Haffs09 370gal Tank Build...Finally!
- Thread starter Haffs09
- Start date
Haffs09
Member
Chris, let me know what works for you and we'll set something up. Hopefully, I have water flowing in a couple of months!
Neoz, part of the thrill of the build was all the planning for me. After seeing some of the threads on here with the sketchup models, I had to give it a try. At times it was extremely frustrating, but in the end, it was well worth it! I'm working on those pics!
solRNY, I replaced the 1x2 cross braces between the joists (not shown) with 2x8s that you can see in the model. I wanted to make sure the joists couldn't move laterally, and I think I accomplished it. Is it overkill, maybe, but wood is cheap and it was easy to do. I also lagged most of the joists that were doubled and tripled up. The hardware was free, so why not? Like I mentioned on your thread, getting the extra joists in there was a PITA! It was time consuming and very frustrating!
Neoz, part of the thrill of the build was all the planning for me. After seeing some of the threads on here with the sketchup models, I had to give it a try. At times it was extremely frustrating, but in the end, it was well worth it! I'm working on those pics!
solRNY, I replaced the 1x2 cross braces between the joists (not shown) with 2x8s that you can see in the model. I wanted to make sure the joists couldn't move laterally, and I think I accomplished it. Is it overkill, maybe, but wood is cheap and it was easy to do. I also lagged most of the joists that were doubled and tripled up. The hardware was free, so why not? Like I mentioned on your thread, getting the extra joists in there was a PITA! It was time consuming and very frustrating!
Haffs09
Member
Prep for the tank move
Prep for the tank move
The main goal the move was twofold:
1. No one get hurt.
2. Don't damage the tank.
From the garage, we had to go through the family room, up 3 steps to get into the kitchen area, and then turn the tank to get into the living room. I calculated the tank weight to be in the ballpark of 730lbs, so I thought this move out quite a bit. The forethought was well worth it because it only took 20mins to move it from the garage to the living room and no one really had to lift much at all.
I gathered a couple of carts together and built a platform with a plywood top covered with styrofoam. It just so happened the height of this setup was only an inch or so lower than the bottom of the tank sitting on the trailer. I couldn't have planned it better!
I thought the stairs would be a bit of a problem, because you can only really fit a guy or two on either end. Plus with one end with the external overflow, that would limit where you could lift. So, I build this ramp to go up the stairs. It was just shy of 10' long. I had to make sure the bottom of my cart wouldn't get stuck on the incline and my floor. I made a test run to make sure!
Prep for the tank move
The main goal the move was twofold:
1. No one get hurt.
2. Don't damage the tank.
From the garage, we had to go through the family room, up 3 steps to get into the kitchen area, and then turn the tank to get into the living room. I calculated the tank weight to be in the ballpark of 730lbs, so I thought this move out quite a bit. The forethought was well worth it because it only took 20mins to move it from the garage to the living room and no one really had to lift much at all.
I gathered a couple of carts together and built a platform with a plywood top covered with styrofoam. It just so happened the height of this setup was only an inch or so lower than the bottom of the tank sitting on the trailer. I couldn't have planned it better!
I thought the stairs would be a bit of a problem, because you can only really fit a guy or two on either end. Plus with one end with the external overflow, that would limit where you could lift. So, I build this ramp to go up the stairs. It was just shy of 10' long. I had to make sure the bottom of my cart wouldn't get stuck on the incline and my floor. I made a test run to make sure!
Haffs09
Member
Tank move
Tank move
For moving the tank, I picked up a bunch of cheap glass suction cup holders from harbor freight. They were the orange ones and worked great for the move. I didn't trust them for lifting the tank any higher than an inch or so, though.
Getting ready for the slide
Action shot
Success! And that was all the lifting required!
Final approach to the ramp
A tight squeeze!
Onto the kitchen level
Successfully negotiated the turn in the kitchen
Resting in its temporary home
Tank move
For moving the tank, I picked up a bunch of cheap glass suction cup holders from harbor freight. They were the orange ones and worked great for the move. I didn't trust them for lifting the tank any higher than an inch or so, though.
