Reefing on a Budget: 75g Tank Build
- Thread starter Travis L. Stevens
- Start date
Wildstar1063
New member
Travis,
I have one of those 60 lb Instant ocean buckets full to the top of southdown and
some crushed coral. The sand was used in another tank I had. It is not live, as it
has been sitting in the garage for over a year, but it can be made live in a short
time by getting a cup of sand from the tanks of several donors.
Let me know if you are interested, it's free but you have to come pick it up
(I live in south west OKC off of sw 59th and May) I get home after 6pm most
week days, and am off on Sat and Sun.
Chuck England
I have one of those 60 lb Instant ocean buckets full to the top of southdown and
some crushed coral. The sand was used in another tank I had. It is not live, as it
has been sitting in the garage for over a year, but it can be made live in a short
time by getting a cup of sand from the tanks of several donors.
Let me know if you are interested, it's free but you have to come pick it up
(I live in south west OKC off of sw 59th and May) I get home after 6pm most
week days, and am off on Sat and Sun.
Chuck England
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Thanks for the offer, but I just got 200lbs of the Pulverized Limestone last night. If anything, I think the COMAS tank might need it more. I'll give this thread an update some time next week.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Alright! Back from my weekend of fun! Unfortunately, I can't find my USB Cord to my camera. So, no pictures until later. 
Here is what we did.
Saturday: Work 8 hours in 100+ºF on my stand. We took off the old doors, knocked out a couple braces and panels, and I started sanding the stand and canopy while Nick (nIx_tank) did the heavy work of cutting the wood and using the powertools because I lacked the carpentry skills. I have to admit, I learned a LOT that day. From there, I kept trucking along with the sander while Nick cut the trim and molding for one of the doors and added the trim for the other. Nick had to leave, but I kept sanding until almost 9:30pm. Sanding the deep, dark stain off of the stand took almost 3.5 hours with 150 grit sandpaper as well as four sheets.
Sunday: The next day, Nick arrived early at the workshop, added molding to the canopy and other door, mounted the doors on the hinges, and put wood putty in all the gaps. Then, I showed and helped him deliver it back to my apartments. From there, I sanded by hand the wood putty on the finished door. By the time I was done with that, the wood putty on the other door and canopy had dried. So, I sanded away. Even the family got in on the fun. After that, I applied one layer of Golden Pecan Stain. In the end, it turned out beautiful.......but we forgot to add the braces
No problem, just some hammer, nails, and wood and we can have the braces on the back in no time.
Here is the list of what we spent at Lowe's. Granted, I didn't have to do this to accomplish the goal of a cheap tank, but I consider the gift cards prizes as extra fun for the tank. Needless to say, I'm not going to count it against my total. Also, if people were skilled enough, they could have saved a lot of money and routed their own trim.
48"x24"x.75" Birch - $10.88
Disposable Shop Rags - $1.92
Finishing Nails - $2.23
(2) 3" Foam Brushes - $1.48
Disposable Paint Tray - $0.98
400 Grit Sandpaper - $3.97
150 Grit Sandpaper - $1.77
Stain (Golden Pecan) - $6.54
(2) 8ft Pine Corner Trim - $9.12
12ft Pine Molding - $7.44
(2) 8ft Pine Molding - $9.92
----------------------
Total - $56.25 without tax
While I was at Lowe's I also bought plumbing and a few odds and ends. Needless to say, I only have $0.32 left on my $100 gift card But it was well worth it!!! I'll see if I can get pictures posted later today.
Here is what we did.Saturday: Work 8 hours in 100+ºF on my stand. We took off the old doors, knocked out a couple braces and panels, and I started sanding the stand and canopy while Nick (nIx_tank) did the heavy work of cutting the wood and using the powertools because I lacked the carpentry skills. I have to admit, I learned a LOT that day. From there, I kept trucking along with the sander while Nick cut the trim and molding for one of the doors and added the trim for the other. Nick had to leave, but I kept sanding until almost 9:30pm. Sanding the deep, dark stain off of the stand took almost 3.5 hours with 150 grit sandpaper as well as four sheets.
