CyclistMT's 300 Gal Plywood and Glass Build
- Thread starter CyclistMT
- Start date
CyclistMT
More Idiot Than Savant
STAND by me.
STAND and deliver.
STAND and be counted.
Last man STANDing.
Can you guess what this post is about yet?
That's right! It's about my chair!
Err...well...Ok, it's about my stand. Well, part of it anyway. This is just the undercarriage as I have a beautiful exoskeleton planned. At least I hope it turns out that way. But, that's a post for much, much later. Don't believe me? Well how long did it take from my last post until now? Like three months? Noah built his arc faster then this tank build is coming together! Ah life, she be a cruel mistress and keeps getting in the way. All right, all right, enough whining.
Here is the site planned for excavation.
First thing that had to be done was getting down to bare concrete.
Basic frame up work shown here. 2X6's on end for horizontals and 2x4 uprights. You can see I used 45 degree angles in all the upper corners. Not really sure if they're adding any value but it made me feel better. The extended portion you see in the back is where my surge tank will sit.
And here it is painted along with the floor. I thought I'd do something different then the traditional white this time. I've done white before and it always seems to get dingy to me after it's been around salt water for a while. I'm not sure if the black will fare any better but there was only one way to find out so I went for it.
Well, there you have it! A post that has less words then a Tolstoy novel, for once, and a lot of pictures to boot!
That's it for now but stay tuned for more!
You'll probably want to take a nap and a shower or two by the time I get back to it though.....just sayin'....
STAND and deliver.
STAND and be counted.
Last man STANDing.
Can you guess what this post is about yet?
That's right! It's about my chair!
Err...well...Ok, it's about my stand. Well, part of it anyway. This is just the undercarriage as I have a beautiful exoskeleton planned. At least I hope it turns out that way. But, that's a post for much, much later. Don't believe me? Well how long did it take from my last post until now? Like three months? Noah built his arc faster then this tank build is coming together! Ah life, she be a cruel mistress and keeps getting in the way. All right, all right, enough whining.
Here is the site planned for excavation.
First thing that had to be done was getting down to bare concrete.
Basic frame up work shown here. 2X6's on end for horizontals and 2x4 uprights. You can see I used 45 degree angles in all the upper corners. Not really sure if they're adding any value but it made me feel better. The extended portion you see in the back is where my surge tank will sit.
And here it is painted along with the floor. I thought I'd do something different then the traditional white this time. I've done white before and it always seems to get dingy to me after it's been around salt water for a while. I'm not sure if the black will fare any better but there was only one way to find out so I went for it.
Well, there you have it! A post that has less words then a Tolstoy novel, for once, and a lot of pictures to boot!
That's it for now but stay tuned for more!
You'll probably want to take a nap and a shower or two by the time I get back to it though.....just sayin'....
CyclistMT
More Idiot Than Savant
No doubt! It's getting to be winter around here so I'll bust them out soon for sure.
Ha! I'm waiting for you to finish yours first, mate, so I know how to do mine. :lolspin: I haven't seen the one from cmpenny, I'll have to check that out. Been looking at the Hayward.
Glad to have you along! You should definitely go for it!
CyclistMT
More Idiot Than Savant
So this is totally not tank related.....ok, well sorta tank related in an offhand way because it prevented me from getting any work done on the tank (and the tank is in the background in the picture). How's that for a justification?
Well anyway it's my thread and I'll do what I want!
Just drove 650 miles round trip yesterday for this beautiful gal! We adopted her from a great rescue orginization in Rapid City, SD. She is such a sweet girl and turns pink when she gets excited.
Meet Berkley!
Well anyway it's my thread and I'll do what I want!
Just drove 650 miles round trip yesterday for this beautiful gal! We adopted her from a great rescue orginization in Rapid City, SD. She is such a sweet girl and turns pink when she gets excited.
Meet Berkley!