Getting ready for the slide
Action shot
Success! And that was all the lifting required!
Final approach to the ramp
A tight squeeze!
Onto the kitchen level
Successfully negotiated the turn in the kitchen
Resting in its temporary home
psychofishy
New member
Awesome Teapot!!!
nice tank too
nice tank too
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
I need to check it out in person
Haffs09
Member
I put both lumenarcs and 400W bulbs in. The heat caused the starboard bottom to warp up on the left. These reflectors really spread out the light! I think I can have them up to 9" above the water line.
A little trouble in paradise...
With the lumenarcs on, I was able to find one small scratch interior to the tank. It was ~1/2" long and was barely visible unless I looked at the right angle. I exchanged a couple of emails with Derek, and he recommended I try some 0000 grade steel wool. I went at it for a bit and knocked it down some. Derek offered to send one of his guys down to hit it with cerium oxide, but I told him it should be fine. Miracles customer service is definitely second to none!
Now knowing the tank would still be dry 15 months later, I probably should have taken him up on his offer. Still, a quick wipe with my new F4 Mighty Magnet should take care of any algae that dares to grow there!
A little trouble in paradise...
With the lumenarcs on, I was able to find one small scratch interior to the tank. It was ~1/2" long and was barely visible unless I looked at the right angle. I exchanged a couple of emails with Derek, and he recommended I try some 0000 grade steel wool. I went at it for a bit and knocked it down some. Derek offered to send one of his guys down to hit it with cerium oxide, but I told him it should be fine. Miracles customer service is definitely second to none!
Now knowing the tank would still be dry 15 months later, I probably should have taken him up on his offer. Still, a quick wipe with my new F4 Mighty Magnet should take care of any algae that dares to grow there!
Haffs09
Member
So the tank pretty much sat in this location for the next 11 months! During that time I was tied up with home projects, work, and fishing. I did make some progress on the stand.
I was pretty happy with the way the stand came out. With this design, you definitely need skinning to make it more rigid.
I was pretty happy with the way the stand came out. With this design, you definitely need skinning to make it more rigid.
solRNY
New member
i definitely agree
your glass is is looking mighting fine! you planned things out so well that moving the ~700lb tank looks effortless!
Haffs09
Member
Summer of '09 progress
Summer of '09 progress
I teamed up with a cabinet maker from work and we started working on the finished skin. Unfortunately, I can't find any pics during this part of the project. This was the first time I worked with unfinished 5/4" lumber, and I was truly amazed by the entire process. We started in early May and didn't finish until the middle of July.
On the home front, it was great that the tank was on wheels. I was able to easily move it around the room when needed. I decided to run my plumbing and ductwork through my wood floors. The thought of going through the drywall was investigated, but in the end, I thought going the floor route was the best option.
I ended up cutting out two 4" x 14" rectangles to accommodate everything. One of the aspects that sold me on this route was the ability to drop floor vents in the cutouts if I ever had to move the tank. With the location in the room, this area would likely have a couch along the wall, so no one would ever see the vents. Plus, the floor vents look like they belong. I'm not sure how many future homeowners would pick up on the fact that the house has baseboard heat and question why there's vents in the room.
Before my jig saw had its way:
Care taken not to scratch the area around the cutout:
With the floor vent:
Both holes with vents:
Summer of '09 progress
I teamed up with a cabinet maker from work and we started working on the finished skin. Unfortunately, I can't find any pics during this part of the project. This was the first time I worked with unfinished 5/4" lumber, and I was truly amazed by the entire process. We started in early May and didn't finish until the middle of July.
On the home front, it was great that the tank was on wheels. I was able to easily move it around the room when needed. I decided to run my plumbing and ductwork through my wood floors. The thought of going through the drywall was investigated, but in the end, I thought going the floor route was the best option.