Sunday: The next day, Nick arrived early at the workshop, added molding to the canopy and other door, mounted the doors on the hinges, and put wood putty in all the gaps. Then, I showed and helped him deliver it back to my apartments. From there, I sanded by hand the wood putty on the finished door. By the time I was done with that, the wood putty on the other door and canopy had dried. So, I sanded away. Even the family got in on the fun. After that, I applied one layer of Golden Pecan Stain. In the end, it turned out beautiful.......but we forgot to add the braces
No problem, just some hammer, nails, and wood and we can have the braces on the back in no time.Here is the list of what we spent at Lowe's. Granted, I didn't have to do this to accomplish the goal of a cheap tank, but I consider the gift cards prizes as extra fun for the tank. Needless to say, I'm not going to count it against my total. Also, if people were skilled enough, they could have saved a lot of money and routed their own trim.
48"x24"x.75" Birch - $10.88
Disposable Shop Rags - $1.92
Finishing Nails - $2.23
(2) 3" Foam Brushes - $1.48
Disposable Paint Tray - $0.98
400 Grit Sandpaper - $3.97
150 Grit Sandpaper - $1.77
Stain (Golden Pecan) - $6.54
(2) 8ft Pine Corner Trim - $9.12
12ft Pine Molding - $7.44
(2) 8ft Pine Molding - $9.92
----------------------
Total - $56.25 without tax
While I was at Lowe's I also bought plumbing and a few odds and ends. Needless to say, I only have $0.32 left on my $100 gift card
But it was well worth it!!! I'll see if I can get pictures posted later today.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Ah yes, and there was a nice breeze, too. Funny though, I was sweating more sanding the putty and staining it then I was lifting the stand and canopy and using power tools on it.
The stain turned out even better than I thought. I got a wonderful two-tone color that I was looking for without being too drastic. The Pine trim and molding went perfect with the Birch doors for that two tone color. If you are close to Stillwater or want to swing by for a quick look-see, feel free.
The stain turned out even better than I thought. I got a wonderful two-tone color that I was looking for without being too drastic. The Pine trim and molding went perfect with the Birch doors for that two tone color. If you are close to Stillwater or want to swing by for a quick look-see, feel free.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
I'll see if I can find one this afternoon. If not, you'll have to wait until at least Wednesday (I have tomorrow off).
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Well, this past weekend, I knocked out the crappy bubble trap in the Oceanic Model II sump, put the back brace back in the stand (thanks nIx_tank), and put a polyurethane sealant over the stand an canopy. I got a little anxious and put 100lbs of the Pulverized Limestone in the tank, and even one of my DIY rocks so I have something to look at. I'm either ready to put a lizard in there or start a Zen Garden :lmao:
Don't worry, I've taken pictures of everything thus far. I think I might spring for a mini-USB cord tonight somewhere. If I can't find one, it could be a good two weeks before I can get pictures posted. My co-worker with the cord will be gone that long
Don't worry, I've taken pictures of everything thus far. I think I might spring for a mini-USB cord tonight somewhere. If I can't find one, it could be a good two weeks before I can get pictures posted. My co-worker with the cord will be gone that long
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Finally!!! I have pictures!! I know there are quite a few people that have been looking forward to this. Get ready for MANY pictures. Dial-up Beware!
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Before
Here is what the tank looked like when it was all put together before we did the wood work.
In this picture, you can see why we needed to replace the doors for something bigger. We lost a little structural strength, but I can now fit a large sump/refugium under it and still have a 12"widex18"deepx?"tall space to put test kits, plugs, etc
Here is what the tank looked like when it was all put together before we did the wood work.
