My 4x3x2 190g build thread

[jcolletteiii]

Sort of... in a very virtual way for the time being. We just moved to SoCal recently from the east coast, and will be looking for a house in the next 6 months or so. So this build is in the early planning stages right now. I have alot of questions (never having had a large reef - I do nanos), and this thread will give me the opportunity to ask questions and implement changes before I ever actually buy or build anything through Sketchup.

The tank will be custom built. I reallym really like the two island look, but I think to properly implement it, the footprint of the tank need to be substantial. I played with the idea of doing a built in, but, because I'm working on my Ph.D., and am unsure where I will eventually find a teaching gig, I want to make the entire setup portable, so tank+stand. So I've settled on a tank with the following dimensions: 4'L x 3'W x 2'H, which works out to 190 gallons. The front pane will be starfire, and the edges will be polished. I initially thought one overflow on the center of the back wall, but I'm thinking dual corners now. This will not be rimless, but it will be as contemporary as I can make it.

The stand will be scratch-built of ply and 2x4's in a clean, contemporary style. The overall finish will be gloss dark charcoal gray I think - probably a base coat with a lacquer or poly topcoat. The doors will get a different treatment and some slick hardware. All input is appreciated, whether on design issues or hardware selection.

So here's what the tank will look like. These are all quick renders -I don't have the patience to wait for external rendering.

I've got a quote for the tank for $1,000 with starfire front and polished edges:eek2:

 

[jcolletteiii]

Stand.

Stand.

So here's the stand I envision. I don't want the finish height of the entire tank/stand unit to be too high because I want to be able to get through doors, so I'm limiting the stand height to 36" tall. Here's a progression showing how the carcass will be built up. There will be a cabinet grade birch ply outer shell, with a 2x4 inner structure.

The inner structure will then get another skin of cabinet grade birch ply, which makes the construction reminiscent of wall framing, and will be incredibly strong - and pretty damn heavy as well. Bracing will be added connecting the front and back, then the top is covered with ply as well. All edges will be banded, the minute space between the banding and the ply will be filled, and everything sanded flush.

The entire exterior of the cabinet will be painted a dark charcoal gray, with either a lacquer or urathane high-gloss finish, sanded between coats, and mirror smooth. The doors will be contrasting. They will be zebrawood veneer (I love the figure of this wood) on all sides, with the edges just barely eased. The finish on the doors will be natural, and I am thinking that they will be finished in mat urathane to contrast even further with the cabinet body.

The doors will not swing. I'm going to use cabinet drawer glides allowing the doors to slide outward. There will be no handles. The interior of the cabinet will be painted either black or white, and there is no floor in the cabinet to allow maximum working space. I think this will achieve what I'm after - a thoroughly modern look that will match what I have in mind for the aquascape!

 

[buzzy]

looks good, those doors are definetly catching on

 

[RobsReefs]

I love mine!!!!

 

[RobsReefs]

Ive had 2 islands but i some how ended up with one and sweet caves with sps all over the island. best tank size i ever seen. you will love it.

 

[Last Version]

nice.. tagging along.

 

[Haffs09]

Looks sharp!

Here's a couple of my thoughts...

Will you be able to remove the center brace of your stand? It might help with access down the road.

Also, if you ever need to reach in the back of your stand (ie: tighten a bulkhead, adjust equipment, etc...) it will be tough to do so from the front. 3' is a long way to reach with a sump and other equipment in the way. You may want to consider an access panel/door in the back too. Good luck!

 

[jcolletteiii]

Looks sharp!

Here's a couple of my thoughts...

Will you be able to remove the center brace of your stand? It might help with access down the road.

Also, if you ever need to reach in the back of your stand (ie: tighten a bulkhead, adjust equipment, etc...) it will be tough to do so from the front. 3' is a long way to reach with a sump and other equipment in the way. You may want to consider an access panel/door in the back too. Good luck!

The tank will be pretty damn heavy - I don't know if I'd feel comfortable without a center brace. I could definitely do a semi-open back - I'll have to play around with that a bit and see what I can come up with.

 

[Haffs09]

If you didn't feel comfortable with a 2x4 you could always jump to a 2x6 spanning your corners. Check out this thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1567110. It might help with some ideas.