I ended up cutting out two 4" x 14" rectangles to accommodate everything. One of the aspects that sold me on this route was the ability to drop floor vents in the cutouts if I ever had to move the tank. With the location in the room, this area would likely have a couch along the wall, so no one would ever see the vents. Plus, the floor vents look like they belong. I'm not sure how many future homeowners would pick up on the fact that the house has baseboard heat and question why there's vents in the room.
Before my jig saw had its way:
Care taken not to scratch the area around the cutout:
With the floor vent:
Both holes with vents:
Haffs09
Member
In the basement
In the basement
One of the goals of the project was to make the area with the supporting equipment look as clean and organized as possible.
One of the first projects was to build the main rack that would hold most of the extra tanks and equipment. The sketchup model helped a lot, as I was able to pull the dimensions off the model. I also laminated all the horizontal surfaces, so cleanup should be nice and easy.
Checking level of the stand:
Being in the basement, I didn't want to use anything that could deteriorate from water to shim the stand. I was given some heavy duty, fiberglass reinforced 5/32" rubber matting. This stuff hardly compresses at all and I decided to go with it.
Shimming the basement stands took an entire weekend, and I learned how uneven a basement floor can be! Some areas were off 5/8" and others, less than an 1/8"
To try and maximize working space around the stand, I decided to pocket screw all the vertical supports. I bought the Kreg set, and it worked extremely well. I made the bottom platform wide enough to accommodate a 24" wide tank. Should I ever see the need to upgrade the 125gal sump that will be used, I have to room to do so. The small table on the left side can easily be removed, so a larger tank can be slid right in.
One of the drawbacks of this design is that there is limited front to back support. I filled up the 60 gal and 55 gal that will sit on the upper platform and did a "rock" test. I gently pushed the stand towards the block wall to see what kind of movement I had. Unsatisfied with the lack of rigidity, I anchored both sides of the upper platform to the block wall. I took my circular saw and notched out an 1/8" x 1" deep cutout on vertical supports. I then screwed in a piece of stainless angle which I secured to a bracket that I mounted to the block wall. It worked out extremely well! This stand will not budge now!
The left side:
The right side:
I used this technique for the stand above the 75 gal refugium. Right now, I store my salt up there, but ultimately, I may want to put a few smaller tanks up there for QT.
In the basement
One of the goals of the project was to make the area with the supporting equipment look as clean and organized as possible.
One of the first projects was to build the main rack that would hold most of the extra tanks and equipment. The sketchup model helped a lot, as I was able to pull the dimensions off the model. I also laminated all the horizontal surfaces, so cleanup should be nice and easy.
Checking level of the stand:
Being in the basement, I didn't want to use anything that could deteriorate from water to shim the stand. I was given some heavy duty, fiberglass reinforced 5/32" rubber matting. This stuff hardly compresses at all and I decided to go with it.
Shimming the basement stands took an entire weekend, and I learned how uneven a basement floor can be! Some areas were off 5/8" and others, less than an 1/8"
To try and maximize working space around the stand, I decided to pocket screw all the vertical supports. I bought the Kreg set, and it worked extremely well. I made the bottom platform wide enough to accommodate a 24" wide tank. Should I ever see the need to upgrade the 125gal sump that will be used, I have to room to do so. The small table on the left side can easily be removed, so a larger tank can be slid right in.
One of the drawbacks of this design is that there is limited front to back support. I filled up the 60 gal and 55 gal that will sit on the upper platform and did a "rock" test. I gently pushed the stand towards the block wall to see what kind of movement I had. Unsatisfied with the lack of rigidity, I anchored both sides of the upper platform to the block wall. I took my circular saw and notched out an 1/8" x 1" deep cutout on vertical supports. I then screwed in a piece of stainless angle which I secured to a bracket that I mounted to the block wall. It worked out extremely well! This stand will not budge now!
The left side:
The right side:
I used this technique for the stand above the 75 gal refugium. Right now, I store my salt up there, but ultimately, I may want to put a few smaller tanks up there for QT.
