Justinandkrista
New member
Yea the stuff i seen at HD is 1/4" but is realy flimsy almost like weak plexi glass. Is there any tool stores that seel the good stuff.
Quiksilver's Ultimate 29g Tank Thread
- Thread starter quiksilver
- Start date
- Status
quiksilver
New member
I would order it online because I don't know of anywhere that sells the glue and applicators etc. as well locally. http://www.nationalplastics.com/ has everything.
quiksilver
New member
The next step was plumbing. I had preordered all my plumbing parts from Savko. I saved a ton of money, got the shipment in good time, and it was one stop shopping.
I ordered the usual elbows, and 45s etc. I decided to go with spa flex instead of rigid tubing pvc as it would be more forgiving around the bends through my stand. Also I got the T and gate valve for the prop tank return line. Also included in this order were two lock lines, one for the prop tank and one for the display tank. The whole order for plumbing was around $62 shipped.
I then bought black Krylon paint to paint all the plumbing. Let me just tell you something about Krylon, IT WON'T WORK ON SPA FLEX.... It never drys. It works great on all PVC parts, but on the spa flex it just stays wet forever and very sticky.
I let everything dry/cure for about 24 hours after paint/glue. All the spa flex in those pictures that I painted were still wet and it was apparent they weren't ever going to dry. So since it was glued already I had to rip out all the spa flex from the joints, and go to Lowe's and get more spa flex tubing that then couldn't be painted black.
I ordered the usual elbows, and 45s etc. I decided to go with spa flex instead of rigid tubing pvc as it would be more forgiving around the bends through my stand. Also I got the T and gate valve for the prop tank return line. Also included in this order were two lock lines, one for the prop tank and one for the display tank. The whole order for plumbing was around $62 shipped.
I then bought black Krylon paint to paint all the plumbing. Let me just tell you something about Krylon, IT WON'T WORK ON SPA FLEX.... It never drys. It works great on all PVC parts, but on the spa flex it just stays wet forever and very sticky.
I let everything dry/cure for about 24 hours after paint/glue. All the spa flex in those pictures that I painted were still wet and it was apparent they weren't ever going to dry. So since it was glued already I had to rip out all the spa flex from the joints, and go to Lowe's and get more spa flex tubing that then couldn't be painted black.
quiksilver
New member
Here's another picture of spa flex not allowing Krylon to dry 
After the spa flex/Krylon fiasco, we decided that we had enough of the plumbing done to just glue the remaining 4 pieces together when we got everything back to my apartment.
In the mean time Marc cleaned out the display tank and I attached the elbows and lock line to the return bulkhead in the tank.
After the bulkhead, I used two elbows to bring the return above the display's running water level and drilled two anti-siphon holes in on the underside of the top elbow. Note: It's important to have 2 holes at least so when one inevitably is covered by a turbo snail and the pump goes off, the siphon will still be broken. When the main return pump is shut off (power outage), these holes will keep the main display's return line from siphoning the water out of the tank into the sump. Note: This picture was taken prior to the Krylon being spraying on the elbows.
Hinges were then connected from the stand frame, to the door (Hinges were from Home Depot and are brushed aluminum).
I cut a piece of acrylic and used 6 stainless steel screws to attach it to the back of the door as a window.
After the spa flex/Krylon fiasco, we decided that we had enough of the plumbing done to just glue the remaining 4 pieces together when we got everything back to my apartment.
In the mean time Marc cleaned out the display tank and I attached the elbows and lock line to the return bulkhead in the tank.
After the bulkhead, I used two elbows to bring the return above the display's running water level and drilled two anti-siphon holes in on the underside of the top elbow. Note: It's important to have 2 holes at least so when one inevitably is covered by a turbo snail and the pump goes off, the siphon will still be broken. When the main return pump is shut off (power outage), these holes will keep the main display's return line from siphoning the water out of the tank into the sump. Note: This picture was taken prior to the Krylon being spraying on the elbows.
Hinges were then connected from the stand frame, to the door (Hinges were from Home Depot and are brushed aluminum).
I cut a piece of acrylic and used 6 stainless steel screws to attach it to the back of the door as a window.
quiksilver
New member
I drilled and mounted vertically a brushed aluminum drawer handle from Home Depot on the outside of the door. Now it was all starting to come together.
At this point, as you can see in the picture if you look closely, I had to go back and touch up a few spots on the door with more black paint.
The infinity prop tank/window combination could not have worked out better and you could really start to see the potential for it being lit and water flowing over the front lip.
The finished stand really came together nicely. I love the way the black finished on the grain of the birch plywood. My canopy was at home already and all I could do is hope that after over a year or two of use, it looked good enough to match the stand (same exact paint was used on both).
At this point, as you can see in the picture if you look closely, I had to go back and touch up a few spots on the door with more black paint.
The infinity prop tank/window combination could not have worked out better and you could really start to see the potential for it being lit and water flowing over the front lip.
