Mike's 140 Cubish Build
- Thread starter miwoodar
- Start date
glassbox-design
New member
Hi Mike,
It is looking really good :thumbsup:
I would strongly suggest not doing a foam or concrete background. JMO. If you really would like to do something like that, get some ceramic rock and glue it directly to the glass or purchase the pre-made tiles.
It is looking really good :thumbsup:
I would strongly suggest not doing a foam or concrete background. JMO. If you really would like to do something like that, get some ceramic rock and glue it directly to the glass or purchase the pre-made tiles.
miwoodar
Likey the bikey
Thanks E&F - your tanks always have such a simple clean design. Maybe the word would be crisp? My favorite tanks are usually the ones that appear to have tons of open room and somewhat scant rock work. Crazy4Acros and XTM's tanks come to mind. Leonardos' too but that one doesn't have the open sand that looks so neat in the other two. Every once in a while I come across a foam/concrete tank that just looks like complete nature in a box though. I'm so cramped in my 65 right now that having an open tank is extremely appealing. I think you're right, I'll cancel the background.
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LooseHip
Foaming Conehead
I am no wood working expert by any means, but I would avoid using any 2 in 1 stain such as polyshade. I found it extremely hard to work with and was dissappointed with the outcome.. It is not bad. Here is a pic, kind of looks "artsy" but then again perhaps it looks like crap....
Everything looks great nice work!
Everything looks great nice work!
miwoodar
Likey the bikey
That looks pretty good actually. I agree though, I've heard not to use the 2 in 1 stuff. So far I've received personal recommendations to go these routes...
* Oil based stain then sprayed laquer out of a can
* Oil based stain then sprayed laquer out of a gravity sprayer (this one came from a pro)
* Tinting then water based stain then laquer
* Paying someone else to do it ($350 is the cheapest quote I've received so far for the stain + top coat, $150 for the top coat alone).
Thanks Kar!
* Oil based stain then sprayed laquer out of a can
* Oil based stain then sprayed laquer out of a gravity sprayer (this one came from a pro)
* Tinting then water based stain then laquer
* Paying someone else to do it ($350 is the cheapest quote I've received so far for the stain + top coat, $150 for the top coat alone).
Thanks Kar!
miwoodar
Likey the bikey
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13139382#post13139382 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LooseHip
I am no wood working expert by any means, but I would avoid using any 2 in 1 stain such as polyshade. I found it extremely hard to work with and was dissappointed with the outcome.. It is not bad. Here is a pic, kind of looks "artsy" but then again perhaps it looks like crap....
Everything looks great nice work!
Hey Derrick - do you have a build thread for that tank? Did the overflow turn out like you wanted?
LooseHip
Foaming Conehead
no build thread, I lost all my photos due to a corrupt memory card before I could upload them.... It was really my first DIY project, I built the stand and canopy for the tank.
As for the overflow it works well. I went the toothless route with 1/4" glass. If I were to do it all over again, I would go external or put an overflow in each corner, as having a overflow in the middle of the tank takes up too much realestate!
As for the overflow it works well. I went the toothless route with 1/4" glass. If I were to do it all over again, I would go external or put an overflow in each corner, as having a overflow in the middle of the tank takes up too much realestate!
miwoodar
Likey the bikey
Bummer to hear that you lost your photos Derrick. The tank looks good though. I would be interested in seeing some closer shots of the livestock if you have any.
The STN seems to be going away. I can already see some of the bare tips getting encrusted again. I've been dumping a *lot* of good coral munchies in the tank. Related? I really don't know.
As it turns out, one of my work cohorts is an accomplished wood worker. I passed him a scrap of wood yesterday and he brought it back today with 8 different staining options. It looks like a thin mahogany dye covered by a java gel stain made by General Finishes will get the nod. A few coats of canned laquer will be used for the top layer. This finish will look pretty good against the other furniture in our house. Tomorrow - I'm going to Rockler. I think I'll bring cash this time and leave my credit card at home...
The STN seems to be going away. I can already see some of the bare tips getting encrusted again. I've been dumping a *lot* of good coral munchies in the tank. Related? I really don't know.
As it turns out, one of my work cohorts is an accomplished wood worker. I passed him a scrap of wood yesterday and he brought it back today with 8 different staining options. It looks like a thin mahogany dye covered by a java gel stain made by General Finishes will get the nod. A few coats of canned laquer will be used for the top layer. This finish will look pretty good against the other furniture in our house. Tomorrow - I'm going to Rockler. I think I'll bring cash this time and leave my credit card at home...
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miwoodar
Likey the bikey
:lol: Pics are coming soon. :lol:
I transferred everything into the new tank this weekend after swapping ~100 gallons between the two. The transfer went surprisingly well. Only a few tips got broken. The fish are fine. Everything looks to be in good health. Aquascaping is this weekend. Right now everything is just laid out on the sand. It's not much to look at right now.
I was astounded how large some of my corals have grown. Many of them went in as little nubs a few years ago and haven't been pulled since. If I had the wherewithall I would have measured or taken a few pics. Maybe when I aquascape...
I've decided to make another PVC/foam structure. The last tank had one and I was very pleased with the results. The PVC has been cut and assembled but needs to be glued and foamed.
XTM's (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13058439#post13058439) and Crazy4Acro's (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11540863#post11540863) tanks are still capturing my fancy. My tank probably won't be as open but I'm looking for something that has a lot of open space and bare sand.