I love me some boxers, Shes a pretty 1. Im a part of Florida Boxer Rescue down here in Orlando, FL. I have had a few recues in the past. Its a great way to help out for such awesome animals. I couldnt believe people actually give there boxers away. The dog I have is now 5. I had a lady called me up and told me she had a 2 year old puppy that is just way to much for her to handle he eats everything in site, so I said ok I will come get him. Im glad I did, he has been the best dog I have ever had.
CyclistMT
More Idiot Than Savant
lusenut, I totally know what you mean. Now that we've had Berkley for a week, I can't believe anyone could have gotten rid of her. She is an awesome dog! Well behaved, lovable, and just a ton of fun.
CyclistMT
More Idiot Than Savant
In spite of playing with the new pup all week, I did manage to get a bit of work done on the tank. I got my overflow built and installed. You'll see it's a bit of a Frankenstein creation because I made it with some leftover scraps of 1/4" I had laying around and none of them were the full 36" that I wanted. So a couple of seams later and I had a workable overflow. It's not the prettiest overflow but that doesn't matter to me because I plan on doing a foam and rock wall that will completely cover it.
With the overflow done my son and I used all of our manly power and hoisted the tank up on the stand. I installed the bulkheads with some temporary caps which allowed me to do this....
Wait for it.....
Wait for it.....
TA DA! Houston we have splashdown!
Yes folks, that's water going into the tank. But before you get too excited, this is just a leak test. My first one.
First leak test? Are you frigging kidding me!!!!????? You put that behemoth of a tank in it's final resting place and THEN decided to do a leak test?
Yes, yes I did.
I installed the glass in the tank in the room where it's going and I didn't want to drag it back up the stairs and outside to do a leak test and that drag it back in to put it in place. So, needless to say, I was sweating it a bit. I was very careful throughout the build so I felt good that I wouldn't have any problems but you just never know.
I did it in increments and let it sit for a while just in case the increasing pressure found a weakness. I figured I could catch it without catastrophic failure that way. I filled it up to 120 gals and let it set for 12+ hours. Then I went to 200 gals and let it sit another 12 hours. Finally I filled it to the tank capacity of 260 gals and it's been there for a few hours now with no leaks under full pressure. My wife has been waiting for it to explode all weekend. I don't know why she doesn't trust my skill. After all, the wet carpet (...twice) at the old house had nothing to do with tank construction and everything to do with user error when filling up the top off container. But that's another story....
I'm also happy to report that I have virtually no deflection. Less than 1/16" across either span. I'm going to leave it full for a couple of days just to be sure no pressure leaks develop around the glass silicone gasket. That's really the only place anything could develop but I'm not expecting any problems.
Here's a picture to prove it's full.
And another fun one you don't often see. Since I have a fancy camera, I thought I'd take a shot from INSIDE the full tank looking out.
Once the water is drained I want to start on the foam and rock wall but I have a lot of other things that need attention too. I need to finish the sump, build the pre and post surge tanks, run electrical, ventilation, plumbing, etc., etc. So, whatever gets worked on first will be the next update but don't look for it anytime soon with the holidays coming.
So that's it for now and for a while. Thanks for continuing to tag along!
With the overflow done my son and I used all of our manly power and hoisted the tank up on the stand. I installed the bulkheads with some temporary caps which allowed me to do this....
Wait for it.....
Wait for it.....
TA DA! Houston we have splashdown!
Yes folks, that's water going into the tank. But before you get too excited, this is just a leak test. My first one.
First leak test? Are you frigging kidding me!!!!????? You put that behemoth of a tank in it's final resting place and THEN decided to do a leak test?
Yes, yes I did.
I installed the glass in the tank in the room where it's going and I didn't want to drag it back up the stairs and outside to do a leak test and that drag it back in to put it in place. So, needless to say, I was sweating it a bit. I was very careful throughout the build so I felt good that I wouldn't have any problems but you just never know.
I did it in increments and let it sit for a while just in case the increasing pressure found a weakness. I figured I could catch it without catastrophic failure that way. I filled it up to 120 gals and let it set for 12+ hours. Then I went to 200 gals and let it sit another 12 hours. Finally I filled it to the tank capacity of 260 gals and it's been there for a few hours now with no leaks under full pressure. My wife has been waiting for it to explode all weekend. I don't know why she doesn't trust my skill. After all, the wet carpet (...twice) at the old house had nothing to do with tank construction and everything to do with user error when filling up the top off container. But that's another story....