In this picture, you can see why we needed to replace the doors for something bigger. We lost a little structural strength, but I can now fit a large sump/refugium under it and still have a 12"widex18"deepx?"tall space to put test kits, plugs, etc
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Wood Work
Sorry, no pictures here. I didn't have the time or desire to step back and take pictures. This is when we actually were working hard. It took 3.5 hours to sand the deep, dark stain off the outside side, front, and top of the stand. I gave up on doing the inside and the back. Plus no one is going to see it
Sanding
Now is the fun part of sanding all the wood putty and little details. It took a few hours to get it all done, but it was well worth it.
Here I am sanding the trim on the door.
It was fun for the whole family. I can only imagine that Taylor was just pointing, laughing, and calling me a fool in his mind for working in ~105ºF heat just to sand the trim.
Here is the stand and canopy after sanding
Here it is from the front
Here is the door in action
Here is the stand completely open. Look at all that room!
Here is the stand from the back. As you can see, we forgot to put the brace back on the back, but that will be done later.
Sorry, no pictures here. I didn't have the time or desire to step back and take pictures. This is when we actually were working hard. It took 3.5 hours to sand the deep, dark stain off the outside side, front, and top of the stand. I gave up on doing the inside and the back. Plus no one is going to see it
Sanding
Now is the fun part of sanding all the wood putty and little details. It took a few hours to get it all done, but it was well worth it.
Here I am sanding the trim on the door.
It was fun for the whole family. I can only imagine that Taylor was just pointing, laughing, and calling me a fool in his mind for working in ~105ºF heat just to sand the trim.
Here is the stand and canopy after sanding
Here it is from the front
Here is the door in action
Here is the stand completely open. Look at all that room!
Here is the stand from the back. As you can see, we forgot to put the brace back on the back, but that will be done later.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Staining
Well, I didn't get any pictures of the process of staining. I was working against time after all. But here are pictures of it set up after staining.
The total package stained and looking pretty
All stained and working one of the doors
Here is the stand with both doors open and the sump underneath so you can see how much room I now have
Here is the whole thing completely open.
Well, I didn't get any pictures of the process of staining. I was working against time after all. But here are pictures of it set up after staining.
The total package stained and looking pretty
All stained and working one of the doors
Here is the stand with both doors open and the sump underneath so you can see how much room I now have
Here is the whole thing completely open.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Sealing
Once again, I didn't take pictures of the process but here is the pictures of the finished product.
Here it is just after finishing the last layer of sealant. Boy, it's pretty in the sun.
Here it is all set up and finished
Here it is with one of the doors open
Here it is with the whole stand open. You can see that we added the brace back in the back of the stand
I got anxious. Now that I know that I won't be moving the tank any more, I decided to go ahead and put some of the Pulverized Limestone in. Here is the Pulverized Limestone that YoungSilver brought me back from Dallas. 200lbs in 4 bags
After I added the sand, I found out the hard way that it is DUSTY!! I just tossed the sand in there. When I fill the tank, I'm going to just place a trashbag over the sand, fill it, then let the trashbag float up on it's own. I'll let the downdraft skimmer skim out anything that gets kicked up. Here is the tank with 100lbs of the Pulverized Limestone in it.
Here is a close up of what the tank looks like with the sand in it.
And of course, a tank isn't complete without a little rock. So, here is one of my DIY Rocks.
Once again, I didn't take pictures of the process but here is the pictures of the finished product.
Here it is just after finishing the last layer of sealant. Boy, it's pretty in the sun.
Here it is all set up and finished
Here it is with one of the doors open
Here it is with the whole stand open. You can see that we added the brace back in the back of the stand
I got anxious. Now that I know that I won't be moving the tank any more, I decided to go ahead and put some of the Pulverized Limestone in. Here is the Pulverized Limestone that YoungSilver brought me back from Dallas. 200lbs in 4 bags
After I added the sand, I found out the hard way that it is DUSTY!! I just tossed the sand in there. When I fill the tank, I'm going to just place a trashbag over the sand, fill it, then let the trashbag float up on it's own. I'll let the downdraft skimmer skim out anything that gets kicked up. Here is the tank with 100lbs of the Pulverized Limestone in it.