Woodwork...sand, attach crown, putty (hopefully not!), stain, top coat. The to do list is shrinking
. the doors will arrive sometime between Friday the 22nd and Friday the 29th.
Other...ATO, shelves, clean up the wires, general tidying up.
Last weekend I started building a stand for a buddy. The structural part is 95% complete. The facade and canopy will follow shortly thereafter. Thanks to RocketEngineer for providing some great stand guidance. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1169964
Pics of all will be posted.
I transferred everything into the new tank this weekend after swapping ~100 gallons between the two. The transfer went surprisingly well. Only a few tips got broken. The fish are fine. Everything looks to be in good health. Aquascaping is this weekend. Right now everything is just laid out on the sand. It's not much to look at right now.
I was astounded how large some of my corals have grown. Many of them went in as little nubs a few years ago and haven't been pulled since. If I had the wherewithall I would have measured or taken a few pics. Maybe when I aquascape...
I've decided to make another PVC/foam structure. The last tank had one and I was very pleased with the results. The PVC has been cut and assembled but needs to be glued and foamed.
XTM's (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13058439#post13058439) and Crazy4Acro's (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11540863#post11540863) tanks are still capturing my fancy. My tank probably won't be as open but I'm looking for something that has a lot of open space and bare sand.
Woodwork...sand, attach crown, putty (hopefully not!), stain, top coat. The to do list is shrinking
. the doors will arrive sometime between Friday the 22nd and Friday the 29th. Other...ATO, shelves, clean up the wires, general tidying up.
Last weekend I started building a stand for a buddy. The structural part is 95% complete. The facade and canopy will follow shortly thereafter. Thanks to RocketEngineer for providing some great stand guidance. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1169964
Pics of all will be posted.
miwoodar
Likey the bikey
Iwaki WMD40RLT (~700gph) through an eductor (~2400gph?) for the return pump.
I picked up a Vortech (woah, these things are awesome!) and will probably set it up on reef crest mode at full bore (~500 to ~3000 gph).
I'm also going to continue using at least one of my swirler steins with an MJ mod. I picked up some Dumas 3004 props which should be good for ~2000 gph. The swirler steins are going to get a face lift as well. They've been running nonstop for about 30 months now. I'm going to install a new motor and mount the down shaft on a bearing this time (it's currently using a PVC bushing against the project box).
These old pics have probably been posted 10 times elsewhere...they are the best swirler stein images I have though. New pics will be shared after it is rebuilt.
I picked up a Vortech (woah, these things are awesome!) and will probably set it up on reef crest mode at full bore (~500 to ~3000 gph).
I'm also going to continue using at least one of my swirler steins with an MJ mod. I picked up some Dumas 3004 props which should be good for ~2000 gph. The swirler steins are going to get a face lift as well. They've been running nonstop for about 30 months now. I'm going to install a new motor and mount the down shaft on a bearing this time (it's currently using a PVC bushing against the project box).
These old pics have probably been posted 10 times elsewhere...they are the best swirler stein images I have though. New pics will be shared after it is rebuilt.
miwoodar
Likey the bikey
Hey Mister Mike, guess what just left my place...
The top sheet is cut and ready to go - we put the stand on top of it so it can't blow away. The top bracing is in the back of the truck. The wood supply ran out with only two to go though. I'll cut them this week so you'll have them before the sump arrives.
The top sheet is cut and ready to go - we put the stand on top of it so it can't blow away. The top bracing is in the back of the truck. The wood supply ran out with only two to go though. I'll cut them this week so you'll have them before the sump arrives.
miwoodar
Likey the bikey
I thought the doors were going to be another week or so. They were on my front porch when I arrived home from work today though. Woo-hoo!
They came in crates. I guess I expected boxes. Crates are good.
Ingo approves...
Can you tell I was excited?
Six doors for the top, six doors for the bottom...
The goods...the doors look good. There are a few things I might have paid a little more attention to but these things were cheaper than me making them myself so I'm not going to complain. I'm the only person who would ever notice anyways.
The bads...I requested to have them all pre-drilled for the hinges but only two doors were drilled. Looks like I'll be making a trip to the Home Depot to look for a jig for mounting eurohinges (I'm sure such a thing exists, right?). Also, I only received six sets of hinges. The guy I ordered from was clear that I would be using the drawer fronts as doors. Maybe the mix up happened in the back of the shop? I'm going to call them tomorrow and go through what I was charged for versus what I received. Lastly, the crates split and puked out screws somewhere along the way. It's only a few bucks to buy more screws so I'm not going to get nitpicky about them. I'm just glad it wasn't raining or something.
They came in crates. I guess I expected boxes. Crates are good.
Ingo approves...
Can you tell I was excited?
Six doors for the top, six doors for the bottom...
The goods...the doors look good. There are a few things I might have paid a little more attention to but these things were cheaper than me making them myself so I'm not going to complain. I'm the only person who would ever notice anyways.
The bads...I requested to have them all pre-drilled for the hinges but only two doors were drilled. Looks like I'll be making a trip to the Home Depot to look for a jig for mounting eurohinges (I'm sure such a thing exists, right?). Also, I only received six sets of hinges. The guy I ordered from was clear that I would be using the drawer fronts as doors. Maybe the mix up happened in the back of the shop? I'm going to call them tomorrow and go through what I was charged for versus what I received. Lastly, the crates split and puked out screws somewhere along the way. It's only a few bucks to buy more screws so I'm not going to get nitpicky about them. I'm just glad it wasn't raining or something.