Haffs09
Member
Making sure the display tank stays on the first floor
Making sure the display tank stays on the first floor
In the sketchup model, it easy to see where I added extra 2x8 floor joists. I also wanted to make sure I minimized any deflection in the floor by reinforcing the middle of the span. I used a 6" x 51" aluminum I-beam to get the job done. There's a 4" ledge around the wall on that side of the basement. I placed a 10" section of the I-beam vertical on a plate and then shimmed it to the bottom of the longer I-beam. Since the ledge was sloped, I added cement under the plate to help with the support. I also anchored the long I-beam into the joists with stainless screws and washers. The floor post is secured to the I-beam with some heavy duty hardware and I anchored the bottom of it into the slab with a couple of screws. Overkill? Maybe, but I want this tank to stay in place for a long time and not cause the floor to sag.
Making sure the display tank stays on the first floor
In the sketchup model, it easy to see where I added extra 2x8 floor joists. I also wanted to make sure I minimized any deflection in the floor by reinforcing the middle of the span. I used a 6" x 51" aluminum I-beam to get the job done. There's a 4" ledge around the wall on that side of the basement. I placed a 10" section of the I-beam vertical on a plate and then shimmed it to the bottom of the longer I-beam. Since the ledge was sloped, I added cement under the plate to help with the support. I also anchored the long I-beam into the joists with stainless screws and washers. The floor post is secured to the I-beam with some heavy duty hardware and I anchored the bottom of it into the slab with a couple of screws. Overkill? Maybe, but I want this tank to stay in place for a long time and not cause the floor to sag.
Haffs09
Member
Drill baby, drill!
Drill baby, drill!
Prior to this project, I only drilled one tank. It was a 10gal, and it went very well. With the basement stand built, it was time to drill my support tanks.
First, the 55 gal gets drilled to accommodate a 2" bulkhead.
The first one was pretty ugly! In the bottom left quadrant, there's a pretty good sized clam shell. Oops...I guess I'll need to learn how to cut glass to patch it up!
For the 60 gal, I decided to drill from the inside out. My thought was if I get a clam shell it will likely be on the outside of the tank. As you can see from the pic, my positioning is awful!
The hole for the 60 gal came out nice!
I drilled the 125gal on end from the inside out. I screwed up one of the holes and got a small clam shell on the inside. To fix my mistakes, I raided the LFS for all their used/discounted glass tops. I looked up on youtube how to cut glass and went to town. I cut out pieces to repair the holes, drilled and siliconed them in place. I also cut pieces for the baffles in the 125gal. This was amazingly easy. The only thing that I didn't do, was round off the sharp edges of the cut side. When siliconed in place, I made sure they were in a down position, so no one could get cut. I'm still unsure how you would file/sand them down.
Here's a pic of the 55 gal, testing my repair job.
Drill baby, drill!
Prior to this project, I only drilled one tank. It was a 10gal, and it went very well. With the basement stand built, it was time to drill my support tanks.
First, the 55 gal gets drilled to accommodate a 2" bulkhead.
The first one was pretty ugly! In the bottom left quadrant, there's a pretty good sized clam shell. Oops...I guess I'll need to learn how to cut glass to patch it up!
For the 60 gal, I decided to drill from the inside out. My thought was if I get a clam shell it will likely be on the outside of the tank. As you can see from the pic, my positioning is awful!
The hole for the 60 gal came out nice!
I drilled the 125gal on end from the inside out. I screwed up one of the holes and got a small clam shell on the inside. To fix my mistakes, I raided the LFS for all their used/discounted glass tops. I looked up on youtube how to cut glass and went to town. I cut out pieces to repair the holes, drilled and siliconed them in place. I also cut pieces for the baffles in the 125gal. This was amazingly easy. The only thing that I didn't do, was round off the sharp edges of the cut side. When siliconed in place, I made sure they were in a down position, so no one could get cut. I'm still unsure how you would file/sand them down.
Here's a pic of the 55 gal, testing my repair job.
