Mike's 140 Cubish Build

[brittlestar08]

very nice stand mike... some great steel work and welding. is that the final color of the steel? or is it just a seal coat to prevent rust? thanks again for posting.


again it ould be wise to get some lolly columns under that tank. just my .02

 

[miwoodar]

It's the final color - I thought about black, then gray, then red...but they were out of red...so I chose orange instead. . I kind of have a history of choosing colors like this for hidden or semi-hidden components on my projects. IE) When I built my son's toy box, I painted the inside fire engine red. I built a sub for my house and did a nice walnut/maple veneer on the outer shell but painted the bottom and the legs the same color of red.

I would do the columns in a heart beat if I were under budget and had room for them beneath the tank. If I end up adding them later, I'll make sure to post a picture and give you big props on the advice. You are totally right, they really would be nice for piece of mind.

The tank has been living in the garage for the last few days. It's holding water and the stand is level and strong! I went and gave the tank a good shove a number of times over the first two days and nothing popped. Hopefully my luck will be as good inside the house...

I plan on setting it up inside the house next weekend.

 

[brittlestar08]

hey mike,

just a thoght... why do all of this great work, spend hard earned money, on the tank and your house, for the chance that one day you find it in pieces below? Go to home depot. they sell 25 kip lolly columns (25,000 point load) and pick up some brackets to secure them. You'll be surprised just how cheap they are.


Being that you have tji's you will also need to buils a 2x4 box so acouple of 8ft doug fir will do the trick. It will take you the better part of 2 hours to complete.

You can get alot crazier than this like getting a steel plate to be bolted to your concrete floor so it does not crack but this "should" sufice.

just remember structural damage is not reversable. and being that your floor joists run the entire length of the home any damage to them and you will need to have you entire first floor re-done. Hmnn I wonder whats cheaper?

Hey its upto you bud. if you decide to do it without the support just do this exersize. measure (acuratly from the bottom of the beam to the floor. I would bet that you will be looking at about 1/16" to 1/8" deflection at the least right under the tank and 1/4" to 1/2" in the middle of your space. and thats a whole lot. if that should happen trying to put a column after the fact will mean hydraulic lifts. either way just be aware of what youare doing.

Let us know.

 

[spleify]

Mike, I saw lolly beams at HD yesterday for $32.

 

[jpndave]

I will try and get that software up and running today and check your specs. My old software is out of date and won't load and my last attempt at getting the new version, my rep was out.

 

[miwoodar]

Thanks Dave. I've drained the tank and hope to move it out of the garage and into the house by the end of the weekend. Woo-hoo! I'm stoked!

 

[Reeftanks6]

Looking very nice.

 

[LooseHip]

Its been too long!!!!!!!!!!!! we need some updates!

 

[miwoodar]

You caught me with my pants down --- this whole thing has been delayed by a crazy work schedule and a string of visitors in town. . The last visitors for a while leave in a few days . Work hasn't shown signs of letting up yet though. Ugh.

 

[LooseHip]

All right, I guess we can let it slide this time just wanted to make sure you weren't holding out on us!

 

[LooseHip]

DP

 

[miwoodar]

TTT - After a long hiatus due to life and work, it's time to resurrect this thread. I have lots of good news. My wife is preggo with our second kid and is due in November (our current kid is doing great but doesn't know what is about to hit him). The tank...well...I've finished the basic framework for the stand and canopy. The plumbing is complete (have a funny story to add in later) and I've started swapping water between the two tanks. This project is full steam ahead once again! Woo-hoo!

I've taken a lot of pics along the way but seem to have misplaced the cable to hook it to my computer. Photos and more information are soon to follow though.

 

[LooseHip]

can't wait to see some new pics!

 

[miwoodar]

For a while I was thinking I should have named this thread "DIY Aquarium from Start to Finish". (I'm sure some of you followed that thread, right?)

...a few progress pics...

This project had collected a little dust in the garage. I wish I had taken a picture of the tank and stand before I cleaned away the mess that had gravitated to it. It had become quite a fine place to pile stuff. I cut the floor for the stand and the bottom side of the tank first:

Next I went out and sold my kidney so I could buy the wood. Wow, nice wood is expensive. After *much* deliberation, we decided on alder. My wife is really a big fan of really dark furniture (I guess I am too, :lol: ) and alder will fit the bill nicely.

OK, the face frames. I cut and assembled all of the face frames then pulled them all apart again so they could be glued up for the final assembly. Here are a few pics:

Glue up is complete:

Taking a break with the kiddo. Mmmm...broccoli. Like father, like son I guess.

 

[miwoodar]

And now a cheer from the boy for having a full belly, the stand in the house, and a successful test fit of the face frames:

A little detail. I really liked the pocket jig I got from Home Depot. This thing is awesome! I look forward to using it again soon.

Now back to the garage for a little painting. I applied three coats of gloss white enamel paint to the inside of the stand and canopy faces then added a couple of coats to the floor of the stand. Note, the hole in the bottom of the stand will be fitted with an adjustable grill vent (the AC/heat comes up right under the tank).

Hmmm...don't paint in the garage at night with the lights on and the doors open. I had bugs all over the place on the floor of the stand. It's wierd though that I didn't see any stuck anywhere else. Huh? they were easy to wipe off though after the paint dried.

 

[miwoodar]

Now for a little plumbing.

Here's the stuff. 20 trips to Home Depot after that, I was done.

Plumbing is in place.

I'm using a drain system per Beanimal's thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1310585&perpage=25&pagenumber=1). This thing took nearly 2,000 gph without making a sound using 1" lines.

And a little story of what *not* to do when you fire up the pump the first time. Always, always, always, do one final check before plugging in the pump. It was absolutely amazing to see an ~1,800 gph Iwaki 100 shoot full force out of the 1/4" outlet that I installed for my calcium reactor. If the tank and stand hadn't been in the way, I bet it would have shot a good 20 feet in the air. It took only two seconds to completely soak the entire bottom side of the stand, the entire floor around the tank, myself, and the wall outlet (that reminds me, it's time to install the GFCI I bought!).


The tank now sits in the living room. I've added about two inches of sand and ~80 gallons of water and have completed changing about 10 gallons between the two tanks. I want to start swapping livestock as soon as possible. I'm loosing tips on a daily basis in my 65 due to corals fighting.

Next steps, install the GFCI (duh!), continue the water swapping, install the trim to the face boards, and order the doors.

 

[spleify]

It is really looking awesome Mike, I must say it looks even better in person.
Did you fing that gate valve local or did you order it on line?

Thanks

Keep th eupdates coming.

Spleify

 

[miwoodar]

I found the gate valve at A&A Trading post on Broadway a little south of Belleview. $10! They only stock one of each size at a time though. If you called them a week in advance I'm sure they would bring in a larger quantity. That place is the little mom-and-pop shop that always has the stuff you can't find at the big box stores. Whenever HD doesn't have what I want, that's where they send me and I'm rarely disappointed when I go.

 

[spleify]

Thanks Mike, the build is going very good. If you need any help let me know.

 

[melev]

Love seeing these updates. Your woodwork looks great, and I agree those pocket screws look so professional.