rostato's Custom 135G Cube Build Thread

[rostato]

OK, got the tank off the stand today. I will work on flushing the stand tomorrow.

 

[epic.exposures]

I could do that. I just want it to be as perfect as can be for my piece of mind. I'm extremely anal about most things, and just knowing it's wedged in place would drive me nuts. I look at things like that as last resort. I have the time to get it tight, so I might as well take my time.

I can identify with that. If it were me, I would go to the big orange store and get some trim and nail it around the top and the bottom, that would cover the wedge, but I am also a sucker for modern furnishings. So tank stands with pizaz. The wierd thing is that tanks like yours ALWAYS end up being so much better than the ones at the LFS. I wish I had a custom stand

 

[rostato]

So, today I tired to trim the wood with my circular saw today, and it just wasn't working for me. I think the combination of my inexperience, not perfectly straight wood, and an uneven floor to work on really screwed me over.

I bought a planer, a square, and some new wood today, and replaced a few pieces. After my early morning interview tomorrow, I hope to get the whole frame back up, and then assess what needs to happen. I think I will bring it into the house, and see what it does on a level floor. If it still sucks, I'll start from scratch again.

 

[mapleredta]

Once again, I'm in awe. The quality of your tanks/builds never fail to amaze me. I've really got the itch to start another tank up again. Let me know if you need anything buddy.

 

[Luckedout]

So, today I tired to trim the wood with my circular saw today, and it just wasn't working for me. I think the combination of my inexperience, not perfectly straight wood, and an uneven floor to work on really screwed me over.

I bought a planer, a square, and some new wood today, and replaced a few pieces. After my early morning interview tomorrow, I hope to get the whole frame back up, and then assess what needs to happen. I think I will bring it into the house, and see what it does on a level floor. If it still sucks, I'll start from scratch again.

Sounds like you'll have more peace of mind going forward if you take the time now. It sucks right now but when you think about the potential life of this tank on this stand, it's worth taking a few extra weeks to make it right.

Be sure to check that your floors in your house are level as well. I'm in an older house and so I had to be careful with my tank.

 

[rostato]

Thanks mapleredta! I'll be sure to let you know if I need help. My little cube can be yours on the cheap! Come on...starphire, beveled edges... lol

Yes, I am being very careful with the stand because I really don't want 130G of water spilling on our real wood floors. The floor in the house is perfectly level.

I got the stand all back together today. I was thinking about my design, and all the problems I was having with the wood, so this is what I came up with.

I could not for the life of me find anymore straight 2x4's, so I went with 2x6's on top. I'll attach the top in the house, and with the 3/4" bottom, and top, it'll be only a couple inches shorter than I want.

It took a TON of work, and careful clamping of the boards to get everything straight, but I am pretty sure all is well now. I just need to go pick up some ply, and repaint it.

It was my lucky day today too. I went to a sign shop to get some black vinyl for the back glass, and they just gave me what I needed, and then some. Apparently it was scrape from a project they finished yesterday, and felt bad charging me. That is one of the few time someone has ever just given me something

I also started to play with my light tree, and I think this is what I'll do (with two obviously) I'll use some 1x2's to make a mini box to mount the AI's to. I think when it's all said and done, it'll look good.

 

[rostato]

Ok, got a lot done so far today. I finished the new screen top.

Put the rest of the primer/sealer on the stand frame. I'm gonna go get some ply today or tomorrow.

 

[rostato]

And I put the vinyl on the back of the tanks glass.

Before

half done, you can see where I messed up with the razor. No biggie, it's barely noticable from the front of the tank, and this was my first time ever applying vinyl, so I was bound to make a mistake.

Other half

From the front

Then I covered my DIY overflow cover with scraps.

 

[rostato]

I left the back of the overflow open so that I could see in there with a mirror in an emergency situation.

I am expecting my Tropic Eden reeflakes substrate to come in later today. Hopefully this thing will have water in it by this weekend, or early next week!

 

[hmello@bermexin]

Nice build so far. Following along. Is the screen top all one piece? If so will that be a pain to get into the tank when needed?

 

[rostato]

Yup, all one piece. I didn;t want to create any shadows in the tank. It just comes right off, and only weighs about 2 lbs, so I will just remove it and throw it on the floor when I need to do maintenance. That's what I do on my little cube.

 

[goofball310]

Tagging along for the ride.

 

[rostato]

Picked up some wood for the stand. Now that's what I call a cartruck I got some seriously funny looks loading that up at lowes today! Worked out perfect though.

Also got my new substrate, and some other goodies. Special Blend for the cycle and initial bacteria dosing, and mb7 for maintenance bacteria dosing with the Bio-pellets.

I have recently become a fan of the finnex titanium heaters because they require a controller, and are cheaper than other brands. I also have not heard of these blowing up on people yet. You never know though. This one is a 500W, and I'll use a 300W from my old cube when I tear it down.

 

[mapleredta]

You can't hide money.

 

[rostato]

Pa...lease. I'm so broke now I'm actually applying for jobs...lol

 

[The Punisher]

Great looking build so far. Do you happen to have any other pics of the top you made? I'm going to be making one as soon as my BRS order comes in with the netting so any tips or tricks would be great too :thumbsup:

 

[rostato]

Great looking build so far. Do you happen to have any other pics of the top you made? I'm going to be making one as soon as my BRS order comes in with the netting so any tips or tricks would be great too :thumbsup:

No other pics but I can take whatever you like. Biggest tips I have are measure twice, cut once. Keep in mind that you have to account for the corner prices. Make sure you use a VERY sharp hack saw to cut, and go slow. This things are a PITA to cut smoothly. Then just do your best to line up the squares with the frame, and spline it in. Shouldn't take you more than 30-45 minutes to complete.

 

[rostato]

Well we moved the 45 cube out of the way today and tested the stand to make sure it was all level and smooth before I finished it. It was dead on level. I'm very glad I rebut the stand.

Also cut and attached the top and bottom of the stand and added a coat of paint. You can see the top in the background. I painted both sides of the bottom piece of ply.

It should have water in it by Wednesday! I just need to attach the mount for the lamp tree, and finish sanding and paint. Can't wait!

 

[hmello@bermexin]

Looking good. Are you gonna skin the stand with something?

 

[rostato]

Also learned a valuable lesson today. No matter how good you clean up after yourself, you will mess up the hardwood floors! This sucks, and can't wait to get my " you know what" reamed when the fiancé see this. (sorry the pic is rotated)