Daves Illuminata 57 build thread

[sweet d]

ok short story is after the snow storm hit and i lost power for a week i decided i would take the oppertunity to go a little bigger and decided on going with a deep blue 57 gallon RR and i picked up a 40 breeder for a sump thats all ready to go. tank is ordered waiting for it to show up at fintastic this week.im tired of trying to squeeze into tiny cabinets and mess with the sump so ive decided to build my own stand,i made it 48x24 and 36 tall.the door opening is going to besomewhere around 36x24 so no problems getting at anything in the future lol. so until the tank comes in im working on that. i used the diy plans for the stand from here on rc.

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i used 2x4s and skined it with cabinet grade plywood on the inside of the cab i filled all gaps with paintable waterproof caulk and then put a coat of primer.

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heres where i left it today i filled all the brad nail holes with wood filler and sanded lightly,prepping it for paint.i will be putting trim on hopefully tommorow. im thinking of leaving the back open and 2 cabinet doors on the front im undecided on what style doors i want to go with.
:beer:

 

[mtc1966]

very nice start . will be watching

 

[BubbaBoBobBrain]

Very cool. Im looking forward to following your build.

 

[Mikenguyen1985]

Great build.

 

[Gillundr]

Awesome! Get ready for some fun.

 

[Krazy_Karl]

Nice start. One thing I definitely wish I had with my 57 Edge is a larger stand, the center brace is extremely annoying to work around.

 

[swannyson7]

Off to a great start! You'll be glad that you made the stand nice and tall and didn't use a center brace. The added height is a life saver when it comes to working in the sump.

 

[mylifeismyown66]

Nice man, I bet you can't wait!

 

[crazykrammm]

cant wait to see it.

 

[FintasticCT]

I am looking at a brand new Edge 57, in my bail bond lobby....

 

[mtc1966]

I am looking at a brand new Edge 57, in my bail bond lobby....

sweet or should i say sweet d

 

[sweet d]

I am looking at a brand new Edge 57, in my bail bond lobby....

ill be by on saturday to grab that bad boy!

 

[sweet d]

update
ok so ive got some progress done this week,i got 2 coats of paint on and i was able to stain the trim and get a coat of poly on it.here are a few pics

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i went with a red stain on 1x3 poplar and shoe molding around the top and a black semi gloss enamel paint.
time for me to start the monster doors i need to make lol and another coat of paint and poly.

 

[mtc1966]

nice i like it.

 

[sweet d]

update

update

ok so with the long weekend i found some time to work on the stand,i made the door and got another coat of paint and 2 coats of poly on it so has far has what im gonna do with it im done.im going to have a millwork shop up the road from me make a table top for me.

[/IMG]this is with the door on after finishing it up.

[/IMG]and one with it off. i ran into a little hiccup when the plywood took a little warp and i couldnt go with my original idea of using magnetic catches to hold it in place so i came up with the idea of using loose pin hinges to hold the door on.:beer:

[/IMG]im really happy i went with gloss enamal paint im really liking the look.

[/IMG]heres a pic with what is the sump a 40 breeder i bought not to long ago.

[/IMG]lots of clearance :spin3:

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[muppet]

I'm jealous of your talent. I wish I could build a stand like that. I'm good up until the mitering, I think.

 

[sweet d]

for all of you guys with sumps i was looking at the shear size of this 40 breeder and its real big is there any downside to it being this big when the main display is only 57 gallons.or is that old saying bigger is better.would love to hear everyones take on it.

 

[sweet d]

I'm jealous of your talent. I wish I could build a stand like that. I'm good up until the mitering, I think.

thanks muppet i just wish i had my own house with all the proper tools needed.im actually using my future in-laws garage and borrowing tools from a good friend.and no mitering all butt joints.

 

[muppet]

thanks muppet i just wish i had my own house with all the proper tools needed.im actually using my future in-laws garage and borrowing tools from a good friend.and no mitering all butt joints.

Yeah I took another look and saw that but it's still very impressive. I have no tools nor tools to borrow so I'm still jealous. Nice job on the routing, very clean, and the overall aesthetics are very nice.

As for size, I know I'm a n00b but my understanding is that the more total system volume, the better. I don't think it would matter if the sump were BIGGER than the DT. Obviously it impacts dosing in that you have to take into account the total system volume but you know that.

 

[BubbaBoBobBrain]

thanks muppet i just wish i had my own house with all the proper tools needed.im actually using my future in-laws garage and borrowing tools from a good friend.and no mitering all butt joints.

Should you feel like coming to my house and using my tools to build another super nice stand for my daughters new tank I wouldnt complain, lol.