides are done, next I'll be attaching the long ones.
 
Chris, I was checking out your posts on the RocketEngineer stand template thread... are you going with 2x10 main beams? We're completely rebuilding our stand now and beefing it up considerably.
 
Chris, I was checking out your posts on the RocketEngineer stand template thread... are you going with 2x10 main beams? We're completely rebuilding our stand now and beefing it up considerably.

No, I'm using 2x8s, but at the front it is bolstered by the frame of the wall and at the back I'm doubling them up.
 
Slow progression, but we're still moving forward. The primary stand structure is cut and level. I'm actually surprised how sturdy it is. I havent used any hardware, it's simply glued together, and it's not bolted to the wall yet. Even so, it has zero wobble. I think it's going to serve it's purpose well. Next steps include;
- doubling the 2x8 on the back for more strength
- adding cross bracing to the top and sides
- painting the bottom of the legs, then covering them in tar paper
- borrowing a belt sander and leveling the 2x4 wall framing to the stand
- painting the rest of the stand
- adding plywood to the top

2010_10_26_stand_789929.jpg


Maybe next month I'll be ready to cut the wall. One thing I did notice this week was that the clearance under the stand turned out to be smaller than the sump I built. That was bad news. As a result, yesterday I took a router and removed about 1/4" off of each leg to be certain the sump could be easily installed and removed. Not sure how well the picture shows it, but if you look at the leg on the left of the image you can see how it's all flush. The one on the right (up against the wall) I didnt change, and the 2x4 sticks out past the 2x6.

2010_10_26_stand.jpg


Finally, this week I noticed a bunch of water around my sump (this marks the fourth time I've found a leak from something... while none of them have been big, it has made me very appreciative of having the tank in the garage). Turns out the needle valve of the calcium reactor was leaking. I took it apart, put on new teflon, put it all back together. Still leaked. So I tightened it some more, and then it broke. Well done me. I was able to find a part that works from home depot, and since I've always used a secondary needle valve instead of this one supplied with the reactor, it was an easy fix. Here's the broken one and the new fitting installed.

2010_10_26_new_reactor_plumbing.jpg
 
what is the foot print of your tank again?

Also I am starting plans for my 250g tank. So few questions?

you have 2x8 for the horizontal pieces. You are going to double up the back only 2x8? How are you going to incorporate that as i don't see what it would be supported by? what about the sides ones? also you are going to run a center cross brace the long (left to right) length correct? single or double?

The legs you have are all 2x6? except where you routered the ones down for the sump to fit? Do you forsee any issues w the legs going straight to the ground and not onto a bottom frame? Concrete floor i assume.

Are you planning anything on the bottom for a shelf to hold the sump?

Thanks...as these were similiar to my plans, just not sure about the legs & doubling the horizontal pieces. But overkill is a good piece of mind!
 
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what is the foot print of your tank again?

72"x36"

you have 2x8 for the horizontal pieces. You are going to double up the back only 2x8? How are you going to incorporate that as i don't see what it would be supported by? what about the sides ones? also you are going to run a center cross brace the long (left to right) length correct? single or double?

I am only doubling the back because the front will use the wall frame as support as well. So there are 6 vertical 2x4s in the wall supporting the tank, and I simply didnt feel there was any need to add another 2x8. But on the back, I will be gluing another 2x6 to each of the legs to support the second 2x8. I'll post pictures when I do so.

The sides will not be doubled. Because I have such a large opening along the back (about 62"), that's where the concern is in terms of any bowing. Based on a quick calculation, there may have been as much as a 1/8" sag in the middle of that single 2x8 (which has been jointed/planed down to only about 6.75" instead of 7.5") along the back. By doubling it, I should be eliminating almost all risk of any sag. Along the sides, there's only about a 24" opening, and the amount of sag in those 2x8s is insignificant.

I will not be running any cross bracing along the long dimension.

The legs you have are all 2x6? except where you routered the ones down for the sump to fit? Do you forsee any issues w the legs going straight to the ground and not onto a bottom frame? Concrete floor i assume.

The legs as you see them right now are 2x4s and 2x6 glued together. Just like the 2x8s, these boards were jointed and planed to be perfectly square (with razor sharp edges, as it turns out ;)). The legs at the wall are finished. As already explained, I'll add another 2x6 to the rear legs. I do not foresee any concern with the legs going directly to the ground assuming I use something to keep moisture from seeping into them (concrete floor at sea level may create such an issue). A few coats of primer and the tar paper should eliminate this worry.

I will not do a bottom frame. I will brace the legs at each side, and the legs at the wall will be bolted into the wall. But along the back, since I want to just slide the sump in place, there will not be anything in the opening that you see right now. The sump is about 62" long, and the opening along the back is about 62.25". Not a lot of room to spare, but it should work.

Are you planning anything on the bottom for a shelf to hold the sump?

Nope. The sump has been sitting on the floor on a piece of builders foam for about 7 months with a bunch of rock curing. It seems to be working fine right now, so I don't feel the need to change that.

Thanks...as these were similiar to my plans, just not sure about the legs & doubling the horizontal pieces. But overkill is a good piece of mind!

Indeed, especially at the cost of lumber overkill is certainly reasonable in this application! If you have any more questions, feel free to as, and plow back a few pages to see some of the original stand drawings (if you're interested).
 
If you have any more questions, feel free to as, and plow back a few pages to see some of the original stand drawings (if you're interested).


I did go back to pg 1 and start re-reading while I awaited your response. At pg 9 curently! lol:celeb1:
 
I've heard that the wood glue bond between pieces of wood is actually stronger then the wood fibers themselves, but is there any reason you're not gluing AND screwing?
 
I've heard that the wood glue bond between pieces of wood is actually stronger then the wood fibers themselves, but is there any reason you're not gluing AND screwing?

Well, as you imply, what's the point? If I clamp everything super tight during the assembly process, then I certainly don't need to put screws in it to hold wood in place while glue dries. That said, I'll probably throw some lag screws through everything once it's complete. I want to find some hardware that's very corrosion resistant, which is not always readily available. My last stand had zero hardware in it and it worked fine, but that had a lot higher aesthetic criteria than this one.

And an edit; I am making certain that I am not relying on end grain with glue joints. If I was using end grains, then hardware becomes increasingly more important. Here's a quick reference on gluing wood with or without screws.
 
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and on your light rack, you show to have fittings with a adapted to fit another piece of tubing on? (the gray part sticking up)
i would turn those around and make a 2nd layer. (if its affordable) that would allow it to support more weight without sagging.
plus it would allow you to mount it to the hood/canopy if thats your rout. (i will go back and read from the beginning so i can be on the same page and be up to date! )
 
Is this one the edges or in the middle of it?

I'll get you some pictures this week (probably... I do have to go to a shuttle launch on Saturday).

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and on your light rack, you show to have fittings with a adapted to fit another piece of tubing on? (the gray part sticking up)
i would turn those around and make a 2nd layer. (if its affordable) that would allow it to support more weight without sagging.
plus it would allow you to mount it to the hood/canopy if thats your rout. (i will go back and read from the beginning so i can be on the same page and be up to date! )

I've got a single piece to attach across the top to brace it. More pictures when I get to that stage (I'll be hanging this from the ceiling).
 
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