New tank build!

arthurdent510

New member
So I'm working on setting up a 150 gallon tank... Started a couple weeks ago actually with building a stand for it, and managed to get the tank on it over the weekend. If everything goes well, I'm hoping to start getting some water in it tonight!

The stand is your basic 2x4 and 2x6 framing lumber, with a couple twists on it. My background is in the IT industry, and a common technique to cool server rooms is to use a hollow floor that you pump cold air into, then have holes in the floor in front of your server equipment. Since I'll be keeping all my electronics under the stand, I'm trying to replicate that. It still needs some tweaking, I have some air leaks somewhere and I think I may need an additional fan still, but it's coming along pretty well.

Some pictures of the stand construction...

Lag bolts holding the top and bottom together...
lagbolts.jpg


The top all together
standtop.jpg


I had cut the legs too short on the first version, so I had to make new legs for it. Was easy enough to replace, just had to go back and waterproof the new legs.
standnewlegs.jpg


And all painted!
paintedstand.jpg
 
So then my fan setup... A 90mm case fan from a computer is just a hare taller then the 2x4, but it was close enough that it didn't stick above the plywood base. I put together an aluminum plate to bridge the gap that I cut in the base, and since it isn't really load bearing where I cut the gap, it should be ok. I also separated the bottom piece of plywood into 2 sections so I can get under that area and do any maintenance without having to move the sump.

faninstalled2.jpg


To help seal the bottom of that section of the tank, I found a 9' long weather strip meant to seal garage doors. I tacked that along the inside of that half of the tank to keep the pressure in and hopefully direct it where I need it to go...

faninstalled.jpg


And a picture of it in the house balanced out. And holy crap, is my floor not level... my old 40 gallon was in the same spot, and I had to shim it just as much. Yay for building houses with almost no foundation!
standbalanced.jpg


The fan is on the backside of the stand in this picture, the other thing I added in is that flap looking thing on the left had side... eventually that will be where all my electronics will be bolted on to. The thought behind that is that I will be able to take the skin off that side and lower the control panel for easier access later on in life.

And the vent holes in the floor for air to blow up in front of the control panel... I think I'll need to drill them bigger, I'm not getting much airflow through them yet. I have a couple leaks elsewhere though that aren't helping things any...
ventholes.jpg
 
Good to see you got the build thread going. Mark has some catching up to do!

Yea, I've been taking a bunch of pictures as I'm going, been too busy getting everything built in time for moving the tank over the weekend so I haven't been able to start posting anything :spin2: things are finally settling down now though, most everything is planned out, just waiting on picking up a few other things then I'll start filling it soon!
 
I really like that Australian sheepdogfish. I here they are really struggling on the great barrier reef.

I did the same thing when I cut the first legs on my stand. Thought I measured perfectly but they were off by around 1/4 inch. Back to the chop saw.
 
I know, it cleaned up really well! And easy too! A bowl of warm vinegar, a scraper blade, and a blue scrubby pad and it all came off by Sunday evening.
 
And I finished filling it up this morning! Started mixing salt, should finish that up tonight and start getting the rest of everything in... Sump is still empty, but I figure as I add sand and rock it will fill up pretty quick, I'm sure...

full.jpg
 
Congrats on the build so far, everything is looking good! I really like your cooling idea for inside the stand. However, are you at all concerned about watering seeping down there? I know I always have water everywhere when I do water changes:)
 
Yea, about as exciting as watching paint dry, I know... I'm more looking forward the playing with the electronics side of things... I have some goodies lined up :)

An 8 module relay board (can switch both ac and dc power)
relayboard.jpg


And a rack mounted power switch. Each switch has it's own power switch, and I'll be running most of them through the relay board to be controlled with my netduino.
powerstripopen.jpg


Fans and heaters will be triggered automatically. Also looking to spin up my own ato... looking at either using an ultrasonic range finder to measure water level or I want to play with a nifty little thing called an e-tape that will measure water depth. It's supposedly finicky to work with though, but we'll see how it works...
 
Congrats on the build so far, everything is looking good! I really like your cooling idea for inside the stand. However, are you at all concerned about watering seeping down there? I know I always have water everywhere when I do water changes:)

I've thought about that... we'll have to see how that goes. I do have a hood, so that should help keep water from splashing back there. The fan doesn't draw much power, so I'll probably put a small inline fuse on it... so if something shorts out it'll blow the fuse in a hurry.
 
If you ever want help, feel free to call. I can show you how to electrocute yourself while placing your entire house in danger of an electrical fire.
 
Nah. Just the usual stuff where I have one hand in my tank while holding onto a hot MH fixture. My wife used to watch me work on the tank. Basically, I'd either electrocute myself, burn myself, get stung by something, fall off a ladder, or spill a bunch of water. Always ended with me cursing and her laughing (rightfully so). Basically, she had dinner and a show at least twice a week.
 
Nah. Just the usual stuff where I have one hand in my tank while holding onto a hot MH fixture. My wife used to watch me work on the tank. Basically, I'd either electrocute myself, burn myself, get stung by something, fall off a ladder, or spill a bunch of water. Always ended with me cursing and her laughing (rightfully so). Basically, she had dinner and a show at least twice a week.

Sounds like you could charge admission and pay for your hobby!


Looking good Dave!
 
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