 

[jcolletteiii]

Ive had 2 islands but i some how ended up with one and sweet caves with sps all over the island. best tank size i ever seen. you will love it.

Rob, I've just been looking at your stand, and I'm curious - are your top rails 2x4's or 2x6's - they look like 2x4's from the pics. Do you have any deflection of the front rails downward with no center upright?

 

[Sardaukar]

Wide euro bracing + narrow corner overflows = disaster imo. Unless the scale is off in those drawings, you are going to have a lot of trouble accessing anything in the overflows. Any fish or snail that manages to make its way in there is going to be a permanent resident. You should switch your overflows to some other pattern like center or coast to coast, or make them larger.

 

[jcolletteiii]

Updated stand

Updated stand

So after doing some poking around, and thinking about the suggestions, specifically on access, I've decided to do away with the front center brace, and to open up the back a bit. All of the top dimensional lumber pieces are now 2x6's, which should more than adequately carry the load across the front span. the sides and back are still double ply skinned, with 2x4 risers and sills. The back is not completely open, but there is 100% more access than there was before.

 

[jcolletteiii]

Wide euro bracing + narrow corner overflows = disaster imo. Unless the scale is off in those drawings, you are going to have a lot of trouble accessing anything in the overflows. Any fish or snail that manages to make its way in there is going to be a permanent resident. You should switch your overflows to some other pattern like center or coast to coast, or make them larger.

Thanks. No, they are not to scale, just some quickies that I threw together for the renders. They are currently 23"h x 7 3/4"w x 4 1/4"d. What do you recommend for sizing? Is the sizing adequate if they are moved inward?

 

[jcolletteiii]

Plumbing for dummies (me)

Plumbing for dummies (me)

Ok, so here's where the real questions start. I've run nano reefs and FOWLRs, but never a reef requiring complex plumbing, and never a skimmer. I want a good, efficient, easy to set up and maintain skimmer that won't break the bank. After doing quite a bit of reading, I think that I've settled on ATI's Bubble Master 200. It's an in-sump that comes with a pump, has a high efficiency rating, and is good for tanks up to 250 gal. Plug and play, baby!

Now, plumbing - :worried: So, the current plan is for two overflows. I've done the render below with 1 1/4" pipe. I've read that the throughput to the sump should be 10x the tank volume per hour, in my case ~2000gph. I've also read that it's good to have 2 pumps in case one bites it. So to the questions-

1) If I'm using 2 pumps, do I want each one rated for 1000gph?

2) I will not be lighting this tank with halides. Can I use internal pumps without worrying about heat? Recommendations?

3) Is 1 1/4" pipe (x2) adequate to drain 2000gph? What size return likes do I want - will the 1 1/4" work for that application as well?

 

[RobsReefs]

Rob, I've just been looking at your stand, and I'm curious - are your top rails 2x4's or 2x6's - they look like 2x4's from the pics. Do you have any deflection of the front rails downward with no center upright?

No not in any of the 2x4's at all. i am very happy with my stand. id go without the center brace for shure. you can sister a 2nd frount 2x4 just behind the frount one if you like.

 

[RobsReefs]

in the works

 

[RobsReefs]

water tight for 3 1/2''

 

[jcolletteiii]

Plumbing pt. 2

Plumbing pt. 2

So, I've been looking for reviews on pumps, and I think I've decided on Oceanrunner. Will go with 2 return pumps (Oceanrunner 3500's), each rated at 900gph. I've read quite a few good things about these pumps, including low electrical usage, and goo reliablity. Will go with two for redundancy. Please critique at my plumbing model and let me know if there are any glaring (or other) omissions. The tee coming off the right side return will get a threaded barb for a hose so I can pump water out when doing w/c's.

Pvc pipe and fittings are not to scale, as I don't yet know what size to use. Now, to figure out what ATO to use - suggestions?

 

[jcolletteiii]

No not in any of the 2x4's at all. i am very happy with my stand. id go without the center brace for shure. you can sister a 2nd frount 2x4 just behind the frount one if you like.

Thanks. I'm sure most of the load is carried at the corners, but I don't want to take any chances. I like the way you've got a waterproof 'tub' in the base - I may incorporate something similar.

 

[DolphinLVR]

Tagging along! this is going to look awesome!