lotsofgallons
In Memoriam
hello all. im planning to build a 200g cube glass tank, as well as a stand and canopy. this will be the 5th tank i have built, and the biggest. here is how it all goes down...(tight budgets inspire creativity)
The Tank:
to assemble this tank, i will salvage as much glass as i already have to save money. i used an extra 90g tank on an oak stand with a matching canopy, and a 75g with a broken bottom. i dissasembled both tanks and stripped them down to just the glass panes. i will use both long sides from each tank to construct the 4 sides of the 200 cube. i know what youre thinking, the 90 & 75 dont have the same height dimensions, the panes from the 90 are 48x22 and the panes from the 75 are 48x20. keep in mind money IS an issue here so this isnt that big of a deal to me, this 2" difference on top will be hidden by the canopy anyway, plus i will use it to my advantage when bracing the tank. so after salvaging about $400 worth of glass out of tanks i had lying around, i will have to make a trip to the glass shop for the bottom piece which measures 4ft by 4ft, but i was also able to salvage the glass i need for top bracing. the tank will measure 48" long, 48" wide, 20" tall. it will be viewable on three sides to capture the depth of the reef and give it a more natural look. here is the unassembled glass prior to cleaning/silicone removal:
The Stand:
again, money comes into play here. instead of building a stand from scratch (have done in the past, not fun), ive decided to use the oak stand that held the 90g tank and build off of the back of it, makes sense since the front glass pane on the 200g cube is the same front piece the 90 used to have. this will be accomplished with a lot of added bracing and support to the current structure, as well as to the addition. i wont bore you with the schematics. i plan to stain the added length of the stand to match the front, as well as add wide matching cabinet door entrances on both sides to access the sump and equipment. here is a picture of the stand and canopy (before surgery):
Equipment:
the stand will house a 55g sump, not sure how i will partition it out yet but i know i will need room for dual 1.5" overflow drain pipes, two skimmers (might as well since i have them already), a chaeto/mangrove refuge, a uv sterilizer, and a quiet one 5000 return pump. all of this equipment is coming off of my current custom built 110g system. for lighting, i will use what i already have, a 48" Current Orbit 4x96w pc, 48" Current Nova Extreme 4x54w T5, 24" Current Sunpaq Retro-Fit 2x65w pc, and 48" Coralife Aqualight 4x65w pc. JEEZ!
Stay tuned for the build! i will try to keep you updated daily with my progress, i work fast so it wont be long before this is up and running.
Here is a link to pics of my current 110g marine tank with dimensions 60x24x17 that i built (and never finished): http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h36/ikon_photos/110%20Gallon%20Reef/
The Tank:
to assemble this tank, i will salvage as much glass as i already have to save money. i used an extra 90g tank on an oak stand with a matching canopy, and a 75g with a broken bottom. i dissasembled both tanks and stripped them down to just the glass panes. i will use both long sides from each tank to construct the 4 sides of the 200 cube. i know what youre thinking, the 90 & 75 dont have the same height dimensions, the panes from the 90 are 48x22 and the panes from the 75 are 48x20. keep in mind money IS an issue here so this isnt that big of a deal to me, this 2" difference on top will be hidden by the canopy anyway, plus i will use it to my advantage when bracing the tank. so after salvaging about $400 worth of glass out of tanks i had lying around, i will have to make a trip to the glass shop for the bottom piece which measures 4ft by 4ft, but i was also able to salvage the glass i need for top bracing. the tank will measure 48" long, 48" wide, 20" tall. it will be viewable on three sides to capture the depth of the reef and give it a more natural look. here is the unassembled glass prior to cleaning/silicone removal:
The Stand:
again, money comes into play here. instead of building a stand from scratch (have done in the past, not fun), ive decided to use the oak stand that held the 90g tank and build off of the back of it, makes sense since the front glass pane on the 200g cube is the same front piece the 90 used to have. this will be accomplished with a lot of added bracing and support to the current structure, as well as to the addition. i wont bore you with the schematics. i plan to stain the added length of the stand to match the front, as well as add wide matching cabinet door entrances on both sides to access the sump and equipment. here is a picture of the stand and canopy (before surgery):
Equipment:
the stand will house a 55g sump, not sure how i will partition it out yet but i know i will need room for dual 1.5" overflow drain pipes, two skimmers (might as well since i have them already), a chaeto/mangrove refuge, a uv sterilizer, and a quiet one 5000 return pump. all of this equipment is coming off of my current custom built 110g system. for lighting, i will use what i already have, a 48" Current Orbit 4x96w pc, 48" Current Nova Extreme 4x54w T5, 24" Current Sunpaq Retro-Fit 2x65w pc, and 48" Coralife Aqualight 4x65w pc. JEEZ!
Stay tuned for the build! i will try to keep you updated daily with my progress, i work fast so it wont be long before this is up and running.
Here is a link to pics of my current 110g marine tank with dimensions 60x24x17 that i built (and never finished): http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h36/ikon_photos/110%20Gallon%20Reef/