The finished stand really came together nicely. I love the way the black finished on the grain of the birch plywood. My canopy was at home already and all I could do is hope that after over a year or two of use, it looked good enough to match the stand (same exact paint was used on both).
quiksilver
New member
I'm about 90% sure it was Krylon Fusion for Plastic. Marc can confirm. How long did it take to dry? We touched it after 24 hours after spraying and it was sticky like it was just painted.
quiksilver
New member
HEHE! Background is coming
Keep in mind this build was in June of 2007. It's been finished and running for a while 
If you look close in the previous picture you can even see the Velcro we added for the backdrop on the tank.Thanks for the props.
quiksilver
New member
Well, with things moving along, let's talk about the piece I said I would get back to... With the same 1/4" thick wood as used for the rear of the stand, we made a light shade for the prop tank light. A 65 watt PC bulb in your face through the stand's window wouldn't be fun at all. For this reason we cut about a 4" tall strip that went the length of the stand. An inch piece of birch plywood was glued to the shade for a mount.
Here you can see what would become the inside/back of the shade painted with Kilz to reflect the light.
The outside/front was painted black to match the stand and you can see how the strip of birch for the mount won't be visible from the window.
The PC prop light reflector was then mounted to the inside top part of the stand. And the shade was mounted just in front of it.
Here you can see the shade in place covering the view of direct line of sight to the bulb. Also note the plumbing coming off the T for the prop tank return. It has to go all the way across to the other side of the stand in order to fit the gate valve to control the flow to the prop tank. This a fantastic shot of the acrylic mount I made to hold up the PVC coming across the prop tank off the T in the main tanks return line. Note: Also a great shot of Marc's sexy leg.... See how much more manly and hairy mine is next to his? Told you he was jealous.
Here you can see what would become the inside/back of the shade painted with Kilz to reflect the light.
The outside/front was painted black to match the stand and you can see how the strip of birch for the mount won't be visible from the window.
The PC prop light reflector was then mounted to the inside top part of the stand. And the shade was mounted just in front of it.
Here you can see the shade in place covering the view of direct line of sight to the bulb. Also note the plumbing coming off the T for the prop tank return. It has to go all the way across to the other side of the stand in order to fit the gate valve to control the flow to the prop tank. This a fantastic shot of the acrylic mount I made to hold up the PVC coming across the prop tank off the T in the main tanks return line. Note: Also a great shot of Marc's sexy leg.... See how much more manly and hairy mine is next to his? Told you he was jealous.
quiksilver
New member
Next I mounted 2 Antec 80mm fans in the inside of the stand with stainless steel screws. They are 3 speed computer fans that I picked up from a local electronics store for about 5 bucks a piece or so. I got the ones with no L.E.D.s but if you are into that sort of thing, more power to ya (I figured a 65w PC and refuge bulb would drown out he LEDs anyways). I actually bought 4 when I went, 2 for backup and I'm glad I did because I just had to replace them last week (humidity build up issues in the stand).
I put one in front of the shade and one behind to cool the bulb.
Both are set to pull air into the stand and both are set to high in the summer and medium/low in the winter.
I put one in front of the shade and one behind to cool the bulb.
Both are set to pull air into the stand and both are set to high in the summer and medium/low in the winter.
quiksilver
New member
Let's get to the fun part already, GEEZ..
Well, everything you saw so far was done in less than 48 hours (like I said we did everything kind of all at once). We were all the way in Fort Worth and my apartment and current setup was all the way in Dallas.
On day 3 we packed up all the stuff into Marc's car and trailer and went to Dallas. We unpacked it all and brought it up to the 4th floor :eek1:
I had made only about half as much water as we needed so I immediately started the RO/DI (bought years earlier from Melev) and mixing salt (Kent's at the time).
We then headed all the way to North Dallas where I had just began moving from. We had to strip down my old 29g setup there and move everything to downtown to the new apartment, livestock and all. I'm going to do a whole thread on moving a tank soon, I consider myself a pro now. I've moved my 29g system 6 times with no losses to date caused by a move (not to forget the 14 days of fun with Melev moving a 280g starfire years earlier).
This took hours and I can't tell you how much having the trailer helped. I've done most of these moves with no Marc and no trailer and it can take upwards of 12 hours to move just a 29g without all the right equipment. Move pictures will be with the moving a tank thread to come.
Once we got back to my new apartment and unpacked/had some pizza we were exhausted. 2.5 days with no breaks.
We had cleaned out my old sand bed with freshwater to just start it over with a seed cup saved from the old tank (it was time). If you want to know how to clean your own sandbed, here's a how-to Marc wrote during the 14 day project of his tank when we cleaned his sandbed.
The refugium sand was pretty much the same story with a seed from the old tank's refuge. The skimmer fit nicely and at some point during first two days of the build, we had made the skimmer stand that you see it's resting on to get the water height right for the Euroreef RS-80.
The plumbing was a bit tricky. Here you can see me putting on the lock line for the prop tanks return inlet. The mag7 would power both the prop and display tank's return.
Well, everything you saw so far was done in less than 48 hours (like I said we did everything kind of all at once). We were all the way in Fort Worth and my apartment and current setup was all the way in Dallas.
On day 3 we packed up all the stuff into Marc's car and trailer and went to Dallas. We unpacked it all and brought it up to the 4th floor :eek1:
I had made only about half as much water as we needed so I immediately started the RO/DI (bought years earlier from Melev) and mixing salt (Kent's at the time).