Here is a close up of what the tank looks like with the sand in it.
And of course, a tank isn't complete without a little rock.
So, here is one of my DIY Rocks.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
Refugium
I started work on my refugium through the weekend. All I got was before pictures. I have resealed the cracked end and have taken out the premade bubble trap in this Oceanic Model II sump. I originally got this from Reuben (Thumper1) from OMAS. It had one cracked end and it came pre-drilled. I put a patch over the cracked end and had it running on my 29g for many months. A little water started to get past the seal, so I put more silicon around the edges. The bubble trap has been taken out, and I'm going to put a patch over the hole in the side. Then, I'll place in baffles and a downdraft skimmer as needed. Lastly, plumb it all together. Then, I can start running the tank.
Here is the Oceanic Model II Sump
Here is the cracked in. I ran a length of silicon over the cracks and around the inside edge of the patch and then placed the patch over it. After that, I put a bunch of silicon over all of that. It's not going to leak on my watch
Here is the troublesome end. Taking out the bubble trap and clogging the hole. It might be easier to just put a bulkhead on it and cap it off, but that would take up precious room in and out of the sump.
I started work on my refugium through the weekend. All I got was before pictures. I have resealed the cracked end and have taken out the premade bubble trap in this Oceanic Model II sump. I originally got this from Reuben (Thumper1) from OMAS. It had one cracked end and it came pre-drilled. I put a patch over the cracked end and had it running on my 29g for many months. A little water started to get past the seal, so I put more silicon around the edges. The bubble trap has been taken out, and I'm going to put a patch over the hole in the side. Then, I'll place in baffles and a downdraft skimmer as needed. Lastly, plumb it all together. Then, I can start running the tank.
Here is the Oceanic Model II Sump
Here is the cracked in. I ran a length of silicon over the cracks and around the inside edge of the patch and then placed the patch over it. After that, I put a bunch of silicon over all of that. It's not going to leak on my watch
Here is the troublesome end. Taking out the bubble trap and clogging the hole. It might be easier to just put a bulkhead on it and cap it off, but that would take up precious room in and out of the sump.
captbunzo
Premium Member
WOAH BABY! I am very excited for you on this, Travis. Looks like this project is REALLY coming along!
And you are right, it does look amazing in the sun - actually better then inside. However, I think that is because the camera is balancing color better in natural outdoor light then inside. I look forward to seeing this in person.
Very nice woodworking!
And don't you just LOVE 200 pounds of sand for $20 or so, eh?
Fantastic!!!
So, when are you going to fill it?
And you are right, it does look amazing in the sun - actually better then inside. However, I think that is because the camera is balancing color better in natural outdoor light then inside. I look forward to seeing this in person.
Very nice woodworking!
And don't you just LOVE 200 pounds of sand for $20 or so, eh?
Fantastic!!!So, when are you going to fill it?
Travis L. Stevens
New member
The woodworking is the product of nIx_tank truthfully. I just did the hard work of sanding it all. Ironically is later covered up by stain and sealant.
Yes, I love the sand already. I can't wait to see it in action. I'll post some test results in the thread that you linked to at a later date.
I hope to have it filled ASAP. But, I still have to make the sump/refugium/downdraft skimmer, obtain some T5 Endcaps, wire all the lighting together, finish making all the rock, put all the rock in it, and then I will have it filled. I'm very excited. The tank looks great so far and is coming along quicker than I ever expected.
Yes, I love the sand already. I can't wait to see it in action. I'll post some test results in the thread that you linked to at a later date.
I hope to have it filled ASAP. But, I still have to make the sump/refugium/downdraft skimmer, obtain some T5 Endcaps, wire all the lighting together, finish making all the rock, put all the rock in it, and then I will have it filled. I'm very excited. The tank looks great so far and is coming along quicker than I ever expected.
