It has begun

R

rnhrtfan

New member
Well enough talkin about it. It was time to start. So this weekend I began the stand for my upcoming 75. This will be a lengthy process over the next few months and will update you as process occurs but here are teh first few pics. Feel free to comment as you like. Also, I am converting a 29 into a sump/fuge does anyone have any ideas for dividers? 1/4" glass panels are going to run about $50 locally any other ideas?

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You think the stand will hold? :) Seriously, looks like a nice stable platform. I look foward to the progress of this build. Hey, lets have a drag race. LOL

BTW, I'm shocked at the prices your seeing for the glass dividers. I hope someone chimes in with some better solutions.
 
Foselone:
I think I am going to have a stain mixed at a local trim shop that will match my wood trim and doors in my house. At least that is the plan now.
Carb:
Stand should hold fine the way I figure it ;) As for the glass I called two places today both in charleston and one required 3 sq. ft. minum so the pieces would be $28 ea and the other wanted $10.50/ea for three of them and $12 for the other. let me know what you find.
 
how about using the glass out of an old tank and having it cut.

If you think this will work pm me I have several old tanks that have a missing glass because it got broke. Anyway you can have them if you want them for the glass.
 
Did you call lowes.. there was also a place I had some small strips of glass cut in Dunbar... didnt seem to costly... I had much thinner pieces cut for the divider in my sump though & basically was completely unhappy with the result. I would never want to have glass as dividers.... Go with acrylic. You dont have to worry about it breaking if you drop a rock in your sump. Phil & I believe Fishmon will tell you that they have made sumps out of acrylic on glass & it holds just fine.
 
Lowes does cut glass however they don't polish the edge so it remains sharp....which is not a real problem but you have to be more careful....the acrylic thing I have considered but not sure how to get it to hold all of the DIY threads say silicone won't bond to acrylic.?
 
There is an old couple who use to run Apex glass in South Charleston. I never bought glass but he drilled tanks extremely reasonable.

In addition, I have always used lexan for the dividers. It also is not cheap, you can get 4x4 sheets at Home Depot/Lowes and cut it yourself. The drawback is that the silicone does not adhere to it as well as it does glass but it does allow for you to remove it and recut if you make a wall too high or it is a little too wide. If you are building some type of frag out area the lexan also allows you to but teeth in the top easily, like an overflow box. I have had it in my 75g sump for a couple of years now without issue, in my 55g sump before that.

Just another option.

Good luck with it.
 
I used Acrylic and attached it with silicone. Just had to put a little extra in there to keep them in place but heck of a lot cheaper.
 
My baffles are 1/4" acrylic. Not sure about Phil but Jim uses acrylic too.
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11360017#post11360017 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rnhrtfan
the acrylic thing I have considered but not sure how to get it to hold all of the DIY threads say silicone won't bond to acrylic.?
Click to expand...
A professional acrylic tank maker explained it like this. You're not bonding the acrylic to the glass. You're holding the acrylic in place with silicone that does bond to glass. Basically running a bead of silicone down each side of the baffle "traps" it in place.
We had to take the baffles out this spring to re-seal the sump. After being in use about a year and a half it took most of an evening to cut them out.
 
Ok so I have two questions today. Looking at Lowes today they have 3/4" and 3/8" cabinet grade birch and ok. Not sure yet which species I am going to use but the first question is which thickness? the 3/8" oak was warping and turning up ALOT not so much on the birch. this bothers me as I am afraid one that it won't cut right and two it could pull away from the 2x frame. the veneer won't be structural so 3/8 or 3/4 either one will work. what do you think?
Second question is a theoretical one. as for the baffles, many of us use gel type super glue or a hybrid there of to attach corals in our tanks. this glue will also bond to glass, acrylic and plexiglass as well. so why would it not work for the baffles?
 
1st question, not sure but the thicker stuff would probably hold up better. If you treat it with some Spareurethane or paint it.
2nd question, superglue will not work IMO. I have lexan panes in my sump, have had no issue for two years. It is all in technique. They will hold to glass with silicone, just not as well as glass will hold to glass. However, sump baffles are not holding much pressure in most cases and should do just fine. I also think you would be better off using acrylic in your sump, it is much less likely to break.
 
the inside of the stand is going to be sealed with some kilz primer to first seal it from the moisture but to also brighten up the area. the outside will be stained.
what technique would you suggest for siliconing the baffles whether they be lexan or acrylic?
 
I used 3/4 in Birch on my canopy a couple of years ago. Now I am going to use it again on my stand. I used Valspar primer and paint. High Gloss interior / exterior Paint, I will use it again on this stand.
 
I am considering the 3/4" and leaning that way however I want a nice piece of trim around the stand to hide the black tank trim and my concern is with the 3/4 the wood trim may get tto fat and look bulky around the tank. I will try to draw it in section for you to look at and understand what I am talking about.
 
Here are the sections that show what I am looking at and the reason I would prefer the smaller 3/8" sheet. if someone can help me with a way to narrow the top line of the stand and not expose the inner layers of the plywood I would greatly appreciate it.[IMG]
[url]http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg39/rnhrtfan/STAND1_0001.jpg[/url][/IMG]
 
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