crvz's hole in the wall

[crvz]

The stand is structurally complete. I added some lower cross braces between the legs, some middle cross braces across the top, and doubled up the beams on three sides.

If you look in the picture below, you can tell that the two long directions are not symmetric. The side on the left of this picture will be bolted to the wall and will use the wall frame for addition structural strength. On the right, I doubled up the legs and length wise beam. This should eliminate any desire to sag in the middle of the rather wide opening between the legs (greater than 62").

In this picture, you can see that I did glue another 2x8 beam across the short side of the perimeter.

I did this on both sides, though they are not supported along the bottom and they don't run the entire length because of how the legs attach to each end. The main reason I did this was due to a hairline crack I saw in one of the boards (occurred when I clamped the boards together... those clamps are strong). But, I also had the spare lumber already planed and jointed, so there was very little effort involved in gluing these piece together. This should add some strength to these beams even without support to the ground.

The other thing I'll note is in regard to the lower cross members between the legs. While I had these hammered in place during early construction, when I finally glued and clamped them there was some overall movement. As a result, I'm going to have to shim one of the legs when I stick it in place.

Next step... painting the bottom portion of the stand and then bolting it in place so I can sand down the wall framing nice and level (I've got a lead on a portable belt sander to help with this project.

 

[jdm18honda]

everything is looking great
i also have the bright mini wide 2x250 they are over a 75 right now and i am having a custom 130 rimless being build and will be ready next month

 

[jmking33]

Im starting an in wall 210 in the coming months. thanks for the ideas. Im looking forward to seeing how yours turns out!

 

[crvz]

Thanks, fellows.

You know, with all the building going on, sometimes I forget that I do still have a tank running. Here's a shot of the current tank.

Because the lights are set up more towards the back (and thus coral placement is skewed away from the front of the tank), that doesnt really show much of what's in the tank. Here's a choice piece that I nabbed a picture of today.

I also picked up these three pieces from a local club member today. They have some improving to do, but I'm hopeful for all three of them.

 

[Taqpol]

That blue Acan is really pretty!

 

[crvz]

Thank you, Alex. I was able to grab a better picture of the blastos (the reason I was enticed to check out any of the frags) after they settled in a bit. I'm not disappointed.

 

[CJ2010]

Very nice corals..

 

[-Scott-]

Very impressive Chris. I just finished reading the ENTIRE thread and if only one thing stands out it is the fact that you show the patience of a seasoned reefer.

 

[crvz]

I was able to steal a few hours to work on the stand today. First, I had ordered these 4" stainless steel lag bolts, so I bolted the stand to the wall.

Then, I had to level a few places. Most things were pretty good, but the right side was about a 1/8" off high. I grabbed a piece of 100 grit sand paper and started to hand sand it. Then I felt like an idiot. I had my father in-laws bench planar at the house, so I was very eager to stop sanding (as 1/8" with 100 grit paper is more than my back was willing to accomplish).

The shavings.

I also had one other thing to address. The header in the wall that the tank will rest on ended up being a little under the height of the stand as a result of me adding 2 sheets of tar paper and a few strategic shims under the stand. I had originally thought I would need to sand that header flush (with a belt sander, though), but as it turned out I needed something else. I cut a bunch of shims from 1/32" to 1/8" in thickness and got to work with the 4 foot level. When I was finished, this was the result; shims placed every 6" to support the plywood top (which is forthcoming).

So, now we have a stand that is level to within 3/64" in any direction over the 6 foot span, though I wouldnt be surprised if it's closer to 1/32" or tighter.

Next step is to glue 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood together and then paint those and the stand... then screw it all in place.

 

[Taqpol]

Two sheets of 3/4" plywood? Dang... This stand could probably hold up your whole house!

 

[prop-frags]

Really nice job on the stand, Chris.
Ours has a bit of unevenness at the top, and we used a belt sander on it to get everything nice and smooth. Regarding your decision to lag-bolt the stand in - did you put the tank on there first to see if the weight was going to create any settling first? We are planning to lag bolt ours to the wall as well, but thought we would wait until there was full load on there and allow it to settle in, then do the lag bolts.

 

[crvz]

Two sheets of 3/4" plywood? Dang... This stand could probably hold up your whole house!

Well, I've got one shot to get it right, so it's certainly overdone. I know I could have done it quicker, but I sleep better with the confidence that the way I'm putting it together affords.

Really nice job on the stand, Chris.
Ours has a bit of unevenness at the top, and we used a belt sander on it to get everything nice and smooth. Regarding your decision to lag-bolt the stand in - did you put the tank on there first to see if the weight was going to create any settling first? We are planning to lag bolt ours to the wall as well, but thought we would wait until there was full load on there and allow it to settle in, then do the lag bolts.

I did think of that, but I really needed the stand bolted to the wall in order to get the wall header shimmed. Because of how the structure of the stand is more or less two separate pieces (the stand I built plus the wall frame), I wasnt able to determine a great way to ensure that any sag would be done uniformly. More so, I don't think any sag will be significant, and I can adjust shims as necessary if something sits funny.

 

[crvz]

2 sheets of plywood, 12 clamps, 500 pounds of weight, and 2 bottles of glue.

 

[Taqpol]

I see that the plywood sticks outside of the legs? Will you be able to stand on that to walk around the tank and get your arms in, or is it just for setting lightweight things?

My problem with the 300g DD dimensions is that it seems like it would be really hard to get access to all areas of the tank with out some type of walk around lip all the way around the fish tank.

 

[crvz]

Yep, I've got an 10-12" lip all the way around the tank to stand. Some have suggested bolstering it, as it merely overhangs the stand, but thus far it has shown very little deflection with the 1.5" plywood thickness, and even that is only on the corner.

 

[prop-frags]

I see that the plywood sticks outside of the legs? Will you be able to stand on that to walk around the tank and get your arms in, or is it just for setting lightweight things?

My problem with the 300g DD dimensions is that it seems like it would be really hard to get access to all areas of the tank with out some type of walk around lip all the way around the fish tank.

The cat walk is a great idea!
You definitely will need it to get at your tank. We were constantly climbing in the side of ours...

 

[Mr. Right]

First off, congratulations on an A+ stand. Seeing your previous stand build I expected nothing less. I was wondering, do you plan on using your euro reef skimmer in the new system? Also, will you be using all the tunze's you had in the 156?...just be nosy lol

 

[crvz]

First off, congratulations on an A+ stand. Seeing your previous stand build I expected nothing less. I was wondering, do you plan on using your euro reef skimmer in the new system? Also, will you be using all the tunze's you had in the 156?...just be nosy lol

I'm going to start off using that hardware, but the skimmer will probably end up being inadequate. That's an upgrade for a ways down the line. I do plan on using the Tunze at a minimum, but may also add a few other flow solutions if necessary.

 

[crvz]

I bought a prewired molex plug to make a quick disconnect for my light rack LEDs. I thought this was a great plan. So I wire it all up, and only 2 of the three sections operate. What the heck? I spend about 30 minutes troubleshooting, only to realize that the red and black wires from my prewired plug are swapped on corresponding sides of the plug. Who would have thought to check that? I only realized it when I measured a negative voltage through the LEDs that werent firing up (after swapping drivers and many unnecessary cutting/soldering of wires). That was irritating.

 

[crvz]

The guilty molex plug. You can see red on the left turns in to black on the right.