My first Reef tank Build officially started!

Bgcoop8784

Bgcoop8784

New member
Here it goes. Kept seeing all these builds one here and apparently it's contagious, and I caught it. Only problem is that I have no experience with glass or with wood work, other than replacing the boards on porches here and there, so yall will probably get to see many mistakes along the way. My plans are to have my 60 gallon cube and an All glass 120 gallon built in the same wall, running off of one sump. I have an old 90 gallon for the sump, so all together I should have around 220-230 gal in the system. The tank and 1 1/2" bulkheads came in Friday and I was able to get started on it last night. I went ahead and did the scariest part first...drilling some huge holes in my brand new tank. Oh, where I'm putting the tanks is a 30' x 30' room, so I'll be building the peninsula shaped wall just for this system. The 120 will be viewed from the front and back with the 60 gallon on the end so that it can be viewed from 3 sides. I know a thread is useless without pics, so here ya go...

The worst part was starting the first hole...sat here for about 5 mins just looking at the drill..
Tankdrill1.jpg


Second hole started.
Tankdrill3.jpg


Third and final hole.
Tankdrill4.jpg


and finally three nice little plugs.
Tankdrill5.jpg



about to go unload some wood and tools out of the truck to start on the base of the stand.. 9' x 24 1/2" x 42" tall just in case any one was wondering what the footprint was going to be.
 
This evenings progress..

The stack of wood..
Tankstand1.jpg


My wife learning how to use the saw, and the stand top on the table.
TankStand2.jpg


and her again screwing in the extra supports where the 120g and 60g edges will be sitting.
Tankstand3.jpg


Pictures of the completed frame.
Tankstand4.jpg

Tankstand5.jpg


and the 60 cube that will be on the end of the stand.
60gallon.jpg


I've got a long way to go, going to try to get some leveling feet fab'd up tomorrow and get the plywood mounted on the top and bottom of the stand.
 
A question for those who have leveling feet/shims on longer tank stands. Do you have any warping or bowing between the shims or leveling feet? I made 10 leveling feet today, so I think they will be spaced close enough to prevent any warping, but figured I'd ask before finding out the hard way.
 
Yeah, she loves those rain boots for some reason. Just found out I'm going to be a dad, so this is probably going to turn into a "budget" build..( i don't really think there's such a thing). I ordered my glass for the overflow and the sump today, so hopefully it will be in tomorrow. I'm going to get the leveling feet installed in a few minutes...pics to come later.
 
Didn't get much done today. Made the leveling feet out of 1/4" plate and 3/8" carriage bolts, way more than strong enough to support the system. I drilled pockets under plates just deep enough to allow the full thread length of the thread to recess into the tank stand. I used ten, really only needed 6 of them, but the extra 4 cant hurt just to relieve pressure between the supports to be safe. I want to give props to all the guys/gals who build wood stands. I could have literally built all this with steel in less than two hours, but a wood stand just seemed right for some reason. Plus it's a nice learning experience. Here's some pics.

Pic of all the feet installed.
DSC01077.jpg


and another one to show the amount of adjustment, right around 2" with 1/2" still threaded in the nut. I added the jam nuts on there just so I can lock them all down after adjustments are made. The stand is about 1/2" taller than I wanted, but it's worth it to have the jam nuts for added safety.
DSC01078.jpg
 
Glad to know I'm not the only one with a gun hobby also, I think Black Rifle disease is worse than the reef stuff. I got my glass in today, so hopefully tonight I can go ahead and get the overflow box finished up and try to get a top and bottom on the aquarium stand.
 
alright, the stand frame is finished. Plywood is on where the two tanks will be sitting and on the bottom where the 90 gallon sump is going. I just started on the overflow box for the bean animal overflow. Hopefully I'll get it finished up tonight. If nothing comes up, I'm hoping to have the canopy and supports all framed in and sump finished before the end of the weekend. I'd like to have everything ready to add water by the end of next weekend, but to be realistic, it'll probably be another two weeks...that's my unrealistic goal though.

here's the stand again.
stand7.jpg


and a couple pics of the first piece of glass for the bean overflow box.
bean1.jpg

bean2.jpg
 
I couldn't' get the "Subscribe to this thread" pull down fast enough. Very intense and thorough. Look forward to the progress and more pics of the wife involved! :)
 
There will be more pics daily, and I'm sure the wife will be in more of them, lol. Trying to decide what supplies i need to pick up tomorrow. I wish I would have ordered my silicone online ahead of time because lowe's doesn't have the best of selections. I got some GE silicone 1, but used this instead. I hate the small tubes(hard as heck to apply compared to a caulk gun), but atleast I know it's aquarium safe and probably better than the GE stuff anyway.
loctite.jpg
 
Make sure you have plenty of ventilation. I would go through about 1/4 tube of that silicone at a time and it would stink up my garage big tiime. Made it difficult to stick my head in the sump for the next set of baffles unless I used a fan overnight.

Leaving a nail stuck down the tube when not in use helps to keep if from hardening over night but from your work above, you look like you already know that. Good luck.
 
Thanks, I just screwed one of the wood screws down in the tube..might work, might not, either way I got a couple extra tubes. My wife was watching tv in the shop and asked me what i was using vinegar on,this stuff deff. has a nice strong smell to it.
 
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