We then headed all the way to North Dallas where I had just began moving from. We had to strip down my old 29g setup there and move everything to downtown to the new apartment, livestock and all. I'm going to do a whole thread on moving a tank soon, I consider myself a pro now. I've moved my 29g system 6 times with no losses to date caused by a move (not to forget the 14 days of fun with Melev moving a 280g starfire years earlier).
This took hours and I can't tell you how much having the trailer helped. I've done most of these moves with no Marc and no trailer and it can take upwards of 12 hours to move just a 29g without all the right equipment. Move pictures will be with the moving a tank thread to come.
Once we got back to my new apartment and unpacked/had some pizza we were exhausted. 2.5 days with no breaks.
We had cleaned out my old sand bed with freshwater to just start it over with a seed cup saved from the old tank (it was time). If you want to know how to clean your own sandbed, here's a how-to Marc wrote during the 14 day project of his tank when we cleaned his sandbed.
The refugium sand was pretty much the same story with a seed from the old tank's refuge. The skimmer fit nicely and at some point during first two days of the build, we had made the skimmer stand that you see it's resting on to get the water height right for the Euroreef RS-80.
The plumbing was a bit tricky. Here you can see me putting on the lock line for the prop tanks return inlet. The mag7 would power both the prop and display tank's return.
Last edited:
quiksilver
New member
Once the plumping was in and ready to go, I started wiring up all the lights. I made acrylic mount for my refugium light that Marc had showed me years earlier (I'll get some closeups in a few days). Also in this picture you can see the 24" 50/50 65w PC behind the shade is going to light the infinity prop tank nicely.
Here you can see the sump pretty much done. The only hardware missing in this picture is the spa flex drain line that is about to be added to the prop tank so it can drain into the refugium without splashes.
Time to test the salinity of the water I had made before pumping it in. Here you can see me checking the salinity with a refractometer I have owned for years. I bought this from Premium Aquatics for less than $50 and it is very accurate. I run my tanks at about 1.025 specific gravity. Also I had to match the live stock's water temperature that were currently sitting on the floor next to me in a Rubbermaid.
Now it was time to pump in some water. You can see a large cup I placed in the sand here. This is to place the end of the tube in that we are pumping water from. This helps cut down on sand dispersed throughout the water and not being able to settle (although as you will see some floating around for the first day or so, is inevitable). Sometimes we even cover the sand in a trash bag when filling a tank with water, which will reduce the amount of sand agitated even more. In this picture you can also see they canopy open, but on top of the tank.
My old system running had only held about 40 gallons of water tops. Moving a tank means inevitably losing some water, so as you can imagine I had to almost double it with water that I was mixing. It would dilute the old water and therefore was like a giant water change for the livestock. The new system running holds over 60 gallons.
Here you can see the sump pretty much done. The only hardware missing in this picture is the spa flex drain line that is about to be added to the prop tank so it can drain into the refugium without splashes.
Time to test the salinity of the water I had made before pumping it in. Here you can see me checking the salinity with a refractometer I have owned for years. I bought this from Premium Aquatics for less than $50 and it is very accurate. I run my tanks at about 1.025 specific gravity. Also I had to match the live stock's water temperature that were currently sitting on the floor next to me in a Rubbermaid.
Now it was time to pump in some water. You can see a large cup I placed in the sand here. This is to place the end of the tube in that we are pumping water from. This helps cut down on sand dispersed throughout the water and not being able to settle (although as you will see some floating around for the first day or so, is inevitable). Sometimes we even cover the sand in a trash bag when filling a tank with water, which will reduce the amount of sand agitated even more. In this picture you can also see they canopy open, but on top of the tank.
My old system running had only held about 40 gallons of water tops. Moving a tank means inevitably losing some water, so as you can imagine I had to almost double it with water that I was mixing. It would dilute the old water and therefore was like a giant water change for the livestock. The new system running holds over 60 gallons.
quiksilver
New member
After the rest of the water was added, livestock and live rock were placed in the tank. The refuge from my old tank was put into place in the new sump and we finally got to start seeing the fruits of our labor.
The window to the infinity prop tank worked very well I think. Here you can see I didn't have the flow high enough to have water flowing over the entire front edge of the tank. A quick twist of the gate valve and it was perfection.
The 10K Reflux 250w MH would add great light and color to the display tank. You can see the overflow working away. The water would remain murky for a couple days while everything broke in and the sand settled.
The entire thing came together nicely. The Vortec was added to the display and I almost have to keep it on low. This is the finished product right after setup in June 2007.
The window to the infinity prop tank worked very well I think. Here you can see I didn't have the flow high enough to have water flowing over the entire front edge of the tank. A quick twist of the gate valve and it was perfection.
The 10K Reflux 250w MH would add great light and color to the display tank. You can see the overflow working away. The water would remain murky for a couple days while everything broke in and the sand settled.
The entire thing came together nicely. The Vortec was added to the display and I almost have to keep it on low. This is the finished product right after setup in June 2007.
- Status
Similar threads