I'm also happy to report that I have virtually no deflection. Less than 1/16" across either span. I'm going to leave it full for a couple of days just to be sure no pressure leaks develop around the glass silicone gasket. That's really the only place anything could develop but I'm not expecting any problems.
Here's a picture to prove it's full.
And another fun one you don't often see. Since I have a fancy camera, I thought I'd take a shot from INSIDE the full tank looking out.
Once the water is drained I want to start on the foam and rock wall but I have a lot of other things that need attention too. I need to finish the sump, build the pre and post surge tanks, run electrical, ventilation, plumbing, etc., etc. So, whatever gets worked on first will be the next update but don't look for it anytime soon with the holidays coming.
So that's it for now and for a while. Thanks for continuing to tag along!
muttley000
MTS Sufferer!
Congrats on finally getting it wet!
FadedSpy
New member
This has been a very informative read, I am eager to build another plywood tank very soon. I built a 300 gallon 3 years ago and used fiberglass resin but now I would like to build something a bit smaller with a matching sump. I love all of the idea's I'm finding on this site, it's going to help me tremendously in the upcoming year! Thanks for sharing!!!
CyclistMT
More Idiot Than Savant
Mrs. Music
New member
I am so amazed by the "can do" attitude of the DIYers on RC. We are DIYers, but still, not sure I could talk my hubby into a wooden tank. When I show him these threads he just looks at me. no comments... nothing....so...probably, I will never get to do this but...luckily I get to enjoy reading this thread. Thank you fors sharing this experience. Everything is looking awsome.
CyclistMT
More Idiot Than Savant
Well, the update I'm hinting at is taking longer than expected. I did start on the rock wall but I don't want to post the results until it's completely done and I need to get some more expanding pond foam first. Went through more than I expected.
So, to welcome the new folks to the thread (FadedSpy and Mrs. Music), thank you for the thread bumps, and to tighten down lusenut2 before he falls off, here is an intermediate update.
I'm a cheap bast...thrifty. I mean thrifty. Who isn't in this economy anymore right? Some of you are probably thinking, well if you're such a cheap...err if you're so thrifty, why the frak are you in the reef hobby? The rest of you are like, where the frak are the pictures, I thought this was an update? I'll make my point (although I'll be long winded about it because it's my thread after all) and then we'll get to the pictures mmmmK?
I've done my fare share of stimulating the economy and I wouldn't be in this hobby if I squeak when I walk but I'm a sucker for a deal if it's something I need and I can get it/make it cheaper. So sit a spell, grab a drink, and let me tell you a story.
In a galaxy long, long ago far, far away, live rock cost $2-$3 retail on the frozen plains of Montana. Because the Emperor tried and failed at TWO Death Stars (did I mentions how big of a geek I am?) live rock is now considerably more expensive. I did look at dry rock but even that is more expensive than what I can make rock for.
So Lance, what are you going to do for fun this Friday night? Go dancing, take in a movie, see a new band, go to the theater? Nah, I'm gonna stay home and make rock. :hmm4: I have been married for 23 years, have 2 kids, and 3 dogs. That is as exciting as my Friday nights get. Yeah I know, I'm about ready to go live at Senior Assisted Living. Don't worry, there's one about 200 feet from my back door so I don't have to far to go.
Anyway, back to the rock. 1 bag of each of mortar mix, crushed coral, chicken grit, and water softener salt and I can make 125+ lbs of rock for $50. So that's what I did. I made all the rock for my last tank so I'm no stranger to this. It does take longer for man/woman made rock to mature but once coralline algae covers everything, you'll never notice the difference. I'm really glad I went this route for my foam and rock wall because I ended up making twice as much as I thought I would need so that would have translated to $200+ dollars for dry rock or $1.5 million dollars in live rock.
psssttt..."Red one, are the images ready yet?"...psssttt
pssttt..."Affirmative Blue Leader"...psssttt
Alright folks, here we go!
