Deep Reef's 120 gallon build

[Deep Reef]

Thanks milsaltnewbie

 

[Uncle Luke]

Nice build! 120's are awesome tanks!

 

[120reefermadnes]

Very nice job and great attention to detail!!

Looks like its going to be a nice tank wen complete

 

[Deep Reef]

Thanks

 

[TommyP]

tagging along. Very pristine work on the stand, not sure what that sponge is for either lol. Can't wait to see it full of water and fishes and corals!

 

[Lacy]

Wow, that stand looks professional. Where did you get the wood from and who cut it? Does Home Depot do that?

 

[Cytranic]

Shoot, I wish I was this good with wood.

 

[Deep Reef]

I bought the moldings and plywood from General Hardwoods & Millwork in Ft Lauderdale and the boards from Constantines on Oakland park in Ft lauderdale. I have a radial arm saw and have cut all the wood myself with the exception of the doors. No Home depot won't help out and they don't carry maple.

thanks for the support

 

[Deep Reef]

Stand was completed only final sanding and staining/ finishing left. The hinges that came with my doors won't work as their attachments are too short and the screws will land between the plywood sheathing and the wood frame. I will have to buy new ones that have a longer attachment.



I began a new canopy. The first was build of 1 1/2" pine and was too flimsy. The new will be constructed of 2 1/2" poplar a little stronger wood. I also made the mistake of building it to the size of the tank top when in reality it needed to be larger to overlap and hang over the top edge to hide the black frame. Here are the pieces cut for fabrication.


Here are the frames ready for assembly:

I build the canopy in two pieces. I wanted to be able to have full access by just lifting the front. You will also notice on the larger section the lower right long piece is above the bottom frame. I realized I needed this as my return will be over the top of the back of the tank (A Herbie) and my first design would not have allowed me to remove the top once it was all plumbed in.

Pick of old frame top left and new frame bottom right. Just by looking at them you can see the new frame is sturdier.



Here is the canopy with the front sheathing installed. I also installed a center brace on top. I did this mainly to provide a nailing point for the top panels. I also installed nailer strips at all the verticals. If you look at the hinge point the boards are set above the perimeter frame the 1/2" depth of sheathing panels i will use to inclose the top. This will allow room for the hinge to operate.



Finally front canopy swung up with hinge complete.



That's all for now. I will be enclosing the remainder of the top as soon as possible.

 

[Deep Reef]

Well I finished sheathing the sides of the canopy and installed the lower trim molding and the first piece of the upper trim:





For the lower trim molding I used a molding type that is typically used as a chair rail. This provides a nice rounded edge to grab when your lifting the top.

I also had some time to install egg crate in the bottom of the tanks so the glass will be protected from the rock.



With any luck I'll get the upper trim molding completed tomorrow.

 

[mlivvy]

Eggcrate on the bottom is called a Plenum.

I'm old school.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

wow that stand and canopy are amazing. i wish i could try something like that. maybe on the next upgrade. lol

 

[Stylo328]

As many have said, excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail. I look forward to your updates.

 

[Deep Reef]

Plenum got it thanks...I am very new school lol

 

[Deep Reef]

Well here is the canopy complete except for the accent molding.



Accent molding installed:



I had a problem with the piano hinge. even though I had allowed for clearances when the molding was installed and adjusted the top was binding. So another trip to Home Depot and I picked up 2 sets of non-mortised hinges. These provided the extra height I needed.





Well now onto finishing and working on waterproofing the stand.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

man excellent craftsmanship.

 

[Deep Reef]

Thanks

 

[Fishman7]

Looks great cant wait to see it stained and coated
if your looking for maple or other hard woods you can try Sheridan lumber in hollywood better prices than constantine
they have all kinds of moldings and trim as well

 

[Deep Reef]

Looks great cant wait to see it stained and coated
if your looking for maple or other hard woods you can try Sheridan lumber in hollywood better prices than constantine
they have all kinds of moldings and trim as well

Thanks for the info

 

[Deep Reef]

I added a piece of egg crate to the sump to keep larger pieces out of the pump compartment.


Painted the interior of the stand and canopy with two coats of primer and two coats of exterior latex semi-gloss paint.





Also picked up a piece of shower pan liner to line the stand base with.



That's about it for this week.