This is about half of what I made.
And here are some close ups. Please understand though, these 2d pictures can't come close to showing the true structure of the rock.
I told you this wasn't a full update so you'll just have to be satisfied with these three pictures as a teaser. :headwallblue:
Thanks for tagging along and until the next update, may the force be with you. :strooper:
So, to welcome the new folks to the thread (FadedSpy and Mrs. Music), thank you for the thread bumps, and to tighten down lusenut2 before he falls off, here is an intermediate update.
I'm a cheap bast...thrifty. I mean thrifty. Who isn't in this economy anymore right? Some of you are probably thinking, well if you're such a cheap...err if you're so thrifty, why the frak are you in the reef hobby? The rest of you are like, where the frak are the pictures, I thought this was an update? I'll make my point (although I'll be long winded about it because it's my thread after all) and then we'll get to the pictures mmmmK?
I've done my fare share of stimulating the economy and I wouldn't be in this hobby if I squeak when I walk but I'm a sucker for a deal if it's something I need and I can get it/make it cheaper. So sit a spell, grab a drink, and let me tell you a story.
In a galaxy long, long ago far, far away, live rock cost $2-$3 retail on the frozen plains of Montana. Because the Emperor tried and failed at TWO Death Stars (did I mentions how big of a geek I am?) live rock is now considerably more expensive. I did look at dry rock but even that is more expensive than what I can make rock for.
So Lance, what are you going to do for fun this Friday night? Go dancing, take in a movie, see a new band, go to the theater? Nah, I'm gonna stay home and make rock. :hmm4: I have been married for 23 years, have 2 kids, and 3 dogs. That is as exciting as my Friday nights get. Yeah I know, I'm about ready to go live at Senior Assisted Living. Don't worry, there's one about 200 feet from my back door so I don't have to far to go.
Anyway, back to the rock. 1 bag of each of mortar mix, crushed coral, chicken grit, and water softener salt and I can make 125+ lbs of rock for $50. So that's what I did. I made all the rock for my last tank so I'm no stranger to this. It does take longer for man/woman made rock to mature but once coralline algae covers everything, you'll never notice the difference. I'm really glad I went this route for my foam and rock wall because I ended up making twice as much as I thought I would need so that would have translated to $200+ dollars for dry rock or $1.5 million dollars in live rock.
psssttt..."Red one, are the images ready yet?"...psssttt
pssttt..."Affirmative Blue Leader"...psssttt
Alright folks, here we go!
This is about half of what I made.
And here are some close ups. Please understand though, these 2d pictures can't come close to showing the true structure of the rock.
I told you this wasn't a full update so you'll just have to be satisfied with these three pictures as a teaser. :headwallblue:
Thanks for tagging along and until the next update, may the force be with you. :strooper:
Bushpig_2
New member
You know what? I really, really hate build threads likes yours. Being on deployment, i have got allllllll the time in the world to come up with the system i going to build when we get a house, and i think i have an idea of what i want to do...then BAM! I come across your thread and it throws a big ol' resin-coated wood and glass wrench into the brain storm. :rollface:
I know for sure im going to building my skimmer section and my fuge section out of wood, cause i can pretty much do what ever i want in the design. I will definitely doing the home made rocks as well, except i will be adding a coloring to the rocks to make them purple-ish, Ricketsreef did a video on making his rocks purpleish. I have to re-watch it cause i don't know what he used to color them up. Awsome job on the rocks btw.
Supreme job on the tank though, its beautiful.
Also, moar pichurs!
I know for sure im going to building my skimmer section and my fuge section out of wood, cause i can pretty much do what ever i want in the design. I will definitely doing the home made rocks as well, except i will be adding a coloring to the rocks to make them purple-ish, Ricketsreef did a video on making his rocks purpleish. I have to re-watch it cause i don't know what he used to color them up. Awsome job on the rocks btw.
Supreme job on the tank though, its beautiful.
Also, moar pichurs